Residents of MG Road form umbrella body to resolve issues

The residents said they will devise an action plan over the next few weeks to end the problems they are facing. They said they will rope in the Gurgaon police and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) as well

Members of the residents’ welfare associations (RWA) of three societies on Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road on Sunday held a meeting to discuss issues of security, traffic management and encroachments on the road. They also created a confederation of RWAs to represent residents of societies on MG Road.

The meeting was attended by more than 50 people, including RWA members and residents of Essel Towers, Heritage City and Sahara Grace.

The meeting was attended by more than 50 people, including RWA members and residents of Essel Towers, Heritage City and Sahara Grace.

The residents said they will devise an action plan over the next few weeks to end the problems they are facing. They said they will rope in the Gurgaon police and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) as well.

“We have to generate the unified voice of the residents so that our main issues are identified and our concerns are addressed at the earliest. Residents have to come together to reclaim the MG Road, which was the charm of the city. Now, there are paramount problems for around 3,000 residents of apartments on the stretch,” said Narendra Bhaskar, a resident of Essel Tower.

The residents have proposed to block the service lanes on Sunday for holding activities for residents, to provide a platform for interaction.

“We need to ensure that a dedicated lane or parking area is demarcated for taxis, autos and public transport. This will curb traffic menace on MG road during the peak hour,” said Rod Harding, a resident of Heritage City.

Archana Saxena, a resident of Heritage city said, “We have to form a committee to stop hawkers from taking over the MG Road. We are not against their livelihood but they have encroached the entire service road.”

The RWA members of Sahara Grace brought up the issue of a U-turn, which results in a roadblock and makes it difficult for vehicles to move, especially during an emergency.

“Recently, a fire tender could not take the U-turn due to the narrow width of the lane and it took time to reach our condominium. It should be planned better, after taking into consideration the nearby societies,” said Govinder Kapoor, a resident of Sahara Grace.

RWAs have also proposed to deploy marshals if authorities fail to resolve the issue.The RWA members also decided to pool funds for implementing solutions to their problems.

“This was our first collective internal meeting and we will work together so that families residing in the societies on MG Road can walk to the malls safely,” said Rajeev Sinha, Essel Tower RWA (ETRWA) president.

Rakesh Salhotra of Heritage City said, “The lanes are encroached by hawkers, who do not even have the requisite licence.”

Gurgaon police officers said they have deployed personnel from DLF Phase 2 and Sector 29 police stations on the stretch.

“There is a police post in front of DT Mall on the stretch and we have deployed women personnel as well to ensure safety and security of the residents. There are strict instructions given to them to rush to the residential area when needed,” Deepak Saharan, deputy commissioner of police (east), said.