Low retailing, high cost

Even though Gurgaon has managed to attract big corporates such as Coca Cola and Bharti Airtel, the day-to-day life for a middle-class person has become very difficult. This is mainly due to the reason that it has become one of the costliest cities in India.

Even though Gurgaon has managed to attract big corporates such as Coca Cola and Bharti Airtel, the day-to-day life for a middle-class person has become very difficult. This is mainly due to the reason that it has become one of the costliest cities in India.

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For a common man, the cost of living in Gurgaon, which is the fastest growing city in the country and aspires to become a Millennium city, is between 10-15% more than that in Delhi. This was pointed out by Raj Jain, president Walmart India at the CEOs conclave organized by the Hindustan Times.

Giving a case study of a common man with a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, Jain pointed out that there is no reliable public transport in Gurgaon. The rentals are very high.

In the case study of a driver, Jain said that when this man shifted from Delhi to Gurgaon, his rental went up. It is difficult to get admissions in good schools. Fruits and vegetables are about 10 per cent costlier than that in Delhi.

“One of the reasons for this is that the density of retailing is very low in Gurgaon compared to Delhi,” said Jain.

The hype around Gurgaon has certainly not done well for the middle-class.