The other Gurugram: Forgotten villages

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, known for swanky corporate buildings and gated communities, is also a city of grave contradictions for many. Alongside the glittering posh areas are villages that once were the essence of Gurugram. These villages contributed land to the development of modern day Gurugram city but have themselves been reduced to urban slums, facing serious infrastructure issues.

Gurugram, as the name suggests, was a cluster of villages till 1960s when private developers arrived there. The Haryana Government allowed them to purchase land directly from farmers. Gradually the modern Gurugram city emerged while villages such as Gurugram, Wazirabad, Chakkarpur, Badshahpur, Nathupur, Sikanderpur, Tigda, Jharsa and Ghata, where farmers became very rich, became home to migrant population. 

Initially, there were 100 villages in Gurugram but soon many areas were declared urban. Today, there are around 53 villages in Gurugram with 40 of them falling within the Municipal Corporation limits. These villages have inadequate civic facilities such as sewerage and water supply, and they regularly face issues pertaining to sanitation, narrow streets, and poor drainage as compared to the neighboring modern localities having all facilities.

“It’s shocking but true that while posh city areas have been growing and getting better infrastructure, villages continue to struggle with the same age-old problems. The civic infrastructure built in the villages after their inclusion in the municipal limits lacked planning. They witnessed rampant illegal constructions and population increased manifold with the influx of migrants, burdening the existing infrastructure. These villages today present a picture of a rural civic mess. Sadly, it is residents than the authorities who are more responsible for the prevailing conditions,” says Shubhi Chandra, an anthropologist.

IAF ammo depot hinders development

The millennium city owes its origin to Gurugram village. This biggest village of the city continues to face issues of sewerage and lopsided development because a large part of it falls in the 900-metre area of the Indian Air Force ammunition depot.

Sewerage with narrow pipes of eight inches was laid in the village around 40 years ago. With the passage of time, the population of the village increased, putting pressure on the existing civic infrastructure. Today, blocked sewerage is the common complaint of the area residents. As a major part of the village falls within 900 metres of the Indian Air Force ammunition depot, it has been denied even the desirable civic infrastructure.

“Gurugram village was there even before the city began to take shape and grow. One day, an ammunition depot was established and it was decided that civic infrastructure development would not be allowed within 900 metres of it. Though the city has grown into an impressive metropolitan place, the village to which it owes its origin remains a tale of backwardness,” says Dinesh Saini, councillor from Gurugram village.

Locals to blame for mess

Situated along the mall mile Mahatma Gandhi road, Chakkarpur village is a sight of pity. More than official apathy or a lack of planning, it is local residents who are to blame for the urban mess. The village is home to migrants, who live in rented accommodation in multi-storey housing societies. Excessive constructions done to accommodate more people has severely stressed infrastructure and led to chaos. The village is also confronting problems of sanitation and erratic water supply. Garbage collected from nearby villages is being dumped here and local people have held protests several times demanding shifting of the dumpsite.

“Villagers and not the authorities are to be blamed for the festering problems. Chakkarpur village was meant for a limited population but after the Municipal Corporation came into being in 2008 the civic authorities tried to catch up with growing Gurugram city. People unabashedly carried out illegal constructions to rent accommodation to tenants. Today, the village has population five times more than what the available resources can support,” says Anil Yadav, former village sarpanch.

Stark infrastructure mismatch

Nathupur village is a glaring example of a stark mismatch between Gurugram city and rural areas. The village located near the cyber city presents a contrast to the sparkling life in the city. It also lacks basic amenities such as sewerage with sewage flowing onto roads, stink emanating from garbage heaps, water shortage, power outages and potholed roads that are not accessible by four-wheelers. 

An urban slum

Wazirabad village was the first to witness prosperity as villagers sold their land for high prices to builders and realty developers and became rich overnight. Though it was expected to be a place of luxurious living, it has become an urban slum, near Sector 52.

Narrow lanes, insufficient sewerage, erratic water and power supply and garbage dumps in the village are the common complaints of the villagers. It too has become a hub of migrants, mainly working in nearby posh colonies. However, still some old villagers are living there amid severely deficient infrastructure.

Immense pressure on resources

Jharsa village was first among the rural areas to be included in the municipal limits and provided civic amenities. However, it also witnessed rampant illegal constructions where migrants are living. The village has pockets such as Prempuri where estimated 500 people are living in an accommodation meant for 50, straining the available resources. 

Yashpal Yadav, Municipal Corporation Commissioner, says there is difference between infrastructure in villages and other areas. Villagers use space to accommodate as much as possible and that is putting a lot of load on the infrastructure. More population in these areas is leading to sanitation issues also. 

In a very short period, the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) has been able to complete development in villages based on a detailed project report. The detailed project report of remaining villages has also been prepared. 

This year, the MCG is preparing a detailed plan for whole Gurugram city under which all civic and other infrastructures shall be upgraded to the world-class level and then maintained with the help of good partners. The MCG has already floated a tender to select an agency which shall prepare a detailed report for the upgrade of water supply and sewerage, as per the population projection for 2040.

British had launched ‘Gurgaon Scheme’   

While most of the Gurugram villages today complain of backwardness, it was here that the British had conceptulised and implemented the first rural community development project. Frank Lugard Brayne, an Anglo-Indian Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon (1920-28), was moved by the uncertainty of rainfall, abject poverty, filthy dwellings, ill-health, ignorance, and illiteracy among rural people. With a view to improving the living conditions of rural people in Gurgaon district, he evolved a new technique of village development called the ‘Gurgaon Scheme’. This, in other words, was the practical application of the principle that the central figure ie., a villager himself must be made to take greater interest in himself and in his village before any results can be achieved, and the government agencies should do more to combine and coordinate their activities in order to assist and guide him. The ‘Gurgaon Scheme’ claimed to deal with the whole life and activities of the peasant and his family and present a complete remedy for the terrible conditions in which he lived. The scheme was the first judicious combination of the villagers’ own efforts with the activities of the nation building departments. It marked a definite departure in the technique of village improvement. The programme made people and the government aware of the vital concern of village reconstruction. 

Detailed plan for Gurugram city being prepared

"In a very short period, the Municipal Corporation Gurugram has been able to complete development in villages. The detailed project report of remaining villages has also been prepared. This year, the MCG is preparing a detailed plan for whole Gurugram city under which all civic and other infrastructure shall be upgraded to the world-class level. The MCG has already floated a tender to select an agency which shall prepare a detailed report for the upgrade of water supply and sewerage, as per the population projection for 2040." — Yashpal Yadav, Municipal Corporation Commissioner

Population rise & illegal constructions 

"Villagers and not the authorities are to be blamed for the festering problems. Chakkarpur village was meant for a limited population but after the Municipal Corporation came into being in 2008 the civic authorities tried to catch up with growing Gurugram city. People unabashedly carried out illegal constructions to rent accommodation to tenants. Today, the village has population five times more than what the available resources can support." — Anil Yadav, former sarpanch of Chakkarpur village 

A picture of backwardness

"Gurugram village was there even before the city began to take shape and grow. One day, an ammunition depot was established and it was decided that civic infrastructure development would not be allowed within 900 metres of it. Though the city has grown into an impressive metropolitan place, Gurugram village to which it owes its origin remains a picture of backwardness." — Dinesh Saini, councillor from Gurugram village

Contamination of drinking water with sewage

"The biggest problem that Wazirabad village has been facing is contamination of drinking water with sewage. The water supply pipelines and sewerage were laid in 2008 but were never maintained or replaced. The water pipelines need to be pulled out of the ground and laid away from the sewerage. Ironically, we never figure in the list of areas to be beautified or upgraded. We want the GMDA to undertake rural development." — Kuldeep Bohra, Wazirabad councillor