In poll season, politicians as neighbours turns ordeal in Gurugram

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, August 29

As political fervour grips Gurugram, many residents have been left harried due to the noise, parking issues and traffic problems on internal sector roads where political leaders reside.

‘Chaos for people’

Hundreds of people come in every day, parking their vehicles haphazardly and blocking access to the sector. This creates chaos for residents, and even school buses now find it difficult to enter the sector. —

Rakesh Jinsi, President, Sector 17 RWA

‘Will inspect site’

No political activity will be allowed to trouble citizens. We will inspect the site, speak to the politician concerned and address any issues if found — Nishant Yadav, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner

Among those affected are the residents of Sector 17-A, which is home to many political leaders, including BJP leader and ticket aspirant Naveen Goyal and Congress leader and former MLA Rao Dan Singh. The residents claimed that while Dan Singh’s residence was a major nuisance during the Lok Sabha elections due to daily political meetings, Goyal’s house is causing similar disturbances before the Vidhan Sabha elections. The residents have approached the administration in this regard. Goyal owns a palatial house right at the sector’s entrance, and due to the crowd and frequent events, the residents claim that the entire road is blocked most of the day, causing them significant inconvenience.

“This problem occurs almost daily but has worsened during the election season. Hundreds of people come in every day, parking their vehicles haphazardly and blocking access to the sector. This creates chaos for residents, and even school buses now find it difficult to enter the sector, with some avoiding it altogether. We have also written to the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran, questioning how a personal residence can be converted into a political party office,” said Rakesh Jinsi, president of the Sector 17 Resident Welfare Association (RWA).

The RWA has also accused him of extending the pavement, encroaching upon half the road to accommodate the numerous cars visiting him.

“Having a politician living right at the entrance of the sector is a nuisance for many. My grandchildren travel by school van, and almost every other day, the van driver asks us to come to the sector gate to drop them off or pick them up because there’s a traffic jam in front of Goyal’s house. We, through the RWA, have tried reasoning with him many a time, but it’s been of no use. Our children can’t play in the parks because most of the time, his workers are occupying them. Politicians should have separate office complexes, and the BJP should ask them to operate from the swanky Guru Kamal,” said 65-year-old Sushila Dahiya, a resident of Sector 17-A.

The RWA also claimed that they intervened when there was an attempt to take over a common park and convert it into an area reserved for political functions. “We had to step in when they tried to cordon off the park and illegally reserve it for their use. We informed them that while leaders and workers were free to use the park, residents could not be denied access,” added Jinsi.

While Goyal could not be reached for comment, a member of his media team stated, “There is no party office running here; it’s a house-cum-office of a social worker and leader, which is not a crime. It’s election season, and people are coming to meet him. We are aware of the concerns and have deployed a team to manage parking and traffic issues. It’s not just his house; many other professionals like lawyers, CAs and doctors also run consultancies here, and people sometimes park incorrectly, causing momentary chaos. However, there has been no such situation for the last two days.” Dan Singh could not be contacted for comment.