Why Gurugram crawls? Voters ask political parties as campaigning for Assembly polls intensifies
Gurugram (PTI): The campaign for upcoming Assembly polls in Haryana has seen parties making varied promises but voters in Gurugram have a common grievance -- why does the traffic in the millennium city crawl?
Pitched as the "Singapore of India", the most elite region of NCR, Gurugram is one of Asia's largest IT and corporate hubs. The city might be offering employment to people from across the country who now call it home, but when it comes to civic amenities, life is getting increasingly difficult, voters say.
Intense waterlogging, damaged roads and serpentine traffic jams are the everyday woes faced by the people and they are now demanding assurance from candidates that their grievances will finally be addressed.
Posters of "No road, no vote", "Abki bar, no guddha sarkar", "Stuck in traffic, can't vote", and "Why Gurgaon crawls" are flashed by voters when the candidates go out in the city to seek votes.
"The city is in a mess but the traffic situation is worse. The only solution left is to never step out of the house. Even a few kilometres of distance takes over an hour and travelling to Delhi is like taking a flight to Dubai or Singapore," Sumegh Jaiswal, a resident of a multi-storey complex in Sector 82, told PTI.
Jaiswal's fellow residents protested with posters when candidates of both the BJP and the Congress visited the area this week.
"We are asking all candidates what is their plan to address the traffic issue. We don't need promises, we need a plan and then only we will vote," he said.
The city which is in proximity to Delhi airport also has residences of several VIPs. Swanky apartments, the cost of which runs into several crores of rupees, mark the entry of the cyber city from Delhi.
"Sometimes it takes less time in flight than it takes to reach the airport from Gurugram. There is no metro connectivity to the airport and going by road is a nightmare.
"And if it rains, God save us because it is like literally rowing a boat. Why should we vote for any party if nobody is bothered about these basics," said Trikha, an architect.
The traffic situation has also become a subject of blame game among political parties.
Ruling BJP's Rao Narbir Singh, a three-time Haryana minister who is contesting from Bashahdpur constituency which constitutes 70 per cent of Gurguram's electorate, admitted that the city is a "civic mess".
"I agree Gurgaon (old name of Gurugram) is a civic mess currently. We have the worst waterlogging, the worst roads and a traffic crisis. The city has turned into a garbage dump. The last five years not just brought the city to a standstill but reversed the pace of development," he told PTI in an interview.
The BJP and Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party formed an alliance in October 2019 which broke up in March 2024.
"I blame the coalition for it (the Gurugram's civic problems). We had a majority government from 2014 to 2019 and anybody can question the pace of development but things have gone downhill since 2019. It was our coalition with the JJP which is to be blamed.
"The civic infrastructure department was with the JJP and they didn't do anything. The people are disappointed that despite the BJP being at the helm of affairs, no work has been done," Singh said.
Congress' Vardhan Yadav who is contesting his debut election from the constituency accused the BJP of neglecting Gurugram.
"There are two national highways passing through the city and still the traffic on main roads as well as interior roads is unbelievable.
"Despite contributing a hefty sum to Haryana’s coffers, Gurgaon has been given a short shrift and that is what needs to change. The situation wasn't like this till Congress was at the helm in the state," he said.
Traffic authorities blame the increasing number of vehicles in the city.
"Every month at least 5000 new private cars get registered in Gurugram, besides this there are two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.
"We deploy teams at all major intersections and even during waterlogging teams are at the spot navigating the traffic, but there is a larger problem," a top traffic police official said, requesting anonymity.
Gurugram district has four assembly constituencies -- Gurgaon, Pataudi, Badhshahpur and Sohna -- with a total electorate of over 15 lakh. Badhshapur is the largest constituency in the state in terms of electorate.
The Haryana assembly polls are slated to be held on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
