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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Rupee rises 23 paise to 94.95 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 23 paise to 94.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday as Brent crude prices retreated from their elevated level after US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible deal with Iran.
Forex traders said oil prices fell to USD 108 per barrel, as signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East offset the lingering supply concerns.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95, then gained some ground and touched an early high of 94.95, registering a gain of 23 paise from its previous low.
The rupee was later trading at 95.10 against the greenback.
On Tuesday, the rupee settled at 95.18 against the US dollar, after witnessing an all-time intraday low of 95.44 on Tuesday on possible RBI intervention after investors retreated from riskier assets amid renewed clashes in the Gulf and targeting of UAE infrastructure, which reignited supply chain fears.
The rupee, which fell to its all-time low of 95.44 on Tuesday, gained this morning as Gift Nifty indicated a positive opening of 200 points, said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
The dollar Index fell to 98.30, and Asian currencies rose against the dollar this morning in Asian trade, after Trump hinted at a possible deal with Iran, Bhansali added.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.28, down 0.16 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 1.32 per cent at USD 108.42 per barrel in futures trade, after Trump paused Operation Freedom.
President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday, and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 657.22 points to 77,675.01 in early trade, while the Nifty rallied 218 points to 24,250.85.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 3,621.58 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
