For third year in a row, Gurugram may not have an infra plan

GURUGRAM : In the two and a half years since it was formed, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has not managed to put together the infrastructure plan it was supposed to prepare in four months.
The GMDA was set up for coordinated and planned development of the city, doing away with silos that led to incongruous planning. The infrastructure plan was a big part of it – focusing on roads, water supply, sewage disposal, stormwater drainage, electricity, solid waste management, public transportation, parking and other urban amenities, required for the maintenance of a “reasonable standard of liveability”.
More than two years on, the GMDA’s liveability index, based on which the infrastructure plans were to be drafted, is ready but yet to be approved. The infrastructure plans are not ready. And the annual plan for infrastructure development, a big-picture view of the city’s planning, could not be prepared. The GMDA could not come up with one for the last financial year. It is unlikely to be able to present one in the next financial year either.
The infrastructure plan, meanwhile, has been split several ways. “The plan has so many components, which is why it has been delayed. IIT-Roorkee will draft the plan for sewage, electrical and water infrastructure. The drainage plan will be drawn up by GMDA in consultation with HSVP. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has been brought in for the environment infrastructure plan. The plan for roads and right of way will be taken up by the School of Planning and Architecture since it has drafted the mobility management plan,” said GMDA chief V Umashankar.
The mobility management plan, with a draft already published, is the only one that has made some progress. The final mobility plan will be placed for final approval in the next GMDA meeting.
That the GMDA does not have a full-time chief has also affected progress. Its CEO, V Umashankar, has been shuttling between Chandigarh, where he serves as principal secretary, and Gurgaon — a point on which the CEO concurs. Besides, GMDA has five additional CEOs but they have little operational power or authority.
The GMDA chief said the delay could be attributed to an intensive approach. “The plans are very detailed and will look at problems at the city level, the sub-city level and the sector level. They require fieldwork and a lot of time,” he explained. For now, the annual plan will not have the infrastructure plan and will just be about projects in the offing and budget approvals.