Life in Gurgaon is a near-perfect example of how life shouldn't be. I work in the cyber city and my answer pertains to the area in and around the DLF Cyber city. As an urban and transportation planner, my answer will revolve around such and such aspects only.
The Negatives:
The sun dawns in Gurgaon with sirens and noises from on-going construction nearly everywhere. One could see expensive and luxurious cars violating the traffic along the main thoroughfare. As if this was not enough, reckless and impatient auto-rickshaws, shuttles and two-wheelers maneuver around releasing obnoxious flames and bringing the traffic to a standstill. Amidst the perennial honking and dust, I make it through the reckless traffic every morning from Dwarka in Delhi to Gurgaon, a 15 km ride mostly on the highway but still takes about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours to travel one-way. Scores and scores of workers make their way to the industrial hubs jaywalking through the traffic. The pedestrians are the most vulnerable due to the lack of side walks, pelican signals or grade-separated walkways. Whatever little space is left, is occupied by parked vehicles, taxis and hawkers.
There's a ton of construction going on, drainage pipes being set up and access roads being drilled everywhere. There are either no designated bus-stops or makeshift ones and hardly any signage for directions. You miss a signal, you end up spending another hour in the traffic. To go towards Delhi, a lot of people cross a very very busy junction under the flyover (shown below) for car-pooling, private buses and taxis. God forbid if there is a medical emergency, forget reaching a hospital on time. Even the cops will not be able to ensure a green corridor. All in all, commuting is a big pain in the a**. To put things in perspective, here's a picture:
This, my friend, is a national highway.
And in the evening, the situation worsens with the entry of trucks and other commercial vehicles.
To negate this effect of commuting, most of the working professionals tend to live in-and-around an area called U-block. Soaring real-estate prices in Gurgaon leave not many options. Living here is a punishment with lack of hygiene, irregular water supply and electricity and no air circulation. The whole of U-Block, with its narrow unpaved alleys, is packed with poorly ventilated high-rise one-room apartments. As the working population in Gurgaon swells, U-block and the nearby areas continue to deteriorate into a concrete urban slum. There is hardly any green or recreational parks. It is dotted by a few shady gyms and hideous malls, hawkers, snack-joints and piles and piles of garbage. Given the recent surge in the number of earthquakes and after-shocks, fire safety seems to be non-existent. There is an inside joke within my office where we determine our safety based on whether or not U-block falls. I seriously doubt if these buildings are earthquake resistant. More-so do they even have a foundation? Either way, you get killed either by commuting to Gurgaon or by living here.
Here's a view of U-block from my office:
Street thugs, burglary and shootings are rampant around the outer areas but I haven't witnessed any around the Cyber city. The sheer number of pubs, dance bars and liquor stores in Gurgaon is testimony to many a drunken revelry and accidents. So safety definitely is an issue around here.
The Positives:
As much as I'd like to dismiss living in Gurgaon, there are a few positives albeit in relative terms. I've had a hard time coming up with the positives, but anyway:
CYBER HUB - is like the lotus in a dirty pond. Swanky restaurants, bars and a host of culinary delights, impromptu gigs and product launches all at one place is the perfect antithesis to life in Gurgaon. Smarty dressed professionals hanging out after a day of (maybe, intense) work with their foreign counterparts presents a picture no less than any foreign destination. Although overpriced, I am guilty of spending half my salary here on international cuisines and ethnic foods. You are never short of options.
[All images of Cyber Hub sourced from the Google Images]
RAPID METRO: is a boon to the ones having to converse from one office to another within the Cyber city. Although the stations are named funnily (Micromax Avenue, IndusInd station, Vodaphone Belvedere towers, etc.) rapid metro provides the much needed respite to traffic, especially if you need to travel within the complex.
It also provides a seamless interchange to the Yellow line of Delhi Metro. And, there is free wi-fi too.
[Both images sourced from Google Images]
To put it bluntly, Gurgaon is a wannabe modern and smart city without the requisite infrastructure. There is a weird vibe to the place.
Source by :- https://www.quora.com/profile/Saleel-Patro
The Negatives:
The sun dawns in Gurgaon with sirens and noises from on-going construction nearly everywhere. One could see expensive and luxurious cars violating the traffic along the main thoroughfare. As if this was not enough, reckless and impatient auto-rickshaws, shuttles and two-wheelers maneuver around releasing obnoxious flames and bringing the traffic to a standstill. Amidst the perennial honking and dust, I make it through the reckless traffic every morning from Dwarka in Delhi to Gurgaon, a 15 km ride mostly on the highway but still takes about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours to travel one-way. Scores and scores of workers make their way to the industrial hubs jaywalking through the traffic. The pedestrians are the most vulnerable due to the lack of side walks, pelican signals or grade-separated walkways. Whatever little space is left, is occupied by parked vehicles, taxis and hawkers.
There's a ton of construction going on, drainage pipes being set up and access roads being drilled everywhere. There are either no designated bus-stops or makeshift ones and hardly any signage for directions. You miss a signal, you end up spending another hour in the traffic. To go towards Delhi, a lot of people cross a very very busy junction under the flyover (shown below) for car-pooling, private buses and taxis. God forbid if there is a medical emergency, forget reaching a hospital on time. Even the cops will not be able to ensure a green corridor. All in all, commuting is a big pain in the a**. To put things in perspective, here's a picture:
And in the evening, the situation worsens with the entry of trucks and other commercial vehicles.
To negate this effect of commuting, most of the working professionals tend to live in-and-around an area called U-block. Soaring real-estate prices in Gurgaon leave not many options. Living here is a punishment with lack of hygiene, irregular water supply and electricity and no air circulation. The whole of U-Block, with its narrow unpaved alleys, is packed with poorly ventilated high-rise one-room apartments. As the working population in Gurgaon swells, U-block and the nearby areas continue to deteriorate into a concrete urban slum. There is hardly any green or recreational parks. It is dotted by a few shady gyms and hideous malls, hawkers, snack-joints and piles and piles of garbage. Given the recent surge in the number of earthquakes and after-shocks, fire safety seems to be non-existent. There is an inside joke within my office where we determine our safety based on whether or not U-block falls. I seriously doubt if these buildings are earthquake resistant. More-so do they even have a foundation? Either way, you get killed either by commuting to Gurgaon or by living here.
Here's a view of U-block from my office:
Street thugs, burglary and shootings are rampant around the outer areas but I haven't witnessed any around the Cyber city. The sheer number of pubs, dance bars and liquor stores in Gurgaon is testimony to many a drunken revelry and accidents. So safety definitely is an issue around here.
The Positives:
As much as I'd like to dismiss living in Gurgaon, there are a few positives albeit in relative terms. I've had a hard time coming up with the positives, but anyway:
CYBER HUB - is like the lotus in a dirty pond. Swanky restaurants, bars and a host of culinary delights, impromptu gigs and product launches all at one place is the perfect antithesis to life in Gurgaon. Smarty dressed professionals hanging out after a day of (maybe, intense) work with their foreign counterparts presents a picture no less than any foreign destination. Although overpriced, I am guilty of spending half my salary here on international cuisines and ethnic foods. You are never short of options.
RAPID METRO: is a boon to the ones having to converse from one office to another within the Cyber city. Although the stations are named funnily (Micromax Avenue, IndusInd station, Vodaphone Belvedere towers, etc.) rapid metro provides the much needed respite to traffic, especially if you need to travel within the complex.
It also provides a seamless interchange to the Yellow line of Delhi Metro. And, there is free wi-fi too.
To put it bluntly, Gurgaon is a wannabe modern and smart city without the requisite infrastructure. There is a weird vibe to the place.
Source by :- https://www.quora.com/profile/Saleel-Patro
(Its Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road)