: The decision of the Haryana government to bring some of the licensed colonies here under the ambit of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) seems to have hit a roadblock.
Meeting a long-standing demand of the residents, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had in February accorded approval for the transfer of Palam Vihar, Sushant Lok Phase-I, and DLF Phase I-III, to the MCG. With services like roads, water supply, sewerage, and open spaces in these colonies being operational satisfactorily for more than five years, the colonisers concerned were directed to transfer these colonies to the MCG on ‘as is where is basis’.
The transfer, however, hit a roadblock with the MCG itself not being ready to take over these sectors. “No ground work was done before taking the decision. Many of these colonies lack basic infrastructure such as roads and sewage system. How can the MCG take over without the complete infrastructure in place?” said an MCG official on condition of anonymity.
The official claimed that taking over these licensed colonies will cost Rs.100 crore to the MCG, which is already cash-crunched.
“We have written to the higher authorities seeking clarification on certain points. Only after their reply will we move ahead on the issue,” said MCG Commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash.
Besides, the residents’ welfare association have also been opposing the dual taxation system and have denied that they won’t pay both maintenance charges and property tax to the MCG after the takeover. “We have been paying property tax since 2008, but the MCG has not spent a penny on us so far. Also, the MCG has been collecting huge sums of money from 36 commercial properties in Sushant Lok-I as property tax,” said Sushant Lok-I president A.K. Nagpal.
Mr. Satyaprakash, however, said that it was not possible to maintain the colonies through the meagre collection made through property tax.
According to MCG sources, staff crunch is another hurdle.
The government decided to transfer 600 Haryana Urban Development Authority employees to the MCG to deal with the staff shortage, but it met stiff opposition from the employees’ association. “HUDA employees get pension, but MCG has no provision for pension. More than a 100 employees are slated to get retired by 2017. All these employees may not get pension,” said a HUDA Karamchari Ekta Union office-bearer.
An official claimed that taking over these licensed colonies will cost Rs.100 crore to the MCG, which is already cash-crunched
