Laser solution to all problems

Tired of flaunting your old tattoo or your girlfriend whose name you tattooed on your arms has become an ex? Remove all those ugly scars of your past life with the help of new age cosmetic wonders. Says Dr Ramanjit Singh, Dermatologist and Cosmetologist, and owner of FOS Laser Spa in Sushant Lok I, “With newer concepts in skin care technology, skin-related problems are a thing of past now. There are new age cosmetic wonders to cure Age related problems like wrinkles, open pores, uneven pigmentation, sagging facial muscles through laser techniques.”
Armed with new state-of-the-art technology from Promoitalia Wellness Research, the FOS Laser Spa is the first in this part of the world to use this technology for weight reduction. In fact the spa has also introduced the Ultra Violet B therapy for the first time in NCR to treat psoriasis and vitiligo.
The laser spa not only caters to the needs of people with skin problems but also has a separate plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry wing.
“We are the only ones who can do 2500 grafts in a single sitting,” says Dr Amit Gupta, a specialist in micro follicular hair transplant. Trained in Brazil by the doctor who invented it, Dr Gupta says, “One doesn’t need to fly to foreign shores for hair transplants. We use latest technology and our results are impressive.”
Well, the youngsters of Gurgaon are throwing up in large numbers for scar less breast augmentation programme as well as liposuction. For the BPO industry employees suffering from Delhi-belly, Dr Singh advises them to undergo colon hydrotherapy to detox the intestines. “Especially with hot and spicy Indian food, lots of toxins tend to accumulate in the intestines. It’s a must for all to cleanse these intestines and detox them. It’s all about healthy living,” says Dr Singh.
Apart from customized nutritional counseling to an Ayurvedic massage packages, FOS Laser Spa is all about wellness under one roof. With a strong team of specialized doctors and trained nurses, the experience here is rather different from a normal beauty spa.
“We use the latest techniques for body sculpting and facelifts. Areas with localized fat and extra volume like arms, abdomen, waist lines, inner thighs, saddle bags can be treated easily,” adds Dr Singh.
As for the cost, one can get a smile makeover for as low as Rs 3,000. The weight reduction packages start from Rs 20,000 depending on the individual’s requirements. Presently the spa is offering complimentary oral check ups for Gurgaon residents.

Miracle & a spa

To help combat work stress, Gurgaon residents have another option in the recently opened spiritual spa — Miracle World Spa — in DLF phase IV. A combination of Buddha statues and bamboos imported from South Africa adorn its walls and corners. Its owner Geeta Dev Sharma says, “As soon as customers walk in here, we want them to relax in peace here. Their experience should be soothing so we have designed the interiors accordingly. Spa means to dip oneself in mud and meditate. And unlike other spas in town, we try to follow it in its essence.”
Juxtaposing the elements of earth, water and fire in its theme, the Miracle World Spa has two bamboo huts, beautiful spa rooms, beauty room, counseling rooms, hair saloon, and are building a hydrotherapy unit which would be functional shortly. It has an in-house academy to train the staff and each department has its own exclusive staff.
However, talking about the clients who are visiting the spa, Sharma says, “Right from top corporate honchos having back problems to even school and college students, all come here. Examination stress is a big problem that children face. We help them ease out stress with meditation and exercises. Our USP is that we have separate rooms for men and women and we have no cross massagers.”
A centre of excellence for Thai Yoga, Marma and sports massages, the spa also lets you experience all forms of massages using different aroma oils. However, there’s a Samaritan side to the spa. The money earned from here goes for treatment of the poor in Ajmer. “My spiritual guru is Baba Sahib Badam Shah of Ajmer. There’s a charitable hospital in his memory where poor are treated free,” Sharma says.
A legal-eagle by profession, Sharma has designed the interiors of the Spa herself, crediting designer instincts in her to her father who was a chief architect.
Packages start from Rs 1500 to 3500 per session and all kits used in the treatment are disposable. The spa at present is giving summer discounts and one can also opt for annual membership.

Bad roads, broken sewers and resident's miseries

Bad roads, broken sewers and authorities giving a royal ignore to the resident’s plea to maintain them. That’s the price you pay to live living in those high-rise spacious luxury apartments in Gurgaon. Turn your head towards any side, the condition will remain the same. And try to improve it any which way you can, nobody will listen.
Residents of sector 55 are facing a similar kind of problem. The road leading to their apartments has disappeared, thanx to the broken sewer which floods the roads so badly that even the SUVs find it a problem to chug through the muddy pool, forget about small cars.
“We feel ashamed to invite our relatives and friends to our place. When the sewage water turns the road into a pool, the foul smell emanating from the road adds to our miseries. We have to take a long detour to avoid this road,” says RC Goel, a retired scientist and a resident of Paarth Apartments, Sector 55.
Goel, who shifted from Delhi’s Pitampura area, feels that Gurgaon is nothing in comparison to Delhi in terms of providing civic amenities. “Only thing good about Gurgaon is the space available inside your apartment compound and your home. Outside it is just like any other urbanized village,” Goel adds.
The road also leads to the Sushant Lok II residence of District Congress leader Satbir Gujjar. According to Gujjar, “On my insistence HUDA had once repaired the road. But with broken sewer it came back to the same position again. If residents approach to HUDA again, I am sure they will repair the broken sewer and make the road metalled.”
However, Goel says, “Several times we have brought it to HUDA’s notice, but nothing has been done till now. We are confused now, whether the road actually belongs to HUDA or falls under Gurgaon Municipal Corporation or some other civic body.”

Smriti Vatika's ugly scar

From the outset it seems that Gurgaon’s Smriti Vatika Park in sector 55 is well manicured and maintained perfectly. However, once you enter the park reality seems to be pegged differently. An open sewer dissects the park into two leading with foul stench emanating from it perennially. Maintained the horticulture department of HUDA, residents feel Huda should intervene and do a cosmetic makeover of the park.
Catering to the needs of residents of Sector 53, 54, 55 and 56, the lone park in the area is a hub of activities. Morning walkers grace the park quite early here, feeling the need of proper lighting facilities here.

“Most of the walkers come here before the break of dawn. It is quite dark at that time. We just need that Huda should keep the park properly lit up,” says ML Chawla, a resident of sector 56.
Most of the sectors around the Smriti Vatika have apartments of Central Group Housing societies. Unlike private developers, they don’t have parks inside their apartment complexes. “This is the reason why this park draws a huge crowd,” says Subhash Sharma, resident of sector 56.
“If there’s a will, this park can be developed nicely. It can have a space for children’s park, a separate platform for people to practice yoga, and some more rain shelters having benches for old people to sit and relax after walking,” adds Sharma. Out of the two rain shelters, one is right next to the sewer, rendering it useless.
“The need of the hour is to close down the sewer that passes through the park. If HUDA can put pipes instead of the open drain, it will help us in reclaiming lot of waste land and using the entire area of the park,” says RS Kataria, President of morning walker’s association of Smriti Vatika.
However, 81-year-old Om Prakash Joshi feels, “A certain stretch of walking track is slanted and is rough for walkers. People wearing waist belts and old ones get jerks here. It should be leveled so that people like me can walk properly.”
“HUDA has done good job in some parts of the park. The manicured lawns and well kept garden at the entry is commendable. However, the open drain is an ugly scar and should be removed,” says BL Mehrotra, resident of Sun City heights, sector 54.

Why Gurgaon won't vote?

Are the Millennium City residents feeling left out of the poll process? Yes, say many residents who haven’t seen the face of a single candidate in their area. “Gurgaon is called the Millennium City, but surprisingly, the candidates haven’t even bothered to call upon us. We get the election update of our area through media. We are feeling left out,” says Subhash Chandra Sharma, a retired banker and resident of Sector 56.
With New Gurgaon voters forming only 10 per cent of the total electorate in Gurgaon Assembly constituency (which along with eight other Assembly segments forms the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency), all the candidates are focusing their campaign on rural areas.
Armed with the urban issues and problems, a few believed that candidates would come to woo the elite class of Gurgaon. However they are stunned by the royal ignore they have received from the candidates. “If you travel to Old Gurgaon, at least you can see banners and hoardings and you realise the campaign is on. In New Gurgaon the entire election paraphernalia is missing. Perhaps we are too few for these candidates to matter,” says Sunil Kalra, a DLF phase II resident.
Besides, there are people who have received their voter ID cards, but still they are unaware about their polling booths. “During morning walks, I meet so many people who don’t even know their polling booths, but they have a voter ID card. At least in other towns, parties make it a point to inform their voters about these things. Here political parties aren’t even courteous enough to make a basic point of contact by giving this information to their voters,” says Pooja Khan, a resident of DLF Phase V.
“New Gurgaon doesn’t form a vote-bank for politicians, so they ignore us. However, they tend to forget that the large chunk of revenue that the state earns comes from this area. And it is this achievement that they boast of on all political platforms. However, it’s unfortunate that they feel the residents of the same town are insignificant for them. Sad part is that the aim of a candidate is to win polls, so they focus on rural vote banks. And this is the main reason why urban middle class has become cynic for the electoral process,” says Shashi Sharma of People’s Action Group.
However, RWAs are miffed by the fact that voter’s list is not complete. “There are more than 1000 people living in Hamilton Court, but only 127 names are there in the voter list. Lots of names are missing from the previous list. This is the reason why New Gurgaon residents form such a small minority group to attract the attention of candidates contesting elections,” says Om Prakash Khetan, President, Hamilton Court RWA.
Khetan’s son and daughter-in-laws names are missing from this year’s voter list. “There are lot of people in our apartments who have ID cards and have cast their vote in 2004 elections, but their names are missing from here now,” Khetan adds.
V.N. Kapoor, President of Regency Park II RWA also complains, “Political parties are more interested in addressing slum issues than our problems. They know they will get chunk of votes from there and hence hardly waste time in contacting us. We are useless for them.”
Residents of Regency Park II also face the same problem as that of Hamilton Court. “The names of only 40 per cent of the eligible voters in our apartments are there in the list. Rest of the names is missing. Four years back me and my wife applied for ID card, but till now only I have received my card whereas my wife’s card is missing. In other parts of the country party workers of different political parties help the voters in getting them registered. In Gurgaon, none of the political party workers even bothered to help us out,” says Kapoor. “They don’t know that a small initiative taken by them would have helped them secure a chunk of votes of new Gurgaon,” says Khetan.

NBCC planning to expand Gurgaon Project

It’s good news for people looking for cheaper homes in Gurgaon. National Building Construction Corporation, who had earlier announced 800 apartments for Gurgaon, is all set to expand their project here.
According to NJ Singh, Senior General Manager, NBCC, “We have received around 21,000 expression of interest (EOI) applications, which is 26 times the available number of flats.”
The PSU has planned Pent Houses in Gurgaon apart from several apartment options of two, three, four and five bedroom apartments within the price band of Rs 25-45 lakh.
“If we start processing the applications at this stage, very few people will be getting allotment in this scheme. With an intention to satisfy the need for maximum number of applicants, we are in the process of acquiring more land in Gurgaon,” said Singh.
Moreover, the Election Commission’s Code of Conduct in effect, some permissions and approvals are getting delayed.
The country’s largest PSU in building sector is planning to come out with formal project details by June next month.

Raisina Residency project voted the best

Tata Housing’s Raisina Residency in Gurgaon’s sector 59, built on the theme of Art and Culture, has won the CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009 for best development marketing in Residential category. This award is the Asia Pacific edition of the International Property Awards, the industry’s most prestigious award programme globally.
On being successful at the Awards, Brotin Banerjee, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, TATA Housing said, "It gives me immense pleasure to receive these awards. The awards are a testimony to the high standards and expertise of TATA Housing to develop landmark projects in the country.”
The International Property Awards are split into regions covering America, Asia Pacific, Europe & Africa, Arabia and UK and the participants enter at their relevant national level. Each region then have winners in prescribed categories under given parameters and the highest-scoring winners from each region are automatically entered into the overall International Awards, which ultimately determine the world's finest property companies.
TATA Housing as an award winner in the Asia Pacific Property Awards, 2009, are invited to attend a glittering awards dinner for the Asia Pacific Region on July 16, 2009 where the star ratings for the projects would be announced.

Old Habits Die Hard

Hundreds of Delhi residents might have found their dream houses in Gurgaon but they haven’t gotten over with their Delhi hangover yet. For them ‘daily needs’ have changed into ‘weekly needs’ and a weekend trip to Delhi is a must for buying mutton, soaps, pulses and in some cases vegetables, too.
Rajesh Kalra, a resident of DLF Phase III, does his shopping from Delhi. “I first lived in Daryaganj and then moved to South Delhi. I feel comfortable buying stuff from there. In Gurgaon, you don’t have the comfort factor. I know my old kiryana shopkeeper won’t cheat me,” Kalra, who still goes to his old barber in Green Park market, said.
Ankit Batra of Shri Morning Palace, a retail store in E-block market Hauz Khas, said, “We have customer who have been buying stuff for the past 40 years. Some have shifted to Gurgaon but they come on weekends here.”
Before shifting to Sushant Lok, Akshay Saxena lived in Malviya Nagar. “I still go to Malviya Nagar for shopping. In Gurgaon, there is little option of buying daily need items within the colony. One has to go to far off places where parking is a hassle. So I go to my old shops in Delhi.”
Same is the case with former East Patel Nagar and Rajinder Nagar residents who have shifted to the Millennium City. “Most of my customers come from Gurgaon to buy fish, mutton and chicken,” Sanjay, owner of Sanjay Meat shop at Pusa Road, said. Most of them call him up in advance to ensure they don’t return empty hand. His USP – apart from mutton, chicken and varieties of fish, he also sells ducks and turkey.
"All our household items are bought from Hauz Khas market. Actually we are so comfortable with our kiryana store there that even after shifting to Gurgaon for so many years, we make it a point to go to Delhi for our daily needs stuff," says the DLF phase II resident.

The night they can never forget

Owning a farmhouse in Gurgaon can be fearsome. Ask Fernandes couple if you don’t believe us.

Owning a farmhouse in Chhattarpur, Ghitorni or Sultanpur area might be a style statement as well as comfort factor for many in Delhi, but, in Gurgaon, even if you dream of buying a farmhouse, think twice. It can actually be a pain, a cause of fear, mental agony and helplessness. If you wonder how, read on.

A couple (in their mid-60s) residing in their farmhouse on the outskirts of Gurgaon realised it the hard way. Running a successful restaurant 'Bernandos' in DLF Galleria market, the Fernandes couple was too scared to come out for an interview. However, their brush with the law thereafter left an ugly scar on their memory and set them talking.

On August 1 last year, at about 1.30 am, they were returning to their farm from Gurgaon after folding up the day’s business. As soon as they hit the unmetalled road leading to their gates, they saw a man flashing a revolver and asking them to stop. Behind him they could see few shadows. Without thinking twice, the husband pressed the accelerator of their Maruti Esteem. However, the man with the help of the revolver smashed the windscreen of the car and was knocking on the door. They could see his face clearly now.

“We just kept speeding away. The men fired at us thrice. We were lucky to escape unhurt,” says Mr Fernandes. “A few labourers who stay in adjoining farm came for our help. But by then, the miscreants had sped away on their bikes.”

After about an hour, a PCR van came there, but the cops wanted the couple to come to the main road and fetch them to the scene of crime. “Imagine the kind of mental agony we were in and then such an odd request from the cops leaves you numbed. When we got them to our farmhouse, they wanted to know how much we are worth and not bothered about us or the shooting. They never bothered to visit the spot and left saying ‘come to the station in the morning’,” says Fernandes.

The incident and inaction by cops only led the couple to hire a private armed security guard and a cab for their office and back. They were too scared to drive alone. It was only after intervention from senior cops in Delhi, that the couple were able to get them heard at the police station.

Meanwhile, the armed guard they had hired started carrying out probe on his own. The Lal family was in for a shock when they found out that their own servant for four years was part of the gang which attacked them. “Later, we remembered he used to talk much about robbery, crime, etc in the area. He was trying to scare us about the environs. His cousin was the main man behind the attack. And the gang they hired to kill us was arrested by cops in a case of murder in some other district of Haryana. When we saw the news, we were relieved that worst is over. However, none of the cops came to us when they arrested him,” says Fernandes.

“After a few months, a constable came to us and told me that our life was in danger and they wanted to kill us for property. Since our children stay in Delhi and everybody thought we live alone here, the property mafia wanted this prime land. However, after the incident lots of our friends visit us regularly so the notion has been done away with,” he adds.

The couple feels that recession in property market has also helped their cause and the reason why they are alive too. “Land prices have gone southwards, builders have shelved their plan of developing property here and that’s the reason why we are safe right now,” says Mrs Fernandes.

Nine months have passed and Lals still haven’t forgotten the deadly night of August 1. Although they still live in the shadow of fear, but they can’t leave the place which they have nurtured for years.

Gurgaon's own brewery

With Haryana only among four states in India allowing brewing of beer by restaurants, Gurgaon has become the first city in north India to brew beer. Currently beer is being brewed and served fresh at Galaxy Hotel’s Howzatt and Rockman’s Beer Island at the Ambience Mall.

Enter Howzatt, and the aroma of fresh beer leaves the connoisseurs of the ale awestruck. Cricketing ambience just adds to the flavour of the IPL season. According to restaurant manager Hemant Nautiyal, “All ingredients are imported from Germany. And the end product doesn’t have any preservatives added to it but retains the nutrient quality of beer. In fact we are the first in the country to brew fresh wheat beer.”

Imported bottled German wheat beers are available in India but nobody has brewed a wheat beer in the country till now.

Even the fizz in the beer is kept to a bare minimum level saving the patrons of the restaurant from ugly burps. The brewery which is right behind the bar is separated through a glass and the patrons can see the two levels of the brewery.

However, the pub also sells other liquor beverages and is showcasing the telecast of Indian Premier League. Cricket décor also revs up the ambience. With sofas in the shape of cricket glove, bar stools in the shape of bails, flags of cricket playing nations adorning the ceiling, it’s the right place to be in for watching the electric IPL matches from South Africa.

The Process
It takes 14 days to brew a beer. For starters, around 300 litres of water is added with malt and kept in a Mashton. After two-and-a-half hours, the extract (wort roughly around 250 litres) is shifted to a Wort kettle where it is boiled for 90 degrees. The hops are added here which gives a taste of bitterness and aroma. After approximately three hours the boiling wort is mixed and freezing water (kept in -250 degrees with glycol as anti freezing element) at 10 degrees temperature. Yeast is also added here and then the liquid is sent to fermentation vessels, where it is kept for 11 days. After 11 days, the beer is filtered and then kept in bright beer tank after which it is served directly to customers.

What ails the Kings’ sport

After a gruelling season of polo, Samir Suhag—one of India’s top polo players—is finally enjoying a well-deserved break. A proud Gurgaon resident, Samir is busy overlooking the construction of a new shed for his six horses that are lodged in his friend’s farmhouse at Chhattarpur.
“You need to pamper your horses and one has to be extremely careful with them. You have to ensure that they drink enough water and the grass that they eat is of fine quality besides taking care of their eating habits,” says Samir. Almost all his horses have come off the race course and he is now busy training his latest two acquisitions for polo.
“It’s very hard to train them in the blazing sun. You need to give them proper rest and also maintain their fitness level,” he says.
The game, too, has taken a hit in times of recession as there were few sponsors and tournaments. “Until two years ago, sponsors outnumbered tournaments. Royal patronage and the celeb touch the game gets in India draws many corporates towards the game. We hope it continues for the next season,” he adds.
A resident of Residency Greens in Sector 46, Samir feels that somehow Polo, as a game, hasn’t been able to take off among the sponsors and corporate, the way golf did. “In the early 90s, polo and golf started at the same level. However, after 15 years now, golf is at a different level than polo. There are no endorsements in the game like golfers have,” he says.
However, he is hopeful that things might change with celeb endorsement. Samir says, “Karishma Kapur’s husband Sunjay is a polo player. Recently, Diya Mirza and Randeep Hooda, too, have taken to riding. With the celeb quotient running high on the game, it’s high time the game gets a boost now.”
The game currently has just about 20 professionals in the country and 90 per cent of them are based in NCR and Jaipur.
Apart from training his new horses, Samir is coaching youngsters in Mumbai and Delhi. He is also looking towards western shores as polo season will start in Europe. “I am looking forward to play in Europe. Season starts in May and continues until July. Also it’s a good break for wife and kids.”
Samir wanted to join Army. His father, Maj Gen (Retd) B.S. Suhag, too, was a polo player. “I played polo when I was young, but I never imagined that I would be a professional polo player. It was Naveen Jindal who saw me playing and offered me a job in 1993 and I couldn’t resist. I was getting paid for what I liked the best.”
But he finds living in Gurgaon a bliss. “It was two years ago that I shifted from Noida to Gurgoan and the two cities are poles apart. Gurgaon is more metro, has malls, lot of golf courses, wide roads and superb cinema halls. The best part is that almost all brands are available in Gurgaon and is far less polluted than other parts of the NCR region,” he says.

Parking parents jam Hamilton Court road

It’s a traffic nightmare for a little over thousand residents of Hamilton Court in DLF Phase IV from 8 am to 8.30 in the morning as well as 2.15 pm to 3 pm. For them having The Shriram School as their neighbours is a pain as hordes of vehicles come here to drop and pick up children from school.
All these vehicles are parked on the main road and the main gate of Hamilton Court is being used by these vehicles for the U-turn making it nearly impossible for the residents to go out during these times.

“Earlier, there was no problem as there was a vacant space next to the school from where the parents used to pick up their children. Now some construction is going on there and thus there’s no option for parents but to park on the main road,” says Om Prakash Khetan, president, Hamilton Court Residents’ Welfare Association.
“We have approached the previous police commissioner, Mohinder Lal, as well as the DCP Traffic to solve this problem. We are still waiting for their response,” says SK Dutta, General Secretary of DLF City Senior citizen council and a resident of Hamilton Court.
According to Khetan, there are three solutions to this problem.
Either the authorities make this road one-way during 8 am to 9 am and 2 pm to 3 pm or the school authorities stagger the timings of the school. If both are not possible, then there’s a huge vacant land next to the school. If it is cleaned up, parents can easily drive there and pick up their wards from there.
Estate Officer of Hamilton Court, Surender Sharma, says, “It’s not only about traffic jams here. There can be accidents as nobody follows rules here. The school kids can be in danger as they come out of the school. A solution is urgently needed.”

Gurgaon’s own Forrest Gump

For some, running is not just a plain sport, it is also a platform to share and support a cause. For Gurgaon resident, Harsh Thakkar, who has participated in the Mumbai and Delhi half-marathons—he has recently got himself registered for the May 31 Bangalore Marathon also—it’s not just participating, instead it’s running for a cause as he has registered himself as a Care Champion and is promoting the cause of an NGO — RangDe, a society that aims to make low-cost micro credit a reality.
“I have registered as a ‘Care Champion’ and am committed to raise social investment (not charity) of Rs 1 lakh for NGO RangDe. This will help increase their visibility and will also help them with their work of supporting micro-entrepreneurs on the lines of what Noble Prize winner Prof Muhammad Yunus did. I would be running 10 km to raise Rs 1 lakh,” says the TCS employee and a volunteer of Maitree.
“RangDe connects a social investor to a needy individual looking for a means to set up or expand his means of livelihood. RangDe believes in providing a sustainable alternative to charity and this has been endorsed with a 100 per cent repayment rate after more than a year of operation,” he adds.
Says Thakkar, “People say I am addicted to running. If I really am addicted then it’s a good addiction to have. For, before any marathon I have to follow a strict 18-week
fitness regime.” That does it!

Project Chauraha cries for help after fire engulfs slum

Last week’s fire in the slums behind DLF Phase-V, which left close to 100 families homeless and without food, also spelt doom for over hundred kids studying in a school run by Edwell Society.
Named Project Chauraha, the school used modern technology to impart education to more than 100 kids working as rag pickers in the slums. However, undeterred by the losses, the slum dwellers have approached Edwell again to restart the school as they were happy with the results the project has managed to deliver within a few months time.
“I salute their courage and their willingness to educate their kids as they have approached us again. However, we have to start all this again from scratch,” Edwell CEO Vivek Tyagi says.
“All the books and furniture have been destroyed. We are not getting any funding from any organisation. Whatever we had invested was from our own pocket,” he adds. Tyagi is now banking on support from Gurgaon samaritans to start his project in the slum again.
“I just request people to contribute in which ever way they can. We wish people or institutions, which really believe in changing lives of underprivileged, should come forward at this time of crisis and help us in bringing these families to normal life,” he adds.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Separated by the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the two halves of Gurgaon are two different, but inseparable worlds -:


Separated by the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the two halves of Gurgaon are two worlds, each with a distinct identity. Old Gurgaon is like any other small town district headquarters, with a railway station, an ISBT, the local transport system, at least a strong police presence and the entire district machinery is located here. On the other hand, New Gurgaon is a jungle of high-end concrete masses separated by wide roads with shopping complexes where you don’t bargain. The economy of New Gurgaon mostly runs on plastic money.



Old vs New
India’s top polo player Samir Suhag, a resident of Sector 46, says, “New Gurgaon has wide streets and accessibility is great. However, it is incomplete without Old Gurgaon. If you want to buy the smallest things for your home, you need to rush to Old Gurgaon. I think the problem the Gurgaon residents face is that the two are badly interlinked.”

It was 11 years ago that Sunnaina Sachdeva shifted to Gurgaon from her Vikaspuri apartment in Delhi. A resident of Sector 56, Sachdeva has lived on both sides of Gurgaon. “Old Gurgaon is way too crowded but New Gurgaon, too, has its problems areas. There’s water shortage in New Gurgaon, sewage system is broken in most places and the authorities are hardly bothered to repair it. Only good thing about New Gurgaon is that you’ll find good companies, malls and housing complexes. I feel girls are far more secure in Old Gurgaon than in New Gurgaon. You don’t have to worry about travelling in public transport in the old city. In the new city, you are stranded without your car,” says Sachdeva.

Raza Khan, a resident of DLF phase V, says, “New Gurgaon has wide roads, apartment complexes are clean and the gentry is good. However, unlike Old Gurgaon, you won’t find shops where you can bargain. There are malls and high-end shopping centres. In old town, you find range of commodities. It’s then on the consumer to choose. The standard of living in Gurgaon is much higher than South Delhi.”

Sachdeva agrees, “In the old town, I have an option of buying a thing for Rs 10 as well as Rs 100. However, in New Gurgaon, you will only find costlier products.”
So does Samir Suhag when he says, “You will find well-settled old dealers of products. There are certain things which you will only get in old shops.”

The Great Divide
Virendar Dawar, owner of Dawar Internationals which deals in consumer durables, says, “The New Gurgaon residents look down upon residents of Old Gurgaon as well as don’t even think this place as Gurgaon. Whenever they come here for shopping, most of them relate to New Gurgaon as Gurgaon, as if they have come to a nearby town. But most residents of New Gurgaon will come to shop in Old Gurgaon. It is economical; they get value for money which they won’t find in the new town.”

Arjun Gulati, a businessman from Delhi who has recently invested in the Gurgaon real estate, says, “Old Gurgaon is just like North Delhi or the Walled City, where people will go with wads of cash to shop while in New Gurgaon, the purchasing power is triggered by plastic money.”

Agrees a restaurant owner located in Galleria market. “During the times of recession, we hardly have any crowd here. Earlier, we used to struggle to find space for all our customers. There was a huge waiting line and our customers used to flaunt their corporate cards. It’s all gone now. Until last year we used to reach home by 2 am but now we wrap up by 11,” he says, pleading anonymity.



E Factor
Vivek Tyagi, CEO of Edwell Society, feels the only thing that lacks in Old Gurgaon is an entertainment centre. “Old Gurgaon is a complete city in itself but without a good entertainment centre, it is incomplete. One has to go to New Gurgaon for entertainment. All good malls and cineplexes are located there,” says Tyagi, a Palam Vihar resident.
Raza Khan says, “Come what may, but the two towns are inseparable. Old Gurgaon residents have to come here and new ones have to go to Sadar Bazaar to shop. You can see bustling life there on the streets. But, in New Gurgaon, residents are safely ensconced inside their condominiums having their own little world. So the best part for a Gurgaon resident is to enjoy life in both worlds.

Recession ke side-effects

For those who have lost jobs, there is a logical stress. but for those whoare in jobs, the fear of losing job and an uncertain future haunts them


Work stress during recession is hitting employees hard. Take the case of Manya Kumar (name changed), a 30-year-old senior executive working in media, buying a house in Gurgaon. Manya returned home feeling feverish last Friday. Just after an hour, her heartbeat fastened and she had breathing problems. There were also allergic reactions in her body. After going through a complete check-up, Manya was diagnosed with too much of work stress and thus had suffered from a panic attack. Doctors have advised her to take rest for two months which she cannot. Manya is still a regular at work. “I am on probation. If I take rest for two months, I will have to quit. And quitting job in times of recession is hara-kiri. I hope to survive this ordeal,” she says.
Only five months ago, Manya joined a new company in Gurgaon. She was unhappy here as she had to settle with much less work than she was promised. She tried looking for options which was nearly impossible during the recession. That’s how her problems began.
Manya is not alone. Ahana (name changed), 25, a junior executive in a public relations firm, is also battling with recession-related stress. A Gurgaon resident, she joined this new organisation in Delhi seven months ago. Due to a freeze on hiring, her company extended her probation. Now, she has been working on weekends, too. With no rest and too much of work pressure, stress took its toll on her. Ahana suffered an attack last Sunday and doctors found her BP on the lower side, low calcium and high levels of sugar in her body. To add to her woes, she has been diagnosed with a straightened spine. She has again been advised rest and physiotherapy, but Ahana, too, is regularly attending office.
“If I tell this to bosses, I can lose my job. Another stress factor now is the kind of medical expenses I will have to bear. On top of it, parents’ pressure on me to get married is another stress factor,” she says.
Dr Deepak Raheja, consultant psychiatrist at Paras Hospital, says, “Cases related to work pressure in offices have shot up. The problem is that people are going through real stress and perceived stress. This imagined threat is bothering them more, and it is even more damaging.”
Dr Vinita Malhotra Jha, a consultant psychiatrist, says, “For people who have lost jobs, there is a logical stress. But for those who have their jobs intact, the fear of losing job and uncertain future haunts them. It is this group which is very difficult to treat.”
According to Dr Jha, to battle work-related stress, I suggest them to think rationally, exercise and do yoga, stay calm and stable and work harder.
Dr Raheja feels there’s a positive side to recession also. “Recession will make people more adaptable. You can’t leave a job as there are no jobs in market. So, whatever reason they had for quitting, they have to adapt to it. Recession is also giving an opportunity to feel happiness and pleasure. Almost two generations have seen boom in the markets. The present condition will help people to adapt to real situations and face real life. It’s all about differentiating real stress and perceived stress and still be happy,” he says.
The impact of recession stress has hit hard on employees from BPOs, IT industry, real estate firms and those who have taken huge loans for house and cars. Due to stress, their coping mechanism can also affect their health. Stress leads to irregular food habits and increased cases of smoking and drinking alcohol, which is bad for health, Dr Jha says.
“Comparatively employees from health, pharma and telecom sectors are the most secure as there are no lay-offs here. However, they are also on a quiet mode and working harder as they know in times of recession they won’t get good hikes and perks,” she adds.

Jai Ho!

NGO helps Gurgaon slum kids realise dreams

From a ragpicker to the Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, is on an Oscar high. One thousand miles away from Kodak Theatre, a little over 100 ragpickers, living in shanties behind the DLF Phase V, are trying to live the same dream.
An NGO, Edwell, is making their dreams possible. The NGO has launched Chauraha, an adult education programme, for these slum kids. “We started these classes last week and children have already learnt alphabets of both English and Hindi. We wish to bring these kids more innovative ways of teaching and better infrastructure,” says Vivek Tyagi, CEO of Edwell.
“This is a 40-day capsule programme and after this we will arm the children and women of the slums with vocational training. Children can learn candle-making and instead of ragpicking can do much constructive work,” says RC Vidyarthi, Head Project Development & Planning, Edwell. “Ragpicking in Gurgaon is a huge business and these children are its mainstay. They set out in the morning to collect garbage from different parts of town and then they sort it out here. The waste is then exported for recycling,” he adds.
“Chauraha owes its success to its unique pedagogy and production design that has an interesting mix of fiction, animation, puppetry and narratives,” says Tyagi. Edwell plans to involve the women and children of the slums in the production of smokeless fuel (briquetted fuel) to be used in an improved version of Chullha (twin stove) for cooking, water boiling and room heating.

BREAKING NEWS: Tata Motors announces the launch of Tata Nano

Nano Mein Sapna

Tata Motors today announced that the much-awaited Tata Nano will be launched at a function in Mumbai on March 23, 2009.
The cars will be on display at Tata Motors dealerships from the first week of April 2009. Bookings will commence from the second week of April 2009.
Since its unveiling on January 10, 2008, the Tata Nano has evoked an unprecedented interest in the country, with its website having recorded over 30 million hits in the past one year and the creation of over 6,000 interest groups and communities.
Tata Motors is making arrangements for the widest possible network to book the car, so that prospective customers can conveniently avail of booking facilities at their locations, across the length and breadth of India. The booking process and other details will be announced on March 23, 2009.

Grave problem for Sector 28 residents

None of the cities in India have come up so soon than Millennium city of Gurgaon. While all sectors are seeing a phenomenal growth rate in terms of occupancy, sector 28 which is just a stone’s throw away from the posh DLF market Galleria looks like a desert. Located in the heart of Gurgaon, there are around 350 plots in the sector and only 25-30 families have built their houses here since it came into existence in 2003.
Its nemesis lies on the presence of a cremation ground on plot numbers 324,325 and 326. This is a classic case of the great urban-rural divide in the country. Villagers are up in arms against the sector 28 residents. The residents feel threatened so much that they refuse to come in front of camera or mention names in the story.
The residents received a rude shock on Valentine’s Day as Gurgaon MLA Dharamvir Gabba inaugurated the crematorium with much fanfare. “The villagers encroached on HUDA’s land earmarked for building houses and built the cremation ground here,” says an RWA official of sector 28.
“Authorities are turning a blind eye to our plea. Forget about us, the cremation ground is clearly visible from Delhi Public School’s primary section. Think about the children studying there,” says another resident.
Sector 27 located opposite 28 has more than 50 per cent occupancy. The rates in sector 27 too are higher by Rs 10,000 per square yard. “Nobody is ready to buy a plot here despite the land rate being so low. It’s Rs 35,000-38,000 per square yard here,” says a resident.
And much to the chagrin of residents, even during “correction” time the rate across the road in DLF area anywhere between Rs 60,000-75,000 per square yard.

Construction delay worries DLF investors

Buyers are worried after the news spread that DLF has stalled construction of its much-hyped project DLF New Town Heights in Sector 90. However, a statement issued by DLF says, “DLF has not stalled, deferred or put on hold any project where we have made commitments with our customers, including DLF New Town Heights and Express Greens in New Gurgaon. Commitment of DLF remains unchanged and we will put all required resources to deliver the projects on time.”
Naveen Chaudhary, a resident of Princeton Estate in DLF Phase V, says, “I have made 50 per cent payment for my flat. DLF had promised us possession within three years. One year has already passed, but only basic excavation work is done on the site. There is no way that DLF can build this in two years now. Last week I went to the site I saw only a few machines and no workers.”
Delhi resident Sachin Jain, a CA by profession, bought a flat in New Town Heights for Rs 44 lakh. After two months he received a call from DLF that he had been allotted a flat in Sector 86. “I gave them the allotment amount and submitted three installments. When I was supposed to sign the buyer’s agreement I was told that the price was raised by Rs 5.78 lakh. When I protested, DLF officials told me they will reimburse the money but will deduct Rs 7 lakh,” Sachin says.
Sachin Jain has paid 35 per cent of the money. Now the company has asked him to deposit the rest of the amount. “Only a board stands at that place. Construction hasn’t started on the plot in Sector 86. The DLF is asking me to pay installments in time and if I don’t they will charge 18 per cent interest,” he says.
“DLF New Town Heights was launched in Q4 of last fiscal. It took us a few months to get necessary approvals to commence work, and since then we have already completed the excavation/foundation work. It should be noted that 24-storey buildings require a significant work below the ground, which takes time,” Sanjey Roy, Sr General Manager, Corporate Communications, DLF Ltd, says.
However, a few of the investors hope the construction giant completes the project in the remaining two years. A group of investors are meeting DLF officials in Delhi on Saturday.

No slowin’ down, house that!

The unending euphoria of realty sector witnessed during the last few years is finally showing signs of recession. But even in times of downturn, Tata Housing, which launched a project in Gurgaon last year, assured its investors that the company was committed to the construction, execution and delivery of its project, Raisina Residency.
Reaching out to its customers, Tata Housing Development Company, Managing Director, Brotin Banerjee, said, “With the slowdown impacting industries across, the realty sector is going through a bad phase with nervous consumers avoiding high value purchases. The biggest concern for any buyer is the transparency in dealings, credibility and reliability of the developer and the deadline.
“We, at Tata Housing, are committed to make landmark projects in terms of quality with timely construction, execution and delivery, even in these difficult times. Our entire team is dedicated to safeguard the trust of our customers and we will deliver the product as scheduled,” he said.
Raisina Residency is a premium and exclusive residential complex in Gurgaon inspired by the theme of ‘art and culture’. It is scheduled to be completed by June 2011. Last year, Tata Housing signed Kapil Dev as its brand ambassador. The premium apartments are priced over Rs 1 crore and are being built in Sector-59 on Golf Course Road.

Udyog Vihar's traffic nightmare to end soon

Authorities are planning to connect Udyog Vihar, Phase-5, to NH-8 from here.

Office-goers in Udyog Vihar are a harried lot as for all the phases, there is only one entry/exit road connected to Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. However, there's another potholed, unmetalled bumpy road that takes commuters from Udyog Vihar towards Old Gurgaon or Kapashera border, but nobody prefer using it.
A factory owner, on condition of anonymity, said, “When we bought plots here in the early 80s, we were told that it would be one of the best industrial townships in the country. However in the last 25 years, as new Gurgaon developed, Udyog Vihar took a beating and its decline is inversely proportional to the rise of new Gurgaon."
Going to Udyog Vihar or returning from here can be commuters’ worst nightmare. "You see mixed traffic here. From cycle rickshaws to Mercedes Benz, all ply on these two-lane roads. We don’t even invite our foreign guests to show them the office or factories. We meet them in swanky hotels of NCR,” he adds.
But there’s a ray of hope for the office crowd now. Satendar Gupta, DCP (Traffic), said, “We have proposed that the road leading from Udyog Vihar, Phase-5, should be connected to NH-8. However, the toll agency can put a barrier there to collect toll as the exit point is little further than the Toll Plaza. This will ease traffic problems of Udyog Vihar.”
However, the proposal seems to be in paper only and will take little time as DS Constructions haven’t received the proposal from traffic cops yet. Sachin Sharma, Vice President DS Constructions Ltd, said, “We haven’t received any such proposal from traffic police until now.”

Millennium Outsourcing

If you’ve ever wondered where the nation’s outsourcing hub gets its service industry from, just take a look at the nearest village

Aya Nagar Village is just one kilometre from Gurgaon

For India, Gurgaon is synonymous with outsourcing. International companies from all over the world outsource their business here. But where does the Millennium city outsource its service industry from? The answer does not lie in the high-rises that have come up in the city. Instead, it lies in small one- or two-bedroom houses in the villages surrounding the city. The entire population of these border villages caters to the needs of the city’s high and mighty.
Take Aya Nagar, a small village located barely a kilometer from the Gurgaon border on the MG Road. Nearly 15,000 youngsters from the village work as drivers, parking attendants or in the city’s numerous malls. And it’s not just the boys. The village girls, who, earlier, used to married off at an early age, are now working as salesgirls or trolley assistants in the malls. Nobody even thinks of marrying them off soon these days, claims a local resident.

The Millennium City of Gurgaon

Gurgaon’s affluence has brought prosperity to surrounding villages like Aya Nagar, Chakkarpur, Ghitorni and Nathupura (in the city). “There are many villagers who are working as drivers for DLF residents. In fact, most of them drive to work in their own cars. It’s not that they need the money. They do these jobs to keep themselves busy. Otherwise they might turn to crime,” says Ved Pal, a former NSUI national vice-president and an Aya Nagar resident.
The villagers have built complexes with one-bedroom apartments which they rent out to people working in Gurgaon. Instead of paying Gurgaon’s exorbitant rent rates, people working in the city’s service industry get these one-bedroom apartments for as low as Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,500 per month.

Manoj earns just Rs 8,500 per month as a driver, but drives to work in his own car.

Manoj, an Aya Nagar resident in his early 30s, works as a driver in Gurgaon. He drives to work in his own Maruti Zen. “I earn Rs 8,500 per month. Half of that is spent on fuel for my car every month. But I don’t work for money. Work keeps me busy. About 10 years ago, most of our village youngsters had no work and had taken to criminal activities. With work keeping everybody busy, the crime rate in our village has also gone down,” he says.
“For us, Gurgaon is our capital city. Delhi doesn’t help us in any way. It’s only due to Gurgaon that prosperity has come to villages bordering Gurgaon. Earlier, people from our village used to either have government jobs or used to work in fields and were in the milk business. Everything has changed with the turn of Millennium. The younger generation hates to see their wives and mothers working in fields or milching cows. Villagers here aren’t worried about any recession or meltdown. The village’s economy hasn’t been affected,” adds Ved Pal.

Ved Pal, former National VP of NSUI and a village leader

It’s not just the villagers who are prospering. The influence of the Millennium City with its high-rise designer buildings is very easily visible in these villages. “People from Gurgaon’s service industry have bought land here and are building houses. They have become a part of the social fabric of these villages,” says Om Prakash, a property dealer in the village.
And with new houses being built, the village now has a cosmopolitan outlook. The marketplace all along the village’s roads is bustling with activity. There’s stiff competition between Darjeeling Kitchen, a Chinese food joint, and the local halwai. The village roads which, till a decade ago, saw only bullock carts and the occasional DTC bus, now see call centre cabs burning rubber on them every five minutes.
“More than a lakh people catering to Gurgaon’s high and mighty live in these villages. Almost all people working in factories in Udyog Vihar are residents of this village. About 20 years ago, we used to rue that we are not strategically located and that our village would suffer in terms of development. But with Gurgaon’s rapid development, the village is on a high now,” says Om Prakash.

‘Driving beyond NH-8 is a war-like experience’

Life on the Gurgaon Expressway is moving in the fast lane. Driving seems to be a smooth affair on NH-8. But for Gurgaon residents, life comes to a standstill when they get off the NH-8. They get busy handling the clutch and brake pedals of their vehicles. And for this bumpy experience one doesn’t need to go far away from the Expressway. Just drive through the numerous tunnel-like passes if you want to cross NH-8.
“It’s a war-like experience if you drive here. It’s utter chaos with animals and people driving in the wrong lane,” Sunil Yash Kalra, a DLF resident, said.The NH-8 literally divides the Old and New Gurgaon.
“Below NH-8 flyovers, one can see the amalgamation of modern transport system and the slow moving rural modes of transportation. This mixed transport system is a bane for the urban Gurgaon residents,” Mukul Oberoi, who works with an MNC here, said.
"Absence of traffic cops adds to the woes of the commuter. Cops are present at bigger crossings like Iffco and Hero Honda. For small crossings, traffic marshals of DS Constructions are present who can hardly handle traffic,” Pooja Khan, a Gurgaon resident, said.
The situation, however, looks grim as cops say there is shortage of staff. “We have limited traffic cops. We prefer places where the need is more. Once we have more cops, other places will be taken care of. For other things related with NH-8, we have talked to DS Constructions and they assured us that they will improve things as and when pointed out to them,” Satender Gupta, DCP, Traffic, Gurgaon, said.

TIME TRAVEL

A museum in Gurgaon will transport its visitors, in a time machine, to the way things were before flyovers, expressways and high-rises

A heritage transport museum near Manesar will play host to vintage and classic cars, and take Gurgaon residents back to the way things were in the 19th century. And prominent collector and Chief Operating Officer of Delhi's Le Meridien, Tarun Thakral, is the man responsible for this journey into a time machine.
This project, with an estimated cost of Rs 50 million, will commence next month and is expected to be completed by November this year. “The museum will let you travel through time. Each section will be devoted to an era. If you are strolling through early 1900s, the paraphernalia and ambience around the vehicles displayed in that section would correspond to that of the year 1900,” Thakral explains.
“It’s a pre-fabricated construction and will be built within three months. However, the work on the museum will take a bit longer. I have almost finalised on the curator,” he adds.
The museum will showcase India’s transportation history and display mixed modes of transport from the bygone eras including bullock carts, camel carts, palanquins, horse carriages, cycle rickshaws, bicycles, manually-pulled carts, trams, buses, vintage cars, railways, aircrafts right up to Metro Rail.
It will trace the evolution of the transportation system in India right from the early 19th century and display more than 75 cars from 1929 to present, mostly from the hotelier’s personal collection. It will also boast of a beautifully restored 1930 Royal Rail Saloon, as well as some old aircrafts.
“The aim is to collect and preserve automobiles and other modes of transportation for future generations and to tell the story of their impact on Indian society. The museum aims to depict a social history of the way we were, the way we are now and the way of the future,” says Thakral.

Located on Bilaspur-Taoru Road off NH-8, the museum will be spread over a three-acre plot with a total indoor display area of 40,000 sq ft. It will also have library, cafeteria, lounge, office, souvenir shop covering an area of 18,500 sq ft. In fact, the museum could be an ideal venue for future car launches or even a shooting venue for Bollywood films.

Renuka Dam in troubled waters

Delhi’s water scarcity problems were supposed to be solved after the completion of Rs 2700-crore Renuka Dam in Himachal Pradesh. However, the project is running in troubled waters after the affected families have rejected the compensation being offered to them by the Himachal Government.
The residents feel that the compensation is “too meagre” and even local NGOs in the area are resisting the present structure of the dam. For a 24-kilometre long water reservoir a 148-m high and 430-m wide dam is being built to store water from Giri Ganga river in Himachal. If deadlines are met then the dam, which is primarily being built for storing water in the reservoir so that Delhi’s drinking water needs are taken care of, will be complete by 2014.
However, if the state government of Himachal falters in acquisition of the land, then the project can get delayed for years altogether. The state government has allocated the ambitious Renuka Dam Hydro Electric Project to the H.P. Power Corporation for execution in a time bound manner.

The Agitation
The affected families have now formed an organization Renuka Bandh Sangharsh Samiti (RBSS), and are now protesting the land acquisition. The organization alleges that project is being implemented keeping the local people in the dark. Convener of RBSS, Yogendra Kapila says, “The state government has just given a lollypop in the name of compensation. They haven’t built a resettlement colony for the displaced families. How are we supposed to leave our homes? Moreover, around 80 per cent of farmers have areas that are less then five bighas, means compensation package of roughly Rs 10 lakh. The local farmers can hardly buy a land to build a house there, if you go by market rates.”
Kapila also feels that, “if we are leaving our land so that people of Delhi can drink water, we should be given compensation according to the land rates prevalent there.”

Himachal Optimistic
HP Power Corporation MD Tarun Kapoor, however, is optimistic that the issue will be resolved with the affected people and the dam work will be awarded to the contractor by June 2009.
"We are in talks with the Sangharsh Samiti and those affected by the project. The process of land acquirement is on and some people have already given their land," he said.
The government if offering a price of Rs 50,000 per bigha of uncultivable land, Rs 1.5 lakh per bigha of un-irrigated cultivable land and Rs 2.5 lakh per bigha of irrigated cultivable land. The samiti is very cooperative in talks and we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon," Kapoor said.
After the work is awarded in June 2009, the work should start by September/October, he said.
Regarding people transferring land, the RBSS Convener says, “These are only local property dealers who, eyeing an opportunity, had bought land at cheap rates long time back. Since it would be of no use to them now, they transferred the land.”
The RBSS is holding its meeting on January 10, where villagers from all 32 villages are coming together. “On this day we will discuss the strategy and chalk out a roadmap regarding our agitation. We will hold a huge rally and then start a countrywide agitation,” says Kapila.

Delhi keeping fingers crossed
However, Delhi government is hopeful that the local government in Himachal would be able to resolve the problem. "The Renuka Dam project is right on track and it should get ready by 2014," Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta told Metro Now.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has already given its clearance and work on the dam will start soon, he said.
Wherever there is displacement, there is protest. But not many people are being displaced by the Renuka project. Those few hundreds being displaced are being suitably rehabilitated, he said.
The Himachal government is making the displaced people aware that they are not at loss. "For this they need some time. The protest should not be a big problem. We will meet the officials in Himachal by April again," Mehta said.
The dam, on Giri Ganga River, will offer a storage capacity of 542 million cubic meters of water and an installed capacity of 40 MW of power and will supply Delhi with an additional 275 MGD of water. The dam has been planned keeping in mind the requirements of the Master Plan for Delhi -2021.
Water from the Dam will be brought into the Yamuna through the Giri; it will then be released at the Hathni Kund barrage and from there passed into the Munak Channel and finally brought to the Capital.

Families affected
The protest of these displaced families can take gigantic proportions as according to local panchayat register, only 450 families in 32 villages covering 1,630 hectare of land are registered, however the actual number of families in these 32 villages is much more than 1,600.
The villagers are also protesting about the construction of three tunnels near the holy Renukaji lake. “For the construction of the tunnels, blasting will take place. The tunnels just 350-metre away from the lake and thus the holy lake as well as shrine of Lord Parashuram can be in danger. Even the dam is being built very close to the lake. It can be a disaster,” adds Kapila.

NGOs too join in
The agitating farmers too have got support from a Himachal-based NGO Himalaya Niti Abhiyan whose Chairman is Kulbhushan Upmanyu. Upmanyu who started Chipko movement in Himachal and a close confidante of Sunder Lal Bahuguna, says, “We are not opposing the dam. The dam is of national importance. However, the compensation that has been decided is very nominal. With that money, farmers won’t be able to buy land elsewhere. Even if a villager gets Rs 2.5 lakh per bigha for fertile irrigated land per bigha, the minimum rate to buy an unirrigated land in Himachal is Rs 10-12 lakh.”
Upmanyu is opposing the height of the dam. “If you keep the height of the dam below 100 metres, lot of flora and fauna would be saved. We demand a study to be conducted on the ecological destruction of the region due to the dam’s construction. Moreover the destruction of forest wealth due to the reservoir will harm the survival needs of the local residents,” he says.
The NGO is also of the viewpoint that farmer’s income is in perpetuity through farming. However, once he gets the money after selling land, after sometime it will finish and they won’t have any source of income. Farmers are not trained money managers. And with the amount of money they are getting, they won’t be able to become farmer’s again.
“We’ll wait and see what happens on January 10, when the agitating farmers ups its ante against the local goevrment,” said Upmanyu.