NBCC Green View- a tale of uncertainty and collapsed trust

Empty swings, lonely alleys, hundreds of abandoned flats and a piercing silence, walking into NBCC Green View Apartments in Gurugram sector 37-D is like walking into a ghost town- where the road seems to end.

Reaching the society includes a 35-minute drive from Huda City metro station. The journey somehow sets the tone of what to expect. The dry wind, farms, dust and solitude along the way to the society can make one feel a little uncomfortable. Once there, only a few forlorn-looking mortal souls could be seen in the society with 700 flats. As of now only 40 families are living in the society, under a pall of gloom and uncertainty.

NBCC Green View Apartments in sector 37-D Gurugram was deemed unsafe to live in on January 16, 2022, according to reports of district town planners and other experts. The society residents have been asked to vacate the society by March 1, 20022, by Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram.

The cracks and corroded exteriors of NBCC Green View narrate a sordid reality. After the order of February 17, 40 families are facing massive challenges. The society has a number of EWS apartments, which also would be vacated.

No matter how much you travel anywhere in the world, there is nothing more peaceful than coming to your home, the warmth and protection we feel inside our space are unmatchable. After the final ultimatum to vacate by March 1, the life of the remaining residents and homebuyers in the society is plunged in agony, fear and a lot of uncertainty.

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SC Kaushik (65), a retired government official and a resident at NBCC green views came to NBCC Green View in 2017, but before that, he faced a lot of trouble getting possession since the starting of the project in 2012. Right from the first five months, Kaushik started witnessing large cracks and deflections in the buildings and approached the developers. However, nobody took his problems seriously.

Says he, "The eviction notices came as a shock to me as it was all of a sudden to evict our flats within 15 days, although it was declared as dangerous a few years back." Now he faces the daunting task of shifting home. "Living in Gurugram is not easy, it's hard and expensive. I have been looking for flats under my budget since notices started appearing regarding danger in society. I have a wife, a son, my daughter in law is pregnant. The current situation is causing a physical and mental toll on us which must be accounted for. " says Kaushik.

"At the age of 65, I am old now, and everybody knows how much a retired government official receives as a pension. We have zero support from NBCC and DC in finding alternative accommodation. I am oblivious about everything right now, and nobody is talking about our money and compensation. My hard-earned money and my savings are running low. Buying another house at this point is unthinkable for me. Leasing a flat also seems a burden."

Kaushik requests the authorities to give his hard-earned money back from the flat with interest and compensation taking into account the mental harassment and challenges that the homebuyers have to face.

Bhavna (21) and Kumkum (18) were seen sitting on a bench in an empty park within the society. The two sisters have been living in society for the past two years.

"Seeing our parents suffer is very disturbing, the situation has become tense. Everyone here is stressed as we have been ordered to move by March 1."

Bhavna and Kumkum, both college students, say, "There is a railway track just the front of our society gate. Every time a train passes, the walls and the window shake. The infrastructure and construction of the building are fragile. Recently there was an incident where the fan from the ceiling fell on the floor, but thankfully nobody was injured."

"How it is possible to leave everything and move with children in a matter of 15 days?" asks Hema Gupta, a mother of two sons who moved to NBCC Green View in 2018.

After living in Delhi for ten years, she finally bought her own house in NBCC Green View. According to her, NBCC ensured her before moving that the building is safe, solid and well equipped. She told her sons that they were finally moving to their own house where the children could make friends. Cut to 4 years later, her sons are asking her "how many times do we have to shift?". Hema finds herself unable to answer these questions.

"When I started living there, I saw cracks in the building and poor infrastructure, and I informed the authorities but nothing effective came out. The last years have been a period of panic for us. Now, we have received the eviction letter to leave our flats within 15 days, says Hema.

Hema is devasted by current orders from Deputy CM. She wants someone to listen to her problems and provide relevant solutions. According to her, the resulting chaos is affecting the education of her children. They cannot focus on their studies while they have exams in March.

Hema wants NBCC to take responsibility for what they had done and demands an enquiry on the officials responsible for giving her an unsteady home.

"I don't know what will I do; they say we have to leave by March 1, I am worried for my children as no school will give new admissions at this time. Finding a place in such less time is giving me sleepless nights."