The jury is out on GMDA. While the BJP is thrilled that it has fulfilled an election promise, the opposition AAP and Congress are sceptical about whether the new authority will really benefit people.
Will the GMDA Bill passed by the state assembly be able to check the chaotic development of Millennium City and turn it into a city of pride?
This is a question agitating Gurgaon residents, where the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is supposed to be the nodal agency to coordinate the working of different agencies in the city.
The new Bill, it is hoped, will eliminate multiplicity and the absence of coordination between different agencies, which have so far been a nightmare for citizens.
“I am not sure if GMDA is a solution to Gurgaon’s civic coordination mess, as bodies such as MCG, HUDA and PWD will continue to exist. Unless the city has a single recognised [civic] body, GMDA can also become just another civic body," said a resident.
But there is some optimism among residents, as GMDA will cover a little over half of the Gurgaon district. The plan is to develop it as a metropolitan area.
Citizens groups are cautious as they welcome the decision, saying the taste of the pudding is in the eating. "Let us wait and see how it functions," said a resident working with an NGO.
Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh called the Bill’s passage "fruition of effort" by various RWAs. “The city’s long-pending demand has now been fulfilled, and a pivotal step towards development has been achieved,” he said.
The BJP, which also has a majority in MCG, is thrilled by the development, as it was one of the poll manifesto promises.
“GMDA consolidates Gurgaon’s status as a Millennium City,” said BJP spokesperson Raman Mallik, adding it is another step towards becoming a smart city.
“GMDA will help if it is corruption-free,” said AAP’s Gurgaon district president Suryadev Yadav.
The GMDA Bill was approved nearly a year after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced its formation.
The state cabinet had approved the GMDA Ordinance, 2017, on June 1, and two months later, on August 14, the Gurugram Metropolitan Area was notified.
Now the real work on the ground will have to begin, first by identifying land to build the head office of GMDA, which has been functioning out of a temporary office located next to MCG Commissioner V Umashankar’s residence in Civil Lines.
