MCG approves land allotment for Metro depot, shooting range

Gurugram: The councillors and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) unanimously approved the allotment of land for constructing a metro depot in Balola village for the Bata Chowk-Vatika Chowk Metro line and a shooting range near Sector 63. The approvals were made at a meeting held by the civic body on Thursday.

A 20-acre land in Balola village near the Gurugram-Faridabad border had been identified by the MCG for setting up a Metro depot for the Bata Chowk-Vatika Chowk Metro line. The civic body also earmarked a 28-acre plot for setting up a shooting range in Kadarpur village near Sector 63. Earlier, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had made a request to the MCG for allotment of land for the Metro depot, while the district rifle association sought land for the shooting range.

Both these plots of land were under the ambit of the state forest department.

MCG officials said they had to take a call on the land allotment for the two projects and it was approved unanimously by members of the civic body.

“For Faridabad-Gurugram Metro connectivity, the proposal for land to be given for setting up a Metro depot at Balola village has been unanimously passed by the house. This will speed up work on Metro connectivity and people commuting from both the cities will be the beneficiaries,” said Gurugram mayor Madhu Azad, who chaired the house meeting held at the John Hall in Civil Lines.

A proposal to construct a community centre named after late Army soldier Tarun Bhardwaj in Bhondsi village and upgrading a primary school at Rajendra Park as well as allotting land in the same locality for constructing a senior secondary school were also approved by the house unanimously.

Bhardwaj was martyred last year in an avalanche at the Siachen glacier.
The proposed MCG budget for the 2022-23 fiscal was also put before the house for discussion.

MCG chief accounts officer Vijay Kumar Singla informed that in the proposed budget, an estimate of ₹2,985 crore has been prepared as sources of income and 2,688 crore earmarked for expenses. As soon as the proposed budget was presented, councillors objected to it unanimously, stating that they needed a separate meeting to discuss the budget in detail.

After much deliberation, officials agreed that a separate meeting will be conducted for the proposed budget next week and stated that as per the directions of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, MCG’s budget must be sent to the state government latest by March 15.

During the house meeting, councillors also asked officials about an update on the alleged irregularities in the hiring of a private contractor in February 2019, for collecting and transporting construction and demolition (C&D) waste.
In response, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja said that the probe report has been sent to the state government by a committee that was constituted for the investigation.
The pending transfer of DLF phases 1, 2 and 3 was also brought up by ward 34 councillor Rama Rathee during the meeting.

BOX Key decisions at MCG house meet

Allotment of land for constructing a Metro depot in Balola village for the Bata Chowk-Vatika Chowk Metro line
Allotment of land for constructing a shooting range in Kadarpur village near Sector 63
Construction of a community centre in the name of martyr Tarun Bhardwaj in Bhondsi village
A primary school at Rajendra Park as well as allotting land in the same locality for constructing a senior secondary school
Separate meeting to be conducted next week for MCG’s proposed budget for 2022-23
MCG to hold review meeting with the developer of DLF phases 1, 2 & 3 next week regarding the transfer of the three colonies