No takeover yet, but residents get Gurugram civic body bills

GURUGRAM: MCG is yet to take over the upkeep of the privately developed colonies of Sushant Lok 2 and 3, but some enthusiastic civic officials have already issued water and sewerage bills to the residents without offering them the services. Already reeling under financial stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these residents are now spending sleepless nights over the bills.

The civic body is supposed to handle utilities for the privately licenced colonies, including water, drainage, roads and street lighting, after the takeover, as per its plan. In Sushant Lok 2 and 3, however, these services are currently being offered to the residents by the developer through a third party maintenance firm against upkeep charges.

Joginder Singh, former RWA president of Sushant Lok 2 and 3, said he received water and sewerage bills to the tune of Rs 15,000 for the past two years. “We are already paying the developer-hired private agency for these essential services. The bills generated by the MCG are unacceptable. The civic body is yet to formally take over these colonies, despite having approved such a proposal.”

Arvind Saint, a Sushant Lok 3 resident, said the roads are in bad shape in the colony.

“Moreover, there are water and sewerage issues too. In such a scenario, getting water and sewerage bills and that too in five digits is nothing less than a shocker. The MCG should speed up the takeover process instead of generating wrong bills to harass the residents.”

After the matter was brought to the notice of a senior MCG official, he said that the bills were issued by mistake. “The residents need not pay the bills,” he told TOI.

In 2017, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announced the government’s decision to take over 11 private colonies in Gurgaon — Malibu Towne, Vipul World, Mayfield Garden, Sushant Lok 2 and 3, Greenwood City, Rosewood City, Ardee City, Uppal Housing, DLF 4 and 5. However, it faced many delays due to uncertainties over regulatory and legal implications of the takeover.

Finally, in December 2019, the state government directed MCG to expedite the process. The department of town and country planning subsequently submitted service estimates of these colonies. However, to date, the civic body has taken over only Suncity, South City 1 and 2, Palam Vihar and Sushant Lok 1, while the takeover process of DLF phases 1, 2 and 3 is still ongoing.