I am a resident of Vatika City in Sector 49, Gurgaon. Just a couple of years back, it used to be one of the so-called ‘posh’ addresses of the Millennium City, with its good location, well-constructed facilities and easy access to the Rapid Metro.
But now all those things are getting overshadowed by one of the biggest concerns society is facing these days — unchecked encroachments in the surrounding areas.
The area opposite to the society, which earlier used to be a vacant land, has become an ideal stretch for makeshift shops. So right now, it is a vegetable market. But earlier it had a line of dhabas and before that some car repair shops. The name of these shops keep changing, but the encroachments stay.
This is a crucial stretch for Vatika residents as while coming from Delhi or Golf Course road, we need to take a U-turn from here to enter the society.
The society, because of being situated very close to main Sohna road traffic signal, already sees a huge traffic movement, including earth movers and huge trucks. And now these makeshift shops have made matters worse, with people shopping at these places parking their vehicles haphazardly.
Getting in and out of the society has become a huge task. And the situation worsens during the peak traffic hours. The worst affected are school children, who sometimes have to wait for almost half an hour in their buses before the driver can manoeuvre through the mess to the society gate.
Not only are these encroachments leading to a traffic mess but also adding to the pollution in the area. The shoulders of the roads where these encroachments have come up are not paved, which means that every time a car parks here, the dusty air gets worse.
At times, these clouds of dust are so heavy that you get a feeling of choking. Though I live on the 16th floor, the situation is no better.
The authorities seemed to have turned a blind eye to this and no one seems to be bothered.
