Gurgaon: Gurugram, touted as the millennium city, has been turned into a "koodagram" (garabge dump) due to misgovernance by BJP and the cyber city today is a crime city, says Congress' Vardhan Yadav, among the youngest nominees in the upoming Haryana Assembly polls.
Yadav, National Secretary of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) is taking on BJP veteran Rao Narbir Singh, from Badshahpur in Gurgaon, the largest constituency in Haryana in terms of electorate.
Also in the fray is Kumudni, wife of incumbent MLA Rakesh Daultabad, who passed away earlier this year following a cardiac arrest.
"The largest number of taxpayers in Haryana are from Gurgaon, 65 per cent of the tax revenue comes from the district. But the kind of situation that prevails today in terms of civic amenities shows the BJP's misgovernance. The name may have been changed to Gurugram but it has only been turned into a 'koodagram', the cyber city has become a crime city...where is the millenium city now" Yadav told PTI.
Yadav (33) says that he is not scared about being pitted against a veteran and his fight is against the issues plaguing the city he was born and brought up in.
"I am not scared about the challenges of contesting against big names but only the challenges in the district. Growing up it was a prosperous village signifying wealth and sorted life and today right from those living in swanky apartments and unauthorised colonies, everybody is sailing the same boat of living a civic nightmare," he said.
Historically, Congress has struggled in this constituency, failing to secure even 25,000 votes in the last two assembly elections. There are over five lakh voters in the constituency.
"The civic infrastructure is in a mess, traffic is totally mismanaged, sewerage is all over the city, waterlogging makes headlines all the time and the entire city is a garbage dump. I am working on a vision document for Gurgaon, which will be like an urban manifesto, it will lay down a clear plan of action," he said.
Asked about the Congress' government being in power in the state longer than the BJP, Yadav said, "I agree but the kind of situation we are seeing today is what happened in the last 10 years. Growing up I never saw Gurgaon like this..the fortune 500 companies came to the city seeing its progress and today everything is in shambles".
Detailing the plan of action for garbage and sewage--two big issues plaguing the constituency, Vardhan said, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon is allotted a budget of Rs 4000 crore out of which Rs 500 crore is for only cleaning.
"There is a big delay in sewerage cleaning..the tenders are floated in April, the money gets transferred by June-July and in August the cleaning work begins, what is the point of doing it then when the monsoon is already hit and roads are left waterlogged. By April last, cleaning should be done so when rainwater comes, there is effective drainage and no waterlogging," he said.
"About garbage, there has to be a smooth waste collection which does not get dumped anywhere in the city. There are lands available 30 kilometres away from the city which are barren where waste can be dumped and ultimately treatment. Today this wet poison inside the city is not only an eye-sore but also contaminating the soil and ultimately water," he added.
Prominent leaders in Congress including Bhupinder Hooda, Deepnder Hooda, Chaudhary Uday Bhan, Raj Babbar and his daughter Juhi Babbar and BV Srinivasan are rallying behind Vardhan Yadav.
"The road to victory is fraught with challenges. Vardhan Yadav is up against an experienced and formidable opponent in Rao Narbir Singh. The latter’s extensive political career and established network add complexity to Yadav’s campaign. Nevertheless, Yadav’s youthful perspective and innovative strategies could make him a competitive force in this election," said Deepender Hodia at a public meeting in support of Yadav.
Gurugram district has four assembly constituencies -- Gurgaon, Pataudi, Badshahpur and Sohna -- with a total electorate of more than 15 lakh.
Assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the results declared on October 8.