‘Frozen in time’: Why Old Gurgaon is a shadow of the new city

Gurgaon: Crowded colonies, narrow roads and crumbling infrastructure — Old Gurgaon appears to be caught in a time warp, far removed from the new city's glossy sheen that has become synonymous with modernity and development.
Set against the backdrop of sky-kissing buildings and flights taking off, Old Gurgaon — with its chaotic urban planning and outdated civic amenities — is a pale shadow of the brand "Millenium City".
A part of the Gurgaon assembly constituency, residents here grapple with inadequate water supply, erratic power and poor waste management. Roads are a network of potholes and drains too narrow to handle the area's daily waste.
Whether it's a modern bus stand or a functional govt hospital, the wait for residents only grows longer with time. Both projects, announced years ago, are still in the pipeline.
Despite repeated promises, successive govts have failed to bring about substantial change in Old Gurgaon.
The electorate has voted BJP in the last two elections in 2019 and 2014.
In 2014, Umesh Aggarwal of BJP defeated INLD's Gopi Chand Gahlot by 84,095 votes. Congress, then, was a distant third with just 19,094 votes.
In 2019, the winning margin of BJP candidate Sudhir Singla came down to 33,315 votes as independent Mohit Grover managed to garner more than 48,000 votes. Congress, again, was third with a tally of 23,126.
This time, however, BJP is faced with an internal strife that threatens to gnaw into the party's votes. Prominent among the rebels is Naveen Goel, who is contesting as an independent after being denied a BJP ticket.
Relegated to the third place for a decade, Congress is now resurging, buoyed by a significant increase in vote share during the recent Lok Sabha election, and banking on the youthful energy of its candidates and a palpable discontent among the electorate.
In his campaign speeches, Congress candidate Mohit Grover has focused on civic issues and made promises about projects long overdue.
"This constituency has not seen any development for years. Civic amenities are in a mess and infrastructure needs an immediate upgrade," said Grover, who contested as an independent in 2019. "The metro project has moved only an inch. Public transport, otherwise, is non-existent. Parking and traffic are issues here as well. The city needs a new vision and plan for development," he added.
BJP, too, has been making promises of building model markets, bus stand and a govt hospital.
"We will transform Sadar Bazar into a model market like the one in Chandni Chowk in Delhi. A new bus stand and civil hospital will be constructed as well," said BJP's Mukesh Sharma.
As political parties vie for control, the primary question for residents remains — who will eventually deliver on the promises to lift Old Gurgaon out of its decades-long stagnation?
The residents said they had little option but to wait.
"How long will Old Gurgaon continue to be a shadow of Millennium City? Its promises and potential have been unfulfilled for years," said Raman Gahlot, a resident of Sector 4.
Sunita Sharma of Sector 14 iterated that this part of the city had been neglected for years. "It seems someone pressed the pause button and froze Old Gurgaon in time," she said.