The general elections 2019 on Sunday was the first time many residents in sectors 58-115, the newer sectors, voted in Gurugram. Residents of condominiums along the Dwarka Expressway and Southern Peripheral Expressway said that while they have made Gurugram their home, the city is yet to give back to them entirely.

Among the various issues highlighted by new sector residents, security, lack of public transport, streetlights, shifting of Kherki Daula toll were among the main grievances.

At polling booths in sectors such as 69 and 72, located along the Southern Peripheral Road, there were large queues of people early in the day. In Sector 78, there was a large number of voters around noon as well. Although the crown had thinned in Sector 104 around 1pm, polling staff said there was a heavy rush in the morning.

Amit Goel, a 37-year-old resident of Tulip White in Sector 69, a native of Jammu, said that security is a huge concern, despite him having grown up in a sensitive area, riddled with safety and security issues.

“Despite moving to Gurugram, the problem of safety continues to linger, though in a different manner. The two-kilometre stretch from Vatika Chowk to my condominium is completely unlit. Snatching, carjacking and theft are regularly reported from the area. I wasn’t expecting such an experience in Gurugram. I voted for the first time in the city, hoping to bring a change in these issues,” said Goel.

Dipish and Malini, a married couple living in Mapsko Casa Bella, Sector 82, travel more than 20 kilometres every day for work. Besides the distance, the biggest nuisance in their daily journey is paying the toll at the Kherki Daula toll plaza, on a daily basis, which they say not only costs them Rs260 but also delays them by 40 minutes.

“Paying a huge amount and waiting endlessly at the toll in large queues are turning into major problems for us. The Dwarka Expressway is unlit, due to lack of streetlights. Maintaining safety as our priority, we take the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway instead. Keeping these issues in mind, we updated our voting addresses and cast our votes for the political party that has promised to end these concerns in the near future,” Malini said.

Meetu Sinha, a resident of Sector 72, who stayed in Delhi until two years ago, said that unlit stretches and safety concerns restrict her from travelling alone after dark. “As an independent woman, I feel extremely restricted by the existing civic amenities, crimes and lack of public transport in my locality. I am forced to stay indoors during the night. While my condominium gives me a sense of safety, the locality outside is unlit and deserted. I only travel in the night with my family or a group of friends,” said Sinha.

She said she wanted the winning candidate to look into the issues of women.

Sagar Yadav, a first-time voter and resident of Sector 104, whose family had recently moved from west Delhi, said that poor public transport in the area has forced him to move back in with his grandparents in Delhi for better connectivity to his college.

“I study in a Delhi college and returning to Sector 104 on a daily basis has become impossible. I had to ask my parents to pick me up from Rajiv Chowk, nearly 10 kilometres from the house. The daily commute was becoming too much of an issue for my parents and me, and after two weeks of this, I decided to stay with my grandparents in Dwarka. While the condominium has offered my family a better standard of living, poor connectivity has nullified most positives,” said Yadav.

First Published: May 13, 2019 03:17 IST