Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh stressed the need for granting more autonomy to MCG and GMDA, lending voice to Gurugrammers’ concerns over bureaucratic hurdles that often derail infrastructure projects in the Millennium City. More financial autonomy for MCG and GMDA would help accelerate development in the city and mitigate a lot of infrastructures woes that citizens were facing today, Singh said at TOI Town Hall in the presence of Union cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari Singh underlined the civic authorities’ inability to spend more than Rs 1 crore on any scheme in Gurgaon, without routing the files through Chandigarh, which in most cases turn out to be the main reason behind prolonged delays in civic projects.The Haryana government has failed to implement the Constitutional amendments (73rd and 74th), which allow local bodies — municipal corporations, zilla parishads and block samitis — to spend money at their discretion on projects concerning citizens. Neighbouring states of UP and Rajasthan have already done it, the minister of state for chemicals and fertilizers said.“Gurgaon has been generating highest amount of revenues, accounting for almost 65% of the state’s earnings, for the past one decade. However, the longstanding demand for Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) was fulfilled only recently, after sustained efforts by various stakeholders, including the media. Chandigarh didn’t want it to happen,” Singh said.Talking about the delayed Dwarka Expressway, the Gurgaon MP said he had been in constant touch with the state government to get the hurdles removed for the ambitious project. Work on clearing encroachments and providing compensation to plot owners should get over in next two weeks, he claimed.“Minister Gadkari had assigned me the duty to get this done so that the Prime Minister could inaugurate it. Even though we couldn’t meet the deadlines, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to finish it in next few days,” he said. Singh appreciated Gadkari’s efforts to unclog the NH-8 with a series of flyovers and underpasses — including those at Iffco Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Hero Honda Chowk — that changed the face of the city.The MP also urged the Union minister to share 50% of the cost for the proposed underpass near Sirhaul border. The remaining cost will be borne by DLF and Ambience (25% each).Shifting of Kherki Daula toll plaza, another long-pending demand of the residents, also found mention in the MP’s speech. Though the shifting had ‘almost been approved’, he requested Gadkari to consider doing away with toll plazas altogether, all over the country.“Toll tax may be charged at the time of the registration of a vehicle. It will help solve the problem of long queues and save fuel as well as travel time,” he said, drawing a huge round of applause from the audience.

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