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Gurgaon

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Gurgaon's population has grown exponentially in past few years. Shown here is Essel Group's apartment complex in Gurgaon.
Commercial buildings in Gurgaon.

Gurgaon pronunciationⓘ (Hindi: गुड़गांव) is a city in the northern Indian state of Haryana, and has a population of about 1,000,000 according to the 2001 national census. Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities and is therefore considered to be a part of the National Capital Region, although it is not situated in the National Capital Territory.

History

The origins of the city's name are steeped in Hindu mythology. Legend has it that Gurgaon is the ancestral village of Guru Dronacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Indian epic, Mahabharata. In the ancient times, the name Gurgaon was originally said to be "Guru-Gram". In the original Sanskrit language, Guru means "teacher", which in this case refers to (Guru Dronacharya) and Gram means a (village). The village was gifted by the Pandavas and Kauravas to their Guru (Dronacharya), and was therefore known as Guru - Gram, (Village of the Guru). The sanskriticised "gram" was over a period of time rounded off to a colloquial "gaon" and hence the name to Gurgaon.

Until very recently, Gurgaon was a sleepy town on the outskirts of New Delhi. Its potential was quickly recognized after the liberalisation of the Indian economy, in the 1990's, because of its proximity to New Delhi, and the smart policy initiatives of the Haryana government. Today, skyscrapers and modern shopping malls dot this suburb, which has seen a major real estate boom since the late 1990s.

Economy

Gurgaon is best known as one of India's most prominent outsourcing and offshoring hubs, though the distribution of companies seems heavily skewed towards the non-IT services. A plethora of BPO and KPO firms dot the cityscape. A few IT and pharmaceutical firms also exist in the city. Several auto-manufacturing facilities also exist, though they do not dominate the city's economy in the manner they did a decade ago.

The outsourcing boom has led to a rapid growth in employment prospects and local wages, leading to a mushrooming of shopping malls, swank restaurants and entertainment facilities. Demand for such lifestyle options is driven by the demographic shift to a younger, more cosmopolitan, more affluent and better educated population.

Quality of life

Thousands of professionals have recently made their home in Gurgaon, living in apartments in newly constructed colonies and condominiums with world-class facilities. The mushrooming shopping malls of Gurgaon, like the DLF City Centre, DLF Grand Mall, DLF Mega Mall, Sahara Mall, MGF Metropolitan Mall, MGF Mega City, are also indicative of the recognition by retailers of the far-reaching aspirations, and deep pockets, of the residents of the city. By 2010, the state government also hopes to complete a world class Golden Triangle City Centre (GTCC) in Sector 29 with as many as four skyscrapers. Some experts are worried about the project because Gurgaon lies in an earthquake prone area.[1] The fast growing population, with increasing purchasing power, has created a huge demand for housing, resulting in escalating property prices in recent years.

Quality of life in the privately managed residential estates in Gurgaon remains relatively good due to high standards of security, private parking, common area maintenance and sanitation being the norm. The city still faces problems with interruptions of electricity and water supply.

Education

The city is home to a Number of reputed educational institutions - MDI(Management Development Institute), ITM(Insitute Of Technology and Management), Indian Institute of Law, The State Bank training Academy, The Fertiliser Development Institute, Potash Research Institute, The Ansal Institute Of Higher Education, Gurgaon Institute Of Dental Sciences, Dronacharya College Of Engineering, Apeejay College Of Engineering.


Gurgaon is also home to some of the very best residential and day schools like - Delhi Public School, DAV Public School, Rotary Public School, Ryan International, Amity International School, etc.

Transportation

Gurgaon's roads are its Achilles heel. While the road layout in the city is well-planned, there are constant complaints about their upkeep and quality of maintenance. Drives to improve the condition of non-arterial roads continue to be infrequent and roads tend to disintegrate almost as soon as they are 'repaired'.

Besides roads, the main problem of the city is its virtually non-existent intra-city public transport. There are a handful of local buses plying on a few routes. The only other form of public transport is shared auto rickshaws, which are generally overcrowded. As on date, there is no metered auto rickshaw or taxi on individual hire in the town. The cycle rickshaws and "private" taxis charge extortionist rates.

The Main Bus Depot of the city is the oldest and most used. It connects not just to the neighbouring Delhi but all neighbouring towns. The buses to Delhi are the most frequent and have a choice of routes between AIIMS (via Mehrauli) and Dhuala Kuan. It also connects to Rohtak (2h15"), Jammu (12h), Faridabad (45min") to name a few. The bus service has remarkably improved after the construction of Golden Quadrilateral — a four lane highway passing through the city.

Gurgaon has its railway station located at the extreme corner of the city. The rails connect to both Rewari on one side and Delhi Cantt on other. Daily commuters using the trains either come using two wheelers and buy a monthly parking ticket or use the shared auto rickshaws that do trips between the station and the main bus depot. Car parking space is extremely limited at the station. Gurgaon residents mostly depend on railway stations in Delhi or Faridabad (on Delhi-Mumbai/Chennai track) for long-distance travel.

Plans to extend the Delhi Metro to Gurgaon have now been formally approved by both Delhi and Haryana governments, both having reached a cost sharing arrangement. The work have already started in isolated pockets along the route. Hence, Delhi Metro to Gurgaon can now be expected by year 2010.


An eight lane toll expressway between Gurgaon and New Delhi, scheduled to become operational in Apr 2007 will provide non-stop connectivity to the International Airport and Dhaula Kuan in Delhi over a distance of 28 kilometers (18 miles), and includes 7 flyovers and 5 underpasses along the stretch.

Gurgaon is a city trying hard to shake off its small-town past and embrace modernity and a globalized economy. In the process of building a world-class city, it has become imperative to address the infrastructure issues that plague it. The sustainability of Gurgaon's growth depends on it.

Notable buildings in Gurgaon

File:Gurgaon Panorama.JPG
Gurgaon Panorama
File:NESTLE.JPG
Nestle regional Headquarters in Gurgaon

Below is a list of various 5-star hotels and shopping malls in Gurgaon:

Hotels

  • Trident Hilton 5*
  • The Bristol 5*
  • The Park Plaza 4*
  • Fortune Select Global 4*
  • Lemon Tree Hotel, Udyog Vihar 3*
  • Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 29 3*

Shopping Mall


Some prime residential properties under construction

  • Raheja Atlantis
  • GurgaonOne
  • Ansal's Valley View Estate
  • AWHO, Sujjan Vihar
  • Vipul Orchid Greens
  • Orchid Petals
  • OMAXE Nile
  • Park View 2
  • Orchid Belmonte
  • Parvsnath Greenville
  • Eldeco Mansionz
  • Central Park
  • Vatika City
  • Wembley Estate
  • Malibu Towne
  • Sahara Grace
  • Heritage City
  • See also: List of leading shopping streets and districts by city

Educational institutes

Business schools

International schools

Pathways World School is in nearby Aravali Hills.

District Administration

  • The Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, is responsible for maintaining Law & Order and related issues in the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Haryana Police Service and other Haryana Police officials.
  • The Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, is responsible for the management of the Forests, Environment and Wild-Life in the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Haryana Forest Service and other Haryana Forest officials and Haryana Wild-Life officials.
  • Sectoral development is looked after by the district head/officer of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers are from various Haryana state services.


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