I have lived in a big city for quite a while now. Time enough to see it grow. I used to live in Delhi before I moved to the suburb of Gurgaon expecting less of crowds and traffic and more of nature. And of course, to save the 40 minute commute that it took Ann and the kids to get to school each day. And for a while, we thought it was great move. Then the reality of a rapidly expanding city began to set in. Today, the area resembles a large construction site and marshalling harbour for call center cabs and construction workers. 
The migrant population in the small village of Nathupur that abuts DLF Phase III has grown a hundred fold and spills over into residential complex in the form of shops, temples, taxi stands, construction worker temporary (read semi-permanent) hutments, repair workshops, grazing grounds or just parking for all types of commercial vehicles. Water and electricity is tapped illegally from the residential complex and drawn back into the "village" to run air conditioners, pump sets and other gizmos. The wall seperating the residential complex from the village has sprouted gaps and gates through which a baraat (wedding procession) or a religious procession occasionally materialize accompanied by much fanfare in the form of a motley band playing all sorts of instruments in gay abandon without regard to the beat or time of the day, all piped through cone speakers set to the maximum volume possible. 
The main road of the complex has been turned into an adhoc highway. And the traffic, water, electricity, dust and pollution levels have reached a crisis point, much worse than at any time during our stay in Delhi. And vehicles from the nearby office complexes are spilling over into the vacant plots in the surrounding residential areas. And there are new malls and office complexes coming up in what was projected as green spaces in the original master plan.
The migrant population in the small village of Nathupur that abuts DLF Phase III has grown a hundred fold and spills over into residential complex in the form of shops, temples, taxi stands, construction worker temporary (read semi-permanent) hutments, repair workshops, grazing grounds or just parking for all types of commercial vehicles. Water and electricity is tapped illegally from the residential complex and drawn back into the "village" to run air conditioners, pump sets and other gizmos. The wall seperating the residential complex from the village has sprouted gaps and gates through which a baraat (wedding procession) or a religious procession occasionally materialize accompanied by much fanfare in the form of a motley band playing all sorts of instruments in gay abandon without regard to the beat or time of the day, all piped through cone speakers set to the maximum volume possible. 
The main road of the complex has been turned into an adhoc highway. And the traffic, water, electricity, dust and pollution levels have reached a crisis point, much worse than at any time during our stay in Delhi. And vehicles from the nearby office complexes are spilling over into the vacant plots in the surrounding residential areas. And there are new malls and office complexes coming up in what was projected as green spaces in the original master plan.So where lies the problem? Is it defective town planning? Is it estate developer greed to squeeze every square yard of space to put up yet another commercial complex? Who is to blame if a mall or office complex comes up with inadequate parking? Is no one accountable for this mess we call a city? Cant we do any better?
