Tale of two cities- Faridabad and Gurgaon

Published on the Globalist

This mention of Faridabad  is adapted from India Grows at Night: A Liberal Case for a Strong State (Penguin) by Gurcharan Das. Copyright © 2012 by Gurcharan Das.

 Indians are baffled by the rise of their country. And for good reason. Consider this tale of two towns on the outskirts of Delhi — Gurgaon and Faridabad.

In 1980, Faridabad had an active municipality, fertile agriculture, a direct railway line to Delhi, a host of well-known industries and state government determined to showcase it as the state of Haryana's future. Gurgaon, located in the same state, was at the time a sleepy village with rocky soil and pitiable agriculture. It had no local government, no railway link and no industry. Compared to pampered Faridabad, it was wilderness.

Twenty-five years later, Gurgaon had become the symbol of a rising India and an engine of international growth. It now has dozens of shiny skyscrapers, 26 shopping malls, seven golf courses and countless luxury showrooms of global brands. It has 32 million square feet of commercial space and hosts the Indian offices of some of the world's largest corporations. Its economy is reflected in fabled apartment complexes with swimming pools, spas and saunas, which vie with the best-gated communities anywhere.

Meanwhile, Faridabad remained sad and scraggly. It is groaning under a corrupt, self-important municipality. How did this happen? Gurgaon's erstwhile disadvantage — that it was more or less ignored by the rapacious state government — turned out to be an advantage. It meant less red tape and fewer bureaucrats who could block its development.

A strong liberal state has independent regulators who are tough on corruption.

Gurgaon flourished primarily because of its self-reliant citizens, who did not sit around and wait for the government. They dug wells to get water. They put in diesel generators to make up for the state electricity board's failure.

They also employed security guards — rather than depend on the police. They used cell phones — instead of landlines of the state-run telephone company. And they used couriers rather than the post office.

Some buildings even installed sewage treatment plants. Since teachers and doctors, although on the state's payroll, did not show up at government schools and health centers, the citizens opened cheap private schools and clinics. Crucially, they even did so in the slums, where fees were as low as Rs 200 ($4) per month.

Modern India is in some ways Gurgaon writ large. When Indians witnessed the stupendous rise of the IT industry and of cities like Gurgaon, they began to ask, "Why do we need a government at all, with corrupt politicians and unresponsive bureaucrats?" And they came to say mockingly, "India grows at night when the government sleeps." To rise without the state is a brave thing. But is it wise or sustainable? Gurgaon would clearly be better off with a functioning public drainage system, reliable water and electricity, good schools, roads and parks, as well as a decent public transportation system.

Ultimately, Faridabad and Gurgaon are both the wrong models of governance for India's future. If red tape and corruption are the downside of Faridabad's model, the problem with Gurgaon's laissez faire model is the lack of basic services. While India's economic rise is a good thing and necessary for lifting the poor, it is not sufficient. We also need honest policemen, diligent officials, functioning schools and primary health centers. In short, India needs a strong liberal-minded state.

Faridabad printing Inc posts new growth

Economic Times
Irrespective of all the odds, printing business in Faridabad has scripted its growth story. As per industry experts, most of the printing units have been thriving here for more than 20 years. Players claim that the city gives them enough scope for growth, and as a result they are growing at over 20 percent every year. Apart from 100 big and small printers, the presence of Thompson Press — one of Asia's biggest players, speaks volumes about the industry's progress. "We publish newspapers, magazines and other media material.

33 projects to be set-up at IMT Faridabad: HSIIDC

Times of India
The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation ( HSIIDC) has finalised plot allotment for 51 projects.

This would catalyse investments of nearly Rs 3,000 crore and generate direct employment opportunities for more than 20,000 people, an official spokesman said.

The 33 projects to be set-up at IMT Faridabad with capital investments in excess of Rs 2,000 crore, will generate direct employment avenues for more than 16,000 people. IMT Faridabad, which is strategically located, is being developed over an area of 1,784 acres, he said.

Foreign brands are coming to Faridabad

Foreign brands are coming to Faridabad. Some big names to look out are clothing and accessories company US Polo Association, Italian footwear firm Alberto Torresi, furniture retail chain Ebony Gautier(at Crown Plaza), online retail store MyGrahak.com (an online grocery and a retail store) and Bharti Retail (04 easyday stores in faridabad)


Economic Times

Women entrepreneurs in Faridabad

Some enterprising women of Faridabad have acquired leading roles in business. Some were homemakers who started their own venture, while some daughters-in-law have taken family firms to greater heights. All this was made possible by the willingness to become independent and guidance from the Faridabad Small Industries Association's Women Entrepreneur Cell (FSIAWEC).

Pamelaa Koul took 26 years to establish herself as a full-fledged fashion designer. She started Delhi Artisans Limited. Anupama Bhuttani, who took the plunge in 1993 by starting Joy Ride School for Juniors, a kindergarten. Sarla Garg joined family-run Sadhu Forgings, an auto parts manufacturing company, ten years ago and changed its profile. Nidhi Sehgal, CEO of Klassic Computechs, an IT solutions provider, who took the franchise route.

 

 

Economic Times

Delayed Projects In Delhi NCR

Many of them, launched in 2005-06 with assurances of possession by 2008-2009, are yet to be completed. Today, as many as 63 large residential projects in NCR (accounting for almost 40000 units) are delayed by over four years. Out of these, around 10 projects with 9000 units have been delayed by over six years. This includes projects wherein possession of a small percentage of units has been handed over, while most of the whole project remains incomplete.
A look at the figures for these uncompleted projects reveals that a larger number of them are in Gurgaon and Faridabad

Elevated metro corridor to Faridabad coming up

The Delhi Metro will extend up to neighbouring Faridabad during Phase-III of its construction through a completely elevated corridor covering about 14 km. The route will be an extension of the existing Line 6 (Central Secretariat-Badarpur corridor) and will be built on standard guage.

The depot will come up near Faridabad Sector 20-A and the receiving sub-station will be located at Sarai.

The Faridabad link will prove to be an important link for the Delhi Metro, with its daily ridership expected to go up to around 1.79 lakh.

Goodwill Hospital to invest Rs 290 cr in Faridabad

Indian Express

City-based Goodwill Hospital and Research will invest around Rs 290 crore in two years to set up a hospital and a diagnostic centre at Faridabad and six polyclinics in various towns of Uttar Pradesh.

"We have acquired five acres of land at Faridabad and plan to put up a 700-bed super-speciality hospital. Investment to the tune of Rs 227 crore is required here," Goodwill Hospital Managing Director Namrata Chawla said.