GURGAON: More than a year after a Punjab and Haryana high court-appointed panel flagged Gurgaon’s sanitation crisis and said MCG was in denial about the situation, the city continues to struggle with the same problem: garbage piling up in public spaces, markets and residential areas.The persistence of the crisis is starkly illustrated by the condition of the Sector 22 market. A photograph of the market submitted as part of the original high court proceedings bears a striking resemblance to the situation at the same spot today, suggesting that despite judicial scrutiny, little appears to have changed on the ground.
Safai strike enters 23rd day
The matter dates back to Nov 2023, when a petition was filed before the high court following a sanitation workers’ strike and the city’s mounting garbage crisis. The court subsequently appointed 19 local commissioners to inspect different parts of the city. Their report, submitted in Feb 2025, highlighted the seriousness of the sanitation situation.Adding to the crisis, the sanitation workers’ strike entered its 23nd day on Thursday. “Our demands remain unchanged. The most important demand is the regularisation of sanitation workers. MCG cannot resolve this issue because it is a policy matter that requires a decision from Haryana govt. Our fight is not against the public,” said Basant Kumar, president of MCG Employees’ Union.Pankaj Yadav, the petitioner in the HC case and a city-based lawyer, said the resemblance between the old photograph and the market’s current state was telling. “Despite the court proceedings and the report highlighting the crisis, the ground reality has barely changed,” he said.Residents said the recurring disruptions point to a deeper failure to find a lasting fix. “There is garbage in every sector, in every nook and corner of the city. These strikes happen for months, and their impact continues for several more months. The overall condition of the city is pathetic, with garbage covering public spaces. The govt is doing the bare minimum to address what has become a crisis in the Millennium City,” said Kundan Lal Sharma, a former Cabinet Secretariat officer and Sector 21 resident.Vidhyanand Nuniwal, a resident of Sector 4, said the ongoing strike had compounded an existing problem. “Garbage is strewn across Laxman Vihar and several other parts of the city. The strike has aggravated an already serious garbage crisis,” he said.MCG additional commissioner Ravinder Yadav said the civic body was working toward a long-term fix. “As soon as our long-term projects of doorstep waste collection and sweeping are implemented, the city’s garbage woes will be addressed,” he said.The HC panel, which inspected the city in Jan 2025, found that waste management amounted to little more than “an image-building exercise.” The commissioners recommended that MCG audit its operations directly rather than continuing to outsource the task to private contractors.
