Abhishek Behl is principal correspondent, Hindustan Times in Gurgaon Bureau. He covers infrastructure, planning and civic agencies in the city. He has been covering Gurgaon as correspondent for the last 10 years, and has written extensively on the city.
Articles by Abhishek Behl
Gurugram ranks eighth among 12 rising cities in ease of moving index
The Ease of Moving Index-India Report 2022 was jointly launched in Delhi on Tuesday by joint secretary and mission director, Smart Cities Mission, and UN resident coordinator in India
Updated on Apr 25, 2023 10:59 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Haryana authority revises policy to set up farmhouses
Under the revised policy, builders can develop farmhouse colonies from a minimum of 10 acres up to 25 acres, depending on the location
Updated on Apr 24, 2023 12:14 AM IST
Haryana to constitute Aravalli rejuvenation board to curb illegal mining
In addition to the board, the government will also constitute a district-level cell for periodic monitoring of the Aravallis in Nuh, Faridabad, Gurugram
Updated on Apr 18, 2023 12:25 AM IST
RWAs allege registrar offices in Ggm, F’bad functioning arbitrarily
Residents' welfare associations (RWAs) in Gurugram and Faridabad have accused the district registrar of societies of acting arbitrarily and failing to resolve disputes, allegedly to benefit a few vested interests. The RWAs allege that corrupt practices are rife in the offices, elections are biased and administrators and returning officers are appointed to favour certain people. The officials are also accused of misusing funds and imposing heavy costs on residents without benefits. The RWAs say the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies Act 2012 should be modified to give due representation to people. Officials deny wrongdoing.
Updated on Apr 17, 2023 12:47 AM IST
DTCP notice to architects, designers of Chintels Paradiso over false certifications
Chintels Paradiso residential complex and its architects have been issued a show cause notice by the Department of Town and Country Planning over the partial collapse of Tower D in February 2022, which resulted in two fatalities. The department has alleged that occupancy certificates were obtained on false and misleading grounds. The firms have been given 15 days to respond, or face blacklisting and cancellation of their licence to practice.
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 12:36 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Gadkari will visit city this May to review Dwarka e-way, open cloverleaf, says Gurugram MP
Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari will inspect Dwarka Expressway and inaugurate the cloverleaf at Kheri?Daula in Gurugram in May. He will also review the Delhi-Jaipur highway and other road projects in the area. An elevated road between Dhaula Kuan and Manesar is also being considered. The Kherki Daula toll plaza may also be shifted. The underpasses at Pachgaon Chowk, Rathiwas Chowk and Salawas Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway are expected to start soon. The work on Manesar elevated road has not started due to non-availability of land.
Updated on Apr 13, 2023 12:03 AM IST
Single head for Gurugram civic body, GMDA; Will make decision making quicker, say officials
Notably, GMDA was constituted in 2018 by the government after years long deliberations to improve the coordination among different government bodies in Gurugram district and to reduce the multiplicity of authorities
Updated on Apr 12, 2023 12:31 AM IST
To connect rail overbridge with Dwarka e-way, GMDA to create temporary road
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority is creating a 450 metre temporary road to connect the Umang Bhardwaj Chowk with Dwarka Expressway via a recently inaugurated railway overbridge. The underpass that will eventually connect the two is still under construction, while land on the western side of the structure is currently unavailable due to litigation. A spokesperson for the GMDA said that a 5.5 metre-wide stretch will be barricaded and used for movement of vehicles, while a senior official of contractor L&T said that work on the underpass is continuing.
Updated on Apr 11, 2023 12:47 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Hospital beds to be reserved for Covid-19 patients if cases rise in Gurugram
Gurugram health department will reserve beds at Civil Hospital and private hospitals, and create isolation wards if there is a spike in COVID-19 cases. The city reported 161 fresh cases on 14 September and 213 on 13 September. The health department plans to reserve 72 beds at ESI hospital patients and 25 beds and 4 ICU beds at Civil Hospital. The deputy commissioner also directed the health department to set up a portable ward for COVID-19 patients at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10. A similar drill will be carried out in private hospitals on 15 September.
Updated on Apr 11, 2023 12:38 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Meena to head both GMDA, MCG; Yashpal gets MCM
The Haryana government appointed Gurugram Municipal Commissioner PC Meena as the CEO of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority while he continues to serve MCG in the same capacity.
Updated on Apr 11, 2023 12:35 AM IST
CM inaugurates projects worth ₹32cr in Gurugram
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has rejuvenated a water body at Sikanderpur village, which was earlier filled with sewage and plastic. The chief minister inaugurated the water body and a railway overbridge connecting Basai Chowk to Dwarka Expressway. The 910-metre long, four-lane railway overbridge connecting arterial roads has been constructed at a cost of ?23 crore, while the water body was executed at a cost of ?9 crore. The GMDA has taken up seven major pond revival projects in collaboration with NGOs and four of these have been completed, said GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal.
Updated on Apr 07, 2023 11:32 PM IST
Delhi-Dehradun expressway to be completed by December: Gadkari
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, also known as NH 72A, will start from east Delhi’s Akshardham and pass through Baghpat, Shamli, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Updated on Apr 07, 2023 12:37 AM IST
Property gets dearer in Gurugram as circle rates are hiked by up to 30%
Circle rate is the minimum price at which a property is registered with the revenue department when being transferred. The stamp duty levied on such properties is a major revenue for the state government
Updated on Apr 04, 2023 11:57 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Village chiefs, councillors to be accountable for child marriages, says state women’s panel
The Haryana state commission for women will recommend that village chiefs and councillors of urban local bodies be held accountable if child marriages take place in their jurisdiction. The local representatives will be asked to certify the age of persons getting married, and, in case the commission gets information or a complaint regarding such a marriage being conducted, the local councillor or village chief will be tasked to prevent it. The commission hopes the move will curb the prevalence of child marriages in Haryana.
Updated on Apr 04, 2023 12:25 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
GMDA proposes 1% cess on property transfers to fund ₹845 crore SPR project
Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has proposed imposing a 1% user charge in the form of duty on property transfers in sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) to fund the project. The SPR project has been delayed due to funding issues, but GMDA said that the entire tendering process has been completed and the high-powered committee chaired by the chief minister will allot the contract soon. The cost of the project is INR8.45bn ($115m) and different modes of funding will be used. The authority said that 37 developing sectors are along the SPR and an estimated INR3.25bn can be collected in three years.
Updated on Apr 03, 2023 12:13 AM IST
Tolls hiked on Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-Mumbai expressways, Sohna elevated road
After the latest revision, the toll fee has increased by 5-7% depending on the type of vehicle, said NHAI officials
Updated on Mar 30, 2023 11:21 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
DTCP to raze illegal commercial establishments in Gairatpur Bas, Sakatpur villages in Gurugram
The enforcement wing of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) on Wednesday said it will carry out a demolition drive in Gairatpur Bas and Sakatpur villages in Sector 78 and Sector 79 to raze illegal restaurants, amusement parks and other commercial establishments that have come up without any permission from the competent authority
Published on Mar 30, 2023 12:04 AM IST
Hamilton Court, Vyapar Kendra roads to be upgraded to six lanes
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Tuesday said it plans to redevelop and upgrade two key master sector roads, which connect to the Golf Course Road and witness significant traffic movement
Published on Mar 29, 2023 12:30 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Amid rise in launches, NCR registers a decline in sale of flats, says report
Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), which has been one of the fastest growing realestate markets in the country, saw a decline of 9% in the sale of residential units in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to same period in 2022, a report by Anarock, a realestate services company, said on Monday
Published on Mar 28, 2023 12:22 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Gurugram police book developer for delay in delivering project
Gurugram The Gurugram Police have booked three directors of real estate developer Supertech Limited after a homebuyer lodged a complaint against the firm, alleging that it failed to construct a residential project in the city despite receiving money from around 1,000 people
Published on Mar 26, 2023 11:42 PM IST
HMRTC reinvites bids to pick design consultant for Gurugram Metro
In yet another move that could delay the work on Gurugram Metro project, the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC), the agency developing the Gurugram Metro has reinvited bids to appoint a design consultant for the project after the previous bid received a poor response
Published on Mar 25, 2023 12:01 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
7.9km stretch of Narnaul-Rewari bypass road to be opened soon, says Ggm MP
Gurugram: A 7
Published on Mar 24, 2023 11:54 PM IST
Fourth floor policy in Gurugram: Special panel seeks detailed info on plots
The committee has also directed these departments to map the details of plots on sectoral plans, and layout plans and submit the same by March 31
Published on Mar 24, 2023 12:10 AM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Water supply to shut in few city areas for 30 hours from Monday, says GMDA
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Wednesday said they will take up connection work of a 700mm pipeline on March 27 (Monday) due to which water supply will remain shut in a few city areas for 30 hours
Published on Mar 23, 2023 12:05 AM IST
Special committee seeks suggestions, objections on fourth floor policy
A special committee formed by the department of town and country planning to look into the fourth floor policy, which has been kept in abeyance by the state government last month, has sought suggestions and objections from residents and stakeholders on the policy
Updated on Mar 22, 2023 11:50 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
NHAI wants more Metro trains between Delhi and Gurugram to reduce snarls on NH-48
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to increase the frequency of trains between Gurugram and Delhi on the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli-Huda City Centre) and on the Blue Line (Dwarka Sector 21- Noida Electronic City) so that more people can travel by the Metro instead of using their private cars and thereby reduce the congestion currently seen on National Highway-48 (NH-48)
Updated on Mar 20, 2023 11:38 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Palam Vihar residents say drain in area caving in, ask GMDA to fix it
The work on covering the 1,500 metre stretch of this drain, which is also called “Leg One” of the drainage system in the city, started in February but residents alleged that the work is being carried out without any contingency plan in place for emergencies
Published on Mar 20, 2023 11:31 PM IST
Haryana panel to study if building fourth floor can be permitted
The panel, which will be headed by P Raghavendra Rao, chairperson of the state pollution control board, has been asked to recommend the future course of action in the matter and file its report in two months, according to an order issued on Thursday by TL Satyaprakash, director general of the department of town and country planning
Published on Mar 17, 2023 11:50 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
Delhi airport to Alipur in 20 mins on Urban Extension Road-II: Nitin Gadkari
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who inspected the 75-km-long road, said that almost 60% of the work has been completed
Updated on Mar 17, 2023 02:51 AM IST
Chintels: Pay rent at ₹15 per sqft to residents, get towers vacated soonest, DTCP tells builder
The department stipulated that the developer should pay a monthly rent to occupants of towers E and F at the rate of ₹15 per square foot. The department has already recommended demolition of Tower D of the condominium, where six floors had collapsed partially on February 10, 2022, killing two women
Published on Mar 15, 2023 11:23 PM IST
Abhishek Behl, Gurugram
