RWAs raise flag on corruption, poor sanitation ahead of mayoral election

As Gurugram gears up for its first-ever direct mayoral election, the city’s Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have taken the lead in setting the agenda, releasing an “expectation letter” even before the contesting candidates could unveil their manifestos.

United under the banner of United Gurugram RWAs, the associations have flagged sanitation, sewerage, roads and corruption as the four pressing issues crippling the city’s civic infrastructure. They are demanding concrete, on-ground solutions rather than hollow political promises.

“This election is not about politics but about Gurugram,” said Praveen Yadav, president of the United Gurugram RWAs. “There is rampant corruption in civic agencies — whether it’s maintaining infrastructure, hiring contractors or addressing complaints. Corruption at every level of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has turned the city into a civic mess. We expect our public representatives to bring accountability, efficiency and transparency to the system.”

Sanitation has emerged as the top concern for RWAs, who claim that more than 300 locations across the city still grapple with illegal waste dumping and frequent waste fires. Areas like Sector 52 and border Sectors 21, 22 and 23 — alongside villages such as Carterpuri — have been identified as the worst-hit zones.

The RWA Federation of Gurugram emphasised that mayoral candidates should present a city-wide waste management vision, while local councilors must propose ward-specific solutions.

“While political parties will declare their manifestos, we are making things easier by laying out our core concerns,” read a statement by the RWA Federation. “We want specific, actionable solutions, not just vague promises.”

Following sanitation, the collapsed sewerage infrastructure ranks high on the RWAs' list of concerns. Over 60 areas reportedly face overflowing sewage on a near-daily basis. Wazirabad village has been marked as the most affected, along with 10 other villages and colonies like Rajendra Park and Palm Vihar.

Broken roads and neglected streets have also drawn attention, with RWAs identifying nearly 150 areas suffering from poor road conditions.

While BJP mayoral candidate Raj Rani Malhotra was unavailable for comment, Congress candidate Seema Pahuja — a former BJP councilor — was quick to respond.

“The city has been without public representatives for two years, and it has indeed become a civic mess,” said Pahuja. “During the last term, we had no real power and were merely puppets following orders from senior BJP leaders. To resolve these crises, Gurugram needs strong representatives with independent perspectives and the courage to act. We will soon release our manifesto addressing the RWAs' concerns.”