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Gurgaon गुड़गांव
—  city  —
Gurgaon Location of Gurgaon in Haryana and India
Coordinates	28°28′N 77°02′E / 28.47°N 77.03°E / 28.47; 77.03Coordinates: 28°28′N 77°02′E / 28.47°N 77.03°E / 28.47; 77.03
Country	India
State	Haryana
District(s)	Gurgaon
Parliamentary constituency	Gurgaon Lok Sabha Constituency
Assembly constituency	Gurgaon City {Ch. Sukhbir Kataria (MLA)}
Planning Agency	Haryana Urban Development Authority
Civic agency	Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon {Vimal Yadav Mayor}
Population	1,514,085 (2011[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 220 metres (720 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 122001 to 122017 • Telephone • +91 124 XXX XXXX • Vehicle • HR 26 (Personal), HR 55 (Commercial)
Website	http://gurgaon.nic.in/

Gurgaon pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: गुड़गांव) is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital. Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities and is part of the National Capital Region (India).^[1] Gurgaon is within commuting distance of Delhi via an expressway and Delhi Metro.^[2]

Gurgaon has the 3rd highest per capita income in India after Chandigarh and Mumbai.^[3] . Gurgaon is also the only Indian city to have successfully distributed electricity connections to all its households.^[4] However, because of its heavy vehicular traffic and inefficient public transportation apart from the Delhi Metro, Gurgaon ranks 11th amongst Indian cities on the "Life after Work" index of Business Today.

Over the past 25 years the city has undergone rapid development and construction.^[5] A wave of multinational companies choose to locate their operations in Gurgaon after GE did so in 1997. The presence of large domestic and international firms such as SAP, PwC, Airtel, American Airlines, American Express, Aricent, Bain & Company, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, DLF Limited, Ericsson, EXL, Fluor Corporation, Hero Honda, IBM, Indigo Airlines, KPMG, Maruti Suzuki, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Sapient, Tata Consultancy Services, ThoughtWorks and ZS Associates have made Gurgaon an important financial center of India,^[6] as well as one of India's major outsourcing hubs.^[7]

Etymology[link]

The origin of the city's name is steeped in Hindu mythology. Legend has it that Gurgaon village located into the heart of gurgaon city is the ancestral village of Guru Dronacharya (or Drona), the teacher of martial arts to the Pandavas and Kauravas princes in the Indian epic of the Mahabharata.

In Sanskrit, Guru means teacher, which in this case refers to Dronacharya and both Gram and Gaon mean village. According to Hindu mythology, the village was gifted by the Pandavas and Kauravas - specifically, by King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur - to Dronacharya, the son of Rishi Bharadwaja, and was therefore known as guru-gram. Over time the colloquial term gaon (which also means village in Prakrit) was substituted for gram and the name Gurgaon emerged.

The 'Dronacharya Well' still exists within the Gurgaon city, along with a village called Gurgaon.^[8] (see Drona).

History[link]

Gurgaon in Punjab Province in 1903.

In historically verifiable times, Gurgaon has been under the control of a succession of rulers appointed by the ruling power in Delhi including Yaduvanshi Rajputs,^[9] Mughals, Marathas in this order. For a few years Farrukhnagar was taken from the Nawab and Ghasera from the Badgujar Rajput Rao Bahadur Singh^[10] of Ghasera ^[11] by Jat Raja Surajmal of Bharatpur Kingdom in 1753 and held till 1763. Rewari was under Khoro clan Ahir rulers.^[12] It remained under the rule of the Scindhia clan of the Maratha Empire, until in 1803, the East India Company took control of Gurgaon through the Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. By the mid nineteenth century Gurgaon was part of the princely protectorate of Pataudi which is a part of Gurgaon district today. The British integrated Gurgaon into the Punjab Province where it served as district and tehsil headquarters. After India's independence, Gurgaon continued to be a part of the state of Punjab until 1966 when Haryana was formed a separate state.

Gurgaon remained a small farming village in the neighbourhood of Delhi India's political capital. The launch of the automotive company Maruti jump started Gurgaon's growth and changed its future. In addition, Delhi's economic rise attracted a large influx of labourers from neighboring regions like Rajasthan, Orissa and Bihar, rapidly increasing Delhi's population.^[13] By the early 1990s, Delhi was one of the most populous and crowded cities in the world and the need for a satellite city became more apparent. Gurgaon seemed like an ideal choice given its vast undeveloped farming lands and proximity to Delhi. Haryana Urban Development Authority bought large areas of land from farmers in Gurgaon and developed residential and commercial sectors.

In the 1990s the Government of India reformed the tax laws, thereby attracting private companies to build world-class buildings in Gurgaon.^[6] The close proximity of Delhi International Airport also attracted private firms.^[6] The recent completion of the privatized Delhi-Gurgaon expressway provides Gurgaon with world-class connectivity to Delhi International Airport, which has in turn attracted even more firms to locate their offices in Gurgaon.^[6]

Ethnic groups and politics[link]

Gurgaon lies in Ahirwal and Ahirs are in the majority, however there are a few villages of Jats, Yaduvanshi Sainis in Gurgaon city and Gujjar villages on Gurgaon Faridabad road.

Large population of ethnic groups of Ahirs and Gurjars .

Meo Muslims were in majority in the Firozpur Jhirka state, where they still reside in large numbers though some migrated to Pakistan after partition. Thousands of Punjabi Hindu immigrants from the western part of Punjab that became Pakistan came here as refugees after partition of the country in 1947 and made their home here. Apart from receiving population from across the country, the city has also allegedly seen a heavy growth in illegal Bangladeshi population.^[14][15]

Geography and climate[link]

Sarus Crane at Sultanpur National Park

Gurgaon district comprises five blocks: Badshahpur, Pataudi, Sohna, Gurgaon village, and Farrukhnagar. On its north, it is bounded by the district of Jhajjar and Delhi. Faridabad district lies to its east. On its south, the district shares boundaries with the Mewat District. To its west lies the Rewari district and the Rajasthan state. Gurgaon city is situated at the northern edge of Aravali mountain range. The length of the district is about 21 km (13 mi) and the breadth is 27 km (17 mi).^[16]

A dust storm blots out the sun, Gurgaon,Haryana,India

The Sultanpur National Park located about 15 km from the centre of the city is a protected migratory bird sanctuary for the Sarus Crane, Indian Peafowl, Eurasian Wigeon and other birds.

Demographics[link]

Gurgaon's district population has increased from some 870,539 in census 2001 to 1,514,085 in census 2011.^[17] In the 2001 census, Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gurgaon has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 65.38%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 73%. In Gurgaon, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

District administration[link]

The Deputy Commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is the overall in-charge of the General Administration in the district. He is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Haryana Civil Service and other Haryana state services.

The Constitution of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) took effect on on 2 June 2008. The MCG elected municipal councillors, for the first time, in elections held in May 2011.

Economy[link]

A major office complex in Gurgaon. IT services form the largest sector closely followed by retail.

Favorable tax policy by the Haryana government, pressure from Rajiv Gandhi to allow private companies to build properties and its proximity to Indira Gandhi International Airport saw the emergence of Gurgaon as one of the most prominent outsourcing and offshoring hubs in the world. It has also become a major hub of telecom companies. Prominent companies headquartered here include Bharti Airtel, Nokia, Motorola, Alcatel Lucent & Ericsson.

Automobile manufacturing, garment manufacturing, world-class real estate^[18] and shopping malls are the other main industries. Gurgaon and Faridabad together generate over 50% of Haryana's income tax revenues.^[19]

The distribution of outsourcing companies is skewed towards non-IT services^{[citation needed]}. Gurgaon's outsourcing industry was born in 1997 when GE Capital International Services (GECIS) was set up as the India-based business process services operations of GE Capital.^[18] In 2005, GECIS became an independent company - Genpact, which is now headquartered in Gurgaon. This trend continued after several other firms established themselves in the city. Gurgaon also has a major manufacturing industry. Car manufacturing facilities include India's largest passenger car company, Maruti Suzuki. Hero Honda, the world's biggest motor cycle company is based in Gurgaon.

Many migrant residents of Nathupur work as domestic workers in Gurgaon.^[20]

Infrastructure[link]

One of the attractions for international companies to operate factories and offices in Gurgaon is nearby Delhi Airport. Although the local government has claimed to provide electricity to almost all residents, the city people are frustrated by high costs, frequent cuts & low voltage problems which has resulted in some people fleeing to neighboring Delhi for a better standard of Living. Most of the official complexes and societies are running on Diesel gensets. Summer months are worst in Gurgaon with no proper water & electricity supplies.^[21][22]

Private real-estate giants, such as Tata Housing, Emaar Properties, DLF Limited and Unitech Group have built gated communities in Gurgaon, which have 24x7 water and security although electricity is a major concern, owing to 7–8 hours of power cuts which leads to high diesel costs and pollution.^[23] These gated complexes range from apartment complexes to integrated mini-cities such as Raisina Residency, Primanti, DLF City, Nirvana Country and Suncity.^[24] Gurgaon has been deemed a non-city due to the lack of comprehensive infrastructure and its corporate enclaves, including a dearth of sidewalks, convenience stores, and public parks.^[25]

In the aftermath of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, private companies are now hiring armed security guards and CISF officers.^[26]

Real estate hub[link]

DLF City Phase III, Cyber Greens

Private real estate companies such as DLF Universal, Tata Housing, Unitech Group and others constructed offices in Gurgaon, near Delhi Airport and National Highway 8 and then leased them to Fortune 500 and Indian companies at rates cheaper than Bangalore or Mumbai.^[27] The rapid urbanization resulted in some farmers in Gurgaon becoming millionaires when they sold their land to private property developers.^[28] The increased Change of Land Use fees and Licence Fees levied by the Haryana government earned thousands of crore Rupees in taxes from property developers.^[29] Retail is another big industry in Gurgaon, where there are 43 malls, including the biggest, Mall of India, giving Gurgaon the 3rd highest number of malls in an Indian city.^[30]

Northern Peripheral Road[link]

Northern Peripheral Road road is being developed under the public private partnership (PPP) model. This stretch will connect Dwarka with National Highway 8 at Kherki Dhaula and will pass Pataudi Road. The NPR stretch has been planned as an alternate link road between Delhi and Gurgaon, and is expected to ease the traffic situation on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The road will also provide connectivity to the much-touted Reliance-HSIIDC SEZ besides the Garhi Harsaru dry depot.^[31]

Much like Delhi, Gurgaon too will have a BRT corridor to decongest traffic on the Northern Peripheral Road. In several sections, the NPR will have provisions for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor to ensure smooth flow. The road will be fully developed in March 2012.^[32]

Industry[link]

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project[link]

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (DMICDC), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated by the government of India for implementing the DMIC projects, had appointed a consultant to undertake a study & formulate the master plan for the Manesar-Bawal Investment Region (MBIR) and pre-feasibility studies for two early bird projects. Haryana government had identified four Early Bird Projects to be implemented as a pilot initiative within the DMIC region: Mass Rapid Transportation System between Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal, exhibition-cum-convention centre, integrated multi-modal logistics hub and new passenger rail link.^[33] The first phase of the project is likely to be completed by 2012 with an estimated $90 billion ( Rs 4,23,000 crore) to be invested in infrastructure in the investment regions.^[34]

[edit] Reliance 25,000 acres (100 km²) SEZ

Reliance Venture, a group company of India’s largest private sector company Reliance Industries, and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HSIIDC),signed a joint venture to set up a multi-product special economic zone in Gurgaon.^[35][36]

After the truce between the Ambani brothers the new and old business seems to be coming back on track. RIL is planning to kick-start its SEZ plan in Gurgaon and Jhajjar with around Rs 3000 crore being pumped in. Agreements are virtually done with Japanese and Korean companies like Panasonic and Mitsubishi for setting up large manufacturing and logistics facilities in the Gurgaon SEZ and estimated to create 1.5 million jobs.^[37][38]

Urbanism[link]

Initially a small farming village located southwest of Delhi, Gurgaon saw a massive increase in its population and economy after the real estate developer, DLF Group, bought farms owned by local people^{[citation needed]} and started developing housing societies. Many residential parts of Gurgaon are located within a numbered DLF "Phase".

In Hindu and Mughal times the city was largely made up of the temples and forts which were used as a barrier to secure Delhi. The present city of Gurgaon can be considered the metropolitan area encompassing every settlement around the original city, and expanding even further with the establishment of new neighbourhoods and districts.

Transportation[link]

Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.

Road[link]

An eight lane expressway runs between Delhi and Gurgaon and connects to NH8 (Delhi-Jaipur-Mumbai national highway). The expressway connects to Dhaula Kuan in Delhi over a distance of 28 kilometres (17 mi). Buses connect Gurgaon bus station to Delhi and to cities and towns in Haryana and neighboring states.

The expressway is being extended to Jaipur 225.6 kilometres (140.2 mi) and will be completed in June 2011. In a shocking revelation made by the first analysis of public-private partnership in the implementation of NHAI’s road projects, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings has said no road safety audit was ever conducted in respect of the Delhi-Gurgaon project either at the planning or the Detailed Project Report (DPR) stage.^[39] The corridor has no provision for road-warning signs where high-tension power lines are crossing the Expressway, removal of rings from drainage covers or training and deployment of marshals at the entry points for restricting two-wheelers from entering the high-traffic danger zone.^[39][40][41] Infrastructure major Reliance Infrastructure has taken up a project to widen and upgrade the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road link, which is due to be completed by May 2011 and includes 4-laning of the road which is 2-laned at present. Source ^[42]

The main bus depot of the city connects to neighboring towns including Delhi, Jaipur, Alwar and Chandigarh. There are also buses to Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, Faridabad, Dharuhera and others. Recently, the Gurgaon administration and Haryana Roadways have bought a number of Ashok Leyland low floor buses and started some new city bus service routes in New Gurgaon that connect MG Road to the many business parks like DLF City and Unitech International Business Park.^[43] The Delhi Transport Corporation also runs buses on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.^[44] Shared auto-rickshaws are also a very common, cheap and convenient means of transport in Gurgaon.

To improve the public transport system in the Millennium City, the state government has finally decided to start a city bus service in Gurgaon on public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.To facilitate the move, the state transport department has decided to purchase 450 new buses which will hit the streets by August-end in 2010. There will be an inter as well as intra-city service. Buses will ply from Gurgaon to Faridabad and Delhi.^[45]

Delhi Metro[link]

The Gurgaon-Qutub minar section of Delhi Metro opened to public on 21 June 2010. The line has been extended up to Central Secretariat on 3 September 2010 and is ultimately merged with the existing Yellow line between Jahangirpuri and Central Secretariat.^[46] The travel time for the 30 km between Qutub minar and HUDA city center on the currently open section is around 14 minutes.^[47] The stations in Gurgaon are Guru Dronacharya, Sikanderpur, MG Road, IFFCO Chowk and Huda City Centre.

Phase III Extension

On 3 May 2011 Delhi Metro head E Sreedharan announced that the IGI link, which presently covers New Delhi railway station to Dwarka sector 21 via the IGI airport, will be extended up to Gurgaon as part of Phase III. ^[48][49] The 14 km extension will bring the Millennium City considerably closer, providing a faster link to reach Gurgaon in just 35 minutes. This metro link will be connected to the Iffco Chowk Metro Station in Gurgaon.

Haryana will set up its own Metro Corporation to extend the metro-rail facility to areas in the national capital region (NCR) falling in Haryana, and also plans to extend the Metro-rail up to Manesar town.^[50][51] However no plans or work has started and Metro officials denied any possibility even in near future.^[52]

Gurgaon Metro[link]

Also, a privately owned and operated Gurgaon Metro Rail Link is planned to connect the Delhi Metro's Sikanderpur Station to NH-8, with 6 stations on a 6 km elevated link. It will be financed by DLF. This rail link will complete in 2013.^[53][54]

Bus terminal[link]

Haryana Roadways is building a state-of-the-art bus terminal in sector 29 near HUDA City Centre Metro station. The contract of building the bus stand has been given to a private company. Bus Terminal is equipped with facilities that are generally available at airports. The bus terminal covers an area of 3 acres (12,000 m²) after completion will be unique and house around 500 buses. It is expected to be inaugurated in December 2012, and will have a shopping mall, multiplex and a rest house inside the complex.^[55] The buses catering to the intra city service would ply from the proposed stand. Gurgaon residents would be able to commute to Farrukhnagar, Manesar, Badshahpur, Pataudi and Sohna.^[56]

Train[link]

The Gurgaon railway station located at western end of the original city and connects to Rewari towards the south and Delhi Cantt. towards north.The first train is ahmdabad mail for haridwar at 4:03 AM.and after that every half an hour train is available for delhi

Indira Gandhi International Airport[link]

Indira Gandhi International Airport is just 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city center, which is only 15 minutes car drive and the city is well connected to the airport by the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway also known as NH 8.

Education[link]

Gurgaon is home to one of India's top business schools like Management Development Institute or MDI & IILM Institute for Higher Education and School of Inspired Leadership(SOIL). ITM University is the only private university. Other educational institutions are Apeejay College of Engineering, Institute Of Business Management & Research, Gurgaon Institute of (ILMS), Ansal Institute of Technology, Gurgaon Institute of Technology and Management, The Mahachindi World University, World Institute of technology, Gurgaon College of Engineering, World College of Technology and Management, First India School Of Business, KNS World Management College, JK Business School and Savera Group of Institutions, Dronacharya College of Engineering, Global Institute Of Technology & Management,Institute of Apparel Management, Deen Dayal Rustagi College of Management etc.

Indo-Israel training academy[link]

The International College for Security Studies (ICSS) and Israeli College for Security and Investigations (ICSI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of a Security Training and Intelligence college. Spread over 150 acres (0.61 km²) of lush green environs with best-in-class facilities, the ICSS academy will provide extensive training methodology and modules in all disciplines of Security Intelligence and management for young graduates, serving security professionals in the Government and Private Sectors, NCC C and NCC B certificate holders and youth at large.^[57]

Healthcare[link]

Gurgaon residents have few of the most modern facilities in large corporate hospitals like Medanta the Medicity,^[58] Artemis Health Institute, Alchemist Institute, Paras Hospital,^[59] Max Hospital, Columbia Asia Hospital and the upcoming Fortis Hospital and The Park Hospital. These hospitals have made Gurgaon the hub of medical tourism in India.^[60] In addition, Gurgaon also has several private nursing homes, the district-level Civil Hospital and several dispensaries run by ESI, ECHS and in partnership with various NGOs. Several independent private practitioners, as well as chains of family practice clinics like Ross Clinics,^[61] provide outpatient care to the populace.

Sports and recreation[link]

Gurgaon has a large golfing population. Gurgaon has two 18-hole golf courses. Gurgaon is also home to two sports stadiums - Tau Devi Lal Stadium ^[62] has facilities for cricket, football, basketball and athletics as well as a sports hostel, while Nehru Stadium has facilities for football and athletics. Nehru Stadium has Hockey turf for matches. Football is a very popular sport with the youngsters of the city and every "colony" (district) has its own team. The Mir Iqbal Husain u-16 National Football Tournament was held at Tau Devi Lal stadium in 2009. The Indian national football team uses this ground as a training venue. These days, Football has also got some children's attention.

In December, 2010 it hosted the Indian Super Cup between Dempo SC and East Bengal FC. Quest Diagnostic center- US based worlds no. 1 Diagnostic center has been started their operation in gurgaon.

Lifestyle and culture[link]

MGF Metropolitan Mall,MG Road,Gurgaon

There are over 40 malls in Gurgaon city. Notable amongst them are the Ambience Mall (near the Gurgaon-Delhi toll plaza), Sahara Mall, Metropolitan Mall, City Centre Mall and Plaza Mall, (all on the MG Road, also known as the Mall Road), Wedding Mall (near Sohna Road). Newly opened Star Mall (on NH-8, near 32nd milestone) and Omaxe Mall (Sohna Road) are also drawing attention. In March 2008, the state administration mandated that all malls and shopping centers should be closed one day per week in order to conserve electricity and help traffic flow. Consequently, all malls and shopping centers are closed on Tuesday. There are also leisure parks, such as Leisure Valley Park and Kingdom of Dreams situated in Sector-29.^[63][64]

See also[link]

Delhi portal

• Faridabad
• Manesar
• Pataudi
• Pachgaon (Manesar)
• Pinangwan
• Noida

References[link]