“ We have more alcohol sales than traffic lights ”: Suhel Seth calls Gurugram a national shame
The infrastructure, political apathy and the civic failures of Gurugram have aroused strong criticism of the businessman and columnist SUHEL SETH, who described the city as a “national shame” and urged the lieutenant-government of Delhi to intervene and to restore the order by means of a “non-hostile takeover”.
Speaking during an Indian Express event, Seth denounced Gurugram’s governance, highlighting its chaotic urban sprawl, its bad public service and its lack of responsibility. “We have more alcohol sales than traffic lights. More bars than schools,” he said, slamming the local administration.
His remarks are involved in the wake of a deadly downpour of two hours earlier this month which killed at least eight people in Gurugram because of the electrocution, the original holes, drowning and road accidents. The city, marketed as an “Millennium City” from India, stopped, with generalized floods, overflowing traffic paralysis and purifying lines exposing profound defects in its infrastructure.
Seth underlined the irony to call Gurugram an intelligent city while the basic services remain dysfunctional. “You cannot have smart cities with unmart leaders,” he said.
The former CEO of Niti Aayog, Amitabh Kant, argued the criticisms of Seth, stressing that Gurugram contributes more tax to the government of Haryana than all the other combined cities. “If you cannot keep Gurugram, it is a massive failure of governance,” said Kant.
Seth later revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that he had received calls from Haryana officials after his remarks. “Credit where credit is due,” he wrote, noting that Rajeev Jaitly and Pradeep IAS contacted him to confirm that CM Nayab Saini had taken note and that measures were in progress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxp1Hf_6tts
However, the optics remain dark. The deaths of July rain and the flooded roads intensified control of the city’s civic failure. For many residents, Gurugram’s collapse is no longer a seasonal drawback – it is a recurring indictment of a city built on real estate dreams but has drowned in negligence.
