While the residents of plotted colonies have been left to their fate, those living in condominiums are relatively better off. These compact residential blocks mostly have round-the-clock power back-up. But this comes at a price. In swanky apartment complexes like Hamilton Court, Windsor Place and Regency Park-II, residents pays 55 paise more per unit of electricity than what the state-owned DHBVN charges i.e around Rs 4.5 per unit. It is besides the monthly maintenance charge that they have to cough up. So, on an average, each unit of electricity costs about Rs 9 and can even go up to 18 at some places. The generators, with a maximum capacity of 7 MW, normally supply between 3.5 MW and 4 MW daily. They consume about 2,400 litres of diesel everyday. It's the same story at Silver Oaks, another apartment complex.

With nearly all residential societies, malls, offices and homes surviving on generator sets in Gurgaon, serious air pollution is but only inevitable. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) sources, levels of particulate matter exceed prescribed limits for most of the day several times over in the city. An analysis in December 2005 revealed that against a prescribed limit of 80 micrograms/cubic metre, NO2 averaged 283 micrograms/cubic metre. PM10 was a whopping 721 micrograms/cubic metre against a limit of 100. The levels of CO shot up three times to 6,240 micrograms/cubic metre against the permissible limit of 2,000 in the evenings. The alarm bells started ringing then, and matters have only become worse since. According to CPCB, pollution from generator sets stands second only to vehicular pollution, and in a city like Gurgaon, which is completely generator-dependent, the situation is close to getting out of hand. Gensets emit dangerous gases like CO and NOx which have a terrible impact on health thanks to greater personal exposure levels.

Dev Chopra, a retired official who lives in DLFII, says he managed without a generator for years but gave in recently.

You don't have to look far to know why this city is being pushed into the dark ages. Govt didn't bother to plan for infrastructure even as more and more private colonies were allowed to come up and industry grew. Now they say it will take time. So, make your own arrangements and pay the penalty Dipak Kumar Dash | TNN Gurgaon, the fading dream of a Millennium City, is battling a power crisis that has seen power cuts up to 12 hours in winter. And now with summer on us, there is a mad scramble for inverters and generators, an expensive proposition besides being unfriendly to the environment. Sixty-two-year-old Vijay Malhotra, a resident of DLF Phase-IV, says living in Gurgaon is a big drain on resources.

The nuclear deal has crawled back into the agenda, triggering fresh confrontation between Congress and the Left and strengthening speculation about early polls. Buoyed by the estimate that it can ride on the goodwill generated by the populist Budget to prolong its tenure at the Centre, Congress on Monday appeared to be getting ready to push the deal again. On a day when officials negotiating with IAEA returned with a draft of the safeguards agreement India needs to sign with the international nuclear watchdog to take the deal forward, the government suddenly upped the ante on the nuclear cooperation agreement with the US. The first sign of new assertiveness came from foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on foreign policy, he contested the Left's argument that the 123 agreement with the US would render India susceptible to America's domestic laws, like the Hyde Act. Even as this attracted a strong warning from CPM that going ahead with the deal would have "serious consequences' for the government, Congress dropped an even clearer and direct indication of its renewed keenness to push through the deal. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi indicated that in the government's assessment, IAEA had come around to address India's concerns on the draft. "A vast area of divergence has been covered, ironed out in the fifth round of talks,' he said. Though Singhvi

The world has seen some extraordinary winter conditions in both hemispheres over the past year: snow in Johannesburg last June and in Baghdad in January, Arctic sea ice returning with a vengeance after a record retreat last summer, paralyzing blizzards in China, and a sharp drop in the globe's average temperature. It is no wonder that some scientists, opinion writers, political operatives and other people who challenge warnings about dangerous human-caused global warming have jumped on this as a teachable moment. "Earth's

Travellers who don't trust the water from a mountain stream or a hotel-room faucet have often used chemicals or filters to purify it. Now they have a high-tech option as well: swirl the water with a portable, lightweight wand that beams rays of ultraviolet light. The wand can clean up a quart of water that is clear

Human impact on oceans cause for global concern Are we taking our oceans for granted? It looks like we are, because we perceive them

UN report predicts 55 per cent of Indians will live in cities by 2050 Half of the world's population is expected to turn urban by the end of this year. A UN report now estimates that cities in Africa and Asia will account for most of the growth in urban population by 2050. However, over 45 per cent of India's population may continue to live in villages, down from the 70 per cent now. In comparison, only 30 per cent of Chinese are expected to live in the countryside, against 60 per cent now. The growth in urban population is a historical trend and India can't be an exception. People have historically moved from rural areas to urban enclaves due to social and economic reasons and aspirational factors. Cities generate more jobs than villages, especially in the organised sector. They have good schools and hospitals, diverse markets, vibrant cultural spaces and are assumed to offer a better quality of life. People naturally prefer to migrate to cities when given the opportunity. The flip side of this trend is that cities can get overcrowded and stretch public utilities. Many Indian cities face this prospect. One way to address this problem is to incentivise reverse migration so that our overcrowded cities are decongested, besides, of course, upgrading the facilities in urban centres. Reverse migration is now a realistic proposition due to social and economic changes and emergence of new forms of technology. Our democratic institutions are now more representative and inclusive thanks to Panchayati Raj. Women and lower castes have a visible presence in local government. Social oppression that forced many people to flee villages to cities is on the decline in most parts of the country. The IT revolution is changing the concept of work and workplace. Many non-metros have benefited from these changes. As local economies grow in size markets too will diversify and more jobs will be created in and around these cities. More small towns could reap the benefits of the emerging economy if local governments pursue the right policies. The task before the government is to make policies to ensure that urban amenities presently available only in big cities reach small towns and even villages. States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have demonstrated that this could be achieved. These two states have built a seamless network of small towns and villages well connected by roads and communication links. As the Budget has revealed India does not face shortage of capital. The task is to ensure that resources are deployed in the right manner. An urbanised population spread more evenly over a large number of cities would be a better option for the future than a handful of overcrowded mega cities.

Amidst speculation that the government, riding high on