Trash Piles and Stray Cows: Sanjiv Kapoor Questions Haryana’s Disneyland Dream Amid Gurugram’s Filthy Streets
Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor has reignited debate over Gurugram’s chronic civic neglect after sharing stark visuals of garbage-laden roads and stray cattle surrounded by trash in Sector 44.
In a sharp critique on social media, Kapoor questioned the logic of proposing grand development projects like a Disneyland-style amusement park in Haryana while basic sanitation remains unaddressed.
He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Months later, worse than ever before. Shame on you, @MunCorpGurugram @DC_Gurugram @cmohry no respect for the land, for tax-paying citizens, and not even for the cows! And you want to build a Disneyland in Haryana? Ludicrous!” He also attached photos of cows resting amid heaps of refuse and included a Google Maps screenshot pinpointing the precise location of the mess.
Kapoor directly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urgent intervention, invoking the Swachh Bharat Mission. “@narendramodi ji, please do something! #SwachhBharat,” he added, amplifying concerns over the city’s deteriorating hygiene and municipal oversight.
Public Reaction Highlights Gurgaon’s Waste Management Crisis
In a subsequent post, Kapoor expressed frustration with the official response to complaints, criticising the tokenism of launching civic apps. He mocked the idea of expecting citizens to report visible garbage while “officials drive around blindfolded.” According to him, publicity around such apps often becomes the end goal, rather than actual improvements in urban cleanliness.
The posts quickly drew widespread engagement from Gurugram residents, many of whom echoed Kapoor’s frustration. “Instead of marketing a 'Disneyland-style' amusement park to sell falling real estate, why can't they just take care of the existing city?” one user wrote. “We’re not even asking for fancy development—just hire cleaners like before and keep Gurgaon clean.”
Another individual questioned the development in the country and said, "Cows on roads has become international shame. Foreigners come and click photos as they have never seen cows sitting or walking on roads in any of the developed nation. But it can only happen in India as we are 4th largest ecomony in the world."
Others suggested stronger accountability measures, including privatising municipal operations in metro areas. “If power discoms can be handed over to the private sector, this should be much easier to do,” a commenter argued. Another said, “Millennium in Millennium City stands for tons of garbage filling streets.”
Sanjiv Kapoor, known for his forthright opinions on aviation and civic governance, had recently drawn public attention for defending Air India after the fatal AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad in June, which claimed over 260 lives.
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