Ex-CEO compares Kyiv's roads with Gurugram's: 'Which city has been at war for 3.5 years?'

Sanjiv Kapoor, former Jet Airways CEO who has been raising civic issues in Delhi-NCR, on Tuesday compared the roads in Ukraine's Kyiv to those in Gurugram, questioning the state of the latter. "Kiev (Ukraine) city street vs Gurgaon city street. Remind me again which city has repeatedly come under attack in a war for the last 3.5 years?" Kapoor wrote, highlighting the stark difference in road conditions between the two cities.

Kapoor shared two contrasting images: one from Kyiv showing a clean, well-maintained city street with smooth asphalt, orderly cars, and proper zebra crossings, under a clear blue sky; the other from Gurugram, where a road full of large potholes, some filled with water, reflects poor maintenance. 

Kyiv has been under attack from Russia ever since the war began in Ukraine. 

This latest comment from Kapoor comes amid ongoing criticism of Gurugram's deteriorating urban conditions. In the last few days, Kapoor used a before-and-after image of several roads and intersections to illustrate the potential improvements if the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) took its job seriously. 

On Monday, Kapoor shared an image and wrote, "A Gurgaon Sector 31 street, what it is and what it could be if we put our minds to it."

The former airline executive has also called for urgent intervention from the Centre. "Absolute shame, Municipal Corporation Gurugram. Dear @PMOIndia, @narendramodi sir, your intervention urgently needed to save Gurgaon! We are counting on you and your #swachhbharat vision!” he added. 

Kapoor also highlighted the lack of civic awareness, stating, "MunCorpGurugram, actually expects people to throw their garbage on streetsides and open dumps, and sees nothing wrong with it. That is how clueless and backward they are. The public also largely does the same, not knowing any better. Failure of education and governance."

Mathilde R, a French expat living in Gurugram, has also expressed frustration over the city's poor sanitation. "It would be great if @MunCorpGurugram and @OfficialGMDA could manage to turn our streets to international standard ones, after consulting start-ups and private players. We already have it in Delhi, Indore, and so many other indian cities. Why not Gurgaon? As the city is generating 27% of Haryana incomes, it seems that the money is available for it. Let's do it!" she wrote on X.

Earlier, she shared a photo of a garbage dump near Sikanderpur's Pillar 48 and wrote, "They're doing the same at Pillar 48 in Sikanderpur — turning it into a filthy dumping ground where cows feed on trash in the middle of the road, right at Gurgaon's gateway. MCG's standards are nonexistent. There's nothing to expect from them; they clearly cannot deliver a ‘world-class’ city or sanitation system." She further added, "I've lost faith in that route. At this point, I can only hope that DLF gradually takes over the city in the next decade. It’s evident that only private players are capable of building a truly world-class India."

The lack of urban planning in Gurugram has also been criticised by author and entrepreneur Suhel Seth. Speaking on an ANI podcast, Seth called Gurugram a "case study in failed urban governance." He went further, saying, "We have the worst civil engineers in India. Absolutely. We've obliterated the use of technology in civil planning and infrastructure." 

Seth also criticised the unplanned growth of the city, stating, "Some of India's largest companies are headquartered there—Coca-Cola, EY, Hero MotoCorp, Apollo, Max, Fortis. But the city lacks even basic infrastructure. It’s bizarre. The richest people live in slumlike environments."