gurgaon a long time ago mg road was what linked delhi to gurgaon the one highway connecting the capital to its southern extremities halfway through the first decade of this millennium mg road became mall mile now it might as well be called mauled mile henry ledlie moved to mg road in 1995 anita kapur in 1999 both had enjoyed the good life ledlie in australia and saudi arabia kapur in the uk and dubai and both were promised the good life here in the city that was rising out of the farmland and scrubland to delhis south what neither ledlie nor kapur would have known was that after being sold a dream they would one day be sold down the river a combination of broken promises and a comatose administration has conspired to leave them disenchanted and dispirited but ledlie and kapur residents of the upscale beverly park 2 arent the only ones their story is the story of many others on this stretch its roads choked with traffic its pedestrian walkways invaded by hawkers one of its malls a magnet for the flesh trade mg road is the very picture of neglect and anarchy of gurgaon gone horribly wrong ive been retired now for nine years ledlie told toi we want to live in hope we dont want to die in despair but is it worth me living here now kapur currently out of the country admits with sadness that it has become a shame living here half the year she passes in gurgaon but admits she would much prefer spending most of her time in india if only the authorities were more understanding of the plight of citizens like her like making sure more cops are patrolling outside the mall next to the mg road metro station on friday and saturday nights on these days residents coming out of the condominium are confronted by the sleazy sight of hookers and their customers when we brought this to the notice of the cops they asked us to hire our own security guards shared ledlie its a disgrace that we have to put up with this footpaths if not encroached upon are mostly unfit for use especially for senior citizens the pavements are so badly made they fall to pieces or theyre dug up and then not redone or theyre blocked so that you cant walk gurgaon is always incomplete nothing ever gets finished we want to help want to do things and get things done but the government is in reverse gear still we have to make a noise because nothings been done to make life easier for us like every retiree all ledlie desires is a happy healthy and peaceful life i want to live my life with dignity before the mall mile goes further to seed before more dreams go the way of the infrastructure the city authorities need to be shaken out of their slumber