On any given day newspapers in Delhi are full of advertisements luring home buyers to invest in gated colonies and townships coming up in Noida and Gurgaon in the National Capital Region. If photoshopped impressions of perfect apartments overlooking lush green lawns and swimming pools are not inviting enough, uninterrupted water supply and electricity are guaranteed in the offer. So too is CCTV-assisted fool-proof security once inside the colony. But how safe is a citizen once he/she steps out of the hallowed gates?

A fortnight ago, a family of five stopped their car at 1 pm to buy bottled water from a wayside stall on the Noida Link Road. They were robbed in broad daylight by two gun-wielding youths on motorcycles who relieved them of their cash, mobile phones, jewellery and car keys. Similar reports of crimes committed in an around new townships in the NCR region is not new. This is because security infrastructure in the neighbourhood and approach roads to new townships and mega housing projects is not given the requisite attention when clearances are granted. According to 2018 estimates, Noida requires a 5,000 strong police force when it only has 2,000 officers on the job. Ditto in Gurgaon, where 2,500 posts of the sanctioned police strength of 6,754 lie vacant. What hold true for Gurgaon and Noida must be the story in other metros as well.

When security and safety of citizens take the back-seat then criminals thrive. An overworked constabulary, any police expert will tell you, will find it difficult to keep pace with gangs that operate in the extended suburbs of cities. Which is why town planners need to give due weightage to security infrastructure before they allow construction companies to expand into the countryside that skirt large metros. It must be borne in mind that smart homes would mean a lot more when the neighbourhood is safe and secure.

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