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Journalism of Courage
Two of India’s fastest-growing cities, Bengaluru and Gurgaon, have long been infamous for their choking traffic. Both attract large working populations and tech talent, and both are plagued by peak-hour gridlocks. But when it comes to day-to-day livability, which one comes out on top? A recent Reddit thread has reignited the debate.
Posted by user @dconhue under the title “Gurgaon vs Bengaluru: My personal experience of living in both,” the post has been drawing strong reactions from people who’ve called either or both cities home.
“I’ve had the chance to live in both Gurgaon (Gurugram) and Bengaluru, and I want to share my honest experience of how the two cities compare in terms of infrastructure and livability,” the user began.
They didn’t hold back on Gurgaon’s shortcomings. While the city has positioned itself as a premium corporate hub, the Redditor argued the reality is far from glossy brochures. “Potholes are everywhere, and some of them are genuinely life-threatening. What’s more shocking is that even in front of luxury apartments worth Rs 20 crores, you’ll find broken roads, garbage, and open drains,” they wrote.
Other issues included unreliable waste management and safety concerns: “Garbage management is poor, and there’s a foul smell in many areas. Local crime and gundas are not uncommon. Arguments can easily escalate, and that sense of insecurity lingers.” The city’s main bus stand was described as “terrible” and “not even looking like a proper bus stand.”
In contrast, Bengaluru came off as relatively better organised, though far from perfect. “Roads are mostly in decent condition. Yes, some areas have bad patches, but that’s usually due to ongoing metro construction. At least the issues have a reason and are temporary,” the user noted. They also highlighted a difference in civic sense: “You don’t see the kind of garbage-filled areas like in Gurgaon. People in Bengaluru have better civic sense, and there’s more collective effort to keep surroundings clean.”
Traffic remains Bengaluru’s biggest Achilles’ heel, but the original poster still leaned towards the city overall: “If I had to choose, I’d say Bengaluru is way ahead of Gurgaon in terms of livability and infrastructure. Gurgaon has shiny high-rises and luxury cars, but that’s just a facade hiding broken roads, garbage, crime, and neglect.”
The post triggered a flood of counterpoints. One commenter, defending Gurgaon, wrote: “Had for good 3yrs travelled to Noida daily from Gurgaon pre Covid all thanks to the metro. Wake me up when travelling across 2 satellite cities in 60 INR becomes a reality in BLR… BLR is the last place to compare Gurgaon with. It’s in most cases a bigger shit hole than Gurgaon minus the pleasant weather.”
Another weighed in on air quality: “I am living in Bangalore. I would love to live in Delhi/Gurgaon… if it was not so polluted. Except the air pollution… the infra and roads in Delhi are world class. Bangalore doesn’t have proper roads except the airport road from Hebbal to airport.”
A third dismissed Bengaluru altogether: “You’ve clearly not lived enough. Bangalore is a gone case altogether. Currently living in Harlur and have to travel to office 4 days a week. Gurgaon and Noida are much much much much better in terms of everything except networking with Tech Bros.”
