What was once marketed as a dream residential township by the Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority (PUDA) has today become a symbol of delay, distress and alleged deception, with hundreds of allottees in Gateway City, sectors 118–119, Mohali, still awaiting basic infrastructure and legal possession even after nearly a decade.Launched in around 2014–15 with aggressive publicity, the Gateway City project attracted homebuyers from across the region who invested their life savings with the hope of building homes in a well-planned urban enclave. PUDA’s brochures promised seamless connectivity, modern amenities and strategic location along the Chandigarh–Kharar Road (NH-21), including a 150-foot-wide master plan road and an 80-foot-wide approach road.However, as of today, these promises largely remain on paper.Allottees allege that despite making full payments and completing all formalities, PUDA has failed to hand over developed plots with essential amenities. The most glaring deficiency remains the absence of a proper access road, rendering the entire project virtually landlocked. The only entry is through an informal route via a neighbouring private project, raising serious concerns about legality and planning.Adding a serious dimension to the controversy are allegations that the PUDA launched the scheme on land that was not entirely under its ownership. Homebuyers claim that the land largely belonged to a private developer, a fact that was never disclosed in the promotional material. The project, they allege, was presented as a fully government-backed initiative, misleading consumers into investing.The matter has also attracted the attention of the Vigilance Bureau. A complaint (No. 307 of 2019) is pending before the Economic Offences Wing in Mohali against officials of PUDA and directors of the private firm, alleging collusion, misrepresentation and unfair trade practices in the conception and execution of the project.Beyond ownership disputes, the condition on the ground paints a grim picture. Several critical issues flagged in the original brochure remain unresolved. There is no proper entry or exit to the sector, and the land for the promised roads has not even been acquired. High-tension electricity lines pass over residential plots, posing safety risks, while the nearby Patiala Ki Rao choe continues to flow dangerously close, carrying polluted water and causing frequent inundation.Residents also point to encroachments by slums near Balongi village, leading to rising security concerns. In some cases, plots lie within the choe’s natural flow path, making them unfit for construction. Environmental degradation is evident, with garbage dumping, burning of hazardous materials and proximity to sewage treatment plants further worsening living conditions.Shockingly, a tragic incident in July 2025 highlighted the risks, when two children reportedly drowned in a waterlogged park within the project area, underscoring the lack of basic safety and drainage infrastructure.Officials confirmed that key development works, including roads, drainage and protective bunds, remain incomplete. Even the boundary wall near Balongi village is only partially constructed. The contractor assigned for development had, as early as 2018, flagged pending civil and electrical works, yet little progress has been made since.The situation has left allottees in financial and emotional turmoil. Many are burdened with loan repayments and rising construction costs, while their plots remain unusable. “We trusted a government authority. Today, we feel cheated and abandoned,” said an allottee Narinder Pal.The controversy also raises broader questions about urban governance. While the Punjab government is aggressively expanding new townships across Greater Mohali, existing projects like Gateway City remain neglected, exposing a troubling gap between policy ambition and execution.Allottees have now urged the state government to intervene, expedite land acquisition for the promised roads, and ensure time-bound completion of pending infrastructure. Until then, Gateway City remains a stark reminder of how unchecked delays and alleged misrepresentation can turn a housing dream into a prolonged ordeal.