A French expatriate living in Gurgaon has stirred widespread debate after publicly criticising the city’s cleanliness and civic infrastructure. In a social media post, Mathilde Rateria, who resides in the city, expressed dismay over the state of public hygiene, saying, “As a French expat living in #Gurgaon, I am horrified by the actual state of the city. I have never seen so much filth, trashes, and broken roads in any other country I have visited. Africa, Asia, South America are 100 times cleaner.”
Alongside her post, Rateria shared a video showing a garbage-strewn road outside a government school in Gurgaon, riddled with potholes and flooded after recent rainfall. “It is sad for Indians. And for India,” she added.
In another post, she said, “It could be so much better. India has so much amazing people and culture. It is such a pity. I hope it will improve in the future. It could be a wonderful place to live in. But the wastes has to be taking care of.”
As a french expact living in #gurgaon , i am horrified by the actual state of the city . I have never seen so much filth, trashes, and broken roads in any other country I have visited. Africa, Asia, south-America are 100 times cleaner. It is sad for indians. And for india. https://t.co/pTbeEP1lcX
— mathilde Rateria (@MathildeRa77404) July 4, 2025
Users on X also criticised the apparent hypocrisy in public cleanliness campaigns, pointing out the disconnect between symbolic gestures and actual results. “Govt school kids participate in Swachh Bharat events hearing speeches & seeing politicians with brooms but reality differs. SWM Rules not followed,” the post on X read, where civic authorities and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram were also tagged.
The post on X also questioned the message being sent to the younger generation: “We risk raising a generation believing it’s okay to say one thing & do another. Let actions speak louder.”
Her remarks, which have since gone viral, have sparked both outrage and introspection among netizens, many agreeing with her while others called the comparison unfair.
Public reaction
The video and comments have drawn mixed reactions. While many agreed with Rateria’s assessment and praised her courage to speak out, others accused her of generalising or being disrespectful.
One user wrote, “#Gurugram is a city where people who stay in private islands of excellence in gated communities are hardly bothered about the hell hole the rest of the City is. Can you imagine Apartments selling here for 10M$?”
Another X user who found Mathilde post disrespectful towards India, said, “Shall I pull a few pictures of the bad parts of Paris and show you? Projecting only the bad parts of a city and claiming it as the general reality is the favourite game on this platform apparently.”