Noida: The UP irrigation department has decided to repair the Okhla Barrage road that connects Kalindi Kunj with the city and install lights on the stretch.
Officials said the irrigation department had set aside a fund of Rs 12 crore for maintaining the barrage. Of the total amount, nearly Rs 6.2 crore would be utilised for repairing the road as well as replacing the defunct lights. The officials said the entire approach road from the Kalindi Kunj turn to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary — nearly a 1km stretch — would be overhauled.
Since the stretch is maintained by the irrigation department, repeated complaints lodged by the residents were being directed to it by the Noida Authority and the public works department, which oversee all the other major roads of the city.
Ramesh Chandra, the chief engineer of the department (Yamuna), said tenders for the road repair work would be floated soon. “We have got the permission to undertake repair work at the Okhla Barrage road. Lights will also be installed along the road besides other civil work for the maintenance of the bridge,” he added.
The irrigation department had in September last year written to the headquarters in Lucknow, seeking permission to begin repairs. The approval from the government came on March 30.
While heading to Shaheen Bagh, Delhi or Faridabad, commuters have to pass through the Kalindi Kunj bridge, which is a smooth ride. But on the way back to the city, vehicles have to take the Okhla Barrage road, which is riddled with potholes.
“My parents stay in Delhi’s Kalkaji and I have to visit them every week. The ride back home is extremely bumpy. A number of potholes and cracks have developed over the barrage. It seems the stretch has been lying in disrepair for years,” said Seema Jaiswal, a resident of Sector 77 in Noida.
PK Srivastava, the district forest officer, said, “A number of visitors coming to the bird sanctuary have complained about the poor condition of the road and the absence of streetlights. We had taken up the issue with the officials of the department during our routine meetings.”