Will cover drains by July end, Noida tells Sector 62 RWAs

NOIDA: Civic authority officials on Wednesday assured residents of Sector 62 that the uncovered drains, which surround the sector on three sides and pose health hazards, will be covered by July end and work for the process will begin this week.
The meeting between RWA representatives and Authority officials was held two days after TOI highlighted the issues faced by around 1 lakh residents across 47 apartment complexes and other independent houses in the sector.
Apart from covering up the drains, the Authority will also clean and de-silt them in the coming weeks, the residents were told.
“We held a meeting with Noida Authority officials from different departments. The representatives of different RWAs were present under the chairmanship of Surendra Kumar Gupta (president of the Federation of Sector 62 RWAs). Authority officials told us that the tender for the drain cover is likely to be issued within a week while the work of covering them is expected to be completed by the end of July,” said Pradeep Kumar Mishra, member of the Federation of Sector 62 RWAs.
On May 9, TOI reported that several residents in the sector were complaining of breathing issues and other health ailments such as asthma due to the release of toxic gases from open drains there. The residents had also alleged that gases from the drains damaged their electronic appliances, demanding urgent action from the authority.
“In Wednesday’s meeting, we highlighted that we are living in an A-class city and for this, cleaning, etc, has to be top-level – not like the insufficient work done on the ground,” Mishra added.
Civil engineer Saurabh Kumar, inspector of public health department Jagpal Singh and Gajraj from the horticulture department were among the Noida Auth-ority officials who attended the meeting.
Apart from drain work, Authority officials also agreed to other demands of the RWAs. This includes construction of a roundabout at an accident-prone intersection near Steller Park Society, installation of 14 speed breakers across B and C blocks apart from six high-mast lights, and putting up noise barriers and a footpath near the Sector 62 Metro station.
“Authority officials assured us the work will be completed by June 30,” said Surendra Kumar Gupta, president of the Federation of Sector 62 RWAs.