CM’s ‘pothole-free’ deadline nears, but many NCR roads in a shambles

Noida/Ghaziabad: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has set a November 15 deadline for ‘pothole-free’ roads across the state, with public works minister Jitin Prasada cancelling the leaves of engineering department employees to ensure the same. However, large stretches of roads lie in shambles across Ghaziabad and parts of Noida, long after the monsoon has passed and with barely two weeks to go before the deadline is up.
Some of the worst-affected stretches are the Crossings Republik Road from Iteda Chowk to ABES Engineering College through Shahberi village, Pushta Road adjacent to the FNG and the Surajpur Site C industrial road.
While the authorities maintained that plans are in place to meet the deadline and repairs are underway, a ground report by a TOI team did not paint such a positive picture.
Last week a pregnant woman fell on the road in Raj Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad, and received minor injuries. Residents blamed the authorities for not repairing the one-km-long pothole-ridden stretch from Raj Empire society to SG Grand society over the past two years. A site visit showed school buses struggling on the broken road while an e-rickshaw driver hardly managed to prevent his vehicle from toppling over, saving the passengers.
Rohit Maheshwari, an SG Grand resident, said, “This is the only road for SG Grand and Raj Empire residents to travel to Raj Nagar Extension. But there is hardly any road left, just potholes. We have complained to the authorities many times, but nothing has changed."
The condition of Crossings Republik Road from Iteda Chowk to ABES Engineering College through Shahberi village is similar. Last year, the authority resurfaced the single-lane road; but a few months on, it was back to the same condition. TOI spotted drivers struggling on the road on Wednesday.
Similarly, a 2km stretch on the Surajpur Site C industrial road has innumerable potholes. On the way, the TOI team had a bumpy ride. The road has four highrises in its vicinity where over ,2000 families live, besides many industrial units. An e-rickshaw driver driving in the area for the past 20 years told TOI, “I have to drive here very carefully. If this is how a city is, my village is better.”
The Delta 2 road in Greater Noida has large potholes that affect nearly 50,000 people living in over 10 societies during their commute. Resident Vinod Pahlawat claimed that during monsoons, the road becomes waterlogged, but with all the potholes, commuting on it is also an ordeal in other seasons.
In Noida, the 20-km-long Pushta Road has been under construction for a decade now, said residents. The road connects Parthala chowk, Hindon River and other key places. Local Aman Yadav said, “Many tractors commute daily on this road. But god knows when work on this road will be complete.”
The area near the Sector 101 metro station also remains potholed. Though the Noida authority resurfaced the stretch a few months ago, the work does not look complete.
However, Shripal Bhati, deputy general manager (civil department) of Noida Authority, said, “We have completed most of the patchwork on roads, but the percentage is slightly low in resurfacing. A total of 106 km of road stretches required repairs -- 32 km required patchwork, and 74 km required resurfacing. So far, 30 km of the patchwork is complete, while 56.27 km of resurfacing is complete.”
ACEO Amandeep Duli, Greater Noida authority, said, “We are working on 226 km of road stretches, carrying out patchwork and resurfacing. More than 90% of the road work is complete.”
Anil Sharma, regional manager of UP Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA), said, " 70% of patchwork or resurfacing on roads under our jurisdiction in Greater Noida is complete.”
Nitin Gaur, the commissioner of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, said, “There are five zones under GMC -—Mohan Nagar, Kavi Nagar, City Zone, Vasundhara and Vijay Nagar. We have made 71 km of road stretches of a total of 145 km across these zones pothole-free. Before November 15, work on the rest will be complete.”
With inputs from
Meenakshi Sinha