Broken paths, mounting waste: Road project late, residents bear the brunt

NOIDA: The delayed Bhangel elevated road project is forcing nearly 5 lakh residents of Bhangel and neighbouring villages to put up with broken roads, dust pollution and mounting construction waste. The problems are likely to get aggravated this monsoon.
A Noida Village Residents Association team recently met MLA Pankaj Singh and requested him for a speedy completion of the project. Despite an initial deadline of December 2022, the elevated road is unlikely to be ready even this December, given the pace of construction, they said.
The delegation claimed the rural markets in Bhangel, Salarpur, and Barola suffered huge losses due to the project delay and threatened to launch protests.
The UP State Bridge Corporation Ltd is building the elevated road for an estimated Rs 468 crore to provide a signal-free commute from Sector 49 to Noida Phase 2 and Surajpur in Greater Noida. Already delayed due to cost escalation issues, the project now awaits an additional Rs 150 crore sanction.
“The authority maintains it has completed 70% of the work, but that is mostly on the Sector 49 side. There is no progress on the Bhangel side, and the elevated road will likely not be ready within the new deadline of December 2023. Dust pollution, C&D waste, and broken roads have made the lives of locals difficult here,” said NOVRA president Ranjan Tomar.
He added that the densely-populated area saw waterlogging in the last monsoon, and the situation would be no different this year.
“Not only shops and businesses, a majority of labourers working in the nearby NSEZ and Phase 2 industrial areas also reside in the villages around the road. After many petitions to the authority, we finally met MLA Pankaj Singh with our demand to speed up construction. If nothing changes, we will go to protest,” Tomar said.
NOVRA vice-president Ajay Chauhan said, “Bhangel is the second largest rural market in the city, with a dozen villages depending on it. Also, neighbouring villages Barola and Salarpur have hundreds of shops and lakhs of people, with the mess affecting everyone in the area.”
The business losses in the markets are estimated to be nearly 60%. “Bhangel and Salarpur generate over 100-150 crore business per month. The area has shops selling mobile phones, shoes, clothes, electronics, jewellery, and mid-level malls. While the growth projections after the announcement of the elevated road were good, traders are now stuck with their shops, and their businesses are down. The mobile shops are most affected,” said Tomar.
The Noida MLA has told the delegation he would look into the issue. “I will instruct all senior officers, including the Noida CEO, to find a solution and expedite work. I will also conduct surprise inspections if needed,” he said.