An opening made by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) in a major storm drain at the T intersection of Windsor Road and Kala Patthar Road in Indirapuram has jeopardised the lives of both pedestrians and commuters, particularly at night. Opened up for cleaning, the civic body left the hole unguarded -- without even properly barricading it.
Milind Manasvi, a resident of the area and a daily commuter on Kala Pathar Road, told City Spidey, “An accident is just waiting to happen. I have to be very careful in order to steer clear of the spot, or else, I will plunge directly into it.”
Just last Thursday, a car got stuck there after one of its tyres fell into the hole, informs Amar Nath, a vendor who runs a kiosk right next to the T section. “This opening is a serious threat, and after the accident, my friend and me set up a makeshift barricade around it,” he adds.
City Spidey took up the matter with Chakresh Jain, GDA’s superintendent engineer, who said the opening had to be made because a part of the drain was closed with immovable covers. But the problem will be tackled soon, he assured, adding that the GDA was already planning to install a proper manhole or drain grate to close it. “This will make the drain more accessible and eliminate the need to make such holes in future,” he concluded.