The third attempt to instal the barrier was also stopped by villagers from nearby Kanauni, who say it will hinder the movement of school buses carrying their children.
A third attempt to instal a height barrier on the Ahinsa Khand 2-Pusta Road intersection in Indirapuram failed, as people from the nearby Kanauni village came out in large numbers to oppose the move. The height barrier, the second on the road, was being installed by Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) in response to requests from residents of high-rise societies near the road. The first one is installed on the lane that carries traffic from Indirapuram to Pusta Road; the second was being set up on the other lane to check the movement of heavy vehicles from Pusta Road to Indirapuram. This height barrier has already been uprooted twice before, allegedly by villagers, who say it will hinder the movement of their children’s school buses.
Speaking to City Spidey, SK Chauhan, executive engineer of GDA, said that a team of officials was sent to the spot, with support from local police, to put up the height barrier. However, the team faced a lot of resistance from the villagers. “We tried our best but had to give up, as things were getting out of control,” Chauhan added.
Villagers said that if the barrier was installed, the school buses would have to take a longer route from Hindon Barrage Road, which would increase the daily commute by several kilometres. “About 10-12 buses ply on the route every day. Putting up such a barrier would mean that the children will add several kilometres to their daily commute,” said Jitendar Nagar, a villager.
However, residents of the high-rises are not ready to buy the excuse. They told City Spidey that the school bus was just an excuse being used to their advantage by the owners of illegal stone crushers, who want their trucks to pass unhindered on this route, which is shorter than the one from NH 24, from the Hindon Barrage Road. “It is the illegal stone crushers who are raising issues and using villagers as a front,” said DK Maurya, president of Niho Scottish Garden, the society closest to the Hindon-Pusta intersection. “They are the ones who had also previously removed the height barrier. It is clearly the failure of GDA and the local administration in implementing the initiative.”
A meeting on this has been called on Monday by the local police. “A joint meeting between high-rise residents and villagers has been called to sort out the matter amicably and to avoid further conflict,” said Rakesh Kumar Mishra, police circle officer of Indirapuram.
