Commuters in Noida who use the one-kilometre stretch from Panchsheel Balak Inter College in Sector 91 to Sector 136 are a hassled lot, especially after Noida Authority closed one side of the road for repair about eight months ago.
Moreover, as one side of the road is closed, commuters are compelled to drive on the wrong side. The stretch has more than a dozen potholes, which were formed due to heavy rains in the area.
Noida Authority had floated a tender of Rs 6.5 crore in 2015 for the development of the road and it was supposed to have been completed in six months starting from March 2015. But work was delayed owing to several factors and the contractor missed several deadlines. Meanwhile, the Authority got in touch with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to prepare a detailed project report of the road. However, work was further stalled due to the monsoons.
Manoj Kumar Singh, project engineer of Noida Authority, said, “We have restarted development of the 22-m-wide road, and it will be completed by Diwali. Work on one side of the road is in progress, and commuters will be able to use it within a couple of days. After this, we'll start work on the other side of the road.”
Residents of Sector 137, which has nine residential societies, are the worst affected, as this is the main road that leads to the sector on the way from Sector 93B. Nandini Srivastav, a resident, said, “Big potholes on the road are an invitation to accidents. Those coming from Sector 93B towards Sector 91 can get hit by other vehicles as they drive at full speed near the gate of Panchsheel Balak Inter College. The condition of the road till the college gate is good. But vehicles have to suddenly reduce speed as the road after this gets bad.”
Vishnu Saini, another resident of Sector 137, said, "I expect that the private contractor appointed by Noida Authority will not leave the development incomplete. If they don't complete this in a month, it will cause more problems for residents, as winter is round the corner. In dense fog, visibility on the road will be poor and it can lead to accidents."
