Sector 61 tense over Noida Authority's action
Welcome To CitySpidey

Location

Sector 61 tense over Noida Authority's action

A section of residents in Sector 61 react strongly to the Authority's bulldozing of a gate on an internal road; RWA claims the gate had been installed for reasons of safety.

Sector 61 tense over Noida Authority's action The internal road, which divided block C and D, is now without a gate

Despite stiff resistance from a section of residents in Sector 61, Noida, the Authority bulldozed a gate that opened towards the busy Master Plan-II (MP-II) road. It then left with the broken panels of the gate. The incident took place on November 29.

The action has led some residents to react sharply. The gate had been installed at the end of an 18-m-wide internal sector road, which divided blocks C and D.  

Commuters driving from the MP-II road towards Block E and Royal Garden, another complex within the sector, would use this internal road to avoid heavy traffic on the busy main road. But the RWA installed gates on this road, citing security reasons. A few months later, they locked it.

The closure created a new set of problems for residents of Block D. Commuters who would've otherwise used the gate to pass through are now taking alternative routes inside the block to reach their destination. This is increasing noise pollution and traffic.  

Residents of Block D wrote to the principle secretary of the State Legislative Council, demanding that the locked gate be opened.

An official of Noida Authority was called in to give clarifications before the council chairman. An order was passed for the gates to be reopened. The official was also asked to submit an action report.

Last week, Noida Authority officials reached Sector 61 to have the gates opened, but they returned without carrying out the order, as other residents put up stiff opposition.

Officials returned with a bulldozer and police protection the next time, and the gate was taken down.     

Dr Virendra Singh, RWA president, Sector 61, said, "That gate had been closed for safety reasons. Accidents and incidents of snatching had often been reported from that stretch. The way the officials acted was totally unfair. The action must have been initiated under political pressure."

HVS Bhadauria, deputy SP with Noida Authority, retaliated, saying the action was legal. He added that the police had been deployed to ensure the safety of the Authority officials. "When orders come from higher authorities, they must be followed," he said. "Residents had been asked to keep the gates open, but they continued to keep it locked. We had no choice but to take down the gate." 

Bhadauria further added that according to a Supreme Court order, residents cannot prohibit anyone from using internal roads within a sector. "Installing a gate to an internal sector road is not allowed. So by locking the gate, the residents were on the wrong side of the law."