Ghaziabad: For three years, commuters entering UP from Delhi have been greeted by little more than five unfinished brick pillars wrapped in bamboo — at the intersection of Vaishali in Ghaziabad and Ghazipur in Delhi.The much-touted border gate, meant to mark the state’s entry in style, has remained frozen since 2023 after funds stopped flowing and the contractor walked away from the project. Weeds have now grown around its base, the safety netting hangs in tatters and a private real estate hoarding has come up directly in front of the unfinished structure, filling the void left by what looks like an abandoned project.PWD executive engineer Raja Ram told TOI that the project was stalled after no funds were received from the state govt.“We have sent several reports but things have not moved yet. Once the fund is released, the work will begin, for now we have no response,” he said.According to Ram, the estimated amount to be spent on the gate was Rs 1.5 crore, none of which has been released. The contractor built five pillars on his own, but eventually left after failing to receive payment.Ram said the proposal was aimed at creating a distinct entry point into UP, allowing commuters to immediately know that they had crossed into the state. “The plan was mooted in 2023 and we were supposed to create five pillars on both sides, similar to the entry gates in other bordering areas,” he said.With no visible activity at the site for years, commuters say the pillars have blended into the surroundings, offering little indication of what they were originally meant to become.“I have been crossing this gate for the last two years now. I never saw any construction work going on here. I used to think that it was going to be site for some temple, and later because of some problem they would have opted out. Now I know, that this was supposed to be an entry gate,” said Sashank Singh, a resident of Vasundhra.
