Noida: Greater Noida board on Thursday cleared the alignment for a double-decker flyover to decongest the Ek Murti Chowk to Delhi-Meerut Expressway commute via the narrow and heavily encroached Shahberi stretch. It also approved a 105-metre road that will link Junpat to Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and improve connectivity to Ghaziabad, Dadri and the proposed multi-modal transport hub (MMTH) in Bodaki.One of the carriageways of the seven-km double-decker flyover, a first for the city, will serve traffic from Greater Noida West towards DME, and the other will cater to vehicles from Ghaziabad and Crossings Republik. While details of the projects are to be drawn up by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), officials said the double-deck alignment was needed as the area is dotted by condominiums and the Shahberi road is too narrow.
Greater Noida West, Shahberi and Crossings Republik, adjoining residential townships along DME, have emerged as major affordable housing hubs over the past decade. Despite their proximity, inadequate road connectivity between these areas has led to frequent bottlenecks and long vehicle queues.Greater Noida Authority CEO Ravi Kumar NG said the project was approved at its 144th board meeting, but it remains to be cleared by the two other development authorities—Noida and Yamuna—which are to share the estimated cost of the Rs 756-crore flyover.The 12km Junpat to EPE road, which was cleared by the board and will be constructed by NHAI, is expected to improve connectivity from Pari Chowk to Bodaki and Dadri, the sites for upcoming multi-modal transport and logistics hubs. The 10-lane corridor is proposed to cross a railway line and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor before meeting EPE, land for which will be provided by Greater Noida Authority.Of the other major proposals that were cleared are a response centre for National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, residential projects for construction workers and labourers who come to the city from other states.The Board approved a proposal to allot, free of cost, at least 30 flats in Omicron-1A for a regional response centre of NDRF’s 8th Battalion in Ghaziabad. After a row over the delay in rescue operations when a 28-year-old software engineer, Yuvraj Mehta, drowned on Jan 16 night as his car plunged into a water-filled construction pit in Noida’s Sector 150, NDRF had sought space for setting up a camp and staff office in Greater Noida to speed up relief and rescue operations during natural disasters, industrial accidents, floods and other emergencies.Officials said the Authority has already identified land parcels in Patwari and Birondi villages for constructing EWS flats for construction workers to provide them with better, safer and well-equipped housing. Construction is expected to begin by the year-end. The Authority will also develop hostels under the state govt’s Transit Hostel Scheme for construction workers. After the board’s nod, it will now hand over 3,000-sqm land each in Ecotech 6 and 11 to labour department.The board also cleared the way for the construction of a three-storey public library spanning 1,360 sqm in Alpha 1.
