Ghaziabad: A GMC signboard reading “Work is in Progress” was the only visible marker on a flooded stretch between Kala Patthar and Shaheed Capt Mangal Pandey Marg via Kasturba Gandhi Marg on Thursday. The road, being developed under the Chief Minister Green Road Infrastructure Development Urban (CM-GRID) scheme, had disappeared beneath muddy floodwater, while other stretches under the project remained covered in slush and muck after recent rain.Under the CM-GRID scheme, six stretches in the trans-Hindon areas are being redeveloped for Rs 177 crore. But the monsoon has exposed the poor condition of the under-construction sections. Residents claim that last year, when they were living without the promise of an upgrade, conditions weren’t this bad. But with stretches dug up for months, they are left dealing with waterlogging and difficult driving conditions.A nearly 4-km stretch from Shaheed Capt Manoj Pandey Marg (Kanawani Puliya) to NH-9 via Sucheta Kriplani Road and from Kala Patthar Road to Kaveri Marg was inundated, particularly near the sewage treatment plant. Road shoulders dug up for utility work and hastily refilled with mud before the monsoon have turned into a quagmire after the rains.
With stretches dug up for months, residents were left dealing with waterlogging and difficult driving conditions
“My car got stuck on one of the under-construction roads and I couldn’t move it. Bystanders had to push it out,” said Indernath Jha, a resident. “Even after the road is completed, I don’t think it will be any different during the monsoon. I’ve lost faith in the system.”According to GMC’s own progress report, work on the 1.83-km Kala Patthar Road-Shaheed Capt Manoj Pandey Marg stretch via Kasturba Gandhi Marg has progressed only 0.25%. Residents alleged that apart from putting up project signboards and digging up the road, little work had been carried out.“Whether it is CM-GRID or anything else, we only want better roads,” said resident D.K. Pandey. “The name of the scheme means nothing if the roads remain in this condition. I am seriously considering legal action against GMC over the poor execution.”Similar conditions were reported on other roads where repair work is underway, including the Dabur Chowk-Kaushambi Bus Stand stretch via EDM Mall and Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg, and the Vaishali Sector 4-Harsh Vardhan Marg stretch via Dharam Marg.“Dabur Chowk is a key arterial road used by hundreds of UPSRTC buses and daily commuters travelling to Delhi. Because the work remains incomplete, the road has turned into a mess of water and slush,” a resident of Kaushambi, Someshyar Sati, said. “Someone must be held accountable.”Mayor Sunita Dayal admitted that work under the CM-GRID scheme had been delayed. “The projects are behind schedule due to reasons including a shortage of bitumen. Contractors and officials have been warned over negligence,” she said.
