GDA chalks out plans to maintain cleanliness of Hindon elevated road

GDA officials on Monday said they will use a road-sweeping machine that will be used for cleaning the elevated road besides taking up cleaning of Raj Nagar Extension area as well.

After the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath recently expressed displeasure over the unclean surroundings near the UP-Gate section of the Hindon elevated road, the Ghaziabad development authority (GDA) is planning measures for maintaining cleanliness on the 10.3 km Hindon elevated road.

A view of the Hindon elevated road, in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali / HT Photo)

GDA officials on Monday said they will use a road-sweeping machine that will be used for cleaning the elevated road besides taking up cleaning of Raj Nagar Extension area as well.

“The maintenance of the Hindon elevated road is entrusted to the company which took up its construction. Maintaining cleanliness of the road beside, providing accident intervention and ambulance, beautification of the road, maintenance of rotary among others is entrusted to the company for five years. However, the maintaining cleanliness is a tedious job,” VN Singh, authority’s chief engineer, said.

“We have planned to rope in a road-sweeping machine for taking up road cleaning. We are also planning that cleaning activities can be taken up by any other agency. The amount to be paid to the agency will be adjusted with the account of the construction company,” Singh added.

The move comes after the recent snub by the UP chief minister who used the road on his way to Delhi following the demise of former external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj.

The CM frequently uses the Hindon elevated road to move to Delhi after landing at Hindon airbase.

The official sources said drainage outlets are installed over Hindon elevated road but instances of people throwing bottles of liquor, clothes and cardboards among others are common every day.

“All these material block the drainage pipes and cause other garbage to spill over the road. Further, the descending side of the elevated road near UP-Gate is narrow and a lot of construction material is dumped nearby due to the construction of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. There are garbage dumps on the roadside, on the other side towards Delhi, which gives an unclean look,” an officer said.

In the meantime, the authority and the National Highways Authority of India have covered the UP-Gate side with barriers so one cannot see the nearby Hindon canal.

The 10.3-km elevated road has beautification along with a green rotary at its starting side near Raj Nagar Extension. The road connects UP-Gate to Raj Nagar Extension and also acts as a bypass for commuters to reach Delhi-Meerut Road.