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Miscreants damage intelligent traffic management infra in Sahibabad
Ghaziabad: The integrated traffic management system (ITMS), for which the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2019, has run into rough
Ghaziabad: The integrated traffic management system (ITMS), for which the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2019, has run into rough weather.
Officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) said the pillars being constructed for the project in Sahibabad were damaged by unidentified miscreants on the night of January 17 and a police complaint has been lodged in this connection.
The ITMS project is being implemented at a cost of ₹70 crore and involves the setting up of high-end traffic infrastructure to detect red line and speeding violations, automatic regulation of traffic signals, installation of speed radars and automatic fining systems. The authority had given a contract to a private firm to set up the system on the stretch from Hindon elevated road to Tulsi Niketan, under phase 1.
“The contractor started the work on constructing pillars but these were damaged by some miscreants outside the Hindon airbase, Nag Dwar and Karhera. We have lodged an FIR with the Sahibabad police. Further, there are about 54 crossings where we have common traffic signals which have been assigned to a private firm by the corporation. These have to be removed to make way for new signals under the ITMS project. We have written to the municipal corporation to remove these signals but the agency has obtained a court stay on this. We will try to get the stay vacated,” VN Singh, authority’s chief engineer, said.
An FIR has been lodged at the Sahibabad police station under the IPC section 427 (mischief causing damage) against unidentified persons.
“Further, due to funding issues, the ITMS project was proposed to be included in the smart city mission project, but the corporation officials have not included the ITMS under it. So the implementation of ITMS is facing roadblocks. The ITMS issue will be discussed with corporation officials in the presence of the divisional commissioner (Meerut) during the GDA board meeting which is scheduled on Thursday,” Singh said.
Under the state smart city mission, the Ghaziabad city is proposed to get ₹50 crore each for five years and will utilise the funds for city infrastructure projects
Responding to GDA, municipal commissioner Dinesh Chandra said, “The ITMS has not been able to find place under the state smart city project as it involves major funds and that single project alone will exhaust all the funds which we will get in the first year. We will send the proposal for a separate funding to the state government.”
