Ghaziabad industrialists protest ‘illegal’ parking of heavy vehicles

UPSIDA officials told HT that the issue of illegal parking on roads and encroachment was raised before the district officials in the past

Ghaziabad: The Industrial Area Manufacturers’ Association (IAME) members in Ghaziabad on Monday protested near the Regional Transport Office campus at Bulandshahr Road Industrial Area, demanding action against illegal parking of trucks and heavy commercial vehicles on roads and encroachment.

According to IAME office bearers, the industrial area, located adjacent to NH – 9 and Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Kavi Nagar, has a presence of about 750 industrial units, including export-oriented units. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to IAME office bearers, the industrial area, located adjacent to NH – 9 and Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Kavi Nagar, has a presence of about 750 industrial units, including export-oriented units.

“For the past several years, the unit owners have been facing illegal parking of trucks and HTVs on our roads. These vehicles remain parked for days and mostly belong to transporters and even those vehicles coming from other states, hindering movement of our vehicles and also affect our access to our units. Such parked vehicles also lead to jams and also damages roads,” said Deepak Sharma, media coordinator of IAME.

Officer of IAME said that the industrial area has also seen mushrooming encroachment in the form of kiosks, meat shops and scrap shops, and these should be removed.

“We have about 100,000 people who work here, and these also consist of women workers. The encroachment also poses a risk to safety and security. We need a safe environment so that we can contribute more towards exports. If these demands are not met, we will resort to peaceful dharnas and protests,” said Sanjeev Sachdeva, general secretary of the association.

UPSIDA officials told HT that the issue of illegal parking on roads and encroachment was raised before the district officials in the past.

“There had been some infrequent action in the past, but it needs sustained action. The issue is already discussed in Udyog Bandhu meetings, and different departments like the administration, police, and transport department must act in a sustained manner. We have written to them in the past and will again write to them for resolution of the issues,” Raghunandan Singh Yadav, deputy general manager of UPSIDA, told HT.

Yadav said that a road stretch from near the RTO office till GT Road is yet to be built, and the project, costing about ₹8 crore, will be expedited. The road is likely to be constructed within next six to seven months.