Ghaziabad’s integrated traffic system focusses on 58 intersections

The corporation has got a detailed project report prepared for the project--estimated to cost ₹48 crore--and is awaiting approval from the state government, after which work will resume on the project

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation has decided to implement the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) as part of the state Smart City Mission to regulate and control traffic flow in the city.

Traffic jam on the Delhi Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad on Wednesday. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

The corporation has got a detailed project report prepared for the project--estimated to cost ₹48 crore--and is awaiting approval from the state government, after which work will resume on the project.

Municipal commissioner Mahendra Singh Tanwar said, “The DPR for the project has been completed on the directions of the state administration and once it gets the final approval, we need a month’s time to start work on the project. The DPR requires some minor amendments but is more or less finalised. The entire project will be constructed from the funds granted under the state smart city mission.”

As part of the ITMS project, the DPR has suggested inclusion of 58 major traffic intersections across the city where there is an urgent need to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The DPR proposed different systems such as traffic control system, traffic enforcement system, red-light violation detection system, no-helmet detection system and triple riding detection systems, among others, be put in place.

The list of 58 intersections include Dabur Chowk, Kaushambi (near Wave cinema), Sahibabad Mandi, Kalka Garhi Chowk, Hapur Chungi, Saur Urja Marg, Buddh Chowk (Vasundhara), near UP Gate, near Hindon air base, Kala Patthar (Indirapuram), CISF Chowk, Green Valley T-point near Vasundhara, SRS cinema junction in Indirapuram and ALT cut, among others.

On September 24, 2019, Ghaziabad was selected as one of seven cities of Uttar Pradesh eligible for an annual grant of ₹50 crore for five years under the state smart city mission.

The decision was taken by the UP cabinet. The other cities with municipal corporation selected for the project include Meerut, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Mathura-Vrindavan, Firozabad and Shahjahanpur.

Earlier in 2019, the Ghaziabad Development Authority also proposed a similar project, which included electronically-operated traffic signals, surveillance cameras to track criminals, and red-light jumping detection systems, to be centrally operated from a command and control centre. The project however was junked due to different reasons.