Noida: Residents want sound barriers to curb noise pollution

Residents having houses along Noida’s first elevated road cannot enjoy sound sleep because of noise and vehicular pollution along the area which passes through this road, officials said on Sunday

Residents having houses along Noida’s first elevated road cannot enjoy sound sleep because of noise and vehicular pollution along the area which passes through this road, officials said on Sunday.

Noida, India - November 14, 2021: A view of Noida elevated road, in Noida, India, on Sunday, November 14, 2021. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

They demanded a sound barrier and adequate measures as their peace is disturbed, particularly during wee hours. They also demanded a remedy to address this issue, but the Noida authority has not taken any action on this for a long time, said the officials.

In June 2017, the Noida authority had opened ₹500 crore budget for the city’s first elevated road for the public use. There is no dense green belt which can work as a buffer zone between the residential areas of sectors 22, 27, 28, 53 and 61, and the 4.8-km-long elevated road. As a result, vehicular pollution and noise keep affecting the health of the people in the residential area.

“The biggest trouble is the honking by heavy vehicles which ferry construction materials during the night time. Their unregulated honking during wee hours troubles the residents the most and it is so annoying that we cannot sleep peacefully during this time. We have taken up the matter with the authority officials but nothing has happened till date,” said Atul Gupta, a resident of Noida Sector 28.

The elevated road begins from Sector 28 and ends at Sector 61. It is above the Master Plan 2 road which is surrounded by residential areas such as sectors 28, 26, 26, 23, 53 and 61 in Noida.

“There are two issues -- noise pollution and air pollution which we are facing. The air is saturated in the morning. The air is so heavy as if it is mixed with oil, and we face this issue perennially. During winters, the issue aggravates further. We are working from home and it is like living in hell here. This road has become a highway, troubling us. Due to farmers blocking the Meerut-Delhi Expressway, Delhi-bound heavy traffic is being diverted towards this road, troubling us even more,” said Rakhi Sinha, another resident of Sector 28.

Sector 61 federation of apartment associations has written to Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, and the Noida authority demanding action on this issue, but nothing has happened so far. “The elevated road and service lane facing our sector remains congestion ridden daily, during the peak hours, thereby, leading to air pollution and noise pollution. We hope the authority will act on this issue,” said Namit Gautam, general secretary of association -- an umbrella body of the apartment complexes.

The Noida authority’s chief general manager, Rajiv Tyagi, said, “We will look into the issue and act appropriately. We are yet to receive any proposal on the issue. Let the proposal from residents’ come and we will address the issue.”