Flooded Gaushala underpass a problem for residents

Flooding of the Gaushala underpass with every spell of rain has become a major problem for commuters who use the route.

Flooding of the Gaushala underpass with every spell of rain has become a major problem for commuters who use the route.

SAKIB ALI/HT PHOTO

“It is no less than a nightmare to cross the congested Gaushala underpass during the day. It turns into a long swimming pool whenever it rains and one will have to swim across nearly 150 metres to reach the other side. It is the only connecting link from the old city offered by authorities to access Vijay Nagar, national highway (NH) 24 and adjoining colonies,” said Tejesh Kumar, of Sector 11, Vijay Nagar.

“The water reaches 10-12 feet during rains and the underpass becomes dangerous. There is no movement of vehicles till the water drains out, which takes hours. We have been carrying out the fight to get an alternative route and the result was the proposed Dhobhi Ghat rail overbridge (ROB). It will connect Vijay Nagar to Chaudhary Morh over Ghaziabad junction,” said Colonel TP Tyagi (retired), chairman, RWA federation, Ghaziabad.

After years of deliberations, the foundation stone for the Dhobhi Ghat ROB was laid on June 24 by Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha, and Ghaziabad MP General (retired) VK Singh. However, the ROB will take two years to complete.

View of the Gaushala underpass following the three-hour downpour on August 31. (Sakib Ali/HT)

“The major issue with the underpass is that its design had no provision for pumps to suck out water. There are nearly 25 manholes below it, but some of them are choked or damaged. The water is drained out through a line towards Vijay Nagar. We carried out a survey of the drainage system there and ordered work to be started immediately. Two drains have also been identified on both sides to be widened soon,” said Ashu Kumar Verma, mayor, Ghaziabad.

DK Singh, additional municipal commissioner, said, “A tender of `20 lakh for underpass improvement has been released. There is a provision in it for proper road and improvement of drainage system.”