Ghaziabad authority asked to decide on Hindon elevated road cost recovery

For the project, the authority had procured a loan of Rs700 crore from the NCR Planning Board.

UP principal secretary of housing and urban planning, Mukul Singhal, on Saturday directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to chalk out a proposal for recovery of Rs1,147 crore spent on Hindon elevated road project.

The 10.3km road is slotted to be completed in January with certain minor works being carried out in the final phase. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The 10.3km road is slotted to be completed in January with certain minor works being carried out in the final phase. The road will provide connectivity to commuters from Raj Nagar Extension to UP Gate near Delhi-Ghaziabad border.

For the project, the authority had procured a loan of Rs700 crore from the NCR Planning Board.

“For recovery of the cost, the GDA officers will decide and refer the matter to the state government. The methods could be a proposal for a toll or levying charges on nearby lands that will benefit from the project. The authority will take a decision on cost recovery,” Singhal said.

The elevated road will provide signal-free connectivity up to UP Gate near Delhi-Ghaziabad border. Commuters can further move to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway Phase I from UP Gate to Akshardham and reach central Delhi in around 25 minutes.

District officials have also requested Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to inaugurate the project.

“The decision on CM’s arrival will be taken by the state administration,” Singhal said.

However, the elevated road is marred by a major issue. Residents of Vaishali, Vasundhara and Indirapuram, travelling from UP Gate on the elevated road, will not be able to exit the road near their area. The elevated road has two ramps being constructed near Vasundhara.

One of the ramps will be used by commuters from trans-Hindon areas to get on the elevated road but the other ramp is only for those moving towards Raj Nagar Extension.

“We have not given provided provisions to access the road it is an access-controlled road. The purpose will be defeated if there are too many access points for commuters,” Singhal said.

On the other hand, officials of the GDA’s engineering department said a provision for exiting the road at Vasundhara was not provided as the authority will be constructing another major road below the elevated road.

“The ground level road will be constructed from GT Road to near UP Gate. Commuters who wish to move to UP Gate from Indirapuram and Vasundhara can use the surface road. Apart from this, the residents of Indirapruam already have other routes available to reach UP Gate,” SS Verma, superintending engineer, GDA, said.