Ghaziabad leaders urge NCRPB to expedite infra projects
A Ghaziabad MP Atul Garg-led delegation on Tuesday urged the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) officials to incorporate and expedite works related to several infrastructure-related projects for Ghaziabad.
Garg, flanked by Ghaziabad mayor and three MLAs from Ghaziabad, also submitted an official representation about the projects to the board’s member secretary, Archana Agarwal, during the meeting held at the board’s office in New Delhi. “Our delegation held a meeting and also submitted our representation to include infrastructure projects in the plan of the NCR planning board. Their (NCRPB’s) meeting is going to be held soon, and we expect that our projects are also taken up,” the MP said.
The list of projects includes development of a riverfront at the Hindon river near Karhera.
In the representation, Garg pointed out issues of encroachment and narrowing of the floodplain zones of the Hindon in Noida area, and stated that a similar situation was developing near Karhera in Ghaziabad.
In 2019, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) planned to develop a riverfront over 4km expanse on each side of the Hindon near Karhera. The project’s estimated per kilometre cost was about ₹50 crore. However, the project could not go through.
“So, the riverfront development is needed to protect the river and its floodplain zones. It will also draw citizens. Besides, the project will also help keep in check encroachment issues. We also asked the NCRPB member secretary to expedite the extension of Sector 62, Noida Metro, to Sahibabad in Ghaziabad and also to extend Sector 62 Metro towards Hapur. We also asked them to expedite extending the Metro in Loni (Pink Line, from Shiv Vihar to Mandola),” Garg said.
In January 2020, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had submitted two project detailed project reports (DPRs) to GDA authority — one of ₹1,517 crore for Sector 62 to Sahibabad route and the other of ₹1,808.22 crore for the Vaishali to Mohan Nagar route. After many deliberations, the authority in 2023 decided to go ahead with the Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad route.
In January, 2024, the DMRC submitted the revised cost estimates of ₹1,873.31 crore for the Sector 62 to Sahibabad route. However, the project is yet to take off as the state government denied funds for the link in January 2023. Later. in May 2023, the state again declined the authority’s request for 50% funding for the proposed Metro link.
The Metro link proposed five stations at Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram; near DPS, Indirapuram; Shakti Khand, Indirapuram; Vasundhara sector 7, and Sahibabad.
Overall, nine different infrastructure projects were discussed in the meeting held with the NCRPB officials on Tuesday.
The delegation also discussed a project of construction of an elevated road from New Bus Adda to Loha Mandi on GT Road in wake of the huge volume of traffic on the GT Road, Garg said.
For the last two years, a redevelopment plan of about 14.9 kms from Gyani Border (Delhi-Ghaziabad border near Dilshad Garden) to Lal Kuan on the GT Road was in the pipeline. But it is yet to materialise.
“We will now regularly hold meetings with NCRPB officials and would like that several of these projects go through,” Garg added.
