Shops eat into Crossings Republik's link road

Times of India: Noida: Tuesday, 03 February 2015.

Crossings Republik is an integrated city, situated on National Highway-24 in Ghaziabad, that boasts of a golf course, a lake, cycle tracks and all modern-day amenities for its one lakh residents.

But the pitiful state of the 1.5 km Shahberi Link Road, which connects the township to Noida and Greater Noida, and the wrangling between the civic agencies and the Crossing Republik developers over accepting responsibility have left residents frustrated and exasperated.

Not only has the single-lane road developed cracks and potholes, but over 50-odd makeshift furniture shops have encroached upon both sides of the stretch, adding to the woes of the residents. Despite repeated complaints, the residents say nothing has been done to repair the road.

"It takes us more than 45 minutes by car to pass through the Shahberi Link Road. Even a bullock cart would take ess time. Nothing can be more frustrating than this," said Anshula Srivastava, who lives in Supertech Apartment in Crossings Republik.

Amod Kumar Giri, another resident of Crossings Republik who took up the cudgels on the behalf of the helpless residents by writing a series of letters from the chief minister to senior officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and the Noida Authority, said that what he achieved was very little.

However, it was Giri's effort that saw the GDA constructing the Shahberi culvert near the township about six months ago, easing the flow of traffic to a large extent along the culvert.

But the GDA was quick to shrug off its responsibility.

When contacted, RK Jaiswal, the executive engineer of GDA, said, "We have no role to play as far as development of this stretch of road is concerned. As per the township policy term, Shahberri Link Road is to be developed and maintained by Crossings Infrastructure Pvt Ltd."

He also said that "a good part of this 1.5km stretch of road also lies in the ambit of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority and road beyond Shahberi culvert comes under it".

According to Giri, since GDA had given the licence to Crossings Infrastructure Pvt Ltd to develop the township and maintain the link road, "the civic body is well within its rights to goad the developer to follow the clause of the township policy/agreement entered with the developers, which it has not done".

The GDA has also declined to reveal details of the township policy to him, in response to his RTI query, citing sections 8, 9 and 24 of the RTI Act. Mukesh Tomar, the general manager of Crossings Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, said, "We are responsible for the development of the township but not the roads and I have no knowledge about the licence policy."