Ghaziabad set for makeover, to go hi-tech

Ghaziabad, March 27 (IANS) Ghaziabad, a fast growing township bordering Delhi that has transformed from an industrial to an institutional hub, is set to see more changes. Not only will it to go hi-tech but also overhaul infrastructure, including expansion of the metro rail, more flyovers and a beautification drive, says a top official.

Santosh Yadav, the newly appointed vice chairman of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) who also holds additional charge of chairman, says the agency would upload its website on Facebook and a mobile number would be displayed on it.

The online interface will allow its 1.5 million residents of this western Uttar Pradesh city to air their grievances. People can even put up pictures of traffic jams, illegal constructions or any other irregularity on this account.

"Not only the authority officials, but also all residents would see the real picture of the city put on Facebook shot by any member of the public. It will enable us to act fast to rectify the problem and effectively checkmate illegal construction activities," Yadav told IANS.

Yadav, who has been brought into the GDA by new Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, says he plans to put Ghaziabad city on the world map, with total transparency.

The authority would invite suggestions from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to improve social infrastructure.

Earlier, during his tenure as district magistrate of Ghaziabad, Yadav mooted 12 points for the construction of flyovers. Most have been completed while some are still under construction.

The construction of an alternate traffic system through the Delhi Metro Rail Company (DMRC) is also to be undertaken in the city.

To help the public access the district headquarters through the metro rail, new alignments of the metro route would be explored from Noida-65 and the Vaishali metro station, Yadav said.

With the fast increasing population in the trans-Hindon areas and their need to approach the district headquarters, the GDA is also planning to expedite the construction of the metro route up to the Collectorate.

There are also plans to beautify the city through wide roads, new flyovers, streetlights, floodlights and new entry gates.

Yadav said Ghaziabad would open new routes of development to the adjoining districts of Meerut and Panchsheel Nagar.

This city, strategically located between two important railway routes, Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Dehradun, as well as three national highways, NH-24 to Lucknow, NH-58 to Dehradun, and old Grand Trunk Road to Kanpur, plays an important role in the country's economic development.

Traditionally, a city of foundries, Ghaziabad now has northern India's biggest steel yard, courtesy the Steel Authority of India (SAIL). It boasts of fast developing real estate activity along with huge reserves of underground water for crops. It has lately also attracted a slew of educational institutions.

Yadav promised that even in the face of development the dignity of the city would be maintained.

(S.P. Singh can be contacted at spsinghg@gmail.com)