A week ago, Vipul Goyal, a resident of Shipra Krishna Vista in Indirapuram, fell ill. His son lives abroad, and he did not have medicines at home. Being a senior citizen and not very tech-savvy, he had no option but to call his 75-year-old neighbor, PL Arora, and request him to get the pills. It was not that Goyal was unable to step out, but his old age, coupled with the dug-up roads in the area, made it difficult to walk safely.
Lack of Pedestrian Infrastructure
Footpaths in Indian cities are rarely pedestrian-friendly, but parts of Ghaziabad lack them entirely. Residents of Indirapuram, Kaushambi, and Vaishali are forced to walk on roads. With CM-GRID projects and other repair works, navigating neighborhoods has become hazardous due to dug-up roads with protruding iron rods. The situation worsens during rain, when waterlogging around excavations makes slipping into open trenches a serious concern, residents said.
Elderly Feel Trapped
“We are aged. We do not stay with our children as they have all moved out for work. With pits dug up all around us, it feels like we have been cooped up in our apartment complex,” said Goyal’s neighbor Arora. “The day the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) decided to dig these pits one after another, our dependency on each other increased. Now, whenever we learn that someone is stepping out, we send them a list of our daily needs.”
Transport Woes
Seema Aggarwal, a resident of Ahimsa Khand, noted that unlike Delhi or Noida, there is no public transport in Ghaziabad. “We are dependent on e-rickshaws and autos to get to the nearest metro stations. Since they dug up the road in front of my house, I am scared to use these vehicles for the last mile. What if the rickshaw trips and lands me in the hospital? Who will take care of my family?” she complained.
Disrupted Daily Routines
Residents of Kaushambi, where the entire stretch leading to the metro station has been dug up with missing barricades, complained that the dug-up roads have disrupted their daily routines, particularly morning walks. Many elderly residents said uneven stretches and loose debris have forced them to remain indoors.
Health Concerns
Forty-four-year-old Priyanka Devi said she has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and doctors have advised her to walk daily. “I can’t afford a treadmill, and there are hardly any parks near my house. Every morning, as the main roads are empty, I would walk on these roads, but now there is hardly any lane where I can walk,” she said, pointing towards the excavated road.
Slow Progress of CM-GRID Works
Currently, road stretches totaling 20 km are under repair under the CM-GRID scheme. Work has been taken up with an estimated budget of Rs 300 crore, of which Rs 223 crore has already been sanctioned. Despite this, work on the ground progresses slowly. Priyanka is scared for her health. “If this is how it is in summer, I am scared of the monsoon already. I have heard it will be earlier this year, and I don’t see the works progressing,” she said.
