The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) has once again postponed the deadline for its long-awaited Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS), pushing the implementation date from December 15 to January 15. Officials cite pending work and construction restrictions imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) norms as the primary reasons for the latest delay.
A History of Missed Deadlines
This is not the first time the project has been deferred. The corporation had previously set an October 15 deadline, which was also missed. The ITMS project was originally conceived back in 2018 and has since faced a series of setbacks and postponed completion dates.
"The work is almost complete, but the deadline has been extended this time due to pending work and some construction restrictions due to GRAP. By Jan 15 next year, the ITMS will be implemented without fail," assured a GMC official.
Resident Frustration Mounts
The continuous delays have left citizens weary and skeptical. Ashish Kumar, a local resident, expressed the common sentiment, stating, "It has been ages since we first heard about the ITMS project being implemented. We hoped it would happen this year. After implementation, it should bring some order to traffic regulation, a major pollution factor. Now we hear it's pushed to next January."
The project's journey has been exceptionally turbulent. In 2019, it was among the city projects for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) initially took charge but struggled due to financial constraints.
From Scrapped to Revived Under Smart City
After hiring a firm, the project was derailed when the contractor became embroiled in controversy, leading to their blacklisting by the GDA. The initiative was subsequently officially declared ‘scrapped'.
A revival came in June 2023 when the project was transferred to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation. It was then approved under the state government's Smart City project, ensuring funding through state grants. A detailed project report (DPR) was completed by March 2024, and bids were opened.
However, the Lok Sabha elections and municipal bypolls caused another halt. The bidding process was finally resolved in January 2025, with a new firm selected. GMC then announced an eight-month timeline for completion, a promise that has already seen nearly three deadlines missed, resulting in a loss of four months.
The project is financed under the state smart city initiative, with a total grant of Rs 53 crore from the state government. A significant portion, Rs 2.43 crore, is allocated solely for the command system. Additionally, the estimated cost for the operation and maintenance of the ITMS is Rs 14.40 crore.
