Roads dug up and left like that, 7x sectors gasp under neglect

Time of India

3 days ago

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Noida: Residents across Noida's 7x sectors (74–79) and adjacent areas like Sector 116 have been reeling under severe dust pollution for over a month, as roads—main and service alike—have been dug up by various departments and left unrepaired.
The worsening condition has coincided with deteriorating air quality in the region, with AQI levels in Noida hovering around 191 on June 11, 172 on June 13 and 138 on June 14, marked as 'poor', according to IMD data.
"The whole 7X area, especially sectors 77, 76, 74, 78, 79 and even Sector 116, is suffering due to the poor working of Noida Authority WC-6, the water department, IGL and others," said Amit Gupta, ex-AOA president of Prateek Visteria and a Sector 77 resident.
"They have damaged multiple roads and left them as they are. For instance, Sector 76-77 main road, Sector 75 main road, Sector 116's service road dug up by PVVNL in Feb, and the Sector 76 road from Skytech Matrott to Amrapali Silicon City have all been left unrepaired. The dust and broken tiles are everywhere."
Gupta also pointed to the damage caused outside the air monitoring station in Sector 116, where the Noida Authority's water department had carried out work on a sewage treatment plant pipeline and failed to restore the road post-treatment.
"It's ironic that the area next to an air monitoring station itself is a source of dust," he said.
Other affected spots include the Sector 75 road opposite Indosam, also dug up by PVVNL for cable work and left unrepaired, and the Sector 116 main and internal roads, which continue to generate large dust clouds every time a vehicle passes.
While Gupta has written to the Noida Authority CEO and the chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), no concrete redress has come yet.
"I am still waiting for any kind of action," he said.
Brijesh Singh, a resident of Sector 78, said the scale of dust pollution in the past six months has been 'unprecedented'.
"It seems the officials are simply not serious about the issue," he added.
Avnish Kumar, a resident of Sector 77, also expressed frustration. "Despite repeated damage to roads and tiles, no accountability has been fixed. No action has been taken against the staff or contractors responsible," he said.
The 7x sectors—developed around a decade ago—have a residential population of nearly 1.5 to 2 lakh, including neighbouring villages.
Residents fear that if urgent action is not taken, the worsening air quality and public health risk will only intensify.
An official response from the Noida Authority is awaited.