Ghaziabad: 2.7 km link road in Raj Nagar Extension in shambles

Residents of Raj Nagar Extension face daily struggles on a dilapidated 5m road, with promises for a 24m link road unfulfilled since 2014.

Ghaziabad: A 2.7-km long link road, proposed about a decade ago as a “24-metre road” to connect the Delhi-Meerut Road and the Outer Ring Road in Raj Nagar Extension, is in shambles, with residents of seven high-rises and several educational institutions facing daily woes.

GDA officials said that the authority was to build the 24-metre road, but it could not due to a paucity of funds and other issues. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Only five metres of the proposed 24-metre wide road currently exists, and was a village chak road that faced blacktopping only once many years ago, said Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials.

“We have been agitating to get a proper road since 2021, and now it is 2025. The road is completely missing. But it houses seven high-rises, three schools, and two educational colleges. It is basically a rural pathway and not a road. The nearby Morta village has proper roads, but as residents, even while paying taxes here, we don’t have a road of our own. For this cause, residents of high-rises have also formed an association,” said Manjeet Chauhan, a resident of Nilaya Greens high-rise and member of “Hum Tum Road Welfare Association”.

The road is currently known as “Hum Tum Road” since it houses a restaurant at its entrance near the Delhi-Meerut Road. GDA officials, however, said once the road is properly constructed, it will be renamed.

Residents said that there have been plans since 2014 to widen the road, but nothing materialised.

“The dusty road has movement of heavy vehicles to different sites, and ready-mix plants of developers. After evening, locals drive with the help of headlights, as there are no streetlights. This road does not have any drainage system too. So, waterlogging easily enters our college. We have complained at every level but in vain. The craters here are deep, about two feet deep,” said GD Kaushik, chairman of MIPS College.

Anil Sharma, resident of Moti Residency, moved here about a decade ago post-retirement.

“Ever since, we have not seen a proper road. After evening, women and those office going people are prone to risk of petty crimes. I survived a snatching bid in 2018. In many cases, residents have to go daily to the Delhi-Meerut Road to pick up their family members returning home from offices,” Sharma said.

GDA officials said that the authority was to build the 24-metre road, but it could not due to a paucity of funds and other issues.

“We’ve initiated works, and land is to be procured on direct purchase mode from landowners for about ₹60 crore. We are in the process of getting their consent. The road construction, streetlights, and drainage will cost another amount of ₹28 crore. We expect that the works, after completing the land procurement process, may begin by December-end or January. For now, we are filling up potholes, and rest of the work will be taken up in process,” said GDA media coordinator Rudresh Shukla.

The Raj Nagar Extension is the only zone out of a total of eight under GDA’s jurisdiction that has a proper zonal plan laid out.