Noida: Sector 121 residents demand shifting of foot over bridge

Residents of Sector 121 have demanded shifting of the foot overbridge (FOB) in the sector to a suitable location in a residential area where it can be used by people. Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore, the FOB presently connects two vacant fields at an isolated place, rendering it useless for pedestrians, residents said.

“The location of this FOB near Sector 120 is beyond our comprehension. Why did the authority choose to connect two vacant fields when residents of sectors 120, 119 and 121 are risking their lives trying to cross the road?” said Abhishek Ranjan of Homes 121 society.

Supporting the residents, city BJP legislator Vimla Batham also demanded shifting the FOB to a place near the residential societies in the area.

“I will write to the department concerned to shift the FOB to where it is needed. At present, none of the residents use the FOB as it is 200 metres away from residential areas. The FOB is constructed at a wrong place and needs to be shifted,” Batham said.

Residents alleged that the authority officials have wasted money in constructing the FOB.

“Nobody uses it. It has become a showpiece that depicts how incompetent the officers are. Moreover, the authority has constructed a four-foot-high divider at Vikas Marg, which makes it impossible for women and children to cross the road. They have to jump and dash across the road, risking their lives,” said Sumit Bhowmik of Sector 121.

The authority, however, maintained that a private firm had invested Rs1.5 crore in construction of the FOB on a build operate transfer (BOT) basis. The authority said the agency will recover this amount by using the space for advertising at the FOB for 10 years. After that time, the authority will get advertising rights on the space available around the bridge.

“This FOB is built for residents of Parthala Khanjarpur and other villages to cross over to the other side. We have plans to build another FOB for residents of sector 121. Work will begin soon after we finalise the alignment of the 15-km Noida-Greater Noida West Metro link that will pass through this route. Once the alignment is finalised, we will freeze the location of the new FOB,” said BK Singh, project engineer of the Noida authority.

Residents also said they do not have any turn in the road near Sector 121 that can be used by pedestrians.

“If construction or shifting of an FOB takes so much time, the authority officials can cut through the four-foot-high dividers at certain points and create a zebra crossing for pedestrians temporarily. The authority should focus on spending money where people are living and not where a private company wants to invest,” said Bhowmik.