Noida Residents Struggle as Dug-Up Roads and Green Zones Left Unrestored
Noida’s residents across sectors 74 to 78 and 116 are grappling with hazardous roads and mounting dust pollution after repeated digging by private contractors, who allegedly leave sites unrestored. Areas once earmarked as dust-free zones — developed through public funds and ecological mandates — have now been reduced to unsafe, debris-strewn stretches. Citizens accuse the Noida authority of failing to enforce accountability despite multiple complaints. The damage, they say, undermines environmental safeguards and compromises public safety.
The utility digging, intended for underground wiring and infrastructure upgrades, has turned into an environmental and civic nuisance, residents claim. Green spaces, footpaths, and verges developed under the National Green Tribunal and Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority guidelines have been dug up, with no visible effort to restore them. Exposed cables and disrupted green cover now pose risks to pedestrians and children alike. This recurring neglect has left once-lush dust-free corridors as dry, uneven dust bowls. Despite protocols mandating site restoration and penalties for non-compliance, residents allege that contractors routinely walk away without consequences. Frustrated locals say they have observed at least eight digging operations in recent months across the affected sectors. None of these sites have been repaired or restored. Residents also accuse the Noida authority of mismanaging public resources by spending on eco-friendly infrastructure only to permit its destruction.
The core concern, they argue, is the absence of monitoring and follow-through. In several places, high-voltage power lines remain exposed near schools and residential clusters, raising serious safety alarms alongside environmental degradation. Officials defend the delays by citing procedural bottlenecks and project timelines. According to one senior engineer, contractors are expected to provide a bank guarantee and restore the sites post-completion. However, residents contest that these rules are rarely enforced. With the monsoon season underway, open dug-up patches further aggravate flooding risks and erode soil around plantings. The lapse, experts say, not only violates pollution control orders but also undermines the city’s broader goals of sustainable and climate-resilient urban design.
The situation in Noida reflects a deeper governance failure where environmental responsibility is side-lined by poor enforcement. For cities to remain liveable and breathable, especially in NCR’s high-pollution context, authorities must ensure utility upgrades are not carried out at the cost of public safety and ecological progress. Transparent oversight, community participation, and strict penalties for non-compliance are essential to uphold environmental justice and urban resilience in rapidly growing cities like Noida.
