Ghaziabad:A state-level finance committee has approved a ₹138 crore project to remodel a major drain running alongside Crossings Republik township, from ABES Engineering College to Shahberi culvert in Greater Noida (west), Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation officials said on Monday.

The project has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and will now require final approval from the state government. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“The project has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and will now require final approval from the state government. A two-lane road will also be constructed over the remodelled drain,” said NK Chaudhary, chief engineer of the corporation.

Officials said the project aims to prevent urban flooding during monsoon and reduce traffic congestion between National Highway 9 (NH-9) and Shahberi. “Once approved, the project will help reduce flooding during monsoons and ease traffic congestion on the existing road between NH-9 and Shahberi,” Chaudhary added.

Last year, the corporation proposed the project to restructure and restore the drain to prevent urban flooding during monsoon.

According to the detailed project report (DPR), a 1.752 km stretch of the drain will be remodelled using precast slabs. The proposed road over the drain is expected to reduce pressure on the existing two-lane road, which witnesses traffic congestion during peak hours, said officials.

Officials said the EFC examines financial, technical, andeconomic aspects of major developmental projectssubmitted by the state government departments.

HT had earlier reported that the drain, which runs parallel to the Crossings Republik Township, is around 10-14 metres wide and about 20 feet deep. It suffered damage during heavy rainfall on the intervening night of July 30 - 31 last year.

Officials said the drain is connected to several other drains in South Side GT Road, Bulandshahr Road industrial area, Loha Mandi, Vivekanand Nagar, Sector 23, Sanjay Nagar, and Vijay Nagar.