by Charu Jain
Gate 14, which is the primary entry gate to the sector, was repaired by Noida Authority. RWCS had to apparently, use a lot of pressure to get the repair of the gate expedited after the wall adjoining the drain near the gate broke down. At first, only one part of the gate was shut for repair which caused traffic snarls. Then a few days later, the entire gate was shut and residents were directed to use Gate 11. Messages were posted by RWCS on its groups regarding the same. However, it seems that many residents did not read the messages or did not inform their family members about this which led to nasty scenes at Gate 14 with lots of yelling.
On 23rd Sept, a car that was parked on the interlocking tiles near Gate 14 sank into the earth when the earth near Gate 14 caved in. It seems that a sinkhole of almost 5 feet opened up which could have led to the entire gate crashing down (which thankfully it did not). A crane was called in to lift the car out and thus the area was cordoned off and the gate was closed.
According to the grapevine, around a year back, Noida Authority had partially repaired the drain near the houses on the main road near Gate 14. However, only the starting portion of the drain was repaired and the entire length of the drain was not repaired. The residents whose houses are on the main road near Gate 14 feared that since only a portion of the drain was repaired, there was a chance that the surrounding earth would collapse which would also damage their houses. It seems that this feared scenario almost came true.
One hopes that with the repair of the walls, no further incidents will take place. An important takeaway is also that residents should post only sector-related queries and information on WhatsApp groups so that important information (like the closing of Gate 14) is not lost amongst the sea of messages.
