Noida: A stretch outside the T-Series office in Film City has left commuters struggling, with deep potholes and uneven patches slowing traffic and posing risks, particularly for two-wheelers. Drivers have to carefully manoeuvre around broken sections, with some vehicles slowing to walking speed to avoid damage.The stretch has deteriorated over the past few months. Heavy traffic and the recent rain spell have carved out large craters on it.Located in Sector 16A, Film City is one of the most prominent media hubs, with offices and studios of several leading television news channels, production houses and digital media platforms. Thousands of journalists, technicians and creative professionals commute to the area every day. It is frequented by a steady stream of politicians, govt officials, policy experts, and analysts who visit the studios to participate in television debates and panel discussions.A media professional, Mahesh Kumar, said the damaged road slows down traffic and increases the risk of accidents and vehicle damage. “This is Film City. There are so many media houses, yet the road is in such bad condition. The Noida Authority must take note of this and fix it,” he said.The situation worsens in the evening when office-goers return home through this stretch. Daily snarls have become a part of their routine here.A journalist working with a print media organisation said, “Reporters are often in a hurry to cover news events or press conferences and in such situations, travelling through the damaged road becomes dangerous. Even a minor lapse can lead to skidding and accidents, particularly for two-wheeler riders,” he said.Santosh Kumar, a commuter, said the road has remained in poor condition for the past six months. “I regularly travel on this road, but the situation has deteriorated over time. During the rainy season, the road suffered further damage as rainwater seeped into existing cracks and weakened the layers beneath the surface. It needs urgent repair to ease the commute,” he said.Another commuter said, “This pothole-ridden road reflects poor maintenance and weak monitoring. This should be repaired at the earliest.”The Authority’s deputy general manager (civil), Vijay Rawal, said the matter came to their notice. “We are currently in the process of hiring a contractor. The repair works will start on this stretch in two weeks,” Rawal said.Damaged roads are a significant contributor to the city’s deteriorating air quality and rising pollution levels. Last month, teams from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) carried out inspections of city roads, including the MP-1 stretch from Rajnigandha Chowk to Sectors 12 and 22, MP-2 from Film City to Sector 60, MP-3 from Kalindi Kunj to City Centre, and several internal roads across 7x sectors.As per the report, the team observed low or no visible dust at most locations. It had stated that only four roads showed high levels of visible dust and 24 recorded moderate dust, while 66 stretches were categorised under low-dust intensity and 48 were marked dust-free.However, following a TOI report on the inspection and feedback from residents, CAQM later directed UPPCB Noida to conduct checks at 23 locations again, and the revised report found dust pollution at most of these spots.
