Tent on road for private function blocks 3 sectors

NOIDA: A tent pitched overnight right in the middle of a four-lane road has blocked the entry to three Noida sectors - 119, 120 and 121 - for over a day, forcing more than 3,000 residents to take detours for their daily commute, even as authorities look the other way.
Residents said the tent was erected late on Thursday night for the naming ceremony of the son of a Pramod Yadav, who lives in Parthala Khajupur village near Sector 122.They said the tent led to chaos on Friday morning, as commuters had to take a detour either through the village or the road at the end of Sector 120.
"Friday morning was chaotic. Students and office-goers were left stranded as the main entry to sectors 119 and 120 was blocked by the tent," said Avaneendra Gautam, a local resident.
A group of around 40 residents, including members of citizen groups Noida Residence Grievance and Noida Citizens Charter, said they complained to the police, traffic police and Noida Authority through the WhatsApp helpline, but all of them merely passed the buck to avoid taking action.
"A white SUV with the ruling Samajwadi Party flag was parked at the entrance of the tent, when we went to complain about the obstruction to the constabulary at the Sector 119 police chowki," said Som Nath, a Sector 119 resident.
"We registered complaints on the Authority helpline, Noida traffic helpline and to the Gautam Budh Nagar SSP, but till Friday evening, there was no response from any. With no action taken by Authority or police officials, we're bracing for another 24 hours of inconvenience," said Nath, who said the tent was still in place by late Friday evening, with the function underway inside.
Police officials feigned ignorance. "I don't know of any tent blocking the road. I can only take action when someone complains about it," said Rajesh Dubey, SHO, Sector 71 police station.
Though Noida Authority project engineer Ved Kumar Sharma claimed city magistrate K P Singh had granted Pramod Yadav permission, the letter (a copy is with TOI) itself stipulated 10 conditions under which it would stand cancelled. These include not causing obstruction to public movement or blockade of road and provision of an entry and exit point by the organizer. The function organizer, Pramod Yadav, could not be contacted, despite repeated attempts.