Gazab to gayab: How a model street in Ghaziabad faded out

Ghaziabad: In Sept 2022, a 250-metre stretch of an almost abandoned street in Kaushambi was redecorated with a huge wall with panels made from recycled plastic was erected on one side of the road. Open drains were covered using slabs of recycled plastic, and empty 20-litre water jars of Bisleri doubled up as planters for ornamental vegetation.There was a vertical garden made from two-litre water bottles and park benches made from recycled plastic. It was meant to be a piece of wander and named ‘Gazab Street'.Three years down the line, there is no trace of greenery, the drain is overflowing, painted murals have been replaced by crumbling plaster, and the wall just bears the name of Bisleri as a remnant of the past. The bright yellow-coloured name tag is missing, and no one can imagine that there were lamp posts or benches made of recycled plastic. Rusted iron frames that once supported the hanging garden stand as a testimony to the project.When asked about the street, Habib Ahmed, a local shopkeeper said, "It has justified its name. Anything ‘Gazab' has the element of surprise in it, and since the entire street seems to have vanished, there's nothing wrong with calling it Gazab."In 2022, the GMC collaborated with an NGO, the Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), and with the support of sponsors like Bisleri International Private Limited, Radisson Blu, Parle Agro, and Haldiram, converted the street, once filled with filth and garbage, into a recycled plastic hub. It was a part of the then municipal commissioner, Mahendra Singh Tawar's vision of making the city a role model for cleanliness.Ahmad remembers the fanfare with which the street was inaugurated. "All the walls and buildings on one side were painted white, while the other side was decorated with a huge wall made of plastic panels. There were coloured benche and the street was illuminated with lights," he said.Ahmad says that the benches and lights were taken away within a week. "We thought that the corporation had brought them for the event, so they took it back," he said.When asked about the failure of the project, the GMC chief engineer, NK Choudhary, blamed illegal settlers and slum dwellers.He blamed it on the lack of vigilance on the part of law enforcement agencies. "The area fell prey to illegal slum dwellers from Bhowapur. The items on display were stolen, fences were breached, and power lines were snapped. We brought it to the notice of the administration, and GMC itself stationed guards to protect it, but to no avail," he added.Founder-director of IPCA, Ashish Jain, who attended the inauguration and had said that IPCA is an avid promoter of plastic recycling and partnering in this project is the right step towards promoting it to the masses through tourism, did not comment when contacted.