Noida, one of the premium suburbs to Delhi??
Noida, across the Yamuna river and abutting east and south Delhi, was conceptualised in the 1970s as an industrial hub to ease the pressure on the national capital. It has now grown into a sprawling commercial-residential hub where land prices are among the highest in the world. As the pressure on Noida grew, the Uttar Pradesh government conceptualised the Greater Noida township in the late 1980s.
In year 2013, Noida came back on the development radar of the Uttar Pradesh government, which unveiled projects worth Rs.s.3,300 crore for the development of this corporate hub. These included steps to alleviate Noida's chronic power shortage.
The 'impetus package' for Noida, in the National Capital Region (NCR), was approved by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The projects encompassed Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway.
"This is the biggest developmental kick for any single district. We hope to take some big leaps after these projects are announced and existing ones inaugurated by the chief minister," a senior Noida official said.
Officials said one of the biggest boons for Noida would be a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Sector 123. The STP - built after a study and recommendation of IIT Roorkee - would benefit 28 sectors in Noida, the official said.
Other projects announced were a Nari Niketan building in Sector 34 at a cost of Rs. 22 crore, an underpass at the intersections of Sectors 32, 35, 39 and 51 (@ Rs.s 50 crore), underpasses at the Master Plan Road 3 in Sectors 94 and 95 (@ Rss. 40 crore), a multi-level car parking at the busy Sector 18 (@ Rs.s 250 crore) and a district hospital in Sector 39 (@ Rs.s 424 crore).
The district hospital, to be built on 14,000 square metres, to have 200 beds and equipped with a trauma unit, pathology lab and radiological units and intensive care unit.
The multi-level parking lot in Sector 18, spread over 26,840 square metres, to accommodate 3,085 cars and monitored by CCTVs. Battery-operated shuttles to ferry car users from the facility to nearby areas.
To combat Noida's power shortage, two 400 KV sub-stations were to be set up in Sector 123 and one 400/220 KV sub-station in Sector 148 at a total cost of Rss..1,016 crore.
Also on the anvil were an administrative block in Greater Noida costing Rs.s.300 crore and 7,200 affordable flats in Sector 10. Sector 18 was to get 4,425 flats costing Rs.s.7.75 lakh each.
All the above promises were made with huge fanfare and publicity. But do we see many of the promised actions been taken? Do we see all these projects happening? Do we see any single one of them completed yet?
How long will we have to wait for the promises to materialize ... as the years pass by!!!
