Noida

Noida नोएडा
Metropolitan City / Urban Agglomeration
From the top: View of Noida city from the Hilton Noida List of Birds found in OBS IT Park, Noida, Okhla bird sanctuary Noida expressway, TGIP Noida
Nickname(s): IT Capital of NCR
Noida Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 28°34′N 77°19′E / 28.57°N 77.32°E / 28.57; 77.32Coordinates: 28°34′N 77°19′E / 28.57°N 77.32°E / 28.57; 77.32
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
Region	Harit Pradesh
District	Gautam Buddh Nagar
Established	17 April 1976
Government
• Body	Government of Uttar Pradesh
• District Magistrate	Nagendra Prasad Singh IAS
Area
• Total	203 km2 (78 sq mi)
Elevation	200 m (700 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	637,272
• Rank	66th
• Density	2,463/km2 (6,380/sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	201301/07/09
Telephone code	0120
Vehicle registration	UP-16
Nearest city	Greater Noida
Lok Sabha Constituency	Gautam Buddh Nagar
Website	gbnagar.nic.in

Noida, short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a systematically planned^[2] Indian city under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (also called NOIDA). It is part of National Capital Region of India. Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanisation thrust during the controversial Emergency period (1975–1977). The city was created under the UP Industrial Area Development Act by the initiatives of Sanjay Gandhi. The city has the highest per capita income in the whole National Capital Region. The Noida Authority is among the richest civic bodies in the country.^[3] As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Noida in 2011 is 642,381;^[4] of which male and female are 352,577 and 289,804 respectively.^[5] Noida has tree lined roads and is considered to be India's greenest city with about 50% green cover, the highest of any city in India.^[6][7]

Noida is located in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state. The district's administrative headquarters are in the nearby town of Greater Noida. However, the district's highest government official, the District Magistrate (DM), has its official camp office in Noida Sector-27. The city is a part of the Noida Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) constituency and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Lok Sabha constituency). Minister of State for Culture, Tourism of Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma of the BJP is the current MP of Noida.^[8][9] The current MLA who won in the by-elections is Vimla Batham.

Noida was ranked as the Best City in Uttar Pradesh and the Best City in Housing in all of India in awards conducted by abp news in 2015 (Best City Awards 2015),^[10][11][12] Noida replaced Mumbai as the second-best realty destination, according to an analyst report.^[13] Noida has emerged as a hot spot for IT and IT-enabled services industry with many large companies setting up their businesses here. It is becoming the preferred destination for companies offering IT, ITeS, BPO, BTO and KPO services in various domains such as banking, financial services, insurance, pharma, auto, fast-moving consumer goods and manufacturing. According to a study by Assocham the major advantages include an excellent power supply, a salubrious climate eminently suited to information technology (IT) industries, a capability to increase the pool of skilled manpower, the availability of engineering colleges and other educational institutions, the low cost of setting up an IT unit as well as low recurring costs (including cost of living).

Geography

Noida is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state India. Noida is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of New Delhi, 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of the district headquarters - Greater Noida and 457 kilometres (284 mi) northwest of the state capital, Lucknow. It is bound on the west and southwest by the Yamuna River, on the north and northwest by the city of Delhi, on the northeast by the cities of Delhi and Ghaziabad, India and on the north-east, east and south-east by the Hindon River. Noida falls under the catchment area of the Yamuna River, and is located on the old river bed. The soil is rich and loamy.

Flora and fauna

Since Noida can also be termed as being situated on the tail of Aravali, the Keeker tree is found everywhere. Other common trees are Neem, Peepal, Banyan, Sheesham and Teak that grow naturally. Recent urbanisation has introduced laburnam, red cotton, and other trees on the roadsides. People take a lot of interest in planting amaltash and Gulmohar. For these reasons, different trees surround roads of Noida from almost everywhere.

There are various types of grasses that grow naturally on the free ground, as this land was perfect for agriculture before construction work took over. Farming was in full swing. Sugarcane, wheat and vegetables were grown in great extent along with Mango, Jamun and Guava.

You can record a great number of birds in Noida; Sparrows, Crows, Mynahs, Bulbuls, Kingfishers, Prinias, and Bushchats can be spotted anywhere. With careful eyes one can also see barbets, munias, and wheateaters. Okhla Bird Sanctuary is one such place to go and do bird watching and it has a great number of birds varying from cormorants to jacanaa and seagulls. More than 55 species are always present and around the same number are seasonal and can be spotted from Sept.-Nov. Surajkund Sanctuary, village areas are not far off for nature viewing.

Noida-Greater Noida Expressway

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is poised to become a self-sustaining urban pocket in Noida with good infrastructure. This 23 km long corridor has attracted real estate investors and buyers with its good infrastructure facilities and connectivity to the other regions of NCR.

This area has emerged as a major growth corridor. Sectors abutting this corridor are 44, 45, 92-94, 96-100, 105, 108, 125-137 and 141-168. These sectors lie towards the south and south east of Noida.

This area is getting Metro connectivity which will make this region easily accessible from other parts of NCR. The proposed Metro line in this corridor will have 22 stations, out of which 15 stations will come up in Noida and 7 in Greater Noida. This line would be an extension of Noida City Centre line in sector 32. The proposed stations on the route are expected to come up at Sector 50, 78, 81, 83, 101, Dadri Road, Sector 137, 142, 143, 144, 147, 149 and 153.

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is one of the prime development corridors in the country, and is unique as connectivity options are already functional or are making good progress.^[14]

Another Expressway connecting Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad is been constructed

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Noida had a population of 642,381 out of which males were 352,577 and females were 289,804. The literacy rate was 88.58 percent. Men literacy was 92.90% and female literacy was 83.28%.^[15]

There are people of almost all major religions, but the majority practice Hinduism. Many famous Hindu temples are located in the city, some of the more famous ones are the Sai Baba Temple in Sector 61, the Hanuman temple in Sector 22 and the ISKCON temple in Sector 33. A Shia Jama Masjid in Sector 50 and St. Gregorios Indian ORTHODOX Church in Sector 51, Mar Thoma Church in Sector 50 and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sector 34 are also well known.

District Administration

District Administration is headed by the District Magistrate (DM) who is an IAS officer. He is assisted by one Chief Development Officer, three Additional District Magistrates (Executive, Finance/Revenue and Land Acquisition) and one City Magistrate. The district is divided into three Tehsils named Sadar, Dadri & Jewar each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate who reports to the District Magistrate. Police Administration is headed by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) who is an IPS officer and is accountable to the District Magistrate for Law and Order enforcement. He is assisted by four Superintendents of Police (City, Rural,Traffic and Crime) and eight Deputy Superintendents of Police. The current DM is Nagendra Prasad Singh and SSP is Dharmendra Singh.

Infrastructure

Noida stands at 17th place when it comes to cleanliness among cities in India.^[16] The creation of associated physical infrastructure is higher in Noida and Greater Noida.^[17] Most of the land in Noida is not very fertile and the agricultural output is low. It is in the flood plains of the Yamuna River on one side and the Hindon River on the other. Many villages are visible from the Noida Expressway, beginning from the Mahamaya flyover to Greater Noida on both sides. One end of Taj expressway terminates on Noida Expressway near the Hindon River and the other at Agra. Up until the 1980s these villages were flooded every 2–3 years, resulting in people temporarily moving to other places in Noida, and even as far as Mehrauli in Delhi. Noida is also famous for its tall buildings and comes 2nd in India after Mumbai in this parameter.

Noida: Gold mine of Uttar Pradesh

In 2014 a budget of Rs 20,000 crore altogether was approved for the development of the region. Leaders, bureaucrats, engineers and other officials lobbied hard to manage a job in Noida considered a gold mine in the state’s power circles, "Noida is way above many other cities in budget allocation. This is the reason all leaders want to get involved in Noida." Leaders and officials treat Noida as a gold mine because out of the state’s seven industrial authorities, it with a Rs 10,000-crore annual budget is the richest in Uttar Pradesh.

There is always a huge amount of revenue surplus each year as they are unable to spend the entire amount on development or on maintaining civic amenities . Lease rent and interest from builders are the biggest contributors to Noida’s revenue. Besides, the authority gets huge revenues out of water and property transfer charges. "The Noida authority had deposited Rs 3,500 crore as fixed deposits in various banks because of surplus funds. Noida has so much surplus funds with it that it can run the city even if it do not take any taxes from its allottees for next 5 years in a row."^[18]

Education

Noida is the location of Uttar Pradesh Technical University and various other colleges affiliated to it.

It is also home to many private universities, including-

• Symbiosis International University
• Galgotia's College of Engineering and Technology
• Amity University
• Jaypee Institute of Information Technology
• Jaipuria Institute of Management
• JSS Academy of Technical Education
• Greater Noida Institute of Technology
• Institute of Management Studies

IIM Lucknow and Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra have established extension campuses in Noida.

High schools in Noida include-

• The Khaitan School
• Army Public School Noida
• Delhi Public School Noida
• Ryan International School
• Amity International
• Kendriya Vidyalaya
• Cambridge School
• Mayoor School
• Bal Bharati Public School.

Economy

Noida is a major hub for multinational firms outsourcing IT services e.g. Sapient, Fiserv, Headstrong, EXL Service, First Flight Courier LTD, StudentsLeads, Padma Infocom Pvt. Ltd. IBM, Miracle, AON Hewitt, Fujitsu, CSC, TCS, Ajastra Media, WIPRO, Padma Infocom, HCL, Tech Mahindra, Adobe Systems, KPIT Technologies, Ericsson, Paytm, Dell, Kronos Incorporated,Sparta Consulting, Capgemini, IGA, Genpact, Mercer, Corbus, Accenture, Samsung etc. Many large software and business process outsourcing companies have their offices in the city.

Energy and Power Utility companies such as Reliance Infrastructure, NTPC Limited, Tata Power, Gas Authority of India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Oil India Limited, Samsung Engineering, BGR Energy Systems Ltd have their corporate offices in Noida.

Many other companies have their Indian branch offices in Noida, because of many factors, including its Special Economic Zone status, its suburban atmosphere and its proximity to Delhi. Noida also hosts the head office of the Software Technology Park, which was established by the Government of India to promote the software industry. In the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Sector 135 along the expressway, TCS, MetLife, Accenture, Genpect & Steria have started their offices.

Noida is a major hub of industry. Noida has quickly emerged as a hub for automobile ancillary units, with companies like Escorts, Honda-SIEL, Moriroku Technology India Pvt Ltd and New Holland Tractors (JV of FIAT with Ford). A Daewoo plant was also located in the city, but has since closed. Various MNCs and major manufacturers like Uflex, Alstom, ISGEC, LG, Samsung, Barclays Bank, Ericsson and music company T-Series also have their corporate offices in the city.

Development in industry, commerce and trade have led Noida to be a model city in UP. It is a major revenue earner for the government through taxes. The Noida model is now being replicated across various cities in UP, with a proactive development agency working to achieve high growth rates for business, industry and commercial ventures.

Media and entertainment

Noida is a prominent location for the Indian entertainment industry, with many films, television series, news channels, and other media being filmed here. The city is fast becoming a favourite among directors who want to show a shot of urban culture or college life. According to film producer Rishabh Arora, "Noida has developed a lot in the last decade and feels like home. And it's a great place for outdoor shoots. Films with urban stories become big hits and Noida lends the perfect flavour for urban-themed movies and song sequences. City have highways, colleges, wide roads and a good crowd."^[19][20]

Film City, established by Sandeep Marwah, is a hub for major news channels and studios. News channels such as Zee News, NDTV, TV Today group, CNN-IBN, CNBC, NewsX, India TV are situated here and some newspaper company also working in Noida like as Amar Ujala - Noida,^[21] Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar and TOI. Noida's proximity to Delhi, which is the political hub of the country, makes it an attractive destination for news channels. Commercial activities have also risen in recent years, with a spate of new malls and multiplexes.

Health service

Noida has many private healthcares like Jaypee Hospital and Fortis Healthcare with 1200-bed tertiary care multi-specialities but Noida lags far behind in government health care. All three of its government hospitals, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Multi-Specialty Hospital, Super Specialty Paediatric Institute and ESIC Hospital, lack super-specialists and only provide secondary medical care.^{[22][23][24][25][25]}

• Kailash Hospital
• Jaypee Hospital
• Max Hospital
• Fortis Hospital
• AJ Kanwar Hospital
• Apollo Hospital
• Yatharth Wellness
• Neo Hospital
• Indogulf Hospital
• Metro Hospital
• Prayag Hospital
• Vinayak Hospital
• Felix Hospital

Sports

In 2005, the city hosted the Noida Half-Marathon and the city's maiden international exposure, the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games. The cycling competition for 2010 commonwealth games was held at NOIDA-Greater Noida express way. The Noida Golf Course is situated on the southern end of the city, The Noida Golf 18 hole par 72 Course having a length of 6989 yards length has been assessed by Indian Golf Union Technical Committee. In 2011, Greater Noida hosted the inaugural Formula One Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit constructed by Jaypee Group. The circuit is the first of its kind in South Asia.

A world class cricket stadium is under construction in Sector 21 known as noida stadium with a capacity of 20,000 spectators within the stadium premises, the Noida Stadium will now get dedicated tracks for cycling enthusiasts in the city.

The Noida stadium consist of Basketball court, Squash court, Table-tennis court, Lawn tennis court, Golf course and skating.^[26]

A 50,000 capacity world-class cricket stadium-cum-sports facility with 125 acres land will be built at Noida expressway in Sector 152, which makes it bigger than Ferozeshah Kotla in capacity and area.^[27][28]

Transport

Delhi Metro

Noida has been put on the fast track for the Delhi Metro. The Metro, which was earlier slated to enter Noida in 2011, opened officially on 12 November 2009, 10 months before the Commonwealth Games. Through Delhi Metro, Noida is now connected to Connaught Place, New Delhi, via Barakhambha Road, IP Estate and Akshardham Complex. The Metro connects NOIDA to Vaishali, through the Yamuna Bank interchange station. A part of this link opened on 11 November 2006. Metro will be further expanded in the city and will go to Greater Noida. Construction has already started on the Noida-Greater Noida Metro line. Construction of the two new extensions of Noida Metro has started and will be completed by Dec. 2016. Delhi's new driverless Metro trains will be rolled out in Noida, too. These automated trains will run on the 3.9 km link between Delhi's Kalindi Kunj and Noida's Botanical Garden, which is likely to be operational in December,2016.^[29]

Road

Noida has got roads laid in a grid pattern and due to proper planning, all main roads are 6 lanes wide, arrow straight and are well finished. Noida features three main expressways. One is the DND Flyway, which connects Noida and Delhi, runs across the river Yamuna, and receives heavy patronage from office-goers in the city. The second is the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the third is the Yamuna Expressway which connects Noida to Agra via Mathura. The Delhi eastern peripheral Road, Upper Ganga Canal Expressway and the Ganga Expressway are the three proposed expressways which will be passing the city. The area adjacent to the NGN Expressway has seen heavy residential development in recent years. Construction on the double-decker elevated road on MP-II road has begun and is expected to complete by 2018. This 4.8 km road will begin from Flex crossing and end at Vishwa Bharti school. Another elevated road from sector 12/22 to sector 12/10-21/21A crossing is going to be built. This 1.5 km elevated road will be built on the MP-I road. Three more elevated roads are planned. Along with these five elevated roads, several underpasses are under construction or approval and all these projects will be completed by 2017. Noida will become the city with highest number of elevated roads and underpasses in India.

UPSRTC, DTC and private buses ply through various routes in the city. Taxi, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available for short-distance transport.

Rail/Air

Noida is not connected by railways directly, but there are railway stations nearby reachable by road, including Ghaziabad and Anand Vihar. However, New Delhi Railway Station and Old Delhi Railway station (both accessible through Metro) are the main railway stations ones used most often by commuters to reach Noida. The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Noida administration is planning to construct a helipad in Sector 128 from the airport to Noida and from Noida to Agra. In November, 2014 the central government is planning to construct an international airport to reduce the traffic in New Delhi.

Bus

Noida has a bus stand at Morna village in Sector 35. There are regular buses to nearby cities like New Delhi, Dehradun, Mohan nagar, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh etc. Uttar Pradesh Parivahan runs local buses in the city. However, there are plannings to shift the Bus Stand from Morna.

Climate

In summer, i.e. from March to June, the weather remains hot and the temperature ranges from a maximum of 48 °C to a minimum of 28 °C.

Monsoon season prevails during mid-June to mid-September.

The cold waves from the Himalayan region makes the winters in Noida chilly and harsh. Temperatures fall to as low as 3 to 4 °C at the peak of winters. Noida also has fog and smog problems. In January, a dense fog envelops the city, reducing visibility on the streets.

Climate data for Noida
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	21 (70)	24 (75)	30 (86)	36 (97)	36 (97)	37 (99)	35 (95)	34 (93)	34 (93)	35 (95)	29 (84)	23 (73)	31.2 (88.1)
Average low °C (°F)	6 (43)	10 (50)	15 (59)	21 (70)	27 (81)	29 (84)	27 (81)	26 (79)	25 (77)	19 (66)	12 (54)	08 (46)	18.8 (65.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	25 (0.98)	22 (0.87)	17 (0.67)	7 (0.28)	8 (0.31)	65 (2.56)	211 (8.31)	173 (6.81)	150 (5.91)	31 (1.22)	1 (0.04)	5 (0.2)	715 (28.16)
Source: Noida Weather

Parks and recreation in Noida

The Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS)^[30] is at the entrance of the city at the point where the Yamuna River enters the state of Uttar Pradesh from the state of Delhi. The Okhla Barrage over the Yamuna has created the unique position of the OBS which attract various species of birds. OBS is among the 466 important bird areas in India. About 323 various bird species are seen in the sanctuary, about 50% of which are migratory birds.

Noida's botanical garden was formed with the aim to turn it into a hub of special and endangered plants, representing the entire country. which is located in Sector 38A of the city, started in 2002. Today, it sprawls across 160 acres, There are around 7,500 plants in the garden.

Scientists are giving a new lease of life to endangered and extinct plant species at the Botanical Garden. A look around the green expanse reveals species like Psilotum Nudum, better known as skeleton fork fern. Considered a "primitive" plant — a descendent of possibly the first group of vascular plants from 400 million years ago — that were widespread during the Devonian and Silurian periods — its name means "bare naked" in Latin as it lacks most of the organs found in plants species that evolved later.^[31][32]

Noida's botanical garden is divided into 10 sections. The "medicinal plants" section has an astounding variety of 96 plants and is further divided into eight sections named after the parts of the human body they benefit. For example, the "digestive system" section has aloe vera and Gymnema Sylvestre (madhunaashini), which cures diabetes.

The "blood and circulation" section has Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Aristolochia Indica (Isharmul) - blood purifiers. The "musculo-skeletal" section has Cissus Quadrangularis (Hadjod); "skin disease" section has Plumbago Zeylanica (Chitarak) which cures leucoderma.

Noida's botanical garden have a large fruit section which has many varieties of mango, pomegranate, lemon, pear, plum, mulberry, etc., besides their speciality the black guava (kaala amrud). The woodland section is equally impressive with trees like Sapindus Emarginatus (Reetha), Pterocarpus Marsupium (Sandalwood), Dabergia Sissoo (Sheesham wood), and Tectona Grandis (Teakwood).^[33]

Notable people

• Gulshan Kumar
• Arjun Vajpai
• Arhaan Behl
• Mahesh Sharma
• Nimrat Kaur^[34]
• Pavani Parameswara Rao
• Parvinder Awana
• Robin Singh (footballer)
• Raghav Bahl
• Sonal Chauhan
• Saba Karim^[35]
• Shiney Ahuja^[36]
• Vibha Chibber^[2]
• V. N. Khare
• U. R. Lalit

Villages in Noida City

Noida originally consisted of around 81 villages, but now comes under the Gautum Buddh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh.^[37]

Still Noida villages lacks in permanent postal and individual address but according to officials, the homes in villages will be soon mapped using aerial imagery captured by drones designed by North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous society set up under the Union government's department of science and technology. These maps will also provide crucial information about rural areas in an emergency. Officials said it will take almost a year to complete mapping and allotting address to all 81 villages.

With houses getting mapped and being allotted a formal address in Noida villages, procuring information on land rights, development plans, etc. will become easier. "Easily available maps will also be helpful in advancing development plans and settling disputes over bordering parcels of land. Mapping will also ease land transfers, by creating reliable maps and title documents."^[37]

In the 31 village panchayats of NOIDA, there are 81 villages out of which 64 are developed. The residents of the cluster of these villages located in the different parts of the present city once formed the owners of the farm land acquired by NOIDA for its developmental activities. Many steps have been taken for the development of these villages and for the welfare of the residents, which include construction of roads, schools, community centres, panchayat houses and provisions for water supply, sewerage. Plans have been drawn up to provide the above facilities to all 81 villages in NOIDA in a planned and phased manner.

Noida rural villages have population belonging to various castes with majority being from Chauhan , Gujjar and Yadav caste. A few of the villages in Noida are:

See also

• Faridabad
• Gurgaon
• Greater Noida
• Khair City
• Uttar Pradesh
• Buddh International Circuit
• Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Noida.

• Noida travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official Website of Noida Authority