Noida

Noida, short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a systematically planned 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. As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Noida in 2011 is 642,381; of which male and female are 352,577 and 289,804 respectively. 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.

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. 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), Noida replaced Mumbai as the second-best realty destination, according to an analyst report. 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.[dubious – discuss]

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.

Another Expressway connecting Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad is been constructed

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.

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.

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, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh etc. Uttar Pradesh Parivahan runs local buses in the city. However, there are plannings to shift the Bus Stand from Morna.

Parks and recreation in Noida

The Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) 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.

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).