The Noida authority is upgrading housing,road,water and power infrastructure to cater to the needs of 25 lakh people,after the new master plan projected an increase of 19 lakh over the current population,by 2031.
The new Master Plan 2031 of Noida has earmarked a lot of space for infrastructural,residential and commercial development like widening of roads with elevated structures,underpasses and flyovers,greenery,highrise buildings,hotels,and major Metro and road linkages to ease traffic.
The new master plan projects a population of 25 lakh by 2031 for Noida,up by 19 lakh from the current population.Consequently,keeping in view the scarcity of land in future,the authority is focusing on vertical developments as mixed land use.
Noida,like Greater Noida,is also planning to increase the FAR (floor area ratio).With increasing traffic,the new master plan has proposed to widen roads connecting to the sectors,from 30 metres to 45 metres.The new master plan has shown great foresight in allotting plenty of space for green bodies,which has been increased by 40%;no construction will be allowed in 25% of this green area at all.
Construction works like parks,recreational green,etc,will only be allowed on 15% of the area only.Overall,15.92% of the total area will be left for greenery.In Master Plan 2021,area earmarked for greenery was just 14.99%.Now it has been increased by 1%,which works out to about 2,000 hectares.
As the area of Noida is limited,the new master plan puts emphasis on more group-housing projects.For this,the population density has been increased by 1,650 people per hectare,up from the current 700 people per hectare,in sectors with group housing like Sectors 74-78.In the rest of the residential sectors,it is 500 people per hectare.
Earlier,in Master Pan 2021,it was 400 people per hectare.The new master plan hopes to build 2.5 lakh new houses along the expressway and adjacent to Noida Extension,in the next three years.Out of this,nearly 1 lakh houses are being constructed along the expressway under group housing projects.The remaining 1.5 lakh houses have been proposed adjacent to Noida Extension and other areas like Sectors 74-79,113,116 and 117.
S K Dwivedi,the chief executive officer of Noida authority,says that the new master plan has been revised keeping in view the projected population growth in 2031 and the social infrastructure required to cater to them.The target population is 25 lakh.Noida is spread over 20,316 hectares.Out of this,15,280 hectares has been notified for urbanized development,while 5,000 hectares comes under the riverbed.Around 10,000 hectares has already been developed.The remaining area will be developed in the next phase.
Dwivedi says: "According to the new master plan,internal and external development will be done phasewise.Undoubtedly,Noida is facing acute power shortage.To overcome the shortage,seven new high-capacity sub-stations will be installed soon.Also,to improve the quality of drinking water,a water treatment plant has also been planned."
Ganga water
According to the master plan,the Noida authority will supply enough water to meet the needs of the projected population,and also improve the quality of the water.The authority will supply Ganga water to different houses,phasewise.Under the project,a separate pipeline is being laid between the Pratap Vihar water treatment plant in Ghaziabad and the Upper Ganga Canal near Dasna,running parallel to an existing pipeline.
The existing pipeline too carries Ganga water to Noida,but the supply is barely adequate.Work on the new pipeline is,however,progressing at a tardy pace.In the second phase,the Noida authority will bring 192 million litres per day (MLD) of Ganga water to the city.In the third phase,which costs nearly Rs 50 crore,reservoirs will be constructed in Sectors 116,117 and 118,where treated water will be stored for supply.
The capacity of the water treatment plant at Pratap Vihar will be increased,so that the additional Ganga water can be treated there before being supplied to Noida,via the existing pipeline and the new pipeline.A sum of Rs 170 crore has been allocated for this project.The Noida authority will provide Rs 136 crore while Rs 34 crore will be borne by the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board and the Ghaziabad Development Authority,since a part of the Ganga water will also be supplied to Pratap Vihar,Vasundhara and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.
Power
The new master plan has indicated that the Noida zone will be declared free from all power cuts by the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure sustainable industrial growth.The present demand of electrical load is more than 950MW against a supplying capacity of 750MW.Power demand is expected to rise to 1,200MW by 2014.
Against the expected demand,power supply will be almost doubled.For this,five new power sub-stations in the load capacities of 400KV,220KV and 132KV will be installed in Sectors 123,148 and 115.The UP State Electricity Board (UPSEB) has agreed to install the proposed power sub-stations by 2014.Land for the projects has also been earmarked.
Kishan Singh,executive engineer with Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL),says: "Sectors 123 and 148 will have two sub-stations each,with a capacity of 400KV and 220KV,respectively,while Sector 115 will have one substation with a capacity of 132KV.Noida has an efficient power distribution network."
