NOIDA IS SMART, WITH OR WITHOUT SMART TAG

New Okhla Industrial Development Authority or Noida, as we know, has been a

benchmark in the real estate sector of NCR for over a couple of decades. Being a neighbour
of the capital of our country, it always received the fruits of acceptance by people more than
any other region of the NCR. On the development front as well, Noida has been a skyline of
NCR with infrastructure on a continuous development and upgradation spree. For Uttar
Pradeshs list of 12 announced Smart Cities against the 13, Noida couldnt make it in. But the
kind of development that it has witnessed over the years, along with the promise of better
future, it does not look that this region requires a Smart City tag. In fact, in the eyes of the
corporates and public, Noida as a region scores much above several cities shortlisted in the
list of 98 Smart Cities.
As a region, Noida has witnessed industrial, commercial and infrastructural development on
a massive scale and looks quite a complete city. For residents also, civic amenities are present
with scope of improvement. The presence of public utilities makes it a complete habitat.
Developers across NCR have always favoured Noida as a realty region over others due to its
approachability from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Faridabad. This allows
connectivity advantage, thereby gradually enhancing its capital value as well, avers Mr.
Sushant Mutterja, CMD, Cosmic Group.
Smartness quotient at present:
As per the parameters of declaring a Smart City, Noida might not have scored well. But does
a resident actually require those facts and figures to get attracted towards a region? This
brings our focus towards having a sound infrastructure in place, which serves as the true
reason for a regions attractiveness. Over the last one decade especially, Noida has emerged
as the perfect destination for residents and commuters. With already existing numerous
residential and commercial spaces, its a ready city. Presence of metro rail, public
transportation facilities, superior roadways and connectivity makes it an ideal destination for
residential and official purposes, shares Mr. Rupesh Gupta, Director, JM Housing.
Adding more to it, Mr. Vikas Sahani, CMD of Property Guru states Noida never required a
Smart City tag and according to its growth graph, it might never will. The kind of residential
projects that have come up over the last 5-7 years, there are ample of options made available
for the customers. Projects vary from affordable segment to even ultra-luxurious segment,
thus satisfying every segments demand. On the other hand, infrastructure and Noidas
connectivity is on a continuous development track which will boost its future prospects of
getting accepted by potential end users and even investors. Thus, with the kind of
infrastructure and habitat already available in the region and still a lot in pipeline, Noida
might never require to be developed into a formal Smart City, as its existing Master Plan
already has plans to take it to the next level.
Reasons why it will remain Smart:

What we are observing today in Noida is just about 40 percent of what is going to come our
way in the next 7-10 years. Sighting a few examples, the metro line existing in Noida has
plans to get extended till Greater Noida West. Construction work on the same is already
taking place at the rate of knots, with a metro line coming up along Noida expressway as
well. FNG expressway will be operational soon. Widening of NH 24 has been announced and
the work is being promised to be complete within 30 months. Several underpasses and
flyovers are also under construction across Noida. Apart from these, a number of educational
institutes, financial institutions, hospitals, universities, civic structures, commercial spaces,
residential complexes, power plants, water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants and
other such assignments will be mushrooming across Noida in the upcoming few years. Now,
do we really need a Smart City tag for Noida to address these needs of the future inhabitants
of the region? Smarter way of public and private development and promoting sustainable
development is what a Smart City makes sure. With modern concepts of construction and
living, coupled with this citys clean & green campaign; we are rest assured that Noida will
breathe a healthy air and promote sustainable development for the future generations. The
work on the infrastructure front is also taking place at a world class level and thus, justifies
being a region with Smart development, affirms Mr. Sudeep Agrawal, MD, Shri Group.
Smart development will pave way for smarter returns. Capital appreciation and good returns
on investment has been a highlight of Noida as a region. Over the last 5-7 years, the regions
have appreciated by almost 40-60 percent varying with different sectors, with some sectors
even reaching out till 100 percent appreciation levels. This has allowed Noida to become an
investors paradise and an end user hub. From 2008 till 2013, Noida lived a golden period
with footfall of investors and end users being a prominent view at the project sites across
most residential and commercial projects. The conversion rate was very high back then with
resale value also earning profit for the investors. The period from last quarter of 2013
onwards till mid of 2015 witnessed a slack, but then onwards things are getting back on track
with promise of returns getting better than before. Through this history, one can now easily
imagine the extent of returns which Noida will yield in the next 5-7 years through smarter
development, explains Mr. Rakesh Yadav, Chairman, Antriksh India.
Carrying a tag is crucial at times as the attractiveness quotient increases in the eyes of
potential parties interested for its development. Noida not able to make it to the Smart Cities
list wont be able to attract much FDI in terms of funds or manpower or ideation; but does it
require any or all of it? With several global giants already having their footprints in the region
and Noida sitting right in the middle of 4 smart cities of NCR namely; New Delhi,
Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Karnal, Noida will not get bypassed so easily, rather receive
benefits from all of them. The government and authorities have kept no stones unturned if
we speak about Noidas current development and its future prospects. Not being a part of the
Smart Cities list; this will never hurt Noida and its future progress as the ripple effect of
Smart development around it due to four Smart Cities of NCR will allow Noida to be
developed shoulder-to-shoulder with those cities. At the same time, the connectivity factor
with those Smart Cities will anyways promote and serve Noidas development in future as
well, concludes Mr. Ashok Gupta, CMD, Ajnara India Ltd.