Over 1,000 villagers Tuesday laid a siege to the Greater Noida Authority office at Gamma, saying the compensation for their acquired agricultural lands was not adequate.

The protesting farmers clashed with the policemen who tried to prevent them from entering the office.

They broke flowerpots in corridors of the office while some women protesters barged into the chairman’s office.

The agitating Greater Noida farmers threatened to immolate themselves if their demands were not met within the next 24 hours, starting Tuesday afternoon.

Expressing resentment against the compensation rates handed over to them for their agricultural lands, the villagers later launched an indefinite sit-in at the Greater Noida Authority’s office.

“We have given 24 hours to the authorities for meeting our demands. If our demands are not met, I and another member Mehndi Hasan will immolate ourselves here before everyone,’ said Ram Dev Rawal, a member of Greater Noida Kisan Sangharsh Manch.

People from over 10 villages, including Ghori Bachera, Dabra, Saini, Ajaibpur, Muthrapur, Kadha, Raipur and Tusiyana, who were gathered at the authority office also raised anti-government slogans.

“This government is anti-farmer and anti-people. They are not bothered about the future of farmers, who have given their only prized possession to the government for its big projects,” said Rawal.

The villagers have demanded that the new land acquisition rates of Rs. 850 per sq. metre, announced by the state government in 2008, should be applied to their lands, too, which were acquired in 2006 for Rs.322 per sq. metre.

“We want the new rates to be applicable to our 2006 acquired lands too,” said Jagveer Nagar, a protesting villager.

The villagers also claimed that they have not been alloted yet the plot theyn were to get in lieu of their acquire farm lands. “The Greater Noida Authority has been delaying the whole matter,” said Vijay Kumar, a villager.

Lalit Srivastava, chairman of the GNIDA, said: “The demands of these farmers are totally unjustified. These people have already lifted their compensation amounts well under the prevalent rates announced by the state government. There is no reason for them to come and demand increase now.

Greater Noida Airport unlikely to take off

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s pet airport project at Greater Noida is unlikely to pass muster, now that her staunch opponent, the Samajwadi Party, is getting ready to play a larger role at the Centre.

The project was given an ‘in principle’ approval by the Union Cabinet about five months back and a small group of ministers (GoM) was constituted to examine all legal implications of allowing this project to come up less than 150 km from the existing Delhi International Airport (DIAL).

The GoM comprises legal eagles such as law minister K R Bharadwaj,  finance minister P Chidambaram,  civil aviation minister Praful Patel and the minister for science & technology, Kapil Sibal.

But five months hence, the GoM has held just one meeting and civil aviation ministry officials are now doubtful whether the project will get the green signal at all during the remaining tenure of the UPA government.

Though Samajwadi Party boss Mulayam Singh Yadav also wants to put Uttar Pradesh on the international tourism map, he wants an international airport closer to his constituency (Etawah) and may not favour Mayawati’s chosen spot.

But changing political equations at the Centre is not the only reason for this project to hang fire.

It was already mired in controversy over its proximity to DIAL when the Cabinet nod came last February.

According to the Airport Infrastructure Policy 1997 (which was relevant till then), no greenfield airport can be allowed within an aerial distance of 150 km of an existing airport; the Greater Noida project is just about 70 km away from the Delhi Airport.

The DIAL project is being modernised by a consortium led by the GMR Group and the latter has projected that the existing airport is capable of handling 37 million passengers by 2010 against a projected passenger traffic of 29 million (and 100 million against the projected traffic of 82 million by 2026). It has therefore contended that any new airport which comes up close to the existing one would lead to revenue dilution.

The uncertainty over the fate of the Greater Noida airport comes even as the government dusted the cobwebs off the proposal to name the Lucknow airport after former Prime Minister, Charan Singh. (Source:TOI)

 

Greater Noida gets Central Zoo Authority nod to open the first-of-its-kind zoo in India

Watch in wonder as leopards prowl, tigers roar and tropical birds shriek into the night. All wonders of the famous Singapore Night Safari are coming to Noida soon.

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has given the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority the permission to start a night safari zoo, the first in India.

The same team that created the Singapore Night Safari will develop this zoo.

While the CZA has given its nod, experts working on the project will also have to get permission for importing or obtaining individual animals, as per the norms laid down by the International Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“We have given permission to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority to develop this zoo facility. It is likely to have tropical, mostly nocturnal, animals like owls and big cats from South Africa and South America. Indian animals will include leopards, hyenas and tigers. Bernard Harrison, former CEO of the Singapore zoo, will head the expert team,” said Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, Evaluation Officer, Central Zoo Authority.

According to the CZA, the facility will also serve educational purposes and is expected to evolve into a major tourist attraction. “It will be on over 100 hectares and will be on the Taj Expressway. We expect many tourists to visit the zoo,” said Gupta.

The facility will also have a vulture conservation breeding centre, which has emerged as an important touchstone for Indian conservation following the extinction of White Backed vultures, Slender Billed vultures and Long Billed vultures 2003 onwards.

There are three vulture conservation breeding centres in the country — at Pinjore, Assam and West Bengal — but currently vultures are bred only in Pinjore. (Source IE)

Decks cleared for completion of Yamuna Expressway

Work on the 165 km long Yamuna Expressway (formerly Taj Expressway) between Greater Noida and Agra in Uttar Pradesh is to begin within a fortnight as the process of land acquisition by Jaiprakash Associates is now complete.

The new expressway will cut down travel time between Delhi and Agra by at least one hour.

The decision to build a new international airport at Jevar, half way between Agra and Greater Noida, will help accelerate economic development of the whole region and give a big boost to tourism, according to businessmen in Agra.

The Yamuna Expressway Authority has given the green signal to develop industrial clusters at half a dozen places.

The expressway passing through the districts of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Aligarh, Mahamaya Nagar (Hathras), Mathura and Agra will come up on land belonging to 115 village panchayats.

A series of under-ways, fly-overs and over-bridges will ensure that motorists can drive at a speed of upto 120 kmph.

According to information provided by the authority, there will be a limited number of road crossings, over 50 over-bridges or fly-overs, pedestrian crossings at over 60 points, at least two dozen locations for public conveniences and pay phone booths, puncture/automobile repair shops, and cold drinks kiosks.

Lalit Srivastav, chairman of the authority, has told engineers that the expressway should not have any speed breakers.

The project promoters are keen that the Yamuna Expressway should be ready much before the coming Commonwealth Games in 2010.

The Jaiprakash group has already secured the contract to build a 1,047-km-long expressway connecting Greater Noida to Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Mayawati government named all the three expressways - Ganga Expressway, Yamuna Expressway and Hindon Expressway - after rivers.

The 250-km-long Hindon Expressway will pass through Ghaziabad and Saharanpur upto Dehradun in Uttarakhand. All the three Expressways will converge at Greater Noida.

 

 

Many rare birds, such as the animated Yellow Wagtail or the flamboyant Black-necked Stork, would soon come calling home here, with government planning to build a sanctuary for these winged visitors. The state forest department has identified a 330-hectare area in the Greater Noida region to develop it into a prime bird habitat, with water bodies and roosting trees that will be home to different bird species.

The state government has already given its consent to build the Greater Noida Bird Sanctuary, adjacent to a reserve forest. The project is also expected to boost eco-tourism.

Nature lovers from across the country would now get another opportunity to watch this spectacular show of birds of different size, shape and colour, in their natural surroundings.

The sanctuary would be built in the Surajpur area on the outskirts of the city, at a cost of Rs.56.4 million. The forest department is expected to complete the project by 2010.

“The site is being closely monitored and the work on the project would begin soon. Currently, a study is being conducted, mainly in the jheel (lake) area,” district forest officer N.P. Singh said, adding that the final drawings from the architect are awaited.

“The area is rich in biodiversity and has pythons, snakes, nilgai (antelope), jackals, besides many species of amphibians and plant species. The Greater Noida Authority has expressed keen interest in the project,” he said.

A lake covering 108 hectares in the site would be cleaned and plantation work would be carried out, he said.

“The sanctuary would provide safe home to migratory as well as local birds. We also plan to take up various eco-developmental activities there,” Singh told IANS in an interview.

Many rare and migratory birds such as the Little Egret, Night Heron, Indian Reef Heron, Painted Stork, Open bill Stork, White necked Stork, Black necked Stork, Comb Duck, Coot, Common Teal and Yellow Wagtail are expected to congregate at the sanctuary.

Small islands would be created on the lake to provide resting grounds for various aquatic birds. Fichus and Babool trees would be planted on the islands, Singh said.

The sanctuary is expected to attract tourists from the National capital region, besides Uttar Pradesh and other states.

To get a better view of the birds, a mound would be built in the middle of the lake. The forest department would grow various plants during monsoons that are food for birds.

The bird sanctuary would be equipped with a watchtower, communication facility, bird information centre, and pedal boats among others.

Singh said the new bird sanctuary would be free from noise, air and water pollution. Source (IANS)

..................................................................................................

Dr Brij Kishore Gupta, Environment and Wild Life Expert resident of Greater Noida was cheerful and excited after hearing this news, while talking to attachowk team he said "The move of State Forest Department of Uttar Pradesh to declare the area as Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh is a welcome step and praiseworthy. The bird sanctuary may prove a window to resident of educational hub in Noida and Greater Noida and provide an ideal place for younger generation to teach the role played by winged creatures in the nature. Certainly the area declared under the sanctuary shall also play an important role in preservation of rich biodiversity. The proposed sanctuary may also provide home for many endangered species and species which declining rapidly. The water bodies could be boom to water harvest of the area. The forest may serve a green lung for the fast growing city which may later may act as buffer.

 

 

Global standard central university to come up in Greater Noida

Patiala (PTI): Vice chairman of University Grants Commission Prof. Mool Chand Sharma today said an act will be formulated for setting up the 14 Central Universities of world class standards in India.

Talking to reporters soon after the function of foundation stone laying Rajiv Gandhi University of Law at Siduwal village near here, he said that all the universities will be setup once the act for setting up these universities will introduced.

He said that universities would be located in Pune, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Mysore, Visakhapatnam, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Greater Noida and Guwahati.

The locations have been decided keeping in mind the connectivity and the infrastructure which such universities would need, he said.

The state governments would be requested to identify adequate land in or near the selected cities, Sharma said adding the contour and shape of such world class universities would be defined shortly.

He said that UGC will help to establish 370 Colleges in districts where access and participation rates are lower than the national average.

Most of these districts also have a concentration of SCs, STs, and minorities.

He said that as many as 373 districts in India were having Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) lower than the national average which has been identified by the UGC.

Regarding pay fixation of universities employees, he said that decision will be taken after when Prof G K Chadha committee for pay review committee will submit its report.

Greater Noida farmers demand higher land compensation

Greater Noida, June 9 (IANS) Protesting the rate of compensation for the land acquired from them, two farmer leaders of Greater Noida Monday threatened self-immolation if their demands were not met. “We have given 24 hours to the Greater Noida authority to meet our demands. If our demands are not met, I and Mehndi Hasan will immolate ourselves here before everyone,” said Ram Dev Rawal, a member of the Greater Noida Kisan Sangharsh Manch.

Over 1,000 farmers from 10 villages held demonstrations at the Greater Noida authority’s office in Gamma and shouted anti-government slogans.

They have demanded that the new land acquisition rate of Rs.850 per square metre announced by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2008 should be applied to their lands, which were acquired in 2006 at a rate of Rs.322 per square metre.

Greater Noida authority chairman Lalit Srivastava said: “The farmers’ demands are totally unjustified.”

 

 

Noida twin murders - Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj

The course of investigation took several turns in the gruesome murder of teenaged Aarushi Talwar - a class IX student of Delhi Public School, Noida. The suspense continued until the arrest of her doctor parents Friday along with another doctor friend. Here is a chronology of the incident and the case investigation —

May 16:

• Fourteen-year-old Delhi Public School student Aarushi Talwar found dead.
• Missing domestic help Hemraj declared main suspect.
• Senior SP A Satish Ganesh stated that the servant must have murdered in an inebriated state and fled.
• SP (City) Mahesh Mishra declared that the case will be solved within 24 hours.

May 17:

• Hemraj, the main suspect, was accused as the culprit in the FIR lodged by father Rajesh Talwar.
• The help was later found dead on the house’s terrace after police broke open the locked door.
• Special task force (STF) joins the probe.
• SP (City) Mishra made statement that surgical equipment was used in the murders and the killer knew the house well.
• Police seek call details of the mobile phones of Aarushi and Hemraj.

May 19:

• SP (City) Mishra was transferred along with the SHO of Sector-20 police station Dataram Nauneria.
• SSP Ganesh said that it was clear that the murderer had access to all parts of the house.

May 20:

• Former family help Vishnu Thapa was suspected in the case, as reported from the office of state’s Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal.
• SSP Ganesh said that Vishnu’s whereabouts were not known.
• Aarushi’s parents were questioned for several hours.
• Later in the day, SSP Ganesh claimed the case will be cracked within 24 hours.

May 21:

• Citing the post-mortem examination report, ADGP Lal ruled out rape of the girl.
• Driver Umesh Sharma told police that he had seen Aarushi with her parents just before dinner on the night of incident (Thursday).
• Ashok Tripathi took over as the new SP (City), conducting raids and sealed Talwars’ garage.
• Sector-39 SHO Anil Samania was made the new investigating officer of the case.
• Delhi police team visits to assist the UP police in probe.

May 22:

• Claiming that the police had almost cracked the case, SSP Ganesh said that the twin murders were possibly “honour killing”.
• Aarushi’s friend Anmol, whom she had talked to before being killed, was questioned by the police for hours.

May 23:

• Parents questioned for five hours.
• Talwars arrested along with another doctor Anita Durrani; their houses raided.

 

 

Aane Se Uske Aayegi Bahaar.....

 

Metro Proposed to run by 2012 in Greater Noida and by 2015 in Jewar.

Joint meeting of Noida- Greater noida and GDA decides to go for DPR Preparation within a month on these proposed lines.

Total cost of the project Rs 11,000 crore will be borne by three authorities.

In first phae Metro will operate between Sector 32 Noida -, Parichowk - Knowledge Park 5.

Phase II KP 5 - Noida Sector 62 in 2014 and phase III in 2015 Jewar line.

Project will be implemented by DMRC.

Region will get a quantum boost for hyper economic, trade and commerce activities due to which eEduaction, hospitality and IT industries would propsper.(Source Jagran) 14th May

For more....Noida-Greater-Noida-Archive