Noida

Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is an important industrial city located in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. It is part of the National Capital Region (NCR), which includes the busy city of Delhi. Noida was created in 1976 to help spread out growth from Delhi and has become one of India’s most carefully planned cities.

The city is known for being very green, with more than half of its area covered in plants and trees. Noida works hard to keep its environment healthy and has many beautiful gardens and parks. In 2015, it was named the best city in Uttar Pradesh and one of the cleanest cities in India.

Noida is also a major center for technology and business. Many big companies, such as Microsoft, Samsung, and HCL, have offices and factories there. The city makes a large part of India’s mobile phones, with brands like Samsung and Xiaomi producing most of their phones in Noida. With about 11,000 factories and businesses, Noida plays a big role in India’s economy.

History

Noida officially began on April 17, 1976, and celebrates that date as "Noida Day". It was created during a time of big changes in the country called the Emergency period from 1975 to 1977. The city was started under special rules made in 1976 in Uttar Pradesh. A leader named Sanjay Gandhi helped set it up. Today, Noida has one of the highest incomes per person in the state of Uttar Pradesh, more than in Lucknow. It is also a special area for growing businesses and jobs, known as a special economic zone. The group that manages Noida is one of the wealthiest in the country.

Geography

Noida is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state in India. It is about 19 kilometres southeast of New Delhi and near the Yamuna and Hindon River. The soil in Noida is rich and good for growing plants.

Climate

Noida has a hot and dry climate. Summers from March to June can be very hot, with temperatures between 30 °C and 48 °C. The rainy season, called monsoon, runs from late June to mid-September. Winters can be quite cold, sometimes dropping to around 2 °C, and the city often has fog and smoke, especially in January.

Demographics

Noida has many different groups of people. Some big groups include the Rajput community, Gujjars, Brahmins, and Scheduled Castes. The Muslim community is also an important part of the city.

In 2011, Noida had about 637,000 people. Most people there practice Hinduism, and there are many well-known Hindu temples in the city. Hindi is the most spoken language, but other languages like Urdu and Punjabi are also used by some people.

Government and politics

Administration

Water Management

Noida was chosen as a "water warrior" city by the Jal Shakti Ministry for using wastewater for irrigation. The city has eight sewage treatment plants that can handle a lot of water.

Authority

The NOIDA Authority takes care of the city's buildings and roads. It was created under a special law from 1976. The authority is led by a chairman and a CEO, both of whom are important government officers. The authority is part of the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government.

General administration

The Gautam Budh Nagar district is part of Meerut division, led by a Divisional Commissioner. The district is managed by a District Magistrate, who handles property records, collects money for the government, and oversees elections. The current District Magistrate is Medha Roopam.

Law enforcement

In 2020, Uttar Pradesh announced that Noida would have a Commissionerate Police system. The Commissioner of Police reports directly to the top police officer of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is divided into three police zones, each led by a zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police. There are also special units for traffic, crime, and women's safety.

Courts

The court for Noida is located in Surajpur Greater Noida. It was built in 2012 and has 18 courtrooms.

Constituencies

Noida has its own assembly constituency, and the city is part of the Gautam Buddha Nagar parliamentary constituency.

Residential sectors and villages

Noida has many residential areas and villages. As of 2021, there are 168 residential sectors offering different types of homes.

Utilities

Infrastructure

Noida is known for being very clean. The city has many tall buildings and good roads. Some areas used to flood often, but new bridges like the Parthala Flyover help with traffic. Noida has extra money each year that it saves in banks.

A very tall building named "Supernova Spira" is being built and will be the tallest residential tower in northern India when it is finished.

Hospitals

Noida has many hospitals, including:

• Yatharth Hospitals
• Kailash Hospitals
• Metro Hospitals
• Fortis Hospital
• Max Super Speciality Hospital
• Felix Hospital

Economy

In recent years, Noida has grown into an important place for companies that create software and mobile apps. Big names like Microsoft, Arm Holdings, HCL, Samsung, and Barclays have set up offices there, helping the city's economy by making and selling software products around the world.

Samsung has also made a big investment in Noida, putting in a lot of money to support local manufacturing as part of India's "Make in India" plan. Additionally, Paytm, one of India's biggest financial technology companies, has its main office in Noida.

Cityscape

Parks and recreation

See also: Okhla Sanctuary and Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden

Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) is located at the start of the city where the Yamuna river flows into Uttar Pradesh from Delhi. The Okhla Barrage on the Yamuna river helps create a special place for birds. OBS is one of the important bird areas in India, with around 324 different kinds of birds, many of which travel from far away each year.

Noida Botanical Garden

Noida's botanical garden started in 2002 with the goal of protecting special and endangered plants from all over the country. It is found in Sector 38A and covers 160 acres today. The garden has about 7,500 plants and a seed bank holding seeds from over 250 plant types. It even has a map of India made entirely from plants!

Scientists at the garden work to save endangered and extinct plants. One special plant is Psilotum nudum, known as skeleton fork fern. It is considered one of the oldest plant types, possibly from 400 million years ago.

The garden is divided into 10 sections. One section has plants that help different parts of the body, like plants for digestion, blood, muscles, and skin. There is also a big fruit area with many types of mango, pomegranate, lemon, and more, including a special black guava. The garden also features a woodland area with many different kinds of trees and a pond with beautiful water lilies.

Noida Dog Park

The Noida Dog Park is a 3.85-acre park for dogs and their owners. It allows dogs to play off-leash and meet other dogs. The park has shelters for stray dogs, and there are plans to add a place to buy dog food and a clinic for vet care. Pet trainers will also be available.

Transport

Metro

Noida is connected by rail using the Noida Metro and Delhi Metro.

• The Noida Metro is a fast way to move around the cities of Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It has one line called the Aqua Line, which is 29.7 kilometres long and has 21 stops. A second line is planned.
• The Delhi Metro started running in Noida on 12 November 2009. It now links Connaught Place and Dwarka through the Blue Line. This same line also connects Noida with Vaishali using the Yamuna Bank interchange station.
• Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line links Noida and Janakpuri using Botanical Garden and Janakpuri West stops.

Noida isn’t directly linked by high-speed rail, but there are nearby train stations you can reach by road, such as Ghaziabad railway station and Anand Vihar Terminal. However, most people use the New Delhi Railway Station and Old Delhi Railway station, which are reachable by metro, to travel to Noida.

Road

See also: DND Flyway, Noida–Greater Noida Expressway, and Yamuna Expressway

Noida’s roads are mostly laid out in a grid, and the main roads are six lanes wide. The city has three main expressways. One is the DND Flyway, linking Noida and Delhi across the Yamuna River. The second is the Noida–Greater Noida Expressway, connecting Noida to Greater Noida. The third is the Yamuna Expressway, which links Greater Noida to Agra through Mathura. Four more expressways are being built and will pass through the city: the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi–Meerut Expressway, Upper Ganges Canal Expressway, and the Ganga Expressway.

A special 4.8 kilometre elevated road crosses the whole city in just five minutes. It starts at Flex crossing and ends at Vishwa Bharti school. More elevated roads and underpasses are planned.

Local buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws are available for shorter trips.

Air

The closest airport to Noida is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

In June 2017, the government approved building an international airport in Jewar, named the Noida International Airport. Construction began on 25 November 2021. A test flight was done successfully on 9 December 2024. The airport is expected to open in April 2026. When finished, it will be India’s largest airport and will help connect the NCR better.

Education

Noida has many colleges and universities. One of the main universities is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, and there are several other colleges connected to it. Some of these include Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Government Post Graduate College Noida, IMS Law College, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, and JSS Academy of Technical Education.

There are also many high schools in Noida. Some well-known ones are Amity International School, Noida, Delhi Public School, Noida, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Maharishi Vidya Mandir, and Ryan International School.

Media

Noida is a popular place for making movies, TV shows, and news programs. Many big music and news companies have offices there, like T-Series and Film City. Directors like to film in Noida because it shows city life and college scenes well. The city has wide roads, colleges, and busy streets that make great backdrops.

Several news channels, such as News Nation, WION, Zee News, NDTV, TV Today, Network 18, NewsX, and India TV, have studios in Noida. Newspapers like Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, The Indian Express, Tricity Today, and The Times of India also work there. Being close to Delhi, the country’s political center, makes Noida a good spot for news teams. New shopping malls like Mall of India, The Great India Place, and Modi Mall have also opened, bringing more activity to the area.

Sports

See also: Noida Cricket Stadium and Jaypee Sports City

In 2005, Noida hosted a big running event called the Noida Half-Marathon and the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games. In 2010, cycling races took place at the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. The city has a big Golf Course in the southern part.

In 2011, Greater Noida held its first Formula One race, the Indian Grand Prix, at the Buddh International Circuit. This track was the first of its kind in South Asia.

Noida has a large cricket stadium in Sector 21, called the Noida Cricket Stadium. It can hold about 20,000 people and has many sports facilities, including places for cycling, golf, football, basketball, squash, table tennis, lawn tennis, and skating.

Plans are underway to build an even bigger sports complex in Sector 152. This new stadium will be able to hold 50,000 people and will cover 125 acres of land, making it larger than the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.

Notable people

Literature and the arts

• Vikram Seth, novelist and poet

Politics

• Mahesh Sharma, politician
• Nawab Singh Nagar, politician
• Tejpal Singh Nagar, politician
• Pankaj Singh, politician, MLA for Noida
• D. P. Yadav, politician

Sports

• Parvinder Awana, Indian cricketer
• Varun Singh Bhati, para high jumper
• Shivam Mavi, Indian cricketer
• Robin Singh, footballer
• Arjun Vajpai, mountaineer

Villages in Noida City

See also: List of cities in Uttar Pradesh, Nangli Wazidpur, and Nithari

Noida started out as about 81 villages, but today it is part of the Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.

Even though these villages in Noida don’t have permanent postal addresses yet, officials plan to change that. They will use special drones from the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) to take pictures from the air. This will help give each house a proper address. Making these maps will take about a year. Once done, it will be easier to share information about land rights and development plans. The maps will also help solve land disputes and make land transfers simpler.