Greater Noida, less than 30 minutes' drive from Delhi, has attracted Rs 9,000 crore investment since economic liberalisation. Proposals worth over Rs 3,000 crore are under implementation from major Indian and foreign industrial houses, making the region the best industrial destination innorth India.
IT development in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad is being hampered as a result of poor water supply and inferior transport facilities. The willingness by Wipro chief Azim Premji to invest in Greater Noida has given a boost to the area's image. The interest reflected by business tycoons like Premji speaks volumes about the place. Wipro's investment in the proposed 3,100-acre IT city will revolutionise the BPO and software world in this part of the country. "'Greater Noida is emerging as a distinctive township with a combination of splendid residential facilities and world-class industries in exports and software," says Rakesh Bahadur, Chairman and CEO, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority.
The Authority is also trying to capitalise on the opportunities in the world IT market, as has been predicted by NASSCOM. To be developed over an area of 2,500 acres, the land distribution for the IT Park is under way, and 100 acres have already been distributed. Plots will be distributed to small and big companies, including IT giants like Infosys, HCL and Wipro. Other major investments are from Moser Baer (Rs 1,000 crore), Shriram Honda Power
Equipment, Videocon International, Hotline, Haier Appliances and Konka of China (Rs 400 crore).
Greater Noida already has Daewoo Motors, Escorts Yamaha and Honda Siel Cars India, supported by Rs 500 crore auto ancillary units, which has made this the 'Detroit of North India'. The other projects under implementation are
the Rs 500 crore Toy City, a women's entrepreneur park, a trade mart of ministry of textiles, an apparel park, a software park, a special economic zone with 100 per cent export oriented units and a Rs 230 crore frozen food
complex.
The Night Safari Park spread over 35 hectares is another project that will make Greater Noida a conspicuous city. To boost handicraft and small industries, a 60-acre trade mart is under construction. This Indian Exposition Mart will be the first of its kind in the country. The Rs 600 crore mart will work as a hub for importers and exporters. The three-storey, centrally air-conditioned building will have a parking capacity for 8,000
cars and 200 trucks at a time.
The city is soon going to construct a world-class eight-lane express highway on which nearly 230,000 commuters will travel daily. To provide more interconnectivity with neighbouring states and cities, the Rail India Technical and Economic Services is conducting a feasibility study for a metro line from Delhi to Greater Noida. The Railways Vikas Nigam has cleared another project that involves the laying of a 36-km line from Tughlakabad to
Boraki in Greater Noida.
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