Did not call him when he broke down on TV: Tikait’s wife Sunita
The consultant will design the layout, define land-use, development model and other details for the project that aims to acquire at least 20,000 hectares
Sunita Devi, wife of BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, said she is proud of her husband who has been fighting for the cause of the farmers. “I have seen my family taking part in agitations for past 36 years, since I got married,” she said.
She said she saw her husband break down for the first time on January 28. “I saw him on television with tears in his eyes, but I decided I will not call him and let him continue the fight. If anyone feels cheated, what will they do? The next day, there was a gathering of about one lakh in the mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar,” she added.
Tikait’s family, including his children and the family of his brother, BKU president Naresh Tikait, have also visited UP Gate.
Rajbir Singh, BKU’S state vice-president, said: “They, including women, share their opinions. My wife at home is keenly following our protest. If she observes us saying anything we shouldn’t have, she will immediately call and will tell me,” he said.
NOIDA: The blueprint for ‘New Noida’, a new city to be brought under the ambit of Noida, is to be worked out soon as the Noida authority is likely to hire a consultant for the project.
The consultant will design the layout, define land-use, development model and other details for the new Noida project that aims to acquire at least 20,000 hectares of agricultural land increasing the size of the city to double of what it is today.
“We are likely to issue a request for proposal inviting bids from interested agencies soon. Once the agency is selected, we will plan out the development model. The authority will start its job only after the state government approves the development model,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.
Officials said the state government has not specified whether it will acquire agricultural land from farmers as per provisions of the Land Pooling Policy, direct purchase or the Land Act, 2013.
“Nothing has been decided yet. After the consultant suggests some models, the state government will finalise the matter and issue directions,” said the authority’s chief executive officer.
On January 3 this year, the Uttar Pradesh government had decided to add 80 more villages to Noida – 60 from Bulandshahr
and 20 from Gautam Budh Nagar – with an aim to ready industrial land so as to create opportunities by boosting growth in the region, as no more land is available within the existing city limits for new allotments.
As of now, Noida is spread over 54 villages.
Under its current plan, Noida is spread across 20,000 hectares, bookended by the Yamuna and Hindon rivers.
It has around 16,000 hectares of urbanised area, of which 47% is for residential development, 13% industrial
usage.
The rest of the area, however, is for other usages such as commercial, institutional, and green purposes.
The Noida authority is left with about a total of 250 hectares of land earmarked for industrial usage but is yet to be acquired from farmers, officials said.
DPR of Film City project to be ready by Feb 10
The detailed project report (DPR) of the Film City project will be ready by February 10, officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) said on Monday.
Yeida on December 14 last year had finalised CBRE South Asia Private Limited as the consultant for the state government’s ambitious project to be developed in sector 21 along the Yamuna Expressway.
“The report will consist of feasibility study, financial model, developmental model, design and the best practices,
among others. Once it is submitted on February 10, the authority will send the same to the Uttar Pradesh government for further decision,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, Yeida.
The project report will also cover future demand, employment, cost and revenue estimates, break-even point, and roles of various stakeholders, among others, officials said.
Yeida has been exploring three models -- public-private partnership (PPP), the authority alone, or another single developer -- to develop the mega project. The DPR is expected to find an answer to this question.
“The UP government will decide the model for the project once it receives the CBRE report. Then the model will be discussed and approved by the state cabinet. Once the cabinet approves it, the authority will implement the model,” said a UP government official not authorised to speak to the media.
We are likely to issue a request for proposal inviting bids from interested agencies. RITU MAHESHWARI,
CEO, Noida authority