Noida Authority forms two committees to restart work on golf course, new office building

Noida authority has formed two committees that will look into the funding issues of the under-construction golf course and its new office building

The Noida authority has formed two committees that will look into the funding issues of the under-construction Golf course in Sector 151A and the authority’s new office building in Sector 96, senior officials in the know of the matter said on Tuesday.

Around 70% work was over on the Noida authority’s new office building in Sector 96, but then it got stuck, said officials. (HT Archive)

Due to an escalation in the budget, these two projects have been delayed, said officials. The two committees will resolve the funding issues and help in restarting the work so that the two projects can be completed and delivered without further delay, said officials.

One committee is headed by the authority’s additional chief executive officer Satish Pal, and includes officer on special duty Mahendra Prasad and finance controller. It will look into the funding escalation of the golf course project.

The second committee is headed by the authority’s additional chief executive officer Sanjay Kumar Khatri, and comprises officer on special duty Mahendra Prasad and finance controller. It will look into the budget escalation issues of Sector 96 office building. The two committees will submit their report in the next one month, and pave the way for work completion, said officials.

“Once the committees prepare and submit their respective reports, the authority will decide the next course of action,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer, Noida authority.

Lokesh M, along with other senior officials, on Monday reviewed the two projects and suggested changes in the design.

In the golf course project, the authority has decided to change the interior design, which will lead to an escalation in the budget, said officials.

At the Sector 96 building, the authority has decided to make changes in the design of rooms, departments and public space to make the building more user friendly, said officials.

The authority earlier had decided to build a single store room for files of all departments, and a separate seating space for visitors to each department.

But the changes suggested envisage a separate storage space for each department. This revision was made so as to make the storage of data more methodical and the search for files easy, said officials.

Also, the CEO room and public space for visitors will be developed in such a manner that the general public do not face any hassle, said officials.

The authority is constructing an 18-hole golf course in Sector 151A along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. The authority has already finished administrative and cafeteria structures and is now accelerating the landscaping work.

In June 2021, the authority hired a private agency to develop the golf course, and this will be the second golf course developed by the government -- the first 18-hole golf course in Sector 38A was set up in the 1990s.

According to officials, the authority approved a tentative budget of ₹90 crore for developing the golf course at Sector 151A during its 198th board meeting in February 2020. The project includes a 90-acre golf course, a 20-acre adventure sports facility, and a 10-acre heliport.

The Noida authority in February 2015 started work on a ₹477 crore state-of-the-art green building project in Sector 96. The project was supposed to be ready by 2019. But the authority missed multiple deadlines in the past. The authority had planned to build two buildings -- an 18 storey one and an eight-storey one.

In October 2022, the authority hired a new contractor for the construction work as the previous one delayed the project. Around 70% of the project has been completed so far, said officials.