‘Smart’ villages to be developed along theYamuna Expressway

A survey will be conducted to identify two villages, which will be developed into ‘smart villages’. Later, each of 96 villages will the facilities such as drainage, sewage, education and better health infrastructure, among others.

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) has decided to develop ‘smart’ villages along the 165 km Yamuna Expressway that connects Greater Noida with Agra. Yeida aims to provide sewage, drainage, drinking water and other facilities under the smart village project.

The move by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority( office in photo), to develop smart villages along the Yamuna Expressway, is aimed at appeasing farmers whose land is being acquired for the international airport project at Jewar. (Sunil Ghosh / HT Photo)

The motive behind the project is apparently to appease farmers, whose land is being acquired for the international airport project at Jewar along the Yamuna Expressway. Around 500 farmers have filed their objections seeking around Rs 3,500 per square metre for their agricultural land identified for the proposed airport. But the UP government wants to give only Rs 2,300- Rs 2,500 per square metre for the agricultural land meant for airport project. To pacify the farmers, the Yeida is trying to lure the farmers in the name of development in villages.

Yeida has allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore for the development of villages located around the Yamuna Expressway. The money will be spent on development of civic amenities at par with the urban areas. The authority has decided to conduct a surenjoy vey to make a detailed project report to develop the ‘smart’ villages.

“We will develop first two smart villages to start the project. And later we will provide all basic civic amenities in all villages. We will also appoint two safai karamcharis in each village for better cleanliness,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, Yeida.

A survey will be conducted to identify two villages, which will be developed into ‘smart villages’. Later, each of 96 villages will the facilities such as drainage, sewage, education and better health infrastructure, among others.

At present, the villages do not have drainage, sewage and drinking water facilities. Village rs depend on ground water for their drinking water needs. The rain water is wasted in the absence of drainage network in almost every village. And sewage is also dumped in the open in all these 96 villages. The Yamuna expressway authority wants to develop basic amenities so that the villages do not dump their sewage in the open.

“The Yeida should focus on the development of required civic facilities without further delay because the villagers do not even have excess to basic things,” said Mahendra Singh, an advocate and resident of village Parohi.

In 2001, the Uttar Pradesh government had established Yeida for development in areas between Greater Noida and Agra. The objective was to setup industries to generate employment and develop urban areas. Around 2 lakh hectares from 1,187 villages of six districts, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura and Agra, were notified under YIEDA. However, the authority has been able to acquire only 16,000 hectares of land along the e-way.

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