The Supreme Court of India has suggested that the Uttar Pradesh government consider converting the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) into a metropolitan corporation. The court suggested making Noida a metropolitan corporation for better implementation of citizen-centric services.
What Is a Metropolitan Corporation?
A metropolitan corporation is a form of urban local government in India. Its aim is to administer large urban areas with populations of one million or more. Unlike the current Noida Authority, which is a state-appointed bureaucratic body, a metropolitan corporation is a democratically elected third tier of government. The third tier of government operates at the grassroots level — Panchayati Raj institutions and urban municipalities — below the Union and State governments.
What Is Noida’s Current Status?
The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority was constituted in 1976 under the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Area Development Act of 1976. Currently, Noida is an industrial township. The authority comes under the purview of the UP Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department, and day-to-day activities in Noida are run by an appointed IAS officer.
How Is Noida Different From Other Cities?
Unlike other cities, Noida does not have a municipal corporation to perform daily functions like street lighting, garbage, public health and sewage. While the Noida Authority performs some civic functions, its primary role is that of a development and land-owning body. A metropolitan corporation, on the other hand, is specifically designed to manage a wide range of civic services — water supply, sanitation, public health, road maintenance, and urban planning — funded primarily from property taxes and state grants.
Benefits of Converting Noida Into a Metropolitan Corporation
If Noida is converted into a metropolitan corporation, it would bring a fundamental shift in its governance. Residents would get the following benefits:
Elected local government: this would be the most significant change. For the first time, residents would have an elected local government to address their daily civic issues. The current system has been criticised for being reactive rather than proactive in resolving citizens’ complaints.
Increased transparency: the shift to a democratic, ward-based system would bring greater public transparency, benefiting decision-making and project implementation.
Financial autonomy: a metropolitan corporation would have the power to levy and collect property taxes, providing a dedicated source of revenue to fund local services and infrastructure projects.
End of an anomaly: Noida is currently the only major city in India with a population exceeding a million that does not have an elected municipal body. Converting it into a metropolitan corporation would align its governance model with other major Indian cities.