GHAZIABAD

Over the years Ghaziabad has managed to carved out a niche for itself on the world map and emerged as one of the most sought after destinations.

Till Late 1990s: Ghaziabad was just a nondescript town on the outskirts of Delhi. It was better known for providing safe haven for hardcore criminals. Not surprisingly it was a forbidden territory and few people dared to venture there and for many Ghaziabad just didn't exist.

Year 2008: Ghaziabad has been judged as one of the top ten hottest destinations of the world by Newsweek magazine. Gone are the days of obscurity. Today Ghaziabad has emerged as one of the best swanky towns. It has managed to carve a niche for itself on world map. World Class Township, state-of-the-art malls, higher study centers have redefined the paradigms of Ghaziabad.

Listed below are some of the key elements that have emerged pillars of the so-called modern Ghaziabad:

Delhi Localities

Dream Home: Today Ghaziabad boasts of some of the great residential areas. No wonder over the years the place has become one of the most sort after addresses. Whenever someone starts a search for a house or for that matter even for an office space then Ghaziabad gets a fair amount of importance. The skyscrapers which have cropped all along the NH-24 and beyond bear testimony to this fact. City's skyline has been redefined.

Shopping Precincts: Instead of going to their area's kirana store now people flock to shopping plazas. Be it Big Bazaar, Spencers, Reliance Fresh or Subhiksha all big brands can be found in Ghaziabad. From shoppers stop to Westside to Reebok to Nike to Globus to Clolur Plus and much more. Almost all big names have become ubiquitous in Ghaziabad. The city no longer relies of their aged old tailors for their outfits. "Earlier even to buy a jeans I had to go either CP or South Extension in Delhi, now everything is available here only and that too of good quality," says Trishna, a college student.

Entertainment Redefined: Enter Ghaziabad from Delhi and as many as five multiplexes would try to lure you. If calculated then there are nearly 20 theaters. All equipped with modern equipment. In fact in Ad lab at Pacific Mall has the only I-Max theater of the NCR. All movie buffs from all over flock to experience the thrill at I-Max. But just a couple of years ago things were different. There were years old cinema halls which always sting and bear tobacco marks all over. "though there are so many multiplexes but none of them screen a English movie. I hope things would change in near future as more English speaking people would make Ghaziabad their home."

Though critics may still argue that even today Ghaziabad is lacking on many basics facilities, Like chaotic traffic, daily power cuts and pathetic transportation. Let me tell them that many projects are in the offing and once completed they would take care of the pitfalls.

Las Vegas, London and now - hold your breath - Ghaziabad! The wild west of UP is now up there among the 10 most dynamic cities of the world. A Newsweek survey, which put the city on the global map, happened in 2006 and since then Ghaziabad has been hip and happening. In two years, it has done a complete makeover by adding malls, hi-tech cities and golf courses to its new face.

Developed as the industrial hub of Uttar Prades, Ghaziabad has come long way from being called the poor cousin of Noida and Gurgaon in the NCR. "The fact that private developers can buy land directly from farmers in Ghaziabad, unlike in Noida and Greater Noida, helped the city score over others," says Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) secretary Raj Kumar Sacchan. Bid developers such as Shipra Estate, Emaar MGF, Sun City, Gaursons, Uppal Chaddha Group, Parsvnath and Landcraft are now betting big on the area. "the city's turnaround started a few years back when the cash-strapped GDA auctioned large tracts of land in Indirapuram to private builders. Today, that money is being deployed to provide world-class infrastructure and quality living to the whole area," he adds.

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But the city has grown also because of the spillover effect of industrialization in Noida and Greater Noida. Not only does Ghaziabad attract the IT/ITeS workforce from neighbouring Noida but it is also a cheaper residential and investment option for Delhi-bound commuters. "We will build more flats in Indirapuram and double the Shipra Mall capacity to little less than a a million sq ft. Two five-star hotels are also being planned in the area," he adds. To meet rising demand, developers are planning to pump huge amounts into various projects - residential and commercial. Uppal Chaddha Group and Sun City have got clearance for developing 1,500-acre hi-tech city each in the southeast part of the city.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Ghaziabad Development Authority have signed an agreement for extension of the Delhi Metro to Vaishali, Ghaziabad. Metro Extension to Vaishali would become a reality by September 2010.

Today painful commuting and chaotic traffic have become a curse of Ghaziabad. Scores of people go through daily order while commuting to their workplaces in Delhi and other parts of NCR. The existing public transportation is in urgent need of an overhauling. With no other option people are forced to either rely on their private transport or go through the grind everyday. But it seems that all this would become history soon. As in the year 2010 Metro-Vaishali extension would be ready. As a result it would be just 20 minutes journey to CP (Connaught Place) or ITO, whereas at present it takes about 45 minutes.

Under the proposed Phase-II of the metro rail, the Rajive Chowk-Anand Vihar link has been extended from Anand Vihar to Vaishali. The Metro will pass through Kaushambi before reaching Vaishali. Two stations for the metro have also been finalized at Kaushambi and Vaishali.

The total length of this line is 2.05 km and would be be built on an elevated track. The project is estimated at Rs. 167 crores. The project is expected to be completed by September 2010. Once the track is complete, the residents of the area can reach Rajiv Chowk in 22 minutes.

Thanks to te initiatives taken by the local authorities daily commuters to Greater Noida from Ghaziabad can look forward to a better bus service. A survey of putting additional buses on a daily basis on two routes between Ghaziabad and Greater Noida has been completed by the UP Roadways. The survey report is ready.

The new proposal is for 20 new buses to be commissioned on these routes. Once these buses are introduced, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida commuters will have access to a roadways bus every five minutes. Addition of this service will ease pressure on commuters having to change buses in between on these routes. So far the passengers have been traveling to Ghaziabad via Sector 37 in Noida. The other route is via Dadri and Surajpur. Under the new proposal, buses may start from Ghaziabad Railway Station to Noida's Sector 62, ARTO office, Atta Market, Amity and the Taj Expressway. The other route could cover Anand Vihar Bus Stand, Indirapuram, CISF Center, Model Town police chawki, Morna, Sector 37, Amity crossing and the Taj Expressway. If the routes are cleared the approved report shall be sent further to RTO for commissioning the plans.

Source: Times of India