Now open in Noida: NTPC underpass, Medicinal and Herbal garden

After a wait of over three years, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) underpass at a busy crossroad of the city was inaugurated Wednesday.

Also, a Herbal and Medicinal park, spread across 25 acres and developed at a cost of Rs 21.96 crore, in Sector 91 was thrown open to the public.

Both the projects were inaugurated jointly by Union Minister and Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh and Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana.

The projects have been developed by the Noida Authority. Senior officials of theNoida Authority including its chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alok Tandon and General Manager Rajeev Tyagi were present during the inaugurations.

The 640-metre underpass -- at the crossroad of Sectors 24, 25A, 32 and 33A -- has been developed by the Noida Authority at a cost of Rs 55.55 crore, officials said.

The project had started on June 30, 2015 and completed on October 8, 2018, they said..

With the underpass going functional, the traffic coming from sectors 11, 12, 22 will have hassle-free movement towards sectors 47, 48, 49 and Phase II besides the expressway.

Locals expected that the underpass will benefit commuters as the stretch, one of the busiest in the city, goes signal-less (without any red lights).

"I see heavy traffic situation here during morning and evening. Often the traffic police would be deployed to control the situation," said a security guard of a private firm who works nearby the site.

The 640-metre two-lane underpass has two carriage ways on both sides. The two lanes are separated by a two-metre verge in between.

"Free left turn and U-turns are available on the road above the underpass to ease commuters' movement," the official said.

The project is also Noida's first underpass to have wall arts and murals.

The Noida Authority had collaborated with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts for the beautification of the underpass.

Sharma, the Union Minister of Culture, also inaugurated a painted mural installation for the underpass.

"Public art is part of our culture and tradition, and we hope this initiative will be an inspiration for other arts institutions and cultural organisations in the country," he said, according to a statement.

The Medicinal and Herbal Garden has been developed on a triangular shaped land in Sector 91.

According to officials, the guarden has plants of herbal and medicinal values including neem, imli, baheda, harad, reetha, curry leaves, amla, olives, arjun, bel, and fruit plants such as wild guavas, mango, pomegranate and papaya.

"The park has a pathway for walkers, an open air amphitheatre, mini water bodies, a natural lake with zero discharge, a food court and parking facility for vehicles," the official said.