By RAJIV GOEL
When a city is developed as an industrial hub by attracting hundreds of big industry and big IT names to boost the economy of city , the second level of industries which we generally identify as MSME and small IT companies who work on product support for big IT companies also set up their establishment in a journey to grow it further. Now when these come up, cost becomes an important factor for their survival specially Micro level industrial and IT companies as they are 100% dependent upon entrepreneurs & associates of informal sector. This informal sector mainly of household levels involves people who support the entire value chain at third level. When this system starts growing, people from other places like Delhi or other fully developed city starts flowing into this city. One has to appreciate that when this last strata flows, city starts growing in full bloom or to say mathematically exponentially.
Let’s talk about the growth of Noida which has just touched the point, called inflection point, from where it’s going to be exponential. However, choice is with citizens and administrators to ride on exponential wave or to remain stagnant or on roller coaster as far as growth is concerned. Here as a citizen one should keep it remember that NOIDA is not" Awas Vikas" but an industrial township where administration and NA are making all their best effort to make it first choice for residential purposes also. Why this point is relevant here?
From time to time, mixed residential-commercial activities like guest house, PG, small grocery shop or shop for daily routine activities, are crushed by almost all the departments in Noida, sometimes with NA orders, sometimes court orders and sometimes civil activists. At the same time hundreds of people are involved in activities which causes problem to society at large, may not be to immediate neighbours. Point is given master plan, NGT, rules ….
There are some important issues which should also be considered.
Who are these people involved into such tertiary services. Most of them are part of value chain who is dependent upon some Rs 25-30000 per month to run their family. They run PG and provide space and food at Rs 5000 in city like noida, earn for them and support the big objective of noida industries to keep their balance sheet in black. Else, either boys & girl will ask for higher salaries. Many are poor student who come here for education. They run guest house so that business travellers and middle class families get rooms for guest at one-fifth rates. These small groceries running from their room able to provide goods at next door & at discount else market shops charge at market rates. Overall they make city economical one.
One should also appreciate that property is also an investment and if people cannot depend upon this investment, they will have to shift this investment to some other location. Ultimately, zindagi to jeeni hai. Property rates in noida coming down whereas nearby area of delhi, rates are going up.
Go to any city in India or abroad, mixed land use is available to people. If NA will crush these tertiary service provider, new people will invest in properties in noida villages where such tertiary services are not objected.
Who is loser and who is gaining by prohibiting such tertiary services in city. Every where one can see Tolet in noida city , be it residential or industrial area. Sometimes, it appears it’s city named "Tolet".
My take is NA & administration must regulate tertiary service provider may be with some reasonable fee rather prohibiting these services 100%. This will ensure better valuations of property in city, more transactions & thus increase in revenue.
Let’s think about sustainability of city with healthy, wealthy & prosperous citizens !!!
