Sports City project faces encroachment

13 Sep 2023 CW Team

Residents have reported that local vendors have set up makeshift stalls and tin shades on vacant plots within the Sports City project. Additionally, unauthorised excavation and illegal soil sales have occurred on some of these vacant plots.

Despite complaints from residents, the Noida Authority has struggled to address the issue effectively. Ashok Vardhan, a resident of an unfinished Sports City project in Sector 79, expressed frustration, stating that the Authority has been unable to register flats or complete the Sports City projects, and encroachments continue unchecked.

While the Noida Authority had previously removed shanties from the project site in March, these encroachments have reappeared within a few months.

Sanwarjeet Singh, another resident, pointed out the emergence of an indoor academy on a vacant plot. He mentioned that the plot had been covered with tin sheets to establish a cricket academy, but this was just one instance of encroachment on project land. Squatters have occupied various vacant plots, as well as a 35-meter-wide greenbelt nearby, over the past five years.

In response to the situation, ACEO Satish Pal of Noida stated that the Authority would investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

The delayed Sports City project has left around 15,000 flat owners in nearly 15 projects within the sector awaiting the registration of their units. The Sports City project, initially aimed at providing top-notch sporting infrastructure alongside housing, has been plagued by challenges, including land allocation issues.

In April of this year, the Allahabad High Court sought a response from the Noida Authority regarding its decision to initiate action against developers for failing to complete Sports City on time, given that the entire land required for the project had not yet been allotted.

The Sports City project in Sector 79, Noida, has faced significant setbacks due to a failure to meet basic licensing requirements for developing sports infrastructure alongside housing projects. As a result, the project is now grappling with encroachments by small sports academies and vendors.Residents have reported that local vendors have set up makeshift stalls and tin shades on vacant plots within the Sports City project. Additionally, unauthorised excavation and illegal soil sales have occurred on some of these vacant plots.Despite complaints from residents, the Noida Authority has struggled to address the issue effectively. Ashok Vardhan, a resident of an unfinished Sports City project in Sector 79, expressed frustration, stating that the Authority has been unable to register flats or complete the Sports City projects, and encroachments continue unchecked.While the Noida Authority had previously removed shanties from the project site in March, these encroachments have reappeared within a few months.Sanwarjeet Singh, another resident, pointed out the emergence of an indoor academy on a vacant plot. He mentioned that the plot had been covered with tin sheets to establish a cricket academy, but this was just one instance of encroachment on project land. Squatters have occupied various vacant plots, as well as a 35-meter-wide greenbelt nearby, over the past five years.In response to the situation, ACEO Satish Pal of Noida stated that the Authority would investigate the matter and take appropriate action.The delayed Sports City project has left around 15,000 flat owners in nearly 15 projects within the sector awaiting the registration of their units. The Sports City project, initially aimed at providing top-notch sporting infrastructure alongside housing, has been plagued by challenges, including land allocation issues.In April of this year, the Allahabad High Court sought a response from the Noida Authority regarding its decision to initiate action against developers for failing to complete Sports City on time, given that the entire land required for the project had not yet been allotted.

Real Estate

03 Jun 2026

India Data Centre Capacity Surpasses 1.6 GW in 2025

India's data centre market has crossed 1.6 GW of live IT capacity across seven key markets in 2025, up from 296 MW in 2016, according to Knight Frank India's India Data Centre Market Update 2025. The sector added 371.5 MW of capacity during 2025, following 361.6 MW added in 2024, reflecting sustained growth driven by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud adoption, enterprise digitisation and data localisation requirements. The report notes that committed and early-stage development pipelines now exceed 8 GW, supported by investment commitments of more than USD 100 billion. AI-related colocation..

Technology

03 Jun 2026

BigBloc Q4 Revenue Rises 34.6 Per Cent to Rs 869.3 Million

BigBloc Construction reported consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 869.3 million in Q4 FY26, marking a 34.6 per cent year-on-year increase from Rs 645.9 million in the corresponding quarter last year. EBITDA stood at Rs 70.6 million, reflecting stable performance despite continued pressure on the building materials sector. For FY26, the company posted revenue from operations of Rs 2.83 billion, up 26.2 per cent from Rs 2.25 billion in FY25. EBITDA for the year stood at Rs 229.3 million, with an EBITDA margin of 8.09 per cent. Commenting on the performance, Mohit Saboo, Director & CFO, ..

Equipment

03 Jun 2026

John Crane Retrofit Cuts Water Use at Copper Mine Pump

John Crane has retrofitted a mechanical seal on a large underflow thickener slurry pump at a major copper mining operation, reducing sealing water consumption by around 288,000 litres per day while improving maintenance efficiency on a critical asset.The retrofit replaced the pump's traditional stuffing box arrangement, which required shaft sleeve replacement every four months due to abrasive wear. These maintenance activities involved significant downtime, a 100-tonne crane and extensive manpower.John Crane developed a mechanical seal package that could be installed without modifying the exis..