NOIDA: The hectic pace of urban development notwithstanding, Noida and Greater Noida are still census towns (CTs) because they are not governed by municipalities. This is according to a study by the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research (CPR), which is currently profiling India’s expanding urban centres. 

A CT is defined as a rural area with a high population density and where more than 75% of the workforce is engaged in non-farming activities. And Noida and Greater Noida together, at present, have 343 villages which have elected panchayats. The urban areas of Noida and Greater Noida are managed by respective authorities. 

“Noida and Greater Noida do not qualify to be cities, but as CTs as they have an authority looking after the development activities and yet, there are villages which are governed by the district administration and ruled by panchayats,” Kanu Charan Pradhan, co-author of Future of Census Towns, a research work by CPR, told TOI. 

However, the number of CTs are on the rise in India in comparison to the number of municipalities that are growing. 

“The CTs are growing because of increased urbanisation in the country. However, there is also a need for increased civic, health and governance support required for these cities,” he added.

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