A Supreme Court order,directing banks and nursing homes being run in residential areas across Noida to shut shop within two months,has left most residents disappointed. Residents said it was convenient to have these establishments within walking distance of their homes,and displacing them to far-off places would only increase security risks. While Noida Authority officials did not give the exact number of nursing homes in residential areas across Noida,they said there are 127 bank branches in Noida 80 per cent of which are run from residential plots. N P Singh,president of the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations,said,This decision will result in these banks having to move away from the colonies,affecting residents adversely. At present,there are bank branches in almost every colony. Large amounts of money changes hands. If the banks move to commercial centres five to 10 km away,the security risk will increase manifold. Also,having nursing homes close to residential areas means we can have faster access to healthcare in emergencies. Deepak Singh,who lives in Sector-19,said,There are close to five or six different bank branches in the sector itself,all of residential plots. But if they have to move out,then the residents will suffer greatly. Also,I am concerned that some branches may close down altogether. How will they find commercial plots for so many branches? Officials of the Noida Authority,however,said the order was expected because it has always been the policy to prevent commercial activities in residential areas. Our legal team had been sending notices to these institutions asking them to wrap up their activities. The court order has come as a result of two landlords,R K Mittla and Dhani Ram,challenging our notices, a senior official said. The decision on how to relocate the banks,and by which agency,would be taken only after a detailed study of the court order,he added. The RWAs,however,seem to have come up with an alternative which they intend to present to the Noida Authority. At present,small commercial areas have been authorised in each colony for marketplaces. The Authority only allows shops to function through single-floor buildings. The Authority could probably permit four to five floors at these structures,so banks and nursing homes can be run from there, Singh said.
