Promised 'smart village' tag in 2015, still waiting for basic roads & drainage in 2026: Greater Noida villagers now want to erase village’s old identity with a new name

Eleven years after Sadullapur was selected as one of Greater Noida’s proposed ‘smart villages’, residents are still waiting for basic civic amenities. With poor roads, inadequate drainage and stalled development continuing to frustrate locals, a section of villagers is now seeking another change, renaming Sadullapur as Bharatpur, according to a report by TOI.

Sadullapur was among 14 villages identified in 2015 for development under the smart village programme. The plan promised better infrastructure, including paved roads, reliable water supply, drainage systems, street lighting, parks and other public facilities.

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More than a decade later, residents say several of these promises remain on paper.

Sadullapur roads turn into muddy tracks during monsoon

For the nearly 7,000 residents of Sadullapur, the monsoon has made an already difficult situation worse. Roads leading into the village remain largely unpaved, while rain has turned stretches into muddy and slippery tracks.

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Inside the village, several manhole covers have reportedly sunk or disappeared. Broken drain culverts and abandoned RCC pipes can also be seen along the roads.

Residents alleged that the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) dug up the village’s main access road around four years ago while laying a sewer line. However, they said the road was never properly restored.

Villagers have reportedly approached GNIDA repeatedly over the past two years, seeking the restoration of the road, but say their complaints have not brought any significant change.

Hospital just 3 km away, but journey can take an hour

Poor connectivity has also affected access to healthcare.

A private hospital in Greater Noida West is only around 3 km from Sadullapur. However, residents said traffic congestion combined with damaged roads can turn the short journey into a commute of at least an hour.

For residents unable to afford private healthcare, the district hospital in Noida, around 18 km away, is the main alternative, making access to treatment even more difficult.

“This is an urban village located in a busy city area, close to Greater Noida West. Look around, and all you can see are highrises. But see the condition of this place,” resident Prabhanshu Nagar told TOI.

Village pond work leaves residents disappointed

Sadullapur’s only pond has also become a source of concern.

GNIDA began work around the pond last year, with residents saying officials had promised a tiled walkway around it. Instead, an iron net was installed, while the mud embankments continue to erode.

Nagar told TOI that the mud banks frequently collapse into the pond. During heavy rain, he said, the water and surrounding muddy banks become difficult to distinguish, creating a potential safety hazard for residents.

Why do residents want Sadullapur renamed Bharatpur?

Amid their frustration over the lack of development, a group of residents began pushing for another change, the renaming of Sadullapur as Bharatpur.

The residents submitted a petition to the state government last year and even met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in July to press for the proposal.

Kamal Nagar, a local realtor supporting the demand, told TOI that residents believe the village's name has been one of the reasons it has been overlooked for development.

“A group of local residents went to meet the CM last July. We wanted to press for the new name,” Nagar told TOI.

He claimed that around 98% of the village's residents are Hindu and said the proposed name was chosen because the ancestors of several residents had migrated from Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

“We believed the lack of development was due to the name. Since our ancestors migrated from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, that’s the name we chose,” he told TOI.

Not all villagers support the name change

The proposal, however, has not received unanimous support.

Some residents argue that changing the name will not solve the village's more immediate problems: roads, drainage and other basic infrastructure.

“We do not want a new name. We want basic facilities,” resident Bhupendra Nagar told TOI. “Our roads are basically mud paths. How will renaming the village change this?”

Another resident, 68-year-old Jagat Raj, said the village's existing identity should not be discarded.

Under the smart village plan, residents were expecting facilities such as street lighting, community centres, parks, Wi-Fi connectivity and infrastructure for persons with disabilities, he told TOI.

“Residents are tired of waiting. They want to see real change. Sadullapur is the identity of this place. We don't want the name to change,” Raj told TOI.

Bharatpur name change proposal moves through official process

The proposed name change is no longer merely a demand from residents. The administrative process has already begun.

The state government wrote to the Gautam Budh Nagar police commissioner and the sub-divisional magistrate of Dadri on March 24 this year regarding the proposal. The revenue department subsequently sought a report and recommendation to be forwarded to the divisional commissioner in Meerut.

AK Chaurasiya, tehsildar of Dadri, said the proposal is currently awaiting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from GNIDA.

“The approval for the name change has been pending because the village falls within a notified area under the GNIDA. At the tehsil level, all formalities have been completed. Once we receive the NOC, the name change process will move forward,” Chaurasiya told TOI.

GNIDA says development work will begin after monsoon

GNIDA, meanwhile, said development work in Sadullapur has not been abandoned.

GNIDA senior manager Pradeep Kumar said three development projects were scheduled to begin in July but were postponed because of the monsoon and the movement of the Kanwar Yatra through the village.

“Work on three development projects in Sadullapur was scheduled to begin in July but had to be postponed due to the monsoon and because the Kanwar Yatra route passes through the village. We do not want villagers to suffer,” Kumar told TOI.

He also confirmed that GNIDA is aware of the proposed name change.

“Sadullapur has been recognised as a smart village under GNIDA. The planned work includes construction of the main village road and two separate drainage systems,” Kumar told TOI.