Illegal RMC Units Ravage Yamuna Floodplains, Push Noida’s Premium Sectors Into Pollution Crisis

Homebuyers in Noida's premium sectors along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway have invested crores in luxury apartments marketed for their unobstructed Yamuna-facing views, lush green floodplains, clean air, and serene environment. Priced between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000 per square foot, these elite societies promise a peaceful lifestyle in upscale areas from Sector 94 to 135. Instead, residents face severe pollution from at least a dozen illegal Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) plants, batching units, and hot-mix facilities operating brazenly on the sensitive Yamuna Khadar floodplains, turning advertised "pristine greenery" into industrial wastelands.

These unauthorized operations run 24/7, powered by illegal diesel generators and serviced by heavy trucks that defy strict restrictions under the Commission for Air Quality Management's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), including bans on construction-related vehicle movement during high pollution periods. Clouds of choking dust laden with harmful PM2.5 and PM10 particles, combined with constant noise and toxic exhaust fumes, blanket the area daily. Vast stretches have been converted into scrapyards piled with industrial waste and construction debris, destroying the fragile ecology of the floodplains and transforming scenic river views into hazardous industrial eyesores.

Residents in these high-end neighborhoods bear the brunt of this environmental negligence, with morning smog enveloping towering skyscrapers and children waiting for school buses in haze-filled streets. Locals report severe health impacts from inhaling fine particulate matter that can enter the bloodstream and affect multiple organs. One Sector 135 resident, Rahul Mishra, summed up the frustration: "We paid crores for peace and clean air. Instead, we're living next to a pollution factory." Another complainant, Shrikumar Maheshwari, described the situation as "mafia control," highlighting months of unanswered complaints about dust, unbearable noise, impassable roads, and ecological damage.

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The illegal plants, operating without any permissions from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, continue to proliferate despite repeated assurances from authorities. The nearby Pushta Road, intended as part of a future elevated expressway to ease traffic towards Jewar Airport, has become a pothole-ridden dust bowl due to constant truck movement. Residents accuse enforcement agencies of laxity, allowing what they call an "RMC mafia" to thrive unchecked in a zone that should be protected under environmental laws.

Officials from the UP Pollution Control Board acknowledge the violations, stating that notices have been issued in the past and that strict action is imminent under GRAP and other environmental regulations. Regional Officer Ritesh Kumar Tiwari assured that monitoring teams are active and illegal units will be shut down soon. However, with no confirmed approvals ever granted for these facilities and crackdown promises remaining unfulfilled for months, the Yamuna floodplains continue to emerge as a major pollution hotspot, threatening both public health and the fragile ecosystem in one of Noida's most exclusive areas.

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