NOIDA, April 18 -- Planned as a grand showcase of Noida's growth, the city's 50th Foundation Day on Friday was reduced to a low-key affair, as a protest by daily wage workers forced authorities to cancel major events and inaugurations.

The Noida Authority scrapped its planned celebrations, which included the inauguration of projects worth around Rs.10,000 crore by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, along with cultural programmes. The city - often seen as a face of industrial growth in the state - continues to witness unrest amid a series of agitations by factory workers.

Leaders from the Samajwadi Party, Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) visited Noida on Friday to extend support to the protesting workers. Of...