GHAZIABAD: The UP government has increased the development fee in Ghaziabad by more than 66%, marking the highest rise compared to other districts. This increase primarily targets developers, yet it is likely to affect homebuyers as well, leading to higher prices for plots and flats across the district.
The revised rates are included in the UP-amended Urban Planning and Development (Assessment, Levy and Collection of Development Fee) rules and will officially take effect pending approval from the Ghaziabad Development Board.
GDA assistant engineer Rudresh Shukla stated that the development fee has been raised from Rs 2,500/sqm to Rs 4,170/sqm. “Compared to other leading districts, the state’s development fee is the highest. For instance, in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Agra, the fee was increased to Rs 2,475/sqm from Rs 1,400/sqm,” he explained.
Previously, the development fee in Loni, Muradnagar, and Modinagar was increased to Rs 1,510/sqm from Rs 1,200/sqm.
“For a 100 sqm plot area, the development fee jumped from about Rs 2.5 lakh to more than Rs 4 lakh for map layout approval from GDA. Naturally, this additional cost will be passed onto buyers, resulting in increased rates for plots and flats,” said developer Ratnesh Goyal. When asked about the justification for such a significant hike, Shukla remarked, “The growth potential in Ghaziabad, compared to other areas under development authorities, was assessed to be the highest.”
