GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has reclaimed 10 hectares of land valued at ₹800 crore in Kanawni, Indirapuram. This land had been encroached upon for over a decade, with illegal shanties and hutments established on it.
A GDA official stated that this reclaimed land will be integrated into the Indirapuram Extension scheme, which spans 34 hectares and aims to develop a new township. “Last week, we conducted a significant anti-encroachment operation in Kanawni, successfully recovering the land. We are now erecting pillars and securing the area with fencing,” the official added.
The GDA is set to issue a request for proposal regarding this land, and a detailed project report will be prepared.
The Indirapuram Extension scheme was initiated in 2004, covering approximately 92 hectares in Mahiuddinpur Kanawani village, with compensation to farmers set at ₹1100 per square meter.
In 2005, a group of 225 farmers owning 35 hectares received a stay from the Allahabad High Court regarding enhanced compensation, preventing the GDA from taking possession of the land. This has caused the project to remain stalled.
Further complications arose in 2014 with the introduction of the Land Acquisition Act, which mandated that landowners receive four times the market value as compensation. Subsequently, the project became financially unviable for the GDA, prompting them in 2019 to request state government approval to de-notify the remaining 35 hectares of land.
However, on May 20, 2022, the GDA gained a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court concerning a similar case involving the Ayodhya Development Authority. The court specified that any land compensation issues from before the 2014 Act should follow the rates in effect prior to that law’s implementation, regardless of land acquisition status.
Following this ruling, the GDA has commenced development on the reclaimed land. Plans indicate that out of the 34 hectares, 15,800 square meters are designated for residential purposes and 1,500 square meters for commercial use.
