GHAZIABAD: Four months after a balcony collapse claimed two lives in Tulsi Niketan, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) is partnering with the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) for redevelopment of the deteriorating colony in Bhopura area.
On Friday, the GDA held a meeting with NBCC officials to discuss a redevelopment plan.
“Tulsi Niketan is on the city’s ‘unsafe colony’ list. During the meeting, NBCC was tasked with preparing a pre-feasibility report for the revamp project, due in a week,” stated GDA Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. “NBCC will later create a detailed project report and may proceed with redeveloping the entire township.”
Officials indicated that the redevelopment will likely occur under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, allowing the developer to recover costs through a share of saleable commercial and residential areas. The GDA will facilitate the process by allocating land and providing necessary regulatory support.
The Tulsi Niketan scheme, initiated by the GDA in 1989-90, covers over 7.8 hectares. Years of inadequate maintenance, aging infrastructure, and encroachment have rendered many buildings—comprising 2,004 EWS, 288 LIG flats, and 60 shops—structurally unsound. This issue gained attention on May 14, when a five-year-old boy named Laddu and his 25-year-old uncle, Akash Kumar, lost their lives after a first-floor balcony collapsed.
In February 2019, the engineering department of Jamia Millia Islamia, contracted for a safety audit of the Tulsi Niketan flats, recommended the immediate demolition of most structures. After conducting three levels of testing, including a structural audit, the engineers concluded that 90% of the flats were in a dilapidated condition, while the remaining units, though somewhat maintained, were still uninhabitable.
Previous attempts to redevelop the township failed to gain traction among residents.
GDA officials mentioned that they had invited expressions of interest earlier but only NBCC responded. At that time, the authority estimated the project’s total saleable area at 58,500 square meters, with combined land and FAR costs totaling Rs 84.2 crore. The developer is required to pay a minimum premium of Rs 25 crore to the GDA. Officials further stated that the financial assessment valued land for commercial and dispensary purposes at Rs 24.2 crore, translating to Rs 78,100 per square meter (Rs 7,260 per square foot).
