GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) is planning to develop a distinct master plan for the villages that will be included within its jurisdiction.
This initiative will cover 61 villages located within 500 meters of both sides of the Delhi Meerut Expressway (DME) and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE)—with 32 villages along DME and 29 along EPE.
An official from GDA stated, “Creating a separate master plan will aid in managing development around these villages. We intend to engage a consultant for its preparation, and it will be integrated into the district’s unified Master Plan 2031. These villages were previously overseen by gram panchayats, prompting the need to incorporate villages within 500 meters into GDA’s oversight. The board of GDA cleared this proposal in March, and it will take effect following notification from the state government. Since their commissioning, DME and EPE have opened avenues for growth, which also raises concerns about unregulated expansion given the proximity to neighboring villages.”
In 2011-12, the NCR Planning Cell suggested the idea in its sub-regional plan, anticipating that the operationalization of DME and EPE would lead to significant growth in adjacent villages.
As these villages are not currently under any development authority, unplanned growth remains a concern.
An official from the NCR Planning Board mentioned, “In 2018, we approached GDA to discuss this proposal in its board meeting. Our findings indicate that these villages are situated alongside EPE in Modinagar, Loni in Ghaziabad, and Kekhra in Baghpat district. Similarly, most villages along DME are located in Modinagar and Ghaziabad city.”
In addition to the 61 villages, GDA also aimed to incorporate 16 more villages under the Hapur-Pilakhua Development Authority (HPDA) into its jurisdiction, asserting that these villages fall within the administrative boundaries of GDA and are part of HPDA, necessitating their incorporation.
However, in August, the vice-chairperson of HPDA expressed opposition to this assimilation in a dissent note to the Meerut divisional commissioner, causing the process to be put on hold.
