Ghaziabad: 18 years on, no nod for Suncity hi-tech township yet
Ghaziabad: 18 years on, no nod for Suncity hi-tech township yet
The residential project was intended to be built on 4,312 acres and was suggested in 2005 under the state government’s Suncity hi-tech township program to ensure housing in a busy city
The residential project was intended to be built on 4,312 acres and was suggested in 2005 under the state government’s hi-tech township program to ensure housing in a busy city. Only 828 acres could be acquired by the developer over the following 18 years due to persistent farmer protests demanding higher compensation.The GDA board recently revoked the DPR for building those additional 828 acres, citing the developer’s nonpayment of land use conversion fees totaling close to Rs 172 crore. An earlier CAG audit had identified this infraction.
The board also discovered that, contrary to the developer’s agreement that only 25% of the 828 acres would be assimilated, 45% of the land is owned by the government. It has now requested that Suncity present before the state government in order to determine the project’s future course.”Under the hi-tech township policy, rolled out in 2005, Suncity was to acquire/purchase 4,312 acres, but it failed, forcing a high-powered committee under the chief secretary to downsize the land parcel to 828 acres and accordingly asking the developer to submit a revised DPR,” RK Singh, vice chairperson of the GDA, said.
In terms of a new Contract of Understanding, the developer was expected to obtain 75% of that land and surpass the 828-mark through the resumption of Gram Sabha or Bhumi Prabandhak Samiti (land management committee) land, with the GDA serving as the intermediary. The developer only obtained 55% of the land, according to the updated DPR, with the other 45% being assimilated federal territory. This was the rationale for the DPR’s denial,” Singh continued.
A different assertion is that the builder purchased land from 22 communities where agriculture was the primary purpose, but the land conversion fee was waived by the government at the time.”The state government requested the funds from Suncity after the 2019 CAG audit revealed that the GDA had lost Rs 172 crore to the state exchequer due to land use conversion charges. However, the developer has not made the payment as of yet, which added to the DPR’s rejection, according to Singh.”The project has already started, with the booking of flats, villas, and plots starting after the GDA approved the layout plan of 717 acres,” stated Vinay Choudhary, a representative of Suncity. For us and homebuyers alike, the amended DPR’s cancellation is not good news.”
