GDA nod for inclusion of Loni, Kanawani under ‘Greater Ghaziabad civic body’

A proposal was sent last year for merging the two nagar palikas (municipal councils) of Loni and Khoda with the Ghaziabad municipal corporation

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has given its approval for including the areas of Mohiuddinpur-Kanawani (near Indirapuram) and Loni under the proposed ”Greater Ghaziabad municipal corporation”, officials in the know of the matter said on Friday.

The proposal was sent to the divisional commissioner (Meerut) in November 2023 after public representatives raised the issue of lack of development in the two local bodies with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

A proposal was sent last year for merging the two nagar palikas (municipal councils) of Loni and Khoda with the Ghaziabad municipal corporation.

The proposal was sent to the divisional commissioner (Meerut) in November 2023 after public representatives raised the issue of lack of development in the two local bodies with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Officials said the state housing and urban planning department had sent a communication to GDA on August 5 regarding the inclusion of the two areas under the Greater Ghaziabad civic body. It sought the authority’s opinion about expanding the corporation’s jurisdictional area and also naming the extended area as “Greater Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam”.

The authority in response to the communication gave its consent for inclusion of nagar palika of Loni and village Mohiuddinpur-Kanawani under the new municipal corporation.

“It is to be noted that the nagar palika of Khoda-Makanpur is not under jurisdiction of GDA whereas the nagar palika of Loni and village Mohiuddinpur-Kanawani is under jurisdiction of GDA. The inclusion of the two areas under the Ghaziabad municipal corporation will help in the integrated development related to civic infrastructure like development of roads, sewerage, water, lighting, etc.,” the response sent by GDA to the housing and urban planning department said.

When contacted, Rajesh Kumar Singh, secretary, GDA confirmed the development. “A formal NOC has been given in this regard,” he said.

Atul Vats, vice-chairperson, GDA, said, “The authority received a previous communication on several points and also the latest communication which was replied to accordingly.”

Sahibabad MLA Sunil Sharma and Loni MLA Nandkishor Gurjar, both from the Bharatiya Janata Party, had raised issues affecting the two local bodies to Adityanath when he arrived in Ghaziabad ahead of the inauguration of the 17km priority section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project on October 20 2023.

HT had reported that the merger proposal had stoked a political controversy as former MLA Amarpal Sharma had alleged that the BJP was trying to put its hold on the two local bodies, which it lost in the local body elections, in an indirect manner through the merger proposal, a charge that was denied by BJP MLAs.

Earlier in May, 2023, the BJP won the mayor seat of the municipal corporation but its candidates lost the three chairperson seats of the municipal councils of Loni, Khoda and Muradnagar and the party could only retain the chairperson seat of the Modinagar nagar palika.