Ghaziabad: GDA yet to get ₹330cr for land given for RRTS project

Officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) said Wednesday they are still waiting for the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to pay them ₹330 crore for the land they handed over for the development of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project in Ghaziabad

Officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) said Wednesday they are still waiting for the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to pay them ₹330 crore for the land they handed over for the development of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project in Ghaziabad.

The construction work is underway for the RRTS project on NH 58 in Ghaziabad on Wednesday. (Sakib Ali /HT)

The land, a green area measuring about 29,000 square metres, was handed over to NCRTC-- the implementing agency of the RRTS project – by the GDA in 2020. The GDA had decided the amount based on the prevalent circle rates at the time, officials said.

According to officials, work on the Ghaziabad station is now in the advanced stages. The Ghaziabad station, near the Meerut tri-junction, is the biggest station in the RRTS network. The building is about 24 metres tall and houses a commercial area.

“The land given to the NCRTC was a green area. Its land usage was converted to commercial for the development of the station. It is now a part of the RRTS’ influence zone. However, we are yet to receive ₹330 crore for the land. In accordance with Master Plan norms, we will have to buy another similar-sized land and develop it as a green area,” said Ashish Shivpuri, the authority’s chief architect and town planner.

According to Master Plan norms, the authority has to maintain a 15% of green area in the city. The authority says that it cannot convert any of its existing lands to develop the required green area.

“We can purchase new land and start developing it only after we get the funds. So far, we have not received any payment for the land from NCRTC,” Shivpuri said.

The NCRTC officials, however, said they were waiting for the state government to take a decision regarding the rate at which the payment is to be made.

“We will pay the amount decided by the state government,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer of NCRTC.

The 82km RRTS project will connect Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut with trains that can travel at speeds upto 180kmph. The entire project will be readied by March 2025, officials said.

A 17km-section of the project-- from Sahibabad to Duhai--in Ghaziabad is being developed on priority and will be commissioned in March 2023. The Ghaziabad RRTS station is one of the seven stations on the route. The other stations in Ghaziabad include Sahibabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Muradnagar, Modinagar (South) and Modinagar (North).