GHAZIABAD — Development along major transport corridors in Ghaziabad remains stalled as the Uttar Pradesh government has yet to approve the unified Master Plan 2031, as published by The Economic Times.
The plan, submitted to the state committee in November 2023, aims to regulate development around rapid rail, metro, and expressway corridors.
The proposal has faced multiple setbacks. The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) board initially rejected it at least four times. In March 2023, approval was delayed to incorporate the state’s transit-oriented development (TOD) zone into the draft. Later, in August 2023, the Meerut divisional commissioner put the plan on hold because the Duhai Namo Bharat station-cum-depot was excluded from the TOD zone.
The board had previously sent the draft back in September 2022 for failing to invite public feedback and objections. A revised draft, incorporating public input and the TOD framework, was approved by the GDA board in November 2023.
However, the Uttar Pradesh government returned the plan in March 2024, seeking clarifications on certain clauses, including green zones and the “record of right.” The “record of right” refers to 100-meter-wide green belts designated along expressways and 60-meter-wide zones on both sides of state highways.
The draft plan awaiting approval includes TOD zones spanning 1.5 kilometers along the rapid rail corridor, covering 4,261.43 hectares, and 500 meters along the Red and Blue Line metro corridors, totaling 616.61 hectares. Additionally, a Special Development Area (SDA) of 909.82 hectares is proposed around the Duhai rapid rail depot. Both the TOD and SDA zones will be developed as mixed-use land, allowing higher floor area ratios to facilitate residential and commercial growth.
“For now, we are waiting for the state government to approve the master plan. Once that happens, a gazette notification will be issued before the new plan can be implemented. Pending approval, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has yet to proceed with the zonal development plan,” a GDA official said.
In July 2023, the GDA proposed a new township, Naya Ghaziabad, alongside the rapid rail corridor. The township is expected to span across Ghaziabad city and accommodate approximately 5,000 residential units.
The unified master plan covers a total developed area of 33,543.1 hectares, including 18,687.8 hectares in Ghaziabad, 6,874.9 hectares in Modinagar, and 7,980.4 hectares in Loni. Approval of the plan is critical for the city’s transit-driven development and urban expansion.