Officials from the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) stated on Monday that the long-overdue transfer of Indirapuram township to the Ghaziabad municipal corporation would happen by the end of July.
They calculate that to upgrade civic infrastructure, the authorities could have to pay the civic body between ₹150 and ₹200 crore.
The Indirapuram township, which covers an area of roughly 1,200 acres, was created by GDA in the 1980s. The transfer to the company has been postponed for nearly ten years, even though officials have discussed it multiple times.
According to the corporation, before it can take control of the township, it requires money to upgrade Indirapuram’s civic infrastructure.
The authority assembled a group of fifteen representatives from the municipal corporation and GDA earlier in May with the task of evaluating the township’s outstanding infrastructure projects.
Everything else has been finished, except the sewage system assessment. Before a decision is made, the heads of the municipal corporation and GDA will meet this month. Sewage upgrade work has to be thoroughly evaluated and will shortly be finished. The idea will then be presented to the GDA board for approval. After the plan is approved by the GDA board, a final decision on handover is anticipated by the end of July, according to GDA vice-chairperson Atul Vats.
Officials anticipate that ₹150–200 crore in funding may be needed for Indirapuram’s civic infrastructure upgrading.
“The evaluation of the horticulture, streetlights, roads, cleaning, etc., is finished. To determine a final amount, a final evaluation of money is being conducted, according to Vats.
The authority constructed Indirapuram approximately thirty years ago, and since 2011–12, it has been attempting to turn over the community to the civic body.
Indirapuram’s transfer was repeatedly postponed due to the tense financial situation. The GDA asked the municipal corporation to move quickly to complete Indirapuram’s takeover before the local body elections in March 2023.
Earlier in January 2022, representatives from both departments carried out a combined inspection to evaluate the necessary facility upgrades.
At that time, it was projected that to upgrade several infrastructures before taking over the township, the corporation would require roughly ₹288 crore from the authorities. However, GDA representatives insisted that this estimate was inaccurate.
A second joint survey was requested for April 2023. However, the handover issue was still unresolved.
The corporation board authorized the partial takeover of three services in May 2022: cleaning, street lighting, and horticulture. But once more, the money problem caused a delay in the proceedings.
At the moment, the corporation collects property tax from families, and GDA maintains the services in Indirapuram. GDA also charges user fees from homeowners.
After the municipal body assumes control of the services, seven residential wards will profit. The company is a specialized organization responsible for maintaining infrastructure and public services. Sanjay Singh, a councilor for Ward 100 in Shipra Sun City, Indirapuram, stated, “We anticipate that things will move forward in the next one or two months. The demand for handover is long overdue.
