The UP government has announced plans to build a new township as part of its city expansion initiative, marking the first such project in 15 years. The township, named ‘Harnandipuram’ (with ‘Harnandi’ being another name for the Hindon river), will span approximately 1,300 acres, comparable to the size of Indirapuram.
Previously, the name Harnandi was proposed by the municipal corporation to rename the city to Harnandi Nagar. Rajesh Kumar Singh, the GDA secretary, stated, “The map of the new township was vetted at the GDA Board’s meeting on Monday. It will span from Pipeline Road in the north to Northern Peripheral Road in the east and Morti in the south, with parts of the Hindon river flowing through the township.” If approved, this will be the first township built by GDA since Madhuban Bapudham, 15 years ago.
To proceed, land acquisition from farmers in several villages, including Nagla Ferozepur, Mohanpur, Morta, Bhowpur, Atour, Champat Nagar, Shamsher, Bhenda Khurd, Mathurapur, and Shapur Morta, is necessary. The state government’s CM Urban Expansion New City Promotion Scheme, launched last year to cater to the growing population, includes the ‘Naya Ghaziabad’ plan, of which ‘Harnandipuram’ is a part. The land acquisition process is estimated to cost around Rs 5,000 crore, shared equally by the state government and GDA.
Among GDA’s other townships, Vasundhara is the largest at 3,200 acres, followed by Madhuban Bapudham at nearly 3,000 acres. The GDA Board also approved plans to extend Indirapuram township. Initially developed across 1,289 acres in the 1990s, Indirapuram has reached saturation and needs expansion to accommodate the growing population. The extension will cover an area of 3 lakh sqm.
As part of the expansion, GDA will create 116 plots from a 3 lakh sqm land parcel, which failed to sell despite 26 auction rounds. A three-member committee suggested selling smaller plots instead of a single large tract, a recommendation approved by the Board on Monday. Additionally, the Board approved a revised project report for Wave City, allowing registries and land allotments for around 12,000 people. The revised DPR of 3,786.8 acres will provide relief to these investors, enabling them to register their plots.
The Board also decided to freeze the existing rates of unsold flats, with an inventory of 1,748 flats across various housing schemes worth over Rs 500 crore. The flats, ranging from Rs 5.7 lakh to Rs 69.4 lakh for 1, 2, and 3 BHK units, will have their costs reserved for the 2024-25 financial year.
For infrastructure projects such as Medi City, Logistics Hub, Education City, and Aerocity, the Board authorized GDA to hire a consultant. Land for these projects will be earmarked along the Hindon Elevated Road, Eastern Peripheral Road, and Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.
