Finally, GDA gets 35 acres for waste plant in Galand

GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has got the 35 acres required for the construction of a waste-to-energy plant in Galand, where solid waste generated from various parts of Ghaziabad will be treated.
The GDA had been falling short of 12 acres for the project to begin. The development agency was under pressure to begin construction of the Galand plant in the wake of an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to shift the Pratap Vihar landfill by January 15.
The land shortfall was cleared after five builders, whose projects had been sealed in the last week of December, either paid the first installment for purchasing land or handed over plots themselves after buying them directly from farmers.On Saturday, the GDA wrote to Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) for registering the 35 acres for the plant.
GDA vice-chairperson Kanchan Verma has now directed that the under-construction projects of the five builders that had been sealed be reopened. The municipal corporation will soon authorise a competent official for registering the land on which the plant will come up.
“Approximately 12 acres, which had been falling short for the project to start, have been managed ever since the under-construction projects were sealed in December. We received around Rs 10 crore from developers that was used to purchase land directly from farmers. It is up to the municipal corporation now to authorise an official for registration of the land,” Verma said.
Among the builders that paid up for the land, Crossings Republik released Rs 3.8 crore while Ansals gave Rs 95 lakh after their projects were sealed. Aditya World and Park Town purchased land worth Rs 2 crore and Rs 1.2 crore, respectively, on their own. However, the land purchased by the two developers had to be swapped by the GDA because it fell under the category of those belonging to the Scheduled Castes. Golf Link had already released its first installment of Rs 15 lakh in 2010. It has a pending amount of Rs 75 lakh, which is likely to be paid directly to the GDA in a couple of days.
Land for the Galand plant was acquired from the builders in keeping with the UP government’s integrated township policy. The state government has finalised a Netherlands-based company for developing the plant. According to the NGT order, no waste can be dumped in the Pratap Vihar landfill after January 15.