The Ghaziabad Development Authority has sought ₹2,441.9 crore from the Uttar Pradesh housing and urban planning department to implement 21 infrastructure projects across the city, officials said Wednesday, as reported by Hindustan Times.
According to officials, the request for funds has been submitted under the 16th Finance Commission. The proposal includes funding demands for critical urban infrastructure, such as the Metro extension between Sector 62 in Noida and Sahibabad, construction of slip roads on the Hindon Elevated Road, development of multi-level automated parking at Raj Nagar District Centre, redevelopment and beautification of 124 acres of city forest at Karhera, and the creation of various zonal plan roads.
“The list of 21 projects and the funds required has been sent to state officials. The GDA has only sought the construction costs involved, and the land costs would be borne by the authority,” said Rudresh Shukla, media coordinator for the GDA.
The funding discussions were conducted via video conference on May 14. Senior officials from the Uttar Pradesh Housing Board had also recently visited Ghaziabad and recommended the construction of two slip roads to link the 10.3-kilometer Hindon Elevated Road.
As part of the plan, GDA has proposed the construction of two new ramps—an entry ramp in Indirapuram on the carriageway from Raj Nagar Extension to UP Gate, and an exit ramp in Vasundhara on the carriageway from UP Gate to Raj Nagar Extension. The cost of this project has been estimated at ₹200 crore.
The long-delayed Metro extension has been in the pipeline since 2020. That year, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) submitted two detailed project reports to the GDA—one costing ₹1,517 crore for the Sector 62 to Sahibabad route, and the other costing ₹1,808.22 crore for the Vaishali to Mohan Nagar corridor.
In 2023, the GDA opted to move forward with the Sector 62 to Sahibabad line. However, the Uttar Pradesh government denied funding for the project in both January and May of that year, including a request from GDA for 50 percent co-funding.
In January 2024, the DMRC revised the cost estimate for the Sector 62–Sahibabad link to ₹1,873.31 crore, and GDA has now requested the same amount under the new proposal.
“Since GDA has limited funds, it has sought funding for these 21 projects from the Centre’s 16th Finance Commission. The authority, with a lot of effort, was able to settle its two major loans amounting to about ₹1,500 crore in April. So, we now intend to go ahead with these projects,” Shukla said.
The project list, according to officials, reflects GDA’s strategic focus on improving transit, parking, green spaces, and road connectivity to support Ghaziabad’s growing urban needs.