Ghaziabad's master plan: More housing near expressways

Ghaziabad’s master plan: More housing near expressways

GHAZIABAD: The city’s new master plan will open up more areas for residential use along the
expressway and the rapid rail corridor as town planning increasingly focuses on development
around transit points to help residents live closer to work or public transport access points.
In the Ghaziabad Master Plan 2031, which will come into force in the latter half of the year,
residential land use has been increased to 42% from 41.5% in the previous plan (Master Plan
2021). “Residential use of land in the vicinity of the RRTS (Rapid Rail Transit System) corridor,
the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is projected to increase,
and keeping that projection in mind, land use has been altered in Master Plan 2031 in areas in
their vicinity,” said GDA’s chief town planner Asheesh Shivpuri.
Shivpuri added that the population projection of Ghaziabad in 2031 had been estimated at 46
lakh. In Master Plan 2021, the population projection was 34.5 lakh.
Land earmarked for green belts, which includes parks and forested areas, has been marginally
increased from 15.75% to 16% in the new Master Plan. Land status in other categories such as
commercial, office, community and for road and transport remains largely unchanged in Master
Plan 2031.
A significant change has been made in the industrial category with 8% of the land being
specifically earmarked for logistics and warehouses. This is in sync with the multi-modal
logistics hub that is coming up on 150 hectares of land near Dasna and has been incorporated
in the Master Plan 2031.
“In the Master Plan 2031, land under the industrial head will come down from 5.5% of total land
to 5%, but within the same head, 8% of the land has been earmarked for logistics and
warehouses,” said Shivpuri. “Ghaziabad’s proximity to the national capital and the fact that land
selected for the site is close to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway
and Delhi-Howrah railway line has made it ideal for developing the city into NCR’s logistics hub,”
added Shivpuri.
The Master Plan 2031 will be in effect for a period of 10 years unlike the previous one, which
was in force for 20 years. “In an ever-changing infrastructure and population scenario, 10 years
is a long time and so planning has been done for 10 years only,” said Shivpuri, adding, “This is
for the first time that geographical information systems (GIS), which entails use of satellite
imagery, has been employed to make the master plan.”
The Master Plan 2031 will be discussed by a government committee on January 5. “The next
process will entail vetting by the GDA board, which is scheduled to meet on January 7 and this
will be followed by inviting objections from residents before a gazette notification” said Shivpuri.
“The process will take at least six to seven months before Master Plan 2031 comes into effect,”
he added.