First acquire land fully, then launch schemes, says UP govt

NOIDA: The UP government has told industrial development authorities across the state not to launch any plot scheme before acquiring land for such projects.
The order, issued by UP special secretary Nidhi Srivastava on May 1, comes after a recent observation by the Allahabad high court on a case filed by a developer that alleged it was yet to get 25 acres of land from the Noida Authority for the Sports City project.

"A strict stand has been taken by the High Court while hearing a case that in projects launched by the industrial development authorities, that area is also allotted which is not acquired. It takes a lot of time to acquire this type of residual land. Due to this, the entire plot is not available to the allottee. Apart from this, punitive actions are also taken against the allottees of such allotted plots (for failure to complete the project on time)," the letter said.
"Therefore, the authorities should not issue advertisement for allotment without acquiring or purchasing the private land included in the plan or plot proposed for allotment," it added.
Last month, the Allahabad HC directed a senior government official, not below the rank of special secretary, to file a reply in a case filed by ATS Homes in 2022.
ATS Homes, which was selected as the lead developer for constructing an international-level cricket stadium and the Sports City in Noida's Sector 152, had told the court that the project was supposed to come up on 125 acres of land, but it was yet to get possession of about 25 acres.
On this, HC has asked Noida Authority how it could propose action against the developer for failure to complete construction when the builder had not been allotted the entire land needed for the project.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 8.
ATS had approached the high court after Noida Authority, in 2021, restricted the sale of flats and threatened action for not completing the project in time. Apart from sports facilities, the project also includes development of residential and commercial properties.
Noida Authority officials could not be reached for comment till Tuesday evening.
Recently, the state's principal accountant general (AG) had also asked the Noida Authority to ensure that the plots it allotts to developers aren't disputed. The official had cited an additional payout of Rs 295 crore that had to be made to landowners for the plot on which DLF Mall of India now stands in the NCR city.
The accountant general had also asked the Authority how land was allotted when the plot hadn't been acquired properly and whether any action had been taken against the officials who were responsible for the error.
In another case, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is yet to acquire 55 of around 140 plots that it had allotted to industrialists in Sector 33 about a decade ago. The Authority has promised to purchase the land in the next three months and hand it over to the entrepreneurs.