Noida Authority’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has made recommendations that could potentially lead to the resumption of construction work at the Sports City in Sector 150. According to PAC, developers will be allowed to restart work if they comply with the original 70-30 policy, which allocates 70% of the project area for sports facilities and 30% for housing or commercial complexes.
Problems with Land Acquisition and Allotment
The construction ban was imposed on all four Sports Cities in Noida, including those in sectors 78, 79, and 101 allotted to Three C, Sector 152 allotted to ATS Homes, and Sector 150 allotted to Logix Infra and Lotus Greens. This action was taken after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) conducted a performance audit on land acquisition and allotment in Noida between 2005-06 and 2017-18. The audit report revealed that developers had prioritized housing projects over sports facilities, disregarding the 70-30 formula.
Efforts to Resume Construction
In November last year, PAC directed Noida to approve a revised layout submitted by Lotus Greens, one of the Sports City developers, as long as the developer cleared its Rs 1,200 crore dues and adhered to the 70-30 land use formula. Noida was also asked to obtain an affidavit from Lotus Greens detailing a timeframe for the payment of its dues. Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M confirmed that the revised plan submitted by Lotus Greens is currently under evaluation and will be discussed in the authority’s March meeting. He expressed the likelihood that the ban on construction work in the Sports Cities may be lifted based on the evaluation of the revised map.
Emphasis on Sports Infrastructure and 70-30 Land Use Norms
Following the CAG report, Noida decided not to approve any building plans until developers developed the required sports infrastructure and complied with the 70-30 land use norms specified in the scheme. The Sports City project in Sector 150, which spans 132.9 hectares, was allocated to Lotus Greens in 2017. The developer formed a consortium to divide the land into 24 parts. Currently, a number of projects by consortium partners such as Tata, Samriddhi, Eldeco, Homekraft, and Godrej have been completed, while the remaining land is still vacant as other partners are yet to initiate their respective projects. The layouts of 13 out of the 24 projects have already been cleared, accounting for around 10,000 flats.
The Proposed Sports Facilities
The development of the Sports City includes the creation of different sports facilities such as a golf course, cricket academy, swimming center, multipurpose playground, and a tennis academy. However, the four developers of the Sports City have created third-party rights for 74 plots, which have been allocated to other companies. Out of these 74 plots, the layouts of 45 projects have been approved, comprising a total of 30,000 housing units. However, the registries for these units have been put on hold due to incomplete projects that do not meet license conditions. The permission to conduct registries for these 15,000 flats may also be decided in the upcoming March board meeting.
Conclusion
With the recommendation from the Public Accounts Committee, there is hope for the construction ban at the Sports City in Sector 150, Noida, to be lifted. The resumption of work will be subject to developers meeting the original 70-30 formula, allocating sufficient area for sports facilities. Noida Authority’s evaluation of the revised layout plans submitted by Lotus Greens will play a crucial role in determining the future of the Sports City project. Compliance with the 70-30 land use norms and the provision of necessary sports infrastructure will be key for developers to move forward with their projects and potentially achieve registry approvals for thousands of housing units. As the PAC recommendation progresses, it will be important to keep an eye on the decisions made during the March board meeting of the Noida Authority.
