Ghaziabad: The comptroller and auditor general (CAG), in a 446-page audit report on Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), has highlighted “major lapses” in its functioning between 2017 and 22 — ranging from planning violations and weak enforcement to shortfalls in housing delivery and financial management.A key finding involves Master Plan 2021. The CAG said GDA “implemented Master Plan 2021 without getting it vetted by NCR Planning Board”, even though the board was set up to regulate planning across the region.The audit questioned how the plan was prepared and followed. It noted “instead of a composite plan”, GDA drew up two separate documents — Master Plan 2021 for Ghaziabad and Master Plan 2021 for Modinagar — and flagged zoning regulation violations.The report said the authority took four years to prepare the Ghaziabad plan and 10 years for Modinagar. It pointed out the Hindon elevated road — built at Rs 1,089 crore — “was not a part of Master Plan 2021”, and the land-use pattern in the plan “was not followed”.On ground-level outcomes, the report highlighted gaps between what the plan promised and what was delivered. It said parks and open spaces were to cover 2,484 hectares, but only 511 hectares were achieved. Residential land earmarked at 6,975 hectares translated into 5,481 hectares on the ground, the audit noted.The CAG also flagged underperformance in housing for EWS. Between 2017 and 2022, against a target of 25,000 EWS units, GDA constructed 9,960 — about 40%, the report said. Another stated obligation — creating land banks for industrial and residential needs — also saw a sharp shortfall. Against a target of 300 hectares through 2017-22, the authority managed only 18.3 hectares, according to the audit.On enforcement, the report said GDA failed to protect the Hindon floodplains despite a govt order requiring the area to be maintained as a green belt. The CAG said illegal colonies mushroomed in the floodplains and noted that “little or no action was taken by GDA to remove encroachment within 200 m on both sides of the Hindon river”. The report also included Google images from 2009 and 2023 to illustrate the spread of construction along the floodplains over time.Financial management drew equally sharp criticism. The auditor said that in the five surveyed, GDA failed to generate projected revenue, except in FY 2018-19. The revenue, according to it, was lower by as much as 48% to 58%. It also said GDA did not use an auto-sweep banking facility to move surplus funds into higher-interest fixed deposits, leading to a loss of Rs 73 lakh.The audit further pointed to weak recovery from defaulters, saying unrecovered dues led to a loss of Rs 64 crore up to March 2022. It also flagged a long-pending inter-authority loan. GDA lent Rs 50 crore to Hapur-Pilkhuwa Development Authority in 2007 for one year at 9% interest. But 14 years since the disbursement, only Rs 41 crore had been repaid, the report said.Asked about the lapses, a GDA official said, “The report was tabled in the UP assembly. The state govt will take note of it. As far as GDA is concerned, all we can say is that the recommendations made in the CAG report will be followed.”
