NOIDA: A farmer has stopped Unitech from constructing a road for its Express City project claiming a 7,000 square metre plot that falls within the developer’s housing projects in sectors 96, 97, and 98 is owned by him and never acquired by Noida Authority.
Construction at the project, which has been delayed by nearly a decade over financial and operational troubles within the company, had resumed in Sept last year after the Supreme Court replaced the company’s management with a board of directors in 2020.
Two group housing projects — Amber and Burgundy — and The Willows 1 and 2 offering developed plots are to come up on the 344-acre land parcel that was allotted to Unitech in 2006.
The original layout of Express City — Unitech Golf and Country Club Grande — that was approved by Noida Authority in Aug 2008 proposed to include high-rise towers around a centrally located 9-hole golf course. Possession of units was initially promised by 2013.
On Thursday, Sukhpal Singh of Sadarpur village told TOI that he had flagged earlier that his plot was located within the boundary of the Unitech project, and subsequently, the district administration demarcated his plot within the premises in 2016-2017.
Since then, his plot remained undisturbed, largely because of the stalled construction work. The 7,000 sqm plot is part of The Willows project, which requires basic infrastructure, including roads, sewer lines, and drainage.
“My demand is that either an approach (road to my plot) is provided, or my land parcel is shifted to another portion of the project along the existing road where Unitech has no issue. Since the allotment, we were not able to do farming on this land. But, at the same time, Unitech also did not interfere,” Singh said.
Singh said during a routine visit to inspect his plot on Thursday, he noticed soil was being excavated for the construction of a road. The 60-year-old farmer stopped the work and wrote to the district administration, asserting that his land was not acquired and that Unitech’s activities were causing him “undue trouble”.
YS Malik, chairman of Unitech’s Supreme Court-appointed board, said, “The land is part of the lease deed, and possession was handed over to us. We have been raising the issue of this land parcel with the Noida Authority since 2021. I wrote at least three letters flagging this issue. For the time being, we will continue work in other portions, leaving this aside. But Noida Authority has to come forward and resolve the issue.”
Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M said the Authority would look into this issue.
The Authority has approved 818 housing units on 164 acres of the project, with 180 acres in the second phase yet to be developed. Around 5,500 homebuyers have bought flats and villas in these projects and are awaiting possession for 10 years now.
