GDA board clears land mobilisation of about 541 hectares for Aero City near proposed cricket stadium

What the board decided

At its 173rd meeting, the GDA board cleared the funding and administrative groundwork needed to assemble about 541 hectares for an Aero City around the planned cricket stadium. The board's approval covers the routes of land pooling, mutual consent or acquisition, with the project described as a planned Aero City around the proposed International Cricket Stadium.

The stated aim is to create residential and commercial activity, hotels, services, entertainment and transport links. The authority expects the project to attract investment and generate jobs.

The meeting was chaired by Bhanu Chandra Goswami, Chairman of GDA and Divisional Commissioner of Meerut Division. All proposals placed before the board were approved unanimously after detailed deliberation.

Location

The site lies in three villages. The land is in Morti, Ataur and Mewla Agri villages. Press coverage places the project in the Raj Nagar Extension area, with an international cricket stadium estimated at 400 crore rupees and a 380-acre Aerocity township alongside it.

Land-use change and private township

The same meeting approved a land-use change. The board approved changing 54.6520 acres (22.1174 hectares) obtained through a consortium or land pooling arrangement from agricultural to residential use. That parcel forms part of a township that a company is developing over approximately 80.7424 acres (32.675 hectares) under the Uttar Pradesh Township Policy-2023.

The editor brief links this item to a Shahpur Bamheta private township. The report excerpt I could read does not name that location, so the link is not confirmed by these sources.

Practical effect and current status

The board decision authorises the administrative and financial steps. It does not, on its own, transfer land to the authority. Earlier, the land mobilisation process began with the consent of the first landowner, obtained in the presence of GDA Vice-Chairman Nand Kishore Kalal. A separate GDA notice said farmers and other landholders were given 15 days to provide their consent.

The board also emphasised timely completion of pending development works in line with prescribed standards and approved DPRs. As of October 2026, I found no report of completed land assembly for this project.

Conflicting area figures

Reported figures for this project differ, and the differences matter for anyone reading the scale of the project:

• The 173rd meeting approval covers approximately 541 hectares.
• An earlier GDA land-pooling report put the planned development at approximately 231 hectares in Morti, Ator and Mevla Agri villages.
• An earlier report said 160 hectares had been selected for the Aerocity project in the same villages.
• A Tribune report describes a 380-acre Aerocity township.

A third-party listing also attributes a 541-hectare figure to the Harnandipuram township, which other sources put at about 501 hectares. This is a separate project, and the listing does not clarify which project the 541 figure belongs to. Readers should treat 541 hectares as the figure in the 173rd meeting report and confirm the mapped boundary with GDA before relying on it.

Land-pooling terms reported earlier

Under the pooling model, landowners do not get direct monetary compensation for handing over their land. Instead, GDA plans to return 25% of the developed plots to landowners, based on the land each contributed. These terms come from an earlier GDA notice and may not apply if land is acquired instead.

Other items at the same meeting

The board also approved construction of an embankment along the right bank of the Hindon River to protect the Haranandi Puram Residential Scheme, the proposed International Cricket Stadium and the Aero City area from flooding.