Ghaziabad: State cabinet Tuesday approved a proposal allowing development authority boards, including GDA, to change land use for plots up to 6,000 sqm, bypassing the state-level clearance previously required for such tracts that in many cases dragged on for months. It also halved land-use change and conversion fees to improve ease of doing business. Officials said the two orders will allow GDA to expeditiously clear map and layout plans.A GDA official said Economic Survey 2025-26 had identified 23 priority areas requiring a Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Initiative, and that in keeping with the ease of doing business push, the state cabinet allowed development authorities to change land use of any plot up to 6,000 sqm. “Change of land use was in itself a very cumbersome process as it required the sanction of state govt, which in many cases took months,” the official said, adding that the policy change would give much-needed impetus to urbanisation.The state govt in Dec last year vested powers in all development authority boards, including GDA board, to change land use from agricultural to residential for townships, but only for those taken up under the CM Urban Expansion New City Promotion Scheme.Land-use conversion rates have also been slashed across categories. For agricultural to industrial conversion, the rate has been cut to 15% of circle rates from 20% earlier. For residential conversion, the rate has been cut to 25% from 50%. For institutional use, it has been halved to 50% from 100%. For commercial conversion, the rate has been cut to 75% from 150%, while for mixed-use conversion, it has been reduced to 65% from 125%.Cutting land-use conversion fees, officials said, will speed up construction projects and lower financial burdens for property buyers and developers.
