Ghaziabad: In a move aimed at ending years of limbo over who maintains large private townships, UP govt has fixed strict timelines for handing them over to municipal corporations — a shift that could directly affect thousands of residents caught between paying civic taxes and hefty private maintenance charges.The state has issued a new standard operating procedure (SOP), mandating that townships developed under hi-tech, integrated and UP township policy be transferred to municipalities within a stipulated period after they become eligible for handover.The move is significant because once a township is handed over, its roads, streetlights, water lines, drains, sewers, parks and open spaces come under civic management — ending years of ambiguity over upkeep.Until now, the process often dragged on for years as developers and municipalities disputed who would bear the cost of unfinished civic work.In an order dated June 24, principal secretary (housing and urban planning) P Guru Prasad laid out the framework for the transfer.“According to the SOP, the handover of townships up to 200 hectares must be completed within 30 days. For projects between 200 and 500 hectares, the limit is 45 days, and for those larger than 500 hectares, it is 60 days,” a GDA official said.The SOP makes joint inspections by municipal bodies mandatory before takeover. If civic infrastructure remains incomplete, the developer must deposit the required cost with the municipal corporation within 90 days. Once the money is paid, handover must be completed within 30 days.If disputes arise, the divisional commissioner will act as the final arbitral authority, with powers to issue a binding decision.In Ghaziabad, several major private townships — including Crossings Republik, Wave City and RNE — are still awaiting handover despite thousands of families having lived there for years.For residents, the delay has translated into double financial burden.“GMC collects house tax whether the township is handed over or not. At the same time, developers continue charging for maintenance, often at high rates. Residents end up paying twice,” said Sanjay Jha, a resident of Crossings Republik.But Jha said the SOP addresses only part of the problem.“Handover cannot begin unless the development authority issues a completion certificate (CC). In Crossings Republik, only a handful of societies have got CCs, even though possession began 17 years ago,” he added.A GDA official said delays in CCs were linked to pending layout issues and unfinished LIG and EWS housing obligations.Crossings Infrastructure Private Limited CEO Sumit Agarwal said the township was still under construction. “Till it is complete, we cannot apply for CC,” he said.Officials said the new SOP may speed up future handovers, but unless completion bottlenecks are cleared, many townships may remain stuck in administrative limbo.
