Ghaziabad: The district administration has acquired around 100 hectares of land in Modinagar’s Niwari for an industrial hub to be developed by the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA).Officials said on Monday that the land acquisition process was completed after farmers were paid compensation at four times the prevailing circle rate.The acquisition marks a significant step in the state govt’s efforts to strengthen industrial infrastructure, attract fresh investment, and generate employment opportunities in the rapidly developing NCR belt, they added.Additional district magistrate (land acquisition) Avaneesh Kumar told the TOI that around 91 hectares of land was acquired from farmers, while nearly 9 hectares was transferred from the Gram Sabha, taking the total acquired area to about 100 hectares.Officials said the project is expected to enhance Ghaziabad’s industrial capacity while complementing ongoing infrastructure and logistics projects in the Modinagar region.The development comes three years after UPSIDA initially planned the hub and identified 340 acres of land in the area for the project.The district has not seen the development of new industrial clusters in over 20 years despite the growing demand for land to set up new industries, as UPSIDA had exhausted its land bank.Traditionally, Ghaziabad is an industrial city with more than 27,000 industries spread across 10 industrial clusters, which employs a workforce of over five lakhs, but due to UPSIDA’s inability to create new industrial clusters, it has been unable to meet demand for land for new industries.
