Noida: When the Noida Authority board approved a revised layout for the Lotus Greens Sports City project on Monday, it effectively also lifted a blanket ban it had imposed on all four Sports City projects in 2021, clearing the way for their revival. The four Sport Cities have, between them, around 32,000 flats.The decision, taken in compliance with a Supreme Court directive from Nov 2025, ended a freeze that had blocked map approvals, building plan revalidations and occupancy certificates in the Sports City projects after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit flagged irregularities in allotment, execution and implementation of these projects.The Sports City scheme was envisioned as a marquee township, spanning nearly 800 acres across the four locations, with sports infrastructure, including golf courses, an international cricket stadium, and multi-sport arenas. Developers were allowed to monetise 30% of the land to fund the development of sports facilities on the remaining 70%.Allotments were made to four lead developers: Xanadu Estate (sectors 78, 79, 101), Lotus Greens and Logix Infra (Sector 150), and ATS Homes (Sector 152). But over the years, delays, disputes, financial stress and violations of approved layouts — primarily, not building the sports amenities promised — stalled progress.In Feb 2025, Allahabad high court directed CBI and ED to probe alleged irregularities in three Sports Cities — those of Xanadu Estate, Lotus Greens and Logix Infra — and asked Noida to recover dues.Lotus Greens later approached Supreme Court and received interim protection. The developer subsequently submitted a revival framework for its 12 lakh sqm project across 21 plots in Sector 150. It proposed to paying 20% of its dues within two months of the revised master plan’s approval and the rest in six half-yearly instalments over three years.According to Noida Authority, Lotus Green and its consortium partners owe Rs 4,177 crore, of which about Rs 100 crore has been deposited recently. Supreme Court approved the framework in Nov last year and directed Noida Authority to lift the ban within 30 to 45 days, which the board did earlier this week.The immediate beneficiaries are around 8,000 homebuyers already living in Lotus Greens’ Sector 150 project, whose registrations had been stuck. Beyond that, construction of over 12,000 pending units in the same project can now restart.But the significance of Monday’s order stretches beyond Lotus Greens because it also clears the path for the other developers to submit revised plans to Noida Authority and get maps cleared. Together, these projects account for approximately 4,000 ready flats in Logix, 8,000 in Xanadu and an under-construction project by ATS. The four developers together owe the Authority over Rs 11,000 crore.Noida Authority officer on special duty Ashok Kumar Sharma said that while the ban has been lifted, Xanadu, Logix and ATS must now submit their own revised layouts. “These developers need to submit revised layouts, after which the Authority will take further steps,” he said.While Logix Infra said it was yet to receive the minutes of the board meeting and would comment after reviewing the details, ATS Homes officials did not comment on the issue. TOI could not reach Xandu for a comment.Dinesh Gupta, president of Credai West UP, called the resolution a significant step. “Thousands of buyers have spent years paying rent while their purchased homes sat incomplete or unregistered. The SC order and the Authority’s approval have now lifted the first block in the Lotus Green Sports City project and cleared 20,000 flats in the Sports City area,” he said.
