Ghaziabad: Group housing societies in Ghaziabad with an area of more than 2,000sqm will have to keep aside space for setting up a waste treatment plant on the premises if they want to get their building plan approved, the Ghaziabad Development Authority has decided in a meeting.The GDA board, which met on Friday, also gave its approval for setting up two mechanised multilevel car parking at Indirapuram and Rajnagar District Centre and a cyber hub in Kaushambi under the PPP model. Of the 32 proposals that were placed before the board, 29 were approved.“Disposal of civic waste is a major challenge in the city. In the absence of a proper solid waste plant, the problem has acquired enormous proportions. The city now generates nearly 1,100 tonnes of civic waste daily,” said Ritu Maheshwari, GDA vice-chairperson. “With the Galand solid waste plant yet to take off, we came up with the idea of making it compulsory for all group housing societies with an area of over 2,000 sqm to have their own solid waste plants. The board approved it on Friday,” added Maheshwari.Now that the proposal has been given the nod, no building plan in the city will be approved if it does not have a provision for a solid waste plant on the premises. Officials pointed out that the plan would also ensure that the amount of waste being taken to the Pratap Vihar landfill is cut down considerably.The proposal for waste treatment plants in housing societies was welcomed by environmentalists, some of whom said it was a first-of-its-kind in the state. “No one wants a landfill site or a solid waste plant in the neighbourhood. A case in point is the agitation being carried out by residents against one such waste plant in Noida Sector 123,” said Sushil Ragav, a city-based environmentalist. “In Ghaziabad, we have the Pratap Vihar landfill site, which is brimming with civic waste. The administration has still not found an alternative waste plant site. Against this backdrop, the GDA’s decision of installing compulsory waste management plant within housing societies will definitely go a long way in addressing the problem,” added Raghav.Among the other proposals that got the board’s approval are two mechanised multilevel parking lots in Indirapuram and Rajnagar District Centre. To be constructed at Rs 6 crore and Rs 80 crore at Indirapuram and Rajnagar, respectively, the parking lots will have capacities to accommodate 300 and 900 vehicles at a time. “Since RDC is considered the main commercial hub in the city, this area is plagued by encroachment. It has been decided that a mechanised multilevel parking will be constructed along with another one in Indirapuram. Both parking lots have been approved by the board,” said Maheshwari.The GDA board also gave its go ahead for inviting tenders for the construction of a 2.3km elevated road from Ghanta Ghar to Bhatia Morh. “Initially, it was decided that this Rs 253-crore project would be handed over to CPWD, but the board has now decided to select agencies through e-tendering,” the GDA vice-chairperson said.A cyber hub will also come up in Kaushambi, it was decided at the meeting. “The cyber hub will be developed under the PPP model. After watching a presentation made by the consultant, Meerut divisional commissioner Prabhat Kumar asked them to come up with another presentation that will have more ways to generate revenue. Apart from that, it has been approved,” Maheshwari said.Apart from waste plants and the elevated road proposals, a total of 17 projects worth Rs 367 crore were presented before the board on Friday for its approval. Officials in the meeting said that it had been decided that of the total Rs 367 crore, Rs 169 crore would be borne by the GDA from its infrastructure funds. The projects include a foot overbridge on the Mohan Nagar roundabout, shifting of the Ganga jal water pipeline from NH24, and Kanwani Rotary, among others.

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