Haryana cabinet approves GMDA ordinance

In a meeting held in Chandigarh, the Haryana Cabinet on Thursday approved the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) ordinance. The ordinance will now be sent to the Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki. It will officially begin to function as a body after the Governor's consent.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will be the Chairperson of GMDA. A resident's welfare body will also be set up that will advice and examine the projects initiated by the GMDA.

Besides having a major function of initiating urban infrastructure development, GMDA will also have the powers in real estate matters in the city.

The GMDA can also acquire, lease, hold, manage and dispose of land. GMDA will also have the rights to acquire land for implementation of plans for infrastructure development plans.

For acquiring the land, the GMDA will be responsible for the compensation procedures and be getting the land notified from the state government.

GMDA has also been mandated for the collection of External Development Charges (EDC) and will also have the powers to levy the duty on transfer of immovable property situated within the notified areas of the city.

At present, the land related affairs in Gurugram is being handled by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

For long, major complaints by investors and residents have been that most of the infrastructure and land related affairs of the city are still being handled in Chandigarh than in Gurugram.

Last year on September 5, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced the formation of Gurgaon Development

Authority that was subsequently changed to Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority.

Various challenges, however, have plagued the formation and the functioning of the body ever since its announcement

A major challenge seems to be coming from the employees from Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the functions of which the body is expected to take over.

There have been frequent strikes by the worker in HUDA resisting the formation of the body.

Views have also been expressed that key ministers and bureaucrats handling the affairs of the body will still be from Chandigarh than in Gurugram.

There have been two occasions when the Haryana Government had the opportunity to pass the bill through the Haryana Assembly, yet complexities prevented the bill of from getting passed.

"We hope that GMDA will ultimately be passed in the coming monsoon session of the Haryana Assembly. However, during this phase we need to start functioning as a body because the development of Gurugram has to be sustained," said a Senior Public official.