GDA to determine unauthorized construction by satellite device

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Friday said it would control unauthorized construction through remote sensing devices and expects its introduction soon after it gets clearance from the state government.

GDA Vice Chairperson and the District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari said, in the past the Uttar Pradesh government had ordered conduct of a survey of unauthorized construction in undefined areas falling under local authorities' control.

"The builders construct substandard and unauthorized houses and commercial shops. Being cheap, the downtrodden lots of the society buy such houses which are dangerous to live in," Maheswari said.

When two buildings collapsed in Akash Nagar in Ghaziabad and Shahberi in Greater Noida in July this year, the state government had ordered a survey to determine the volume of such weak constructions in the state.

The GDA, at that time, engaged a consulting company to conduct the survey of Akash Nagar area through satellite by remote sensing device.

"The report of the survey has been sent to the state government and it is expected the government would give the go-ahead signal to use such a device on a massive level. In that case, the GDA would be able to conduct the entire survey of such unauthorized construction within six months in the entire notified area," Maheswari said.

--IANS

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