Supreme Court Approves Restart of Noida Sports City, Benefiting 40,000 Homebuyers

In a major relief for nearly 40,000 homebuyers stuck in the long-delayed Sports City projects of Noida, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for construction to restart after almost three years of stagnation.

Acting on the settlement reached between the Noida Authority and the project developer, the Court has issued a set of directions that unlock the project’s next phase. The current order is for Sector-150 Sports City, where the original allottee had sub-leased the land to 24 developers, and about 18,000 units are part of the project in 300 acres.

Similar resolution is expected for two other sport cities in sectors 150 and 78, 79. During the hearing, the Solicitor General informed the Court that the Noida Authority will lift the restrictions imposed in its 201st Board Meeting within the next 30–45 days.

At the same time, the developer has agreed to clear all pending dues and adhere to a strict construction timeline, which the Court has accepted as part of its interim order. “The Petitioner has proposed that it will pay 20% of the total outstanding amount with Noida within 2 months from the date of approval of the revised Master Plan, with the remaining 80% to be paid in equal six half-yearly installments over a period of 3 years. This proposal shall be put up before the Noida’s Board for consideration and subject to any SC-decision by the Noida’s Board, the Revised Master Plan shall be approved,” the order reads.

The revised Master Plan shall clearly indicate the common facilities and public amenities to be developed by the Petitioner. Further, the sanction of any building plan will be done as per the decision taken by Noida’s Board with regard to upfront payment by the Petitioner of the total outstanding and as per rules, regulations, by-laws, and extant policies of Noida.

The order will not only restart on-ground work but also establishes a clear roadmap for timely completion of the entire township. Sports City is planned as a premium urban hub featuring world-class sports infrastructure, including a stadium, athletic track, swimming arena, and dedicated cricket and football grounds.

As per the order, the Noida Authority will lift the ban within 30–45 days, and developers will submit the revised master plan within 30 days and get it approved within 45 days. Building plan approval has to be done within 20 days, while sports facilities are to be completed in 3 years, and the entire housing project in 5 years. Noida Authority will retain a lien on 20% of units as security, and the projects will get Zero period benefit—delay penalty waived from March 2020 to March 2022.

Builders will be able to get an O.C. (Occupancy Certificate) only after full payment and completion, and developers are also allowed to bring joint venture or co-developers, as in other sectors of Noida. “Thousands of buyers stuck in the Sports City project have finally received clear direction and timelines. With the ban being lifted and the payment model defined, work will now accelerate. We expect to see major progress on ground in the coming months, strengthening buyer confidence,” said Dinesh Gupta, President – CREDAI Western UP.

Once the master plan and building plan approvals are completed, construction activity is expected to begin. In addition to buyers waiting to get their homes completed, there are buyers who are waiting to get their units registered as the developers failed to meet license requirements, making this a unique case among all the delayed projects in Noida.

The Sports City projects were planned over 300 hectares of land at four different locations in the city. One land parcel across Sectors 78, 79, and 101 was allotted to Three C, and another in Sector 150 to Lotus Greens Group. One each in Sectors 150 and 152 was allocated to Logix Infra Developer and ATS Homes, respectively.

As per the original plan, out of the total land, 70% had to be developed as sports amenities, 28% as group housing, and 2% as commercial and institutional properties. The promised sports infrastructure includes a golf course, an indoor cricket stadium, multi-sports facilities, and a swimming pool.