Greater Noida To prevent land-related fraud and disputes, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) has transferred ownership of 441 hectares of land of 18 villages in Yeida area (Yamuna City) in the catchment area of Noida International Airport, to its name, officials said on Thursday.
The land was acquired years ago from 3,695 farmers, and the land title remained in their names. Despite payment of compensation and allotment of residential plots to farmers, the title of the acquired land had not been transferred in Yeida’s name, they added.
“This gap in documentation led to several instances of misuse, including illegal sale, bank loans, and cultivation on acquired plots. The transfer will now contain such irregularities and ensure clarity in ownership. Yeida has now officially recorded and transferred the acquired land in its name. This will help maintain transparency in property transactions and stop frauds involving the sale or mortgaging of land that already belongs to the Authority,” said Yeida CEO Rakesh Kumar Singh.
Notably, the land for planned development is either purchased through mutual consent with farmers or acquired under the Land Acquisition Act.
The CEO said, however, after purchase or acquisition, the process of updating ownership records in government documents was often delayed or neglected. This created opportunities for fraudulent transactions, where some people sold or mortgaged the land to others, taking advantage of the absence of Yeida’s name in official records.
In many cases, the fraud came to light only when Yeida took physical possession of the land for development projects. By then, the only option left was to lodge an FIR against the offenders, said officials, adding that to plug this gap, Yeida has completed the process of recording its ownership over the 441 hectares spread across 18 notified villages.
Officials said the move will not only prevent fraud but also smoothen implementation of ongoing and upcoming development projects near the Noida International Airport.
With the updated land records, the authority expects to avoid future ownership disputes and ensure that all land under its jurisdiction is properly documented and protected from misuse.
On Wednesday, Nikhil Tyagi, a real estate consultant based in Noida, told HT: “Such buyers will feel cheated once the authority will acquire these areas for their developmental projects. Therefore, the general public must be cautious and stay away from buying these plots in unauthorised areas. Instead, they should buy the plots in government approved projects.”