DDA hands over land to GGSIPU, DeTU for Narela campuses

In a move to develop Narela Sub City as an educational hub, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has handed over possession of land to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) and Delhi Teachers’ University (DeTU) for setting up their campuses in Narela. 

According to a press statement issued by Lok Niwas, the GGSIPU has been handed over the possession of 22.43 acres of land in Narela, for which a payment of Rs 162.90 crore has been made to the DDA. With this, the GGSIPU is set to establish its third campus, expanding its footprint in North Delhi. At present, the university operates from its main campus in Dwarka and its East Delhi campus at Surajmal Vihar.

Delhi Teachers’ University has been given 12.69 acres of land in sector G-2/G-6 in Narela, for which the Delhi Government has paid Rs 92.16 crore to DDA.

Similarly, Delhi Teachers’ University will soon commence the work on setting up its own dedicated campus, which is currently functioning out of a school building, lacking basic infrastructural facilities, in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar.

Delhi’s Education Minister, Ashish Sood, was present on the occasion and received the land possession documents. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and the Minister of Education congratulated the universities and said that the expansion of their campuses would go a long way in providing quality education not only to students from Delhi but also from across the country and would reaffirm Delhi’s position as a leading centre of higher education.

Interestingly, the DDA, at the request of these Delhi Government Universities for setting up new campuses, had allotted the land in January 2024 itself.

However, the then Kejriwal government chose to neglect the universities’ requests and refused to make any payment to DDA for the allotted land parcels. On several occasions, LG personally requested Kejriwal to make budgetary provisions for the purchase of land, but in vain. 

Subsequently, the allotment of land was put in abeyance. In January 2024, the LG, acting on the demands and to provide a boost to infrastructure development in Narela, allotted 181 acres of land to seven government universities and institutions.

The Rekha Gupta government, in her very first budget, allotted Rs 500 crore for these universities, out of which Rs 452 crore has already been paid to the DDA.

According to a Lok Niwas official, DDA in November 2025 also approved the change of land use in Narela Sub-City for the development of university campuses. Strategically located near Urban Extension Road-I and along the proposed Rithala-Narela-Kundli Metro corridor, the area offers enhanced public accessibility and connectivity, further supporting the planned development of Narela as an education hub.

Later, addressing a press conference, Sood announced increasing the Narela sub-city’s project outlay from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,300 crore. While the project was initially sanctioned with an outlay of Rs 500 crore, the allocation was enhanced to Rs 1,300 crore in the latest budget, keeping future requirements in mind, he added.

Of this, around Rs 462 crore has already been paid, and the remaining amount will be cleared within the current financial year, Sood said.

Sood said the payment process to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for land allotment has also been expedited. He said the Narela Education City would not be limited to physical infrastructure but would be developed as a shared campus based on global best practices.

Common facilities such as modern libraries, advanced laboratories, seminar halls, auditoriums, and research and innovation centres will be created to ensure optimal use of resources and wider access for students, Sood said.

The minister said Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) had earlier been allotted 50 acres of land, and with the latest allocations, the government is moving steadily towards developing a world-class education and innovation hub spread over nearly 160 acres in Narela.

Residential facilities in the form of LIG, MIG, HIG and EWS flats for faculty and staff are also planned within the university campuses, he said. Various universities have proposed investments of about Rs 567 crore for the construction of flats, hostels and related infrastructure.

International consultants and scientific studies are being used to guide the planning and execution of the project, the minister added. Sood further said Narela holds strategic importance, with work on the Rithala-Narela Metro corridor currently underway.

Improved connectivity is expected to spur overall development in the surrounding areas. According to the minister, the establishment of universities is also likely to generate significant direct and indirect employment opportunities, including teaching and non-teaching jobs, hostel services and allied activities.

The minister said that within a short span of 11 months, the Delhi government has taken concrete steps towards reforms in school, higher and technical education, and that these changes are visible on the ground rather than remaining confined to announcements.