Noida — The Noida Authority has issued a formal notice to ATS Homes, the principal developer of the Sports City project in Sector 152, accusing the company of violating lease conditions, delaying construction and failing to build the mandated sports infrastructure nearly a decade after the land was allotted.
Officials say ATS Homes and its consortium partners owe ₹2,746 crore in dues and have repeatedly missed deadlines that were integral to the project’s approval. The notice reflects growing tension between the Authority and multiple developers involved in Sports City — a flagship initiative now hobbled by litigation, stalled construction and mounting financial defaults.
A Delayed Vision for a Flagship Project
The 5-lakh-square-meter plot in Sector 152 was allotted in 2015 with a clear mandate: all sports facilities were to be completed within five years, and occupancy certificates for housing and commercial components were expected by December 2022. ATS Homes controls roughly 4 lakh square meters of this land.
Yet, during a site inspection on November 4, officials found construction incomplete and work on green areas still untouched. Of the 10 plots planned within the project, building plans were approved for only four. Even in those segments, progress was uneven, with several critical components lagging dangerously behind schedule.
The Authority alleges that the developer disregarded approved layout plans and violated building bylaws—charges that ATS strongly contests.
A Broader Crisis Behind the Sports City Model
While ATS Homes is the latest to face scrutiny, the issues extend well beyond a single developer. Across the various Sports City parcels in Noida, 81 sub-plots were created and sub-leased to private builders—most of them for group housing rather than sports facilities, which were the core requirement of the scheme.
Authority data reveals unpaid dues of ₹11,641 crore, of which only ₹319 crore has been recovered.
Top defaulters include:
- Lotus Greens — ₹4,178 crore
- Logix Infra Developers — ₹4,082 crore
- ATS Homes — ₹2,746 crore
- Xanadu Estate — ₹636 crore
A 2019 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit raised early red flags, alleging underpricing of land, diversion of designated sports areas for housing, and widespread unauthorised sub-leasing. Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court ordered CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations into three of the Sports City projects (excluding ATS) and directed Noida Authority to aggressively recover outstanding dues.
“Noida Authority will continue firm administrative and legal action against all allottees violating lease conditions,” an official said. Ensuring the long-delayed sports facilities are completed, he added, “remains a top priority.”
Legal Counterpoints and ATS’s Defence
In response to the Authority’s notice, ATS Homes insisted that it has not yet received any communication regarding stoppage of work. The company cited a High Court order from April 2023, which it says placed significant conditions on how the Authority may act.
According to ATS:
- The High Court questioned how the Authority could initiate punitive measures when portions of the land essential to the project remained unallotted.
- It instructed the Authority to recalculate dues based on the “zero-period policy,” a framework that allows relaxation for delays not attributable to the developer.
- It directed Noida Authority to allow ATS to proceed with construction in accordance with approved plans and bylaws.
Any punitive action, ATS said, would be “unjust, unlawful and directly in contempt” of the court’s previous orders.
A Standoff With No Easy Resolution
As Noida Authority pursues recovery and compliance across the Sports City portfolio, developers continue to challenge these moves on procedural and legal grounds. The stand-off has left thousands of homebuyers, investors and future occupants in limbo, while the grand vision of a sports-centric urban township inches further away.
For now, the Authority’s notice signals a renewed push for accountability, but the path to completing Sports City — long imagined as a post-Commonwealth Games showcase for integrated athletic infrastructure — appears more complex than ever.
