Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
and a part of
Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of
Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in
Western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000.
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation is divided into 5 zones - City Zone, Kavi Nagar Zone, Vijay Nagar Zone, Mohan Nagar Zone and Vasundhara Zone.
The Municipal Corporation comprises 100 wards.
Well connected by roads and railways, it is a major rail junction for
North India. It is part of the
Meerut Division of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
.
It is sometimes referred to as the "Saya of Uttar Pradesh" because it is close to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, on the main route into Uttar Pradesh. Recent construction work has led to the city being described by a City Mayors Foundation survey as the second fastest-growing in the world. Situated in the Upper Gangetic Plains, the city has two major divisions separated by the
Hindon River, namely Trans-Hindon on the west and Cis-Hindon on the east.
History

The city of Ghaziabad was founded in 1740 A.D. by
Ghazi-ud-Din II, who served as a
wazir in the court of Mughal emperor
Muhammad Shah, and named it as "Ghaziuddinnagar" after his own name. The name "Ghaziuddinnagar" was shortened to its present form, i.e. "Ghaziabad" with the opening of the Railways in 1864.
During the Mughal period, Ghaziabad and especially the banks of the
Hindon in Ghaziabad, remained a picnic spot for the Mughal royal family.
Establishment of the Scientific Society here, during the same period is considered as a milestone of the educational movement launched by
Syed Ahmad Khan
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), also spelled Sayyid Ahmad Khan, was an Indian Muslim Islamic modernist, reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British Raj, British India.
Though initially esp ...
. The
Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, connecting
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
and
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, up until
Ambala through Ghaziabad was opened in the same year. With the completion of the
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
-
Saharanpur-Ghaziabad line of the Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway in 1870,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
was connected to
Multan
Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
through Ghaziabad, and Ghaziabad became the junction of the
East Indian Railway and Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway.
Ghaziabad, along with
Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
and
Bulandshahr, remained one of the three Munsifis of the District, under the Meerut Civil Judgeship during most periods of the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
.
Ghaziabad was associated with the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
from the
Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Ghaziabad was part of
Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
district, it became a new district on 14 November 1976 by then chief minister N.D. Tiwari.
Demographics
Population
The provisional data derived from the 2011 census shows that Ghaziabad urban agglomeration had a population of 2,358,525, of which males were 1,256,783 and females were 1,101,742. According to official website o
Ghaziabad the population of Ghaziabad is 34,06,061 with 18,60,400 males and 16,60,412 females as of January 24, 2025 . The city is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh. The literacy rate was 98.81%.
Ghaziabad is a subcategory B1 district of category B i.e. having socioeconomic parameters below the national average. It is the second largest industrial city in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
after
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
.
According to the final data, Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation had a population of 1,648,643 and a sex ratio of 885 females per 1000 males. Ghaziabad had a literacy rate of 84.78%. 12.67% of the population was under the age of 6. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 13.68% and 0.18% of the population respectively.
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
is the most spoken language. Other languages such as Urdu and Punjabi, are spoken by a minority. There is a smattering of speakers of other languages due to Ghaziabad's position in the Delhi metro area.
Government and politics
Ghaziabad city is governed by the
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation under th
Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959. Ghaziabad city is spread over of municipal area.
It upgraded from a Municipal Board to a
Municipal Corporation
Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...
on 31 August 1994, following the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (or Nagar Nigam Ghaziabad) is divided into 5 zones - City Zone, Kavi Nagar Zone, Vijay Nagar Zone, Mohan Nagar Zone and Vasundhara Zone.
The Municipal Corporation comprises 100 wards, with councillors elected from each ward.
The local elections to all wards was last held in 2023. The executive head is Vikramaditya Singh Malik, the current
Municipal Commissioner while the elected head is the
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
, Sunita dayal from the
BJP.
In 2022, Assembly Election
Atul Garg,
Bhartiya Janta Party candidate won the election.
The municipality has the following departments: Swachh Bharat Mission, Public Works Dept, I.T Dept, Property Tax Dept, Health Dept, Street Light Dept, Water Works Dept, Law, Garden/Horticulture. It has an executive committee composed of businessmen.
Representation in state assembly
The city is represented in the Lok Sabha through one MP elected from the
Lok Sabha constituency represented by BJP's
Atul Garg elected in 2024.
and one MLA elected from the
Vidhan Sabha constituency, represented by BJP's
Atul Garg elected in 2017.
Law and order
In January 2020, it was announced that the police commissionerate system was likely to be introduced in Ghaziabad in phases. The city police is under the state home department and is headed by Senior Superintendent of Police for the district.
Development
The
Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), established 1977, is responsible for planning, development and construction of housing projects, commercial lands, land management and infrastructure.
Civic utilities
Nagar Nigam Ghaziabad looks after the civic activities of the city. Other development agencies of the city include the Ghaziabad Development Authority, and the UP Jal Nigam. The
master plan for the city is laid by the Town & Country Planning Department,
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
, which is department under the
Department of Housing and Urban Planning for the state.
The corporation supplies water and has nearly 2.35 lakh water connections, supplying nearly 388 MLD of water per day.
The city also receives water from the
Ganga through 50
cusec (one cubic foot of water flow per second which translates into 28.32 litres) and 100 cusec plants
but a lot of areas in the city constituting multi-storied apartments do not receive Ganga water and rely on groundwater.
Treated water is supplied to only 36.2% of households.
The municipality, as well as UP Jal Nigam sets up
sewage treatment plants
Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water ...
and water treatment plants for the city.
The Ghaziabad Development Authority is responsible for laying networks of sewer lines and piped drinking water supply.
Drinking water remains a concern with 55.6% of households accessing it from tube wells, bore wells and hand pumps.
Only 30.5% households are connected to piped sewer lines.
As of 2019, Ghaziabad generates 1,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, some of which is sent to
Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
, while 300 metric tonnes are sent to
Pilkhuwa, while almost 200 metric tons is used in various GMC owned parks to create
compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
.
The corporation also dumps garbage in Indirapuram landfill site, and would dump it in Pratap Vihar
landfill
A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
until they stopped on the orders of a
National Green Tribunal committee.
The corporation also announced in September 2020 that it was creating 10 'garbage factories' as a permanent solution to the city's waste problem.
Economy
Although connected by railway since 1865, it was not until 1940 that the first modern industry appeared in Ghaziabad. However, it was in the post-independence period that industry really expanded, with a further 22 factories opening in the four years after 1947. This development can be attributed to the influx of people from the newly formed Pakistan and the relocation of businesses from what was now the Pakistani province of
Punjab. John Oakey and Mohan Ltd., one of India's largest concerns manufacturing coated and bonded abrasives, and originally functioning under the name of 'National Abrasives' at
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
was shifted here under the proprietorship of 'Dyer Meakins' in 1947. Subsequently, the
Mohan Meakin breweries were also set up in 1949. This period also saw the development of Ghaziabad as one of India's most famous centres of the Oil Engines industry.
In 1967, the municipal limits were extended up to the Delhi-UP border. Starting in the early 1970s, many steel-manufacturing units also came up in the city making it one of the primary industries of the city. This period also saw the emergence of the
Electronics industry
The electronics industry is the industry (economics), industry that produces electronic devices. It emerged in the 20th century and is today one of the largest global industries. Contemporary society uses a vast array of electronic devices that ar ...
, with the setting up of
Bharat Electronics Limited and
Central Electronics Limited Over the years, planned Industrial development saw participation from major industrial houses of the country including Mohans (Mohan Nagar Industrial Estate, 1949), Tatas (Tata Oil Mills), Modis (Modinagar, 1933; International Tobacco Co. 1967), Shri Rams (Shri Ram Pistons, 1964), Jaipurias etc. and also significant participation through foreign capital in concerns such as Danfoss India Ltd. (estd. 1968); Indo- Bulgar Food Ltd. and International Tobacco Company (estd. 1967).
Transportation
Road
A proposal has been made to widen
National Highway 24 (NH-24) from four to fourteen lanes on the stretch between the Ghaziabad-Delhi border and Dasna. Many residential and commercial projects are being built along the highway.
Rail

The
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
,
Red and
Pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
lines of Delhi Metro serve Ghaziabad and connect it with
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
. The Red Line has 8 stations in the city, with its eastern terminus
Shaheed Sthal being located here. The Blue Line has 2 stations in Ghaziabad, viz.,
Kaushambi, which serves the area of
Kaushambi, and
Vaishali, which serves the areas of Vaishali,
Vasundhara and
Indirapuram. Pink line also has 2 stations in Loni, Ghaziabad, viz.,
Johri Enclave and
Shiv Vihar
The main railway station in the city is
Ghaziabad Junction, which, as per the
categorization of Indian Railway stations by commercial importance, has been ranked NSG-2. The station has been operating since 1864 and is an important one on the
Delhi-Howrah line. It is spread across and has a daily footfall of 50,000 passengers.
The
Delhi–Meerut RRTS is an
semi-high speed rail connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad, and
Meerut
Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...
. It is partly operational, with its priority section from
Sahibabad to Duhai opened to public on 20 October 2023.
Air
Hindon Airport is an airport serving Ghaziabad and has been operational since 2019. It is the second commercial airport in the Delhi–NCR after
Indira Gandhi International Airport. The airport was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
on 8 March 2019. The
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the closest international airport. Hindon Airport currently operates flights to Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and Hubli, Karnataka.
A new airport in Noida is being built to relieve congestion at IGI coming from Ghaziabad and other cities inside NCR
Ghaziabad has been ranked 18th best “National Clean Air City” (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India according to 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results'
Education
Ghaziabad has also emerged as one of the major educational destinations with many higher education colleges and institutes operating in the city. Some of the main institutes are:-
*
Christ University Delhi NCR Campus
*
IMS Engineering College
*
Institute of Management Technology (IMT)
*
Institute of Technology and Science, Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad
*
Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology
*
Santosh Medical College
Notable people
Arts, entertainment and television
*
Tanya Desai, Indian actress and model
*
Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000 and Bollywood actress.
*
Luv Ranjan, Indian film & music director, writer, lyricist and producer who works in
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
Business
*
Nikesh Arora, businessman, former president and COO of SoftBank Corp. and CEO of SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc.
*
Kapil Mohan, businessman
Politics and government
*
Suresh Bansal, politician
*
Madan Bhaiya, politician,
*
Roop Chaudhary, politician.
*
Arvind Kejriwal, politician
*
Rama Pilot, politician.
*
Rajnath Singh, politician
* General
V. K. Singh (Retd.), politician
*
K. C. Tyagi, politician
*
Ram Chandra Vikal, freedom fighter and deputy Chief Minister of UP.
Sports
*
Rajkumar Baisla, Dhayanchand Awardee 2011 (Wrestling)
*
Donald Crowhurst, sailor
*
Anshul Gupta, cricketer
*
Manoj Prabhakar, cricketer
*
Suresh Raina, cricketer
*
Jaya Sharma, cricketer
*
Kunal Lal, cricketer
*
Rahul Yadav, cricketer
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Ghaziabad District Administration*
{{Authority control
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Cities in Uttar Pradesh
Metropolitan cities in India