Expo City Near Airport and IT City Is Moving Forward — What Happens Next?

GMADA has approved land acquisition for Expo City, but approval is only one step. Here is what residents, landowners and people following Mohali’s should understand next.

Expo City is once again moving forward in Greater Mohali. GMADA’s Authority has approved the acquisition of land for the development of Expo City near the Airport and IT City in S.A.S. Nagar. The official decision also states that Punjab’s Land Pooling Policy notified on November 19, 2025 will apply to this acquisition.

GMADA subsequently published public notices relating to Expo City and its land acquisition in April 2026. For anyone following development around Airport Road, IT City and the surrounding villages, this is an important step. But it is equally important to understand what it does not mean.

The approval does not mean Expo City is already being built. It does not mean plots are available for sale. And it does not mean the complete development timeline has been finalised. So what exactly has happened—and what should users watch next?

What Has GMADA Actually Approved?

The clearest official confirmation comes from the minutes of GMADA’s 40th Authority Meeting. Under the agenda item relating to “Development of Expo-City near Airport and IT-City in S.A.S Nagar,” approval was sought for acquisition of land for the project.

The Authority approved the proposal. It also specified that the Land Pooling Policy issued by the Punjab Government on November 19, 2025 would apply to the acquisition. This is significant because it moves Expo City beyond being simply an idea discussed in planning documents. However, it is still important to describe the stage correctly:

GMADA has approved land acquisition for the project.

That is different from saying:

“Expo City construction has started.”

What Happened After the Approval?

The next visible step was the publication of official notices. GMADA's public-notice records show:

• Public notice regarding Expo City, S.A.S. Nagar
• Public notice regarding Land Acquisition under Expo City, S.A.S. Nagar

The notices were published in April 2026, with the listed submission period extending into May.

This tells users something important:

The project has moved into formal land and administrative processes. But land acquisition itself can involve several stages before GMADA has full control of the required land.

What Happens Next?

There is no single date on which a project suddenly changes from “approved” to “built.” A project of this scale usually progresses through several separate stages. For Expo City, users should now watch for developments in areas such as:

Land acquisition and statutory proceedings

↓

Land pooling or compensation choices where applicable

↓

Completion of required land-related processes

↓

Detailed planning and layout

↓

Infrastructure planning

↓

Administrative and financial approvals

↓

Tenders and work awards

↓

Physical development on the ground

Not every stage will necessarily happen at the same speed. Some processes may also run alongside each other. That is why a land-acquisition notice should not be interpreted as an announcement that construction will begin immediately.

What Does Land Pooling Mean for Expo City?

One notable part of GMADA's approval is that the 2025 Land Pooling Policy will apply to this acquisition. For affected landowners, this matters because land pooling can provide an alternative framework to straightforward cash compensation, subject to the applicable policy and project conditions.

However, landowners should not make decisions based only on the phrase “land pooling.” They should check the official documents applicable to their land and understand:

• whether their land is included;
• which village and Khasra numbers are covered;
• what options are available;
• what consent or option forms are required;
• applicable deadlines;
• eligibility conditions; and
• what entitlement follows from each option.

A land-pooling arrangement for one GMADA project should not automatically be assumed to be identical to another.

Does This Mean Expo City Is Ready for Development?

Not yet. One of the easiest mistakes to make with large public projects is to treat every approval as the final approval. Expo City still has to move through the applicable planning, land, infrastructure and implementation processes. A useful way to understand the present position is:

Project concept — progressed

Authority approval for land acquisition — confirmed

Land-related public notices — issued

Complete land process — should be checked through subsequent records

Infrastructure construction — not confirmed merely by the acquisition approval

Operational Expo City — still a future stage

This distinction protects readers from assuming more than the official record actually says.

Why Is the Location Important?

Expo City is proposed near two important parts of Greater Mohali:

Chandigarh International Airport and IT City. That makes the project relevant beyond only the land being acquired. Large development in this corridor can eventually influence how the wider area is planned for:

• road connectivity;
• commercial activity;
• business and institutional uses;
• public infrastructure;
• utilities;
• movement between existing and future development areas; and
• surrounding villages and sectors.

But these possible effects should be understood as part of future planning—not as promises of immediate development or property-price appreciation.

What Could Expo City Eventually Become?

The name “Expo City” naturally creates expectations of large commercial, exhibition or business-oriented development. However, users should be careful not to fill in missing details themselves. The Authority approval confirms development of Expo City and land acquisition for it. It does not by itself provide a complete final list of facilities that will ultimately be built.

Until detailed approved plans are publicly available, readers should avoid assuming that Expo City will contain a particular convention centre, shopping district, hotel, exhibition facility or other feature simply because of the project name. This is an important difference between:

what people expect from the project

and

what GMADA has officially approved and documented.

What Should Nearby Residents Watch?

For residents around Airport Road, IT City and nearby development areas, the most useful thing is not to speculate about prices. Watch the official development trail instead. Look for:

• new land-acquisition notifications;
• village-specific notices;
• land-pooling instructions;
• hearing or objection notices where applicable;
• approved layout or planning documents;
• new road proposals;
• infrastructure tenders;
• utility works; and
• subsequent GMADA Authority decisions.

These documents will tell you much more about the real progress of Expo City than promotional claims.

What Should Affected Landowners Check?

If you believe your land may fall within the Expo City acquisition area, start with the land records rather than newspaper headlines.

Check:

• village name
• Khasra number
• ownership details
• area recorded against your name
• latest applicable acquisition notice
• whether any objection/hearing period applies
• whether land pooling is available in your case
• whether any action or deadline has been specified

Keep copies of every notice, application, acknowledgement and land document. Do not rely only on what another landowner has been told because individual ownership and land details can differ.

What Should Property Buyers Understand?

Expo City may sound attractive when mentioned in property advertisements around Airport Road or IT City. But a buyer should be careful with statements such as:

“Expo City is coming right next to this property.”

or

“Once Expo City comes, this area will definitely become the next major commercial hub.”

The first claim should be checked against official planning documents. The second is an investment prediction—not an official GMADA assurance.

If proximity to Expo City is being used as a reason to sell you a property, ask:

• Where is Expo City shown officially?
• How far is this particular property from the proposed project area?
• What stage has the project actually reached?
• Is the road or connectivity being advertised already available or only planned?

This makes the buying decision much more evidence-based.

Approval, Acquisition and Construction Are Three Different Things

This is probably the most important takeaway from the current Expo City development.

Approval GMADA's Authority has approved acquisition of land for developing Expo City.

Acquisition The land process then has to proceed through the applicable legal and administrative steps. GMADA has already published Expo City-related acquisition notices.

Construction Physical development comes later and requires its own planning, approvals, infrastructure preparation, procurement and execution.

So:

Approval ≠ Land fully acquired

and

Land acquisition ≠ Construction started

That distinction should guide how every new Expo City announcement is read.

Why Expo City Is Worth Following

Expo City is important not simply because it is another new project. Its proposed location places it within a wider growth corridor that already includes Airport Road, Chandigarh International Airport, IT City and other developing parts of Greater Mohali. As Expo City progresses, the most meaningful questions will be:

• How much land will ultimately form part of the project?
• Which villages and parcels are included?
• How will land pooling be implemented?
• What will the final development plan contain?
• How will Expo City connect with IT City and Airport Road?
• What infrastructure will be developed first?
• When will physical work begin?
• What uses will finally be approved within the project?

Those answers will emerge through subsequent official records.

What Users Should Watch Next

For now, there are four developments worth watching closely.

• First: further land-acquisition and land-pooling notices.
• Second: detailed planning or layout information showing how Expo City will actually be organised.
• Third: infrastructure announcements involving access roads, utilities and supporting services.
• Fourth: tenders or work awards that would indicate movement from planning into physical execution.

That is when users will be able to see more clearly how the project is translating from paper to ground.

Final Takeaway

Expo City has moved forward. GMADA's Authority has formally approved acquisition of land for development of the project near Airport and IT City, the 2025 Land Pooling Policy has been made applicable, and subsequent public notices relating to Expo City and its land acquisition have been published.

But this should be read as an important project milestone—not as completion of the project-development process.

For now, the simplest way to understand the position is:

Expo City is moving through the land-development process.

The next meaningful signals will come from further acquisition records, land-pooling action, approved planning documents, infrastructure decisions and eventually physical work. For residents, buyers and landowners, those official stages matter much more than rumours about when Expo City will be “ready.”

Where to Check

For official Expo City acquisition notices, GMADA Authority records and future project documents, visit gmada.gov.in

For simplified explanations of Greater Mohali projects, development notices and what they mean for users, visit gmada.in.

Important Disclaimer

gmada.in is an independent information portal and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), PUDA, the Government of Punjab or any other government department.