NOIDA: The first contours of New Agra, which the state govt has planned as a heritage city that will be set up either side of the Yamuna Expressway in Agra district which is notified under the jurisdiction of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
Called ‘New Agra Urban Centre‘, the blueprint prepared by YEIDA envisages developing the new city mainly as a commercial and tourism centre on 10,500 hectares of land, which would make it roughly half the size of Noida.
The 60 villages where land has been identified for the new city are in Etmadpur tehsil of the city of Taj.
The draft plan was prepared in collaboration with a consultant, which conducted socio-economic surveys in the region. Initially, most of the land identified was in Hathras district, prompting YEIDA to revise the new city’s location.
Next steps include on-site land verification to assess connectivity, encroachments, and other factors before submitting a final proposal to the state govt for inclusion in Master Plan 2041.
The new city has been planned to maximise Agra’s commercial potential from tourism with Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri both big draws both for domestic and international travellers.
The project plan, officials said, will keep strict regulations on emissions to prevent any damage to the Taj in mind, particularly in the Taj Trapezium Zone. Theme parks and recreational spaces will define public places in the new city.
The project is YEIDA’s first major urban planning initiative along Yamuna Expressway near Agra. The blueprint was taken up alongside the Noida International Airport’s development because the new airport, which is scheduled to open next April, is likely to trigger an increase in tourist footfall to Agra.
YEIDA’s notified area comprises 1,149 villages in six districts – Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura and Agra. Of these villages, the maximum (415) are in Mathura, 358 in Hathras, 131 in Gautam Budh Nagar, 95 in Bulandshahr, 92 in Aligarh and 58 in Agra.
Development work has so far been focused on its notified areas in Gautam Budh Nagar and Bulandshahr. Master plans for development in Mathura and Aligarh districts have also been drawn, with areas like Tappal-Bajna in Aligarh and Raya in Mathura being considered for development of a logistics park and a heritage city, respectively.
