Uttar Pradesh Plans Five New Cities East Of Noida: Heritage City For Braj Culture, New Agra For Tourism And Hospitality

The upcoming inauguration of the Noida International Airport in 2025 has already stimulated growth in real estate and economic activity in areas adjacent to Delhi. However, the Uttar Pradesh government has even more ambitious plans, as reported by Times of India.

In conjunction with the airport's development, the state has outlined an extensive urban expansion blueprint spanning 56,000 hectares to the east of Noida. This includes the proposal for five new cities or township projects expected to materialize over the coming decade.

The quintet of townships includes the Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment Region, also known as New Noida, alongside Heritage City, which is alternatively termed Raya Urban Centre. New Agra, Tappal-Bajna, and the Integrated Industrial Township Greater Noida, abbreviated as IITGN, are also part of this group.

The strategic planning for New Noida and IITGN involves their development as industrial hubs due to their proximity to the dedicated freight corridor. Heritage City, on the other hand, is looking to leverage religious tourism and Braj culture. New Agra is targeting the enhancement of the city of Taj by incorporating a tourism and hospitality district. Tappal-Bajna is also set to transform into an industrial township.

New Noida, a crucial component of the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor (DMIC), aims to stimulate industrial and economic expansion in India's most densely populated state. It is strategically planned on a vast area of 20,911 hectares at the end of the western dedicated freight corridor, near the EPE. The creation of this new city was necessitated due to the saturation of Noida, which is unable to accommodate proposals for industries requiring large land areas.

The Master Plan for New Noida, recognised as one of the seven key investment zones in the initial phase of DMIC, envisions a 'globally competitive' industrial center specialising in IT, electronics, automotive, renewable energy, and defense sectors.

The plan proposes the creation of 1.2 million jobs by 2040, accompanied by the establishment of new businesses, emerging industries, and technological progress. For the development of this new city, territories spanning 80 villages within Gautam Budh Nagar and Bulandshahr districts have been designated.

The primary industries in New Noida will be manufacturing and logistics, with the government also heavily promoting IT as a significant sector. The state anticipates these sectors will attract substantial investment.