UP Government Approves Master Plan 2031 Phase-2 Covering New Agra Urban Centre

What Was Decided

The Uttar Pradesh government approved the Master Plan 2031 Phase-2 for urban development in Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, and Agra along the 165-km Yamuna Expressway, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) announced on 24 March. The approval paves the way for the development of new urban centres, aligning with the future growth prospects of the region, particularly around the Noida International Airport, which is expected to be operational by April 2025.

The Phase-2 Master Plan was initially proposed in 2012-13 but remained stalled for over a decade due to objections. The last major urban centres under Master Plan 2031—Raya Urban Centre (Mathura) and Tappal-Bajna Urban Centre (Aligarh)—were approved in 2017, making this the first fresh expansion of the plan in eight years.

Scope and Boundaries of Phase-2

YEIDA's notified area spans 3,352 square kilometres across six districts, including Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras and Agra, and, per other reporting, Bulandshahr as the sixth district, spread across 1,149 villages.

• Phase I: Covers 759 sq km in Gautam Budh Nagar and Bulandshahr, where land acquisition and allotment are already underway.
• Phase II (this approval): Covers 2,593 sq km in Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, and Hathras.

Phase II is built around four planned urban centres: Raya Urban Center (Mathura), Tappal-Bajna Urban Center (Aligarh), Agra Urban Center, and Hathras Urban Center. Detailed project reports (DPRs) have been prepared for Raya and Tappal-Bajna Urban Centers, with developers being finalised, while a consultant has been appointed for the Agra Urban Center, while hiring is in progress for Hathras Urban Center.

New Agra Urban Centre: The Local Detail

New Agra is the Agra-district component of Phase-2. In November 2023, Yeida decided to build a new metropolis on 10,500 hectares in Agra, and the board approved the plan, and in March 2024, Yeida began the process of hiring a consultant. The original blueprint covered 10,500 hectares of land—about half the size of Noida—identified in 60 villages of the Etmadpur tehsil, but following a survey revision, both the area and the number of villages were expected to increase because the survey initially covered only one side of the expressway.

By early April 2025 the expanded master plan had been drawn up: YEIDA completed the master plan for the New Agra Urban Centre, set to be developed across 12,200 hectares in 58 villages of the Agra district. The new city is designed to accommodate a population of 14.6 lakh, aiming to generate employment for 8.5 lakh people by promoting tourism, industry and commercial development. The master plan was slated for presentation for approval at YEIDA's board meeting in April 2025, with the project to commence post-approval — that board-level approval of the Agra-specific plan is a separate, later step from the 24 March 2025 state-level Phase-2 approval.

Land-Use Breakdown for New Agra

Following extensive surveys and public consultations, the plan designates 2,501 hectares, 27.7 per cent of the total area, for residential use. Industrial use is allocated 1,813 hectares or 20.11 per cent of the total area. Mixed-use development zones spread over 447 hectares will combine residential, commercial, and entertainment facilities. A separate business zone spanning 340 hectares will include retail hubs, office spaces, and commercial centres. Given Agra's historic importance, 640 hectares are reserved for tourism and entertainment, with attractions such as theme parks, hotels, resorts, museums, digital entertainment zones, and cultural centres developed near the Yamuna River. The plan also earmarks 823 hectares as a buffer zone along the Yamuna, 485 hectares as green space, 434 hectares for forest and agricultural preservation, and 330 hectares for educational and healthcare infrastructure.

Note: an earlier, pre-expansion land-use split quoted by YEIDA's CEO for the 10,500-hectare version — 20% residential, 4% commercial, 25% industrial, 13% transportation, 15% greenery, 7% tourist, and 7% mixed use — has been superseded by the 12,200-hectare figures above.

Environmental Constraints

In light of Agra's environmental sensitivity as part of the Taj Trapezium Zone, the New Agra plan prioritises green and pollution-free development, and only white and green category industries will be allowed. This mirrors a wider constraint across Phase-2: approximately 55% of the YEIDA-II area falls within the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), which the draft master plan itself flags as requiring careful planning because the presence of the Yamuna River and TTZ status makes the area environmentally sensitive.

Process and Next Steps

Officials confirmed that once the master plan is presented in YEIDA's upcoming board meeting, the process of land acquisition would begin. The approval also enables the authority to curb illegal construction within the notified area, ensuring controlled urban expansion.

By August 2025, YEIDA's own status update showed the sequencing: YEIDA has already advanced DPRs for the Raya Urban Centre in Mathura and the Tappal-Bajna Urban Centre in Aligarh, and a consultant has been appointed for the New Agra Urban Centre, while the Hathras Urban Centre — the final hub planned under Phase II — was still at the stage of appointing a consultant to prepare its DPR, the framework for land acquisition, developer selection, and project execution. This confirms New Agra was, as of that date, ahead of Hathras but behind Raya and Tappal-Bajna in the pipeline toward actual land acquisition.

Practical Effect

For landowners and investors, the 24 March 2025 decision is a policy-level unlock, not a land-acquisition notification. It formally permits YEIDA to focus on expanding industrial, residential, and commercial infrastructure in these districts, enhancing urbanisation in a structured manner, and plan to expedite land acquisition and project execution across these regions, ending years of administrative delays. Until New Agra's own master plan clears YEIDA's board and a DPR is issued, no formal land acquisition, compensation rate, or RERA-registered scheme exists for the New Agra Urban Centre specifically — those steps follow, not precede, this decision.