YEIDA Board Approves Plan to Build New Metropolis on 10,500 Hectares in Agra

What Was Decided

In November 2023, Yeida decided to build a new metropolis on 10,500 hectares in Agra. This was significant because development along the Yamuna Expressway had, until then, centred solely on the Gautam Budh Nagar district, which includes the Noida International Airport, the projected Film City, and other large industrial developments. The Agra decision extended YEIDA's urban-development ambitions to the southern end of its 165-km expressway corridor for the first time.

Later, the board approved the plan, and in March 2024, Yeida began the process of hiring a consultant, officials said.

Immediate Follow-up: Consultant Appointment and Cost Estimate

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority said it hired an expert consultant to produce a master plan for the development of an urban hub in Agra along the Yamuna Expressway, with the project, once the master plan is finalised, expected to cost ₹40,000 crore. The consultant, Tractable Engineering, was given nine months to complete the study and prepare the blueprint under the Master Plan 2031 process. Officials described the planned city as roughly half the size of Noida, with an area of 10,500 hectares.

YEIDA's CEO, Dr Arun Vir Singh, explained the intent at the time: "We have chosen a consultant to do market research and area analysis in Agra in order to create a master plan for the building of a new metropolis along the Yamuna Expressway... Once the master plan is submitted, discussed, and approved by the authority and the state, we will begin acquiring land from farmers to establish the new city in the Agra zone."

Original Land-Use Concept (2023–24)

At the time of the initial board decision, YEIDA officials described an indicative land-use split for the new city. In New Agra, 20% of the land was to be earmarked for residential use, 4% for commercial use, 25% for industrial, 13% for transportation, 15% for greenery, 7% for tourism, and 7% for mixed use. The metropolitan hub was, at that stage, planned to be built on land purchased from at least 30 villages.

Scope Revision: Both Sides of the Expressway

The first working blueprint prepared after the board decision covered only one side of the expressway. The previous blueprint of New Agra Urban Center was prepared by US-based Tractwell Sky Group in association with Enzyme Company, and had 10,500 hectares of land including 60 villages of Etmadpur, Agra. In the survey only one side of the expressway was included, and additionally 80 per cent of the villages included in the survey belonged to Hathras rather than Agra.

Because of this, since lack of survey in other side could lead to illegal occupation of the land, the CEO of YEIDA, Dr Arunvir Singh, decided to include the villages of both sides of the expressway, and the agency was directed to include notified villages of Agra in the New Agra Urban Centre on priority, physically verifying villages on the spot with satellite maps. Following this revision, both the area of the New Agra Urban Center and the number of villages were expected to increase, and the new draft was to be folded into Master Plan 2041 and sent to the Uttar Pradesh government.

The Finalised Master Plan (April 2025)

By April 2025, the concept approved in November 2023 had grown considerably. 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. Designed to accommodate a population of 14.6 lakh, the new city aims to generate employment for 8.5 lakh people by promoting tourism, industry and commercial development.

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. Given Agra's historic importance, 640 hectares are reserved for tourism and entertainment. The master plan earmarks 823 hectares as a buffer zone along the Yamuna and 485 hectares as green spaces, while forest and agricultural lands will be preserved over 434 hectares, and a total of 330 hectares is reserved for educational and healthcare infrastructure.

Because Agra is part of the environmentally sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, the New Agra plan prioritises green and pollution-free development, and only white and green category industries will be allowed. The master plan was to be presented for approval in YEIDA's board meeting in April 2025, with the project to commence post-approval.

Regulatory Context: Part of the Wider Master Plan 2031 Phase-2

The New Agra decision sits inside a larger regulatory package. 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, as YEIDA announced on 24 March 2025. Phase II of this urbanisation effort covers 2,593 sq km in Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, and Hathras, alongside comparable new-city plans approved for Aligarh and Mathura. Authorities confirmed that once a master plan is presented in a YEIDA board meeting, the process of land acquisition would begin — the same sequence New Agra was required to follow.

A board agenda document titled "Agra Master Plan" appeared on YEIDA's official website in March 2026, indicating the plan remained under active board consideration well over a year after the April 2025 presentation date reported in the press.

Practical Effect for Landowners and Investors

The November 2023 decision set in motion a chain of authority actions rather than an immediate, on-the-ground change: it triggered consultant selection (2024), a scope-widening survey covering villages on both banks of the expressway, and eventually a detailed, hectare-by-hectare master plan (2025). No RERA-registered project or public land-acquisition notice for New Agra specifically has been documented in the sources reviewed. Once the master plan is submitted, discussed, and approved by the authority and the state, YEIDA intends to begin acquiring land from farmers to establish the new city in the Agra zone — meaning, as of the most recent confirmed reporting, the project remains at the planning-and-approval stage rather than the acquisition or construction stage. Investors and villagers in the Etmadpur-area villages named in successive drafts should treat any current land offers or brokerage claims about "New Agra" plots with caution until a formal, notified land-acquisition scheme is published by YEIDA.