UP Govt plans 'New Agra' heritage city on Yamuna Expressway

28 Nov 2024 CW Team

The state government of Uttar Pradesh has planned the development of a heritage city called ‘New Agra Urban Centre’ along the Yamuna Expressway in Agra district. The new city, designed by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), will primarily focus on commercial and tourism activities. Covering 10,500 hectares of land—about half the size of Noida—the city will be developed on land identified in 60 villages of the Etmadpur tehsil in Agra.

The draft blueprint for New Agra was created in collaboration with a consultant after conducting socio-economic surveys of the region. Initially, land for the project was identified in Hathras district, but the location was revised following assessments. The next phase of development involves on-site land verification to evaluate connectivity, encroachments, and other factors before submitting the final proposal to the state government for inclusion in the Master Plan 2041.

A major focus of the new city is to enhance Agra’s commercial potential, leveraging the tourism appeal of landmarks like the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri. Officials have emphasized that the project will adhere to strict environmental regulations to protect the Taj Mahal, particularly within the Taj Trapezium Zone. The city will feature theme parks and recreational spaces as part of its urban design.

This development is YEIDA’s first significant urban planning initiative along the Yamuna Expressway, complementing the upcoming Noida International Airport, expected to boost tourism to Agra. YEIDA's jurisdiction spans 1,149 villages across six districts, including Agra, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Hathras.

Infrastructure Urban

30 Jul 2026

Centre Clears Power Distribution Upgrade for Uttar Pradesh

The Central Government has approved power distribution projects worth Rs 407.39 billion for Uttar Pradesh under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The investment will be used to modernise the state's electricity distribution infrastructure and strengthen network capacity across urban and rural areas. The package targets one of the country's largest distribution networks as the state experiences rapid urbanisation and rising electricity consumption. Planned interventions include the strengthening of distribution lines, modernisation of substations, replacement of ageing electrical ..

India Data Centres To Consume 191 TWh By 2040 Driving Renewables

A Wood Mackenzie report says India's operational data centre capacity is projected to increase more than fivefold to 12 gigawatt (GW) by 2030 from 2.2 GW in 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing drive demand. It projects electricity consumption to rise from 10 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2025 to 191 TWh by 2040. The study forecasts a compound annual growth rate of around 40 per cent and notes AI-dedicated capacity will surge nearly 24-fold from 275 megawatt (MW) in 2025 to 6,546 MW by 2030. The report places India's digital economy at Rs 32 trillion (tn) in 2025 and says it contr..

Hydrogen Train Completes 1,200 Kilometres Of Trials

India's first hydrogen train was flagged off between Jind and Sonipat on July 17 and has travelled over 1,200 kilometres in trials, saving diesel consumption of more than 3,200 litres, a Railway Ministry press release said. The deployment marks the introduction of a zero-emission fuel cell train into route testing and represents a milestone in domestic rail innovation. The train generates electricity onboard through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity to propel the vehicle while emitting only water vapour as a by-product. There is no smoke and no tailpipe car..