Greater Noida/Hathras, June 28: The Uttar Pradesh government has initiated preparations to transform another district and several of its villages into a hi-tech city. The project is expected to emerge as a major industrial manufacturing hub and a destination generating lakhs of employment opportunities. In line with this vision, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has commenced work on an ambitious greenfield project to further accelerate industrial development in the state.
Under Phase II development of the Yamuna Expressway and the Master Plan 2041, the Hathras Urban Centre is being designed as a hi-tech industrial and residential satellite town.
Master Plan 2041
Among the four major urban nodes being developed by YEIDA, namely Aligarh, Mathura, Agra and Hathras, the latter has been specifically identified as a key industrial manufacturing hub.
More than 50 villages in Hathras and Sasni tehsils have been notified for the mega project, covering an area of nearly 4,000 hectares (approximately 10,000 acres). To ensure systematic development of this state-of-the-art city, RV Engineering Consultants Limited has been appointed as the planning consultant. The project is being planned using GIS-based mapping technology.
Under Master Plan 2041, the Hathras Urban Centre will be developed across four major zones:
The first will be an Industrial Zone, primarily dedicated to factories and heavy manufacturing units.
The second will comprise Residential Areas, featuring modern townships, apartments and affordable housing for the workforce.
The third will be a Commercial and Logistics Hub, with dedicated spaces for shopping malls, commercial towers, hotels and large warehouses.
The fourth will be a Green Belt, where more than 15 per cent of the total planning area will be preserved as green and open spaces to maintain ecological balance.
Strategic Connectivity
The proposed Hathras Urban Centre's greatest strength lies in its strategic location. It falls within the catchment area of the Noida International Airport (Jewar), for which YEIDA is developing an express road network. The city is also located close to the Yamuna Expressway and enjoys excellent connectivity through National Highway-93 (Agra-Aligarh), the Bareilly-Mathura Highway and State Highway-33. It is also being envisioned as a satellite town of Agra, helping ease the industrial burden on the Taj city.
More than 10,000 registered MSME units currently operating in Hathras will benefit from world-class infrastructure in the proposed urban centre.
Under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, Hathras' globally renowned asafoetida (hing) and gulal industries will receive international-standard packaging and export hub facilities.
Employment and Industrial Growth
The agriculture and food processing sectors will also receive a major boost. Considering the agrarian nature of the Braj region, large cold storage facilities, food processing units and dairy plants will be given priority.
Special industrial blocks will also be developed for ready-made garments (hosiery), glass beads, brass jewellery (payals), machine tools and electric vehicle components. In the next phase, global companies engaged in advanced manufacturing, including medical and surgical equipment and power grid machinery, will also be invited to establish operations.
According to the Authority, work on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and the land acquisition process has already been initiated at a rapid pace. Once implemented, the project is expected not only to transform the region's economic landscape but also create lakhs of direct and indirect employment opportunities for local youth.
