New Noida isn’t repeating Noida, Greater Noida mistakes. It’s Yogi’s biggest bet

Noida: It was billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani’s interest in a new economic corridor that turned heads in the Lucknow bureaucracy. The occasion was Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023. What began as an investment pitch by the Adani group has since set the stage for New Noida – an ambitious township set to rise along the stretch between Greater Noida and Bulandshahr.

Today, the sprawling Noida Authority office is buzzing with activity. Meetings are in full swing, approvals are being fast-tracked, and land acquisition plans are taking shape. 128 MOUs with several printing and packaging companies have been signed that promise investments to the tune of Rs 7,235 crore and are expected to create nearly 27,000 jobs. These MOUs include Adani Logistics, which has proposed a massive investment of Rs 5,000 crore.

Planners want New Noida to be the address of global giants such as Samsung, Hyundai, and Nissan. The township is also being primed for an Olympic Park, aligning with India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics.

“New Noida is an expansion of Noida—a better-planned version. With Noida’s land bank saturated, New Noida serves as its industrial sibling, what the former was planned for. It will also propel the growth of Greater Noida by boosting its residential occupancy and accommodating small industries,” said Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma.

The Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment region, also known as New Noida, isn’t just another expansion of Noida—it’s the Uttar Pradesh government’s biggest bet on industrial growth since the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government came to power in 2017.

Declared a Special Economic Zone in 2021, the township remained stuck in limbo—until the UP Global Investors Summit gave it a renewed push.

“During the UP summit, we saw a great opportunity and things started moving quickly. New Noida is not like any other city—it’s an investment region. The idea is to leverage this location and transform it into a big logistical hub in North India,” said Lokesh M., CEO of Noida Authority.

With its proximity to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and access to eastern and western freight corridors, the Eastern Peripheral and Ghaziabad-Kanpur Expressway, the Bodaki railway station, and Jewar Airport, New Noida has a lot going in its favour.

“The strategic location of the place makes it conducive for investments and quicker movement of goods. We are also developing a multimodal transport and transit hub in New Noida to further facilitate such movement,” said Lokesh M, who is at the forefront of the New Noida project.

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Quarter-hour city in Korean style

New Noida planners have envisioned the upcoming logistics hub, drawing inspiration from Barcelona’s quarter-hour city concept where residents can commute to key places within 15 minutes. It’s going to be a walkable hub.

But it’s not just European urbanism at play. India’s K-drama obsession has seeped into city planning. With proposed industrial parks rising along the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and near the Jewar Airport, New Noida will don a Korean-style layout. It involves ensuring accessible transportation, and keeping a balance between innovation and sustainability. A senior official said that the way industries in South Korea have modes of transportation and residential areas in its vicinity. “An employee working in New Noida will have residence and transportation modes available within 15 minutes,” said the senior official.

When the Noida Authority turned to the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in 2023, the mandate was clear: a smart industrial city with global infrastructure. Thirty-three years ago, the SPA had also designed the blueprint of Noida for the Uttar Pradesh government.

“The intention behind the 15-minute city is to promote urban mobility. And with the expressway and airport in the vicinity, the town has been planned in a way that one can utilise the perks of its strategic location,” said SPA professor Ashok Kumar, who designed the blueprint for New Noida.

For an industrial city, Kumar said, large green spaces have been reserved, along with a 60-degree arterial circular road designed to prevent choke points.

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UP’s GIFT city

A team of six—four town planners and two research associates— were tasked with getting New Noida right from day one. But when the Noida Authority approached SPA, the planners were reluctant. The sticking points were the land use and past work experience with Noida Authority.

“Generally, the dominant land use is around residential zones, but this one prioritises industry,” said a senior Noida Authority official. “Noida was meant to be industrial too, but housing took over. That made planners wary—it took serious convincing.”

The meetings between the planners and the authorities were the forum of disagreements. It was all about prioritising ground realities of the area over implementing an ill-suited model.

“What often happens with IAS officers is that they visit other countries, get excited by their technology and modern infrastructure, and overlook the fact that India is vastly different, with its own unique challenges, including a massive population,” said a senior SPA planner involved in the project, who did not wish to be named.

The planner said that the SPA have adopted modern innovative ideas from various countries, and have ensured they align with local realities. Affordable housing would be created alongside the industries for the factory workers so they don’t have to travel a long distance and that there is no densification of the area.

“Also, the rural area will be integrated in such a manner that villages are in the centre of a sector,” said the SPA planner mentioned above.

“This was one of the key points of contention between the authorities and the planners,” he added.

But the project eventually came along. And by 2024, the plan was ready. This was achieved due to intense pressure from Lucknow to fast-track the process.

In January 2024, the Noida Development Authority was under pressure from Lucknow to launch the master plan for New Noida ahead of the General Elections. Now, with the assembly polls due in less than two years’ time, the urgency has shifted—to get the township off the ground, attract investors, and bring in residents. The first phase is set for completion by March 2027. The first phase would involve development of 3,165 hectares of land that would include land acquisition, infrastructure development and creation of residential and commercial zones.

“There was immense pressure to launch the project before the Lok Sabha elections. Now, the focus is on developing the town to a point where people can start settling within five years — before the assembly elections,” said a senior architect and town planner involved in the project.

New Noida is being pitched as Yogi Adityanath’s dream city, much like Gujarat’s GIFT City was for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The buzz in Lucknow is that the project has Yogi’s attention. And by 2027, the election campaign in Western Uttar Pradesh will be a contest between Mayawatis Noida and Yogis New Noida.

Noida and Greater Noida have long seen protests from farmers over land acquisition. New Noida’s priority, officials in Lucknow’s Department of Infrastructure and Industrial development said, is to get the land acquisition right.

The land acquisition process, the Noida Authority said, will be complemented by the urbanisation of villages.

“A portion of land will be acquired from the residents but only for basic infrastructure of roads and drainage. When a sector is developed, the village within that sector will be urbanised with modern facilities,” said town planner Professor Kumar at SPA.

Kumar is confident that if the master plan is followed through, no resident will be displaced.

For an ambitious project of this magnitude, policy consistency is key.

“Over the years, we have seen governments change and scrap the plans of their predecessors – the point in case being Noida and Greater Noida. With each new administration, the city’s development plans have been altered by the government for their own benefit,” said Aditya Ghildyal of the Greater Noida Industrial Association.

Ghildyal, who was part of the industrial association’s meeting with the District Magistrate, said that industrial groups are also being consulted for their suggestions on New Noida.

New Noida will spread across 84 villages with 20 in Gautam Buddh Nagar and 64 in Bulandshahr.

DM Verma said that in Noida and Greater Noida, villages have mostly remained on the fringes of these cities, developing their own economies. New Noida aims to change that by initiating a land-sharing process and integrating the villages into the smart township.

“In New Noida land pooling policy, farmers will be a part of the developmental process. They will also have a share of land. And at the same time, authority will also have land. Now, how much share will be left for the farmer will be decided by the government,” said Verma. For instance, if a farmer wishes to engage in urban farming, we will assist him in doing so. He will then become the community’s supplier, making it a logistical win-win situation for everyone.

In December 2024, around 5,000 farmers protested for a week at Delhi-Noida border against the land acquisition made by the Uttar Pradesh government between 1997 and 2008. The farmers had been demanding that 10 per cent of the developed land be allocated to them.

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No idea to New Noida

Meena Bhargava, Chief Architect and Town Planner at Noida Authority, is in demand these days. From residents to investors and industrialists, everyone wants to meet her to better understand New Noida.

Bhargava’s office door is always open. Yet residents and investors who step inside do so with hesitation. They don’t want to upset an officer who holds the power to decide the fate of a new township.

A 50-year-old man from New Basti in Gautam Buddh Nagar walked in, his face anxious. His village will be acquired during the first phase of the development process. The project will be developed in four phases – with the entire industrial township expected to be completed by 2041.

“Ma’am, I read in a local newspaper that my village will be acquired soon,” he said, his voice filled with urgency. “I wanted to know the plan—what will happen to us? What will we receive in return?”

Leaning back in her chair, Bhargava responded in a firm tone, “Don’t go by local newspapers. We haven’t reached your village yet. Leave your number and details. We’ll inform you when there’s an update.”

The man nodded quickly, scribbled his number on a scrap of paper and left. Bhargava watched him leave before turning back to the stack of files on her desk.

With a portrait of Ambedkar overlooking her desk, she has the master plan map of New Noida spread out on her table.

“There are six road connections between Greater Noida and New Noida,” she said underlining the grand infrastructure plan. With large parcels of residential land lying vacant in Greater Noida, the new project is expected to boost housing demand in adjoining areas.

“Those working in industries in New Noida can also live in Greater Noida and reach their offices in no time. And the problem of congestion will also be taken care of,” Bhargava said.

Bhargava ran her fingers over the yellow and purple sections of the map before pointing at Jewar Airport. “It’s only 25-30 kilometers from here,” she said. “So, goods and parcels can be shipped quickly from Jewar Airport, and with the Bodaki railway station—currently being revamped—shipments can also move by rail. That’s why investors are eager.”

The town planners at the SPA are closely monitoring the Noida Authority’s steps.

The senior town planner quoted above said that the SPA has not taken the failure of Noida lightly. Meetings between SPA and Authority officials are being held every two months to review progress.

The town planner who studied Noida’s development and observed its rise said the city’s original vision was unclear. “It was supposed to be an industrial town, but it was not planned or built with that purpose in mind.”

He also accused successive government officials of failing to take Noida seriously, reshaping its landscape according to their whims.

“During meetings, it is reiterated by the planners that the master plan should be followed through if the Authority wants a smooth transition to an industrial township.”

Professor Kumar, who is at the forefront of the planning, said that the town is being developed to accommodate a population of six lakh.

In New Noida, the Authority plans to grant developers a stipulated time frame to complete the projects; otherwise, their allotments will be revoked. They just don’t want to be reminded about Noida and Greater Noida.

Bhargava, however, said Noida evolved dynamically. “As a town develops, it takes shape according to the needs of the time. Noida kept changing to meet those evolving demands.”

She recalled when Noida was first developed, it was envisioned as a service hub for Okhla. “In 1974, outdated modes of transportation, like bicycles, were commonly used, so the roads weren’t designed to be as wide,” she said.

But SPA planners don’t buy Bhargavas justification. For them, the vision for Noida was not clear. It was envisioned as an industrial township but went on to don the residential character.

So, at SPA, planners often refer to Noida as ‘No Idea’.

“No Idea might finally evolve into New Noida,” said a senior town planner.

(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)