06-05-2025
UP eyes 360-degree urban planning management ecosystem
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh State government aims to develop a comprehensive urban planning and management ecosystem. In this regard, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to implement a series of measures. Officials have been instructed to review pending building map cases within the development authorities. In cases where there are repeated objections regarding the maps, any authority should take appropriate steps to simplify the process and resolve issues in a single step.
Further, all pending cases must be settled within a specified time frame. The GIS-based master plan for cities that have not yet been approved should be finalised before the end of May.
The Chief Minister while reviewing at a high-level meeting on the Housing and Urban Planning Department evaluated the departmental action plan. He noted the necessity of implementing all components such as 'urban planning, residential security, infrastructure development, and digital management in an integrated manner.'
On the progress of metro projects, the Chief Minister was informed that the construction of a 6.7 km underground section from Motijheel to Kanpur Central Station of the Kanpur Metro has been completed. The work on Corridors 1 and 2 is expected to conclude by the end of this year. The first corridor of the Agra Metro is also anticipated to be completed by December 2025, with the second corridor scheduled for 2026. In parallel, the construction from Charbagh to Basantkunj (11.165 km) under the Lucknow Metro Project is progressing rapidly.
At this, Yogi expressed the need for further expansion of the Lucknow Development Authority's boundaries and directed the transfer of the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) to the Lucknow Development Authority as soon as possible.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that public suggestions were invited from April 16 to May 30, 2025, regarding the draft of the Building Construction and Development Bye-laws-2025. This by-law will be finalised based on the received suggestions.
While reviewing the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Center project in Lucknow, the Chief Minister directed that this world-class convention centre, currently being developed on 32.50 acres of land at Rs 900 crore, should be completed within two years. This convention centre is expected to become a defining feature of the new Lucknow.
Discussing the updated status of the UP-SCR project, the Chief Minister noted that it encompasses the districts of Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Rae Bareli, and Barabanki, covering a total area of 27,826 sq km. He insisted there should be no delays in completing its Detailed Project Report (DPR). The action plan for the next three months was also discussed during the meeting. 'This plan includes implementing important policies like the Uttar Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act-2025, the Land Pooling Policy-2025, and the Building Construction and Development Bye-laws-2025.'
Revised guidelines will soon be issued for completing active projects under the Integrated Township Policy. The Chief Minister was informed that projects approved under the Chief Minister Urban Extension/New City Promotion Scheme will be launched in phases from June 2025 to December 2025. This includes cities such as Jhansi, Bareilly, Aligarh, Saharanpur, Agra (Kakua), Kanpur (New Kanpur City Scheme), Mathura (Transport Nagar), Moradabad (Didosi), Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Lucknow.
Yogi directed to ensure timeliness and quality for all these projects. Under the GIS-based master plan framework, master plans for 59 cities in the state are being prepared, of which 42 have already been approved. The process for approving the remaining four master plans (Jhansi, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad-Fatehgarh, and Bahraich) should be completed within this month.
To encourage private investment, the Chief Minister instructed that priority should be given to projects based on a Public-Private Partnership model, to run special housing schemes for migrant workers, and to implement mandatory urban standards for green building certification, solar rooftop systems, rainwater harvesting, and waste management. He also stressed the importance of making the UP Awas App and the RERA portal more accessible and transparent.
