NOIDA: Residential and commercial clusters in the Heritage City project at Raya, near Mathura-Vrindavan, are likely to be developed by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and not a private developer, as proposed initially. A public-private partnership model is to be adopted for religious, cultural and tourism infrastructure for the Rs 7,200-crore hub within the Braj pilgrim circuit.
The project, located within the proposed Raya Urban Centre, is to come up on 753 acres with a heritage-themed township, a 30km Yamuna riverfront and a 100-foot statue of lord Krishna on a temple complex as its centerpieces. Also proposed are wellness and yoga centres, hotels, convention spaces, artisan markets and cultural parks inspired by Lord Krishna’s Braj legacy.
Initially, the project was to be developed on the lines of Film City by a single developer over 10 years. But a hybrid model was proposed recently after financial and operational reviews suggested that a fully PPP-based approach would make cost recovery difficult, given that the Authority itself has to acquire the land.
“Some changes have been made in the Heritage City plan. The Authority will develop part of the project, while other components will be taken up through the PPP model. The proposal, the consultant’s assessment report, and revised alignment of an expressway linking Heritage City to Vrindavan now be discussed by the Authority’s board at its Nov meeting,” CEO RK Singh said.
Alignment of a proposed 7km expressway linking Heritage City site to Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari temple has been revised from a curved to a straighter layout to avoid flood-prone zones. The decision followed waterlogging and flooding in parts of the project area after heavy rain this monsoon. YEIDA directed consultant CBRE South Asia Pvt Ltd, which prepared the detailed project report (DPR), to carry out a flood-impact and risk assessment before final alignment is executed.
