The Yamuna Expressway industrial development authority (YEIDA) on Tuesday said that it will finalise the design of a high-tech city spread across 2000 hectares in the next two months, close to the upcoming Noida International Greenfield airport project in Jewar.

On March 5 this year, the Ernst & Young, a consultant on the project, had completed a study and submitted a preliminary report on the design and other details to YEIDA. The authority later suggested some changes to the report.

“Ernst & Young will submit its report in the next one month. We are likely to finalise the design, location of the city and other details in next two months paving way for further progress on this city,” said Arun Vir Singh chief executive officer of YEIDA and the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL).

YEIDA and the Gautam Budh Nagar administration has so far acquired 845 hectares out of 1239 hectares required to begin work on the first phase of the airport project. The UP government has distributed ₹2,094 crore out of ₹3167 crore for the land acquired till date. NIAL is likely to finalise a developer for airport by November end, paving way for the work to begin at the site, said officials.

“Since the work on the airport project is on the fast-track, YEIDA also wants to plan urban areas around it well in advance to cater to the demand that will be created”, said a YEIDA official .

YEIDA will procure land for proposed city once the report on it will be finalised.

“The Ernst & Young report will propose area of the proposed city and its location. Once the exact area and location will be finalised we will think of land. As of now that is not planned,” said Singh.

As per the consultant’s initial study a world-class city is to be developed on the airport site’s periphery. The city is supposed to have 40% area earmarked as green, IT parks, food streets, residential clusters, commercial space, vegetable markets, European-style shopping centres and skill centres.

This city is touted on the lines of the suburbia around Dallas airport and Istanbul airport,” said officials. It would be eco-friendly and based on the sustainable development concept.

“This city will generate zero carbon footprints because it will run on solar energy. It will be a zero-discharge city in the true sense. The consultant has studied many countries before preparing plans for this city. It will have world-class transport facilities. We have plans to provide pod taxis and Metro connectivity to nearby areas. People will be able to live, shop, travel and hang out under one roof once the city is ready,” said Singh.

Foreign or domestic travellers will be able to stay in this city and travel to historical places nearby such as Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra, among other areas.

The estimated budget for the Jewar airport project is between ₹15,000 crore and ₹20,000 crore. The project is expected to be operational by 2022-2023. The entire airport project needs around 5,000 hectares of land.