Bollywood star Sanjay Khan’s RS10bn (US$162m, €127.5m, £99.7m) theme park in Agra, based on developing replicas of past and future civilisations, has been given a one-month deadline to acquire land for the project.
The land acquisition deal has hit several hurdles after some farmers – who use the land as their only source of income – were resistant to the sale of land. With a deadline set for 8 March, the developers must secure land from the remaining 2,000 farmers having so far agreed deals with around 500.
Speaking to
Times of India, sub divisional magistrate, Etmadpur, J P Singh, said that the government was offering farmers four times the value of the land announced by the district administration so that they could buy alternate farming land outside of the development area should they so choose.
Using a Disney-esque model, visitors to the park will be able to explore seven 'cities', with actors portraying the people of the time. Each city will be connected via a monorail, which will deliver visitors to each unique location. Also included will be a luxury hotel, an area for themed weddings and receptions, a convention centre and an area for filmmakers to shoot movies.
The Agra Development Authority (ADA) has already provided the park with 580 acres (234 hectares) of land, with the remaining 420 acres (170 hectares) being sought from the farmers. The government has set aside RS5.5bn (US$86.6m, €69.2m, £55.1m) for purchasing land for the development.
The UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) will pay money collected from investors to the district administration for land acquisition with a special purpose vehicle has formed by the UPSIDC to execute the plan.
