Short answer: no. Aligarh, Agra and Mathura are not part of the National Capital Region. Uttar Pradesh proposed adding Aligarh and Mathura in 2017, but the proposal was never notified, and Agra has never been proposed. The current NCR has 24 districts outside Delhi: 14 in Haryana, 8 in Uttar Pradesh and 2 in Rajasthan.
Below are quick answers for the cities people ask about most, followed by the official district list and why NCR status matters if you are buying property.
Cities that are NOT in NCR
- Aligarh (UP): Not in NCR. Proposed by UP in December 2017. The central government told Parliament in March 2018 that the proposal was "under examination". It has not been added since.
- Mathura (UP): Not in NCR. Part of the same 2017 proposal, with the same status.
- Agra (UP): Not in NCR. It lies in the Taj Trapezium Zone, which has its own environmental rules.
- Saharanpur and Bijnor (UP): Not in NCR. Both were in the 2017 proposal.
- Hathras (UP): Not in NCR.
- Hisar and Ambala (Haryana): Not in NCR.
- Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Not in NCR. Uttarakhand has no NCR districts.
Cities that ARE in NCR
Haryana
- Faridabad: Yes, Faridabad district.
- Gurugram: Yes, Gurugram district.
- Sonipat: Yes, Sonipat district.
- Rohtak: Yes, Rohtak district.
- Bhiwani: Yes, Bhiwani district.
- Narnaul: Yes. Narnaul is the headquarters of Mahendragarh district, which is in NCR.
- Palwal: Yes, Palwal district.
- Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh: Yes, Jhajjar district.
- Panipat, Karnal and Jind: Yes. Karnal and Jind were added in 2015.
- Rewari, Nuh and Charkhi Dadri: Yes.
Uttar Pradesh
- Noida and Greater Noida: Yes, Gautam Buddh Nagar district.
- Ghaziabad: Yes, Ghaziabad district.
- Meerut: Yes, Meerut district.
- Bulandshahr: Yes, Bulandshahr district.
- Hapur and Baghpat: Yes.
- Muzaffarnagar and Shamli: Yes. Muzaffarnagar was added in 2015 and Shamli in late 2017.
Rajasthan
- Alwar (including Bhiwadi and Neemrana): Yes, Alwar district.
- Bharatpur: Yes, added in 2013.
The official NCR district list
According to the NCR Planning Board, the region covers 55,083 sq km:
- NCT of Delhi: the whole territory, 1,483 sq km
- Haryana (14 districts), 25,327 sq km: Faridabad, Gurugram, Nuh, Rohtak, Sonipat, Rewari, Jhajjar, Panipat, Palwal, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Mahendragarh, Jind, Karnal
- Uttar Pradesh (8 districts), 14,826 sq km: Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Hapur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar
- Rajasthan (2 districts), 13,447 sq km: Alwar, Bharatpur
The Board's own constituent-area map is dated April 2018, and it notes that an updated map has not yet been prepared. No district has been added to the list since Shamli.
"Near NCR" is not "in NCR"
Property ads often blur the line. A few patterns are worth knowing.
- Yamuna Expressway towns: Projects near the Noida International Airport at Jewar are in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, so they are in NCR. Projects further down the expressway towards Mathura and Agra are not, even when the ad says "NCR connectivity".
- Bhiwadi and Neemrana: Both are in Alwar district, so both are in NCR, though they are well over 70 km from central Delhi.
- Vrindavan and Mathura: Often marketed as "weekend homes near NCR". They are in Mathura district, which is outside NCR.
- Dharuhera and Rewari: In Rewari district, so in NCR.
How to check any town yourself
- Find which district the town or village belongs to. The state government's district website or the land record will show it.
- Match that district against the 24-district list above. If the district is on it, the whole district is in NCR.
- For a specific project, read the RERA certificate. It names the district, and that settles the question.
Could the NCR boundary change?
It might, but not in the direction most people expect. In 2021 the NCR Planning Board approved a draft Regional Plan 2041 with modifications. Reports at the time said it proposed defining NCR as a 100 km radius around Rajghat, with notified towns and highway corridors beyond that radius also included. Haryana had asked for a much smaller NCR footprint.
That draft was about shrinking or reshaping the region, not adding Aligarh or Agra. Until a final plan is notified, the 24-district list above is the one that applies. If you see a website claiming Aligarh, Agra or Mathura were "recently included", check the date and the source.
Why NCR status matters for property buyers
Being "in NCR" sounds like a selling point. In practice, it changes fewer things than buyers assume.
What NCR status does affect
- Regional planning: land use and major infrastructure, such as regional rapid rail and expressways, are planned at the NCR level.
- Air quality rules: the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) applies across NCR. This can pause construction during high pollution days, which affects project timelines in every NCR district.
What NCR status does not affect
- Stamp duty and registration: these are set by each state. A flat in Noida pays UP rates, and one in Gurugram pays Haryana rates. See our Noida stamp duty guide for an example.
- RERA: projects are registered with the state authority, UP-RERA for Noida and Ghaziabad, HRERA for Gurugram and Faridabad.
- Prices: a project's distance from jobs, metro access and social infrastructure matters far more than whether its district sits inside the NCR line.
Take two projects by the same developer. Estate 128 by Max Estates is in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, so it is registered with UP-RERA and pays UP stamp duty. Estate 360 is in Gurugram district, so it is registered with HRERA and pays Haryana rates. Both are "in NCR", but the paperwork and costs follow the state, not the region.
If you are deciding between NCR cities, our comparison of Noida vs Gurgaon and the guide to the best areas to buy flats in Delhi NCR are more useful starting points than the NCR map itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aligarh in NCR or not?
No. Aligarh is not part of NCR. UP proposed it in 2017, but it has not been notified.
Is Agra in NCR?
No. Agra is not in NCR and was not part of the 2017 proposal.
Is Mathura in NCR?
No. Mathura was proposed in 2017 along with Aligarh, but it has not been added.
Is Alwar in Delhi NCR?
Yes. Alwar district in Rajasthan, including Bhiwadi and Neemrana, is part of NCR.
Does Faridabad come under Delhi NCR?
Yes. Faridabad is one of the 14 Haryana districts in NCR.
How many districts are in NCR?
24 districts outside Delhi: 14 in Haryana, 8 in Uttar Pradesh and 2 in Rajasthan, plus the whole of Delhi.
