Eight villages of Agra may soon lose their identity to accommodate the fast expanding urban population. The Agra Development Authority (ADA) plans to acquire about 1000 acres of village land near the Taj Mahal at a cost of about 150 crores. Shashikant Sharma, Vice-Chairman, ADA said that over the past three decades, the urban population of Agra has grown by over 35 per cent but the town has remained restricted in a self-imposed boundary of around 188 sq km, with a population density of about 5900 people per sq km. The ADA has selected 977 acres of rural land belonging to eight villages near Taj Mahal. This area would constitute Taj Nagri Phase-III, a residential-cum-commercial acreage, where the ADA plans to setup a "land bank" that would be available for both lease and freehold.