The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has approved the inclusion of Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts of Haryana in the NCR area and the proposal for inclusion of Jind and Karnal districts in NCR has also been agreed to.
The decision came in the 33rd meeting of the NCR Planning Board held in New Delhi and chaired by Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath The meeting was attended by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, lt. Governor of Delhi Tejender Khanna, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Girija Vyas, Urban Development Ministers from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, amongst others.
During the meeting, the work of Haryana in completing the three road projects funded by Asian Development Bank was appreciated. It was informed that the Bank has now approved six more road projects for Haryana.
Kamal Nath said that for economic development of NCR, there was a need for a Regional Rapid Transit System. Implementation of the projects will not only help in reduction of travel time within NCR, but would also reduce the number of vehicles on roads and the level of pollution too would decline.
He said that it would ultimately help in improving the quality of life in the NCR. The NCR Transport Corporation to be formed, will implement RRTS projects of Delhi-Panipat (111 km), Delhi-Alwar (180 km), Delhi-Meerut (90 km). Mr Kamal Nath said that the work on these three corridors will start soon and would be completed by 2016. To begin with, the NCR Planning Board will contribute Rs200 crore.
During the meeting, Hooda said that Haryana Sub Region has fulfilled the objectives of the creation of NCR by effectively checking migration to Delhi as also by attracting reverse migration. City of Gurgaon has grown at a rate of 293 per cent in the last decade, registering the highest growth rate in the region.
As such there is a need to improve the basic infrastructure and inclusion of Gurgaon in JNNURM.
Hooda also said that Haryana is about to finalise its Sub-Regional Plan, which will be sent to NCR Planning Board in a month's time.
Development plans for 2031 are also being revised and this should also be incorporated in the Regional Plan.