From Bullet Trains To Helitaxis: Here's What Shrunken Delhi NCR Will Look Like As Per New Plan
The NCR Planning Board approved the Draft Regional Plan-2041 paving the way for a future-ready, slum-free National Capital Region with air ambulance facility and high-speed connectivity through helitaxis, road, rail and inland waterways.
What is it about?
The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) is considering a reduction in the area under the National Capital Region -- a region envisaged in 1985 for coordinated urban development in and around Delhi -- limiting it to within 100km radius from Rajghat, Delhi.
The officials said NCR currently spreads to around 150-175 kilometres, covering entire districts and their rural areas. But with the approval of Regional Plan 2041, areas beyond 100 km are not likely to be the main part of the NCR.
The plan was discussed at the NCRPB¡¯s meeting on Tuesday where the four participating states broadly agreed to it. Currently, the NCR consists of 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan and entire Delhi, spread across an area of 55,083 square kilometres.
Which areas will be covered?
"Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, and some areas of Meerut and others will remain part of the NCR as they fall under 100 km radius condition. We have already developed areas that are covered within 50-60 kilometres of radius. Now, there will be the focus on the remaining part," the PTI agency said.
Which areas will be left out?
If the draft plan is implemented, parts of Panipat in Haryana and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh will be dropped from the new NCR map.
But, why is the area being reduced?
According to the proposal discussed in the meeting, the geographical size of the region will be a contiguous circular region of 100km radius from Rajghat (Delhi).?
¡°Beyond 100 km radius and up to the existing NCR boundary, all notified cities/ towns along with a corridor of one km on either side of connecting expressways/ national highways/ state highways/ Regional Rapid Transit System will be included,¡± a statement from the Union housing and urban affairs ministry said.
¡°The idea is to have a compact area so that the development can be planned in a better manner,¡± said a housing and urban affairs ministry official.
In June last year, when the country was facing the raging Covid19 pandemic, experts had questioned the viability of the NCR as a concept, as sealed and unsealed borders at will, failed to share or pool health care infrastructure, and not tried to evolve a common strategy in the face of rising Covid-19 cases. This prompted the Supreme Court to order the Centre to convene a meeting of member states šC Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan šC in order to evolve a ¡°common programme and common portal¡± for easing interstate movement in the NCR.??
Also, even 36 years after its inception, except Metro there is no other reliable public transport between the NCR cities. Urban planning and transport experts say if the proposal to redraw the boundaries of the NCR is implemented, it will be beneficial for all cities and towns in the region.
About the Draft Regional Plan, 2041
Slum-free NCR
The Draft Regional Plan-2041 has also paved the way for a future-ready, slum-free National Capital Region with air ambulance facility and high-speed connectivity through helitaxis, road, rail and inland waterways.
Rail connectivity?
The draft plan puts special impetus on 30-minute connectivity through super-fast trains within major cities of NCR and also proposes to explore feasibility of 30-minute Mass Transit Rail System (MTRS) from nearest NCR boundaries to Delhi.
Linear corridor
As per the agency, linear corridors will be developed beyond a 100 km radius and up to the existing NCR boundary. Additionally, the state governments will take decisions regarding the inclusion or exclusion of the tehsils lying partly within this 100 km delineation.
Metro centres
The Regional Plan 2021, which is available on NCRPB's website, had identified seven metro centres --- Faridabad-Ballabgarh, Gurgaon-Manesar, Ghaziabad-Loni, Noida, Sonepat-Kundli, Greater Noida, and Meerut.
Regional centres
Besides, it had also identified 11 regional centres --- Bahadurgah, Panipat, Rohtak, Palwal, Rewari-Dharuhera-Bawal, Hapur-Pilkhua, Bulandshahr-Khurja, Baghpat-Baraut, Alwar, Greater Bhiwadi, Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror.?
