CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government has included the 136.30-km Delhi-Panipat-Karnal Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor under its Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy, paving the way for planned development around the proposed stations.
The semi-high-speed corridor, being developed under Phase-I of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), will connect Delhi, Sonipat, Panipat and Karnal along National Highway 44. The project is estimated to cost between Rs 33,000 crore and Rs 34,740 crore, with the Haryana government contributing its sanctioned phased share.
The corridor will originate in Delhi and pass through Narela, Kundli, Sonipat, Murthal, Ganaur, Samalkha, Panipat, Gharaunda and Karnal, besides other proposed and future stations. It will converge at the Sarai Kale Khan hub station in Delhi.
In Karnal, the proposed stations include Karnal ISBT, Sector 7, Gharaunda and Kohand, while Karnal Bypass is listed as a future station. In Panipat, the stations include Panipat City, Sewah and Samalkha, with Sector 18 listed as a future station.
In the Sonipat region, the alignment includes Ganaur, Murthal, Bahalgarh Chowk and Kundli, while Barhi and KMP are listed as future stations.
On September 22, the Haryana Town and Country Planning Department issued a notification amending the TOD Policy notified in 2016.
“With immediate effect, the Delhi-Panipat-Karnal Namo Bharat RRTS Corridor has been added to the list of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) corridors eligible for TOD planning,” the notification stated and added that the corridor had already been approved by the state government on the recommendation of the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC).
Following a request from HMRTC, the alignment has now been formally incorporated into the annexure of the existing TOD Policy.
The inclusion has raised hopes among residents that the long-awaited project will move towards construction.
Karnal was officially included in the National Capital Region (NCR) on June 9, 2015, raising expectations of improved urban connectivity. The project was initially announced in 2014 and was later extended from Panipat to Karnal by then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in January 2020.
Under the TOD framework, areas around transit stations can be planned for better connectivity, mixed land use and higher-density urban development.