CHANDIGARH: The National Capital Region (NCR) is likely to be reduced to a 100-km radius, after the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) approved the Draft Regional Plan-2041 policy on Tuesday.
The Haryana government had already pushed for one-third reduction in its area under NCR as 57 per cent area of the state falls under the NCR.
NCR currently covers 150-175 km, which includes 14 districts (a total of 25,327 sq/km) in Haryana, 8 districts in Uttar Pradesh and 2 districts in Rajasthan, plus their rural areas. In other words, NCR comprises 45.98 per cent of land in Haryana, 26.92 per cent of Uttar Pradesh, 24.48 per cent of Rajasthan and 2.68 per cent of Delhi.
It was in July that the Haryana government proposed the area reduction scheme to the NCRPB, submitting a different option for revised delineation of NCR after considering the urbanisation in the state. It asked for reducing the Haryana sub-region to 8,281.60 sq km from the present-day 25,327 sq km, subject to verification of record.
On September 23, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar requested Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to allow the implementation of pollution-controlled provisions that are district-specific rather than NCR-specific.
Once the Regional Plan-2041 is approved, then areas beyond 100 km are not likely to be the main part of the NCR region. Sources reveal that Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, and some areas of Meerut among others will remain part of NCR as they fall under 100 km-radius.
Linear corridors will be developed beyond 100 km radius up to the existing NCR boundary, paving the way for development in areas falling within 1km from expressways, national highways and regional rapid transit system.
To include or omit tehsils lying partly within this 100-km delineation will be left up to the state governments to decide.
Regional Plan-2041 paves way for a slum-free NCR with air ambulance facility and high-speed connectivity through helitaxis, road, rail and inland waterways. The plan puts special impetus on 30-minute connectivity within major NCR cities through super-fast trains.
