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The National Capital Region Planning Board approved the Regional Plan-2021 for the National Capital Region today in its 28th meeting. The meeting was chaired by Sh. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs who is also the Chairman of the Board.
The meeting was attended by Sh. B.L. Joshi, Lt. Governor NCT-Delhi, Smt. Shiela Dixit, Chief Minister NCT-Delhi, Sh. B.S. Hooda, Chief Minister Haryana, Km. Selja, Minister of State for Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation (Independent charge), Mohd. Azam Khan, Minister for Urban Development, Uttar Pradesh, Sh. Pratap Singh Singhvi, Minister for Urban Development & Housing, Rajasthan, Sh. Anil Baijal, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Dr. P.K. Mishra, Member Secretary, NCRPB.
The Regional Plan 2021 was approved by the Board for notification. The Regional Plan 2021 aims at balanced and harmonious development of the entire NCR comprising of parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and U.P. in addition to the NCT of Delhi. It seeks to achieve its objective of sustainable development through inter-related policy framework in respect of population, policy zones, settlement systems, regional land use patterns, physical and social infrastructure, environment and economic activities.
The Regional Plan 2021 provides a framework within which the State governments concerned will prepare Sub-regional plans and Master plans/Development plans. The State governments expressed their commitment to implement the plan with right earnest so as to make joint efforts for accelerating the development of the NCR.
The Board was informed that State governments in the region have already identified land for the purpose of developing city forest in open areas and vacant lands in towns and have initiated the work of implementing the programme. Seven projects of city forest in an area of 567 acres have been finalized and are being implemented.
The Board expressed its satisfaction regarding the progress of resolving issues relating to eastern and western peripheral expressways which would reduce traffic congestion in Delhi and provide an impetus for growth and development of the NCR. With the joint efforts of the NCR Planning Board and the State governments ,concerned matters relating to alignment of the expressways, sharing up cost and time frame had been finalized. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.3657crores.The length of the expressways is about 240 kms.
It was also decided to expedite the approval of the project of Integrated Rail-cum-Bus Transit (IRBT) system which will have interface with the Metro Rail on the one hand and several bus routes on the other, thereby facilitating better connectivity of NCR towns. This is a part of a much larger project of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) which will contribute immensely to with integrating and connecting the region.
It was felt that there was a need to promote balanced and dispersed process of urban development with a view to reducing congestion in existing mega cities. It was decided to identify three locations, one each in the Haryana, Rajasthan and U.P. sub-regions of the NCR, to set up new townships along transport corridors through creation of infrastructure for urban development and economic growth. The NCR Planning Board and the State governments will participate in this endeavor.
In order to devise long-term policies and to bring about sustainable development, it was decided to sponsor studies on important aspects of infrastructure in the region. One such study relates to water resources, water supply and its management in the NCR. The idea is to take a holistic and comprehensive view of the requirement and availability of water in the NCR. Another study aims to address transmission and distribution losses in the power sector, in order to identify measures for improving the quality of electricity supply in the region.
It was also decided to undertake a study on pattern of migration to Delhi, based on the latest census report when available, so as to review development strategies for counter magnet areas as interceptors of migration and catalysts for development in the respective areas.
The State governments and Government of India agencies emphasized the important role and relevance of the concept of NCR and appreciated the measures taken recently to intensify efforts in this regard. The state governments recommended that the amount of financial assistance for investment in infrastructure projects should be substantially increased and a grant component should be introduced, to enhance the pace of infrastructure development.
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