Delhi-NCR to add three new districts
The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) has given the green signal to the inclusion of three more districts to the National Capital Region (NCR). Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana, and Bharatpur in Rajasthan will now be under the coverage of the NCR.
Urban development minister Kamal Nath affirmed that the board has approved the three districts in the NCR based on the request of the participating states. However, the decision has to get the final clearance from the Union Cabinet.
To protect Delhi’s infrastructure from excessive pressure and a planned development of the region, the concept of National Capital Region was mooted in first master plan of Delhi, notified in 1962. As of now, the National Capital Region (NCR) in India includes a total of 15 districts in three neighbouring states- nine from Haryana, five from Uttar Pradesh and Alwar in Rajasthan along with the National Capital Territory (NCT). Currently, NCR is spread across a total area of about 33,578 kms.
With the inclusion of the three new districts, the total area of NCR would be increased by 12,024 sq. km. to 45,602 sq. km.
Bhiwani is located at around 125 km from Delhi and can be reached through prime roads like NH-10 or NH-709, Bhiwani-Rohtak Road and many other roads. Mahendragarh can be accessed from Delhi through NH-8 (142 km) or SH-22 (131 km).
Bharatpur is located at nearly 200 km from Delhi and can be easily accessed through Yamuna Expressway or NH-2 via Bharatpur-Mathura Road.
Kamal Nath said that the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has recommended setting up of a National Capital Region Transport Corporation for implementation of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The proposed RRTS, in phase-I, will connect Delhi-Panipat (111 km), Delhi-Alwar (180 km) and Delhi-Meerut (90 km).
The minister said that the Regional Plan 2021 had been reviewed and the Draft Revised Regional Plan 2021 has also prepared by the NCRPB in consultation with the participating States and stakeholders had been approved for inviting objections and suggestions from the public.
Since Bhiwani, Mahendragarh and Bharatpur are being added to the NCR, the real estate market in all these districts are likely to witness significant growth. Realty experts said that this move will bring in more affordable housing projects in the NCR region besides which it will also help in the planned development of these cities. If the land transactions are not checked, it would give rise to speculative buying, artificial price-rise, etc. In this regard, the experts suggested that having a master plan is very essential.
The prices of properties have been witnessing a hike in the newly added areas. In future, even if prices are increased further in the newly added areas, the prices will still be in the affordable range, believe experts.
Development of infrastructure in a rapid and planned manner is important and the authorities have to focus on it, said realty analysts. The case of Sonipat serves as a good example in this context. Lack of infrastructure has curbed the growth of real estate sector in Sonipat, although it is a part of NCR. Only some of the areas located along the Delhi-Chandigarh highway have observed real estate development.
