Nod for rapid transit system in three NCR corridors : India

New Delhi, Nov 6 - The central government has given 'in principle' approval to a Regional Rapid Transit System - in three important corridors of National Capital Region - -- Delhi-Gurgaon-Alwar, Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat and Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut -- to provide high speed connectivity of these burgeoning urban centres with the national capital.

According to an official press statement Sunday, union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath gave in-principle to the concept and asked the NCR Planning Board- to explore innovative funding mechanisms like monetisation of land and the public private partnership model for implementing the capital-intensive projects.

He also said RRTS should be integrated with the Delhi Metro.

The minister, who is chairman of the NCRPB, said high speed connectivity between the regional centres of NCR and Delhi will make physical distance shorter and allow these regional towns to capture the economic impulse and density generated by Delhi.

This faster connectivity will reduce pressure on national capital's infrastructure by opening up the regional housing market, he added.

The minister said that to achieve the rationale of NCR, it would be necessary to focus on the sub-urbanisation and infrastructure development outside Delhi to enable the neighbouring towns to absorb the load on the capital's resources.

Kamal Nath, who reviewed NCR Regional Plan-2021 proposals regarding regional-level land use and settlement policies at a meeting here earlier this week, said NCRPB should take a lead in planning and developing greenfield townships on the transport corridors in partnership with the state governments concerned.

He called upon NCRPB to be more pro-active in enforcing policies prescribed in the regional plans finalised in consultation with these states.

'Adherence of these policies by various central and state implementing agencies and NCRPB's active role in enforcing them is necessary, if we are to avoid haphazard developments and achieve harmonized and balanced development of the National Capital Region,' he said.