The 37th meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) was held in New Delhi.
The meeting chaired by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (IC), Housing & Urban Affairs and attended by Chief Minister Haryana; Minister of Urban Development, Uttar Pradesh; Minister of Public Works Department, NCT Delhi, Secretary (HUA), Govt. of India, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Haryana, Member Secretary, NCRPB and other senior officers of the Central Govt., and NCR.
The Board considered the proposal of Govt. of U.P. for inclusion of Shamli district in NCR and stated that with addition to NCR, the provisions of NCRPB Act will be applicable. Accordingly, for any financial assistance for these districts, the requisite Sub Regional Plans have to be in place.
It was also discussed that as the horizon year of the current Regional Plan was fast approaching, NCRPB is already in process of initiating the works for preparation of next Regional Plan with horizon of another 20-25 years. Hence, NCR States should keenly participate and have a common vision for the development of the NCR.
The Board also took stock of progress made in Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which was conceived by the NCRPB, and is now being implemented by NCRTC. Chairman urged the participating States to come together and resolve their issues amicably for RRTS to become a trend-setter in the field of regional transport in the country. It was agreed that a Delineation study needs to be carried out for further inclusion/exclusion of Districts to/from NCR and that States may expedite submission of their comments on broad parameters to be taken up for same.
It was decided that NCR participating States need to expedite preparation of the Sub-Regional Plans for newly added districts and complete the works by March 2018. Chairman clarified that all districts need to have SRP without which the NCRPB funding would not be possible for projects in these districts. NCRPB may be considered as a Financial Institution (FI) to play pivotal role in infrastructure development of Smart Cities in NCR and its Counter Magnet Areas. Govt. of Delhi was requested to expedite its approval for DPR on Delhi- Meerut RRTS corridor, to help faster implementation of the project.
The “forests” should be identified as per the Orders of the Supreme Court and the “Aravallis” are to be delineated in the entire NCR, as per the earlier decisions of the Board. Accordingly, it was decided that the work on NCZ delineation needs to be expeditiously finalized by NCR participating States, with verification of State revenue records and reports be submitted to the Board.
NCR Planning Board is a unique example of inter-state and inter-agency coordination and regional development in the country and calls for special attention to address its needs and challenges.
National Capital Region:
National Capital Region (NCR) is a unique example of inter-state regional planning and development, covering the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi, thirteen districts of State of Haryana, seven districts of State of Uttar Pradesh and two districts of State of Rajasthan, with the Nation Capital as its core.
The National Capital Region (NCR) in India was constituted under the NCRPB Act, 1985 with the key rationale to promote balanced and harmonized development of the Region,and to avoid any haphazard development.
Evolution of Concept of National Capital Region:
Delhi has been experiencing phenomenal growth of population since 1951 recording decennial growth rate of 52.44%, 52.91%, 52.98%, 51.45% and 47.03% during 1951-61, 1961-71, 1971-81 and 1991-01 decades respectively. One of the main causes for this spurt in the growth of population is migration into the city not only from the adjacent states but also from others such as Bihar. The growth of population of Delhi has contributed to increasing congestion and shortages of civic amenities. It has been felt that as Delhi grows, its problems of land, housing, transportation and management of essential infrastructure like water supply and sewerage would become more acute.
It was with this concern that the need for planning Delhi in the regional context was felt:
1956 Interim General Plan suggested that ‘serious consideration should be given for a planned decentralization to outer areas & even outside the Delhi region’.
-1961 High Powered Board set up under Union Minister for Home Affairs
-1962 Master Plan for Delhi emphasized Planning of Delhi in regional context
-1973 High Powered Board reconstituted under Union Minister for Works & Housing
-1985 Enactment of the National Capital Region Planning Board Act by the Union Parliament, with the concurrence of the participating States of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh,NCR Planning Board was constituted.
Functions of the NCR Planning Board:
Under Section 7 of the Act, the functions of the Board are :-
-To prepare the Regional Plan and the Functional Plans,
-To arrange for the preparation of Sub-region Plans and Project Plans by each of the participating States and the National Capital Territory, Delhi
-To co-ordinate the enforcement and implementation of the Regional Plan, Functional Plans, Sub-regional Plans and project Plans through the participating States and the National Capital Territory, Delhi
-To ensure proper and systematic programming by the participating States and the NCT Delhi in regard to project formulation, determination of priorities in the National Capital Region or Sub-regions, and phasing of development of the National Capital Region in accordance with stages indicated in the Regional Plans;
-To arrange for, and oversee, the financing of selected development projects in the National Capital Region through Central and State Plan, funds and other sources of revenue.
Under Section 8 of the NCR Planning Board Act, 1985, powers of the Board shall include the powers to :-
-Call for reports and information from the participating States and the Union territory with regard to preparation, enforcement and implementation of Functional Plans and Sub-regional Plans ;
-Ensure that the preparation, enforcement and implementation of Functional Plan or Sub-Regional Plan, as the case may be, is in conformity with the Regional Plan ;
-Indicate the stages for the implementation of the Regional Plan ;
-Review the implementation of the Regional Plan, Functional Plan, Sub-Regional Plan and Project Plan ;
-Select and approve comprehensive projects, call for priority development and provide such assistance for the implementation of those projects as the Board may deem fit
Select, in consultation with the State Government concerned, any urban areas, outside the National Capital Region having regard to its location, population and potential for growth, which may be developed in order to achieve the objectives of the Regional Plan ; and
-Entrust to the Committee such other functions as it may consider necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
NCR Region:
The NCR as notified covers the whole of NCT-Delhi and certain districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, covering an area of about 53,817 sq. kms. The sub-region wise area details are as under:
| Sub-Region | Name of the Districts | Area (in sq kms) |
| Haryana | Faridabad, Gurgaon, Mewat, Rohtak, Sonepat, Rewari, Jhajjhar, Panipat, Palwal, Bhiwani (including Charkhi Dadri), Mahendragarh, Jind and Karnal (thirteen districts). | 25,327 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Hapur and Muzaffarnagar (seven districts). | 13,560 |
| Rajasthan | Alwar and Bharatpur (two districts). | 13,447 |
| Delhi | Whole of NCT Delhi. | 1,483 |
Counter Magnet Areas :
The NCR Planning Board Act, 1985, under Section 8 (f), empowers the Board to select any area outside the NCR having regard to its location, population and potential for growth as a ‘Counter Magnet Area’ in consultation with the State Government concerned with a view to achieving the objectives of the Regional Plan.
At present the NCR Planning Board has identified the following nine counter magnet areas to NCR:
-Hissar and Ambala in Haryana
-Bareilly and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh
-Kota and Jaipur in Rajasthan
-Patiala in Punjab
-Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh
-Dehradun in Uttrakhand
Note: Board also decided that these Counter-Magnet Areas shall be an area of about 120 kms radius around above identified towns as zone of influence for migration. The concerned State Governments shall notify their respective Counter Magnet Areas proposed to be developed in & around these towns and prepare Development Plan and Plan of Action for its implementation.