Hooda stresses need for continuous review of Regional Plan

New Delhi Aug 21 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has stressed the need for continuous process of review of Regional Plan instead of once in five years so that the challenges thrown up by new developments in the region were adequately addressed and harmonised with the Regional Plan.

Expressing his views in 30th meeting of National Capital Region Planning Board here today, Mr Hooda said the Haryana Government was fully conscious of the fact that the Plan is a dynamic instrument to guide and facilitate development and not a static tool.

''The magnitude of recently conceived projects of Mumbai-Delhi Dedicated Freight and Industrial Corridors was not even envisioned at the time of preparation of Regional Plan 2021'', he added.

The Chief Minister said the corridor passes through Haryana Sub Region and would bring about a quantum change in the level of economic activities in the Haryana Sub Region.

Similarly, a large number of SEZ Projects had been sanctioned in this area, which would have a significant demographic and infrastructure related implications in the years to come. He said that the impact of all these developments needs to be properly evaluated and suitably reflected in the Regional Plan.

Mr Hooda revealed that the State Government had created a friendly environment for attracting investment across the globe and this had led to the dispersal of economic activities from Delhi to CNCR and beyond.

He said that the construction of 135.65 KM Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway was also in full swing. Similarly, the acquisition of land for Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) was also at an advanced stage.

Mr. Hooda disclosed that the work on extension of Delhi Metro to Gurgaon had already been started and it would be functional by January 2010.

The Chief Minister informed that the State Government had aproved in principle the extension of Delhi Metro from Badarpur to YMCA chowk in Faridabad.

He urged the Chief Minister of Delhi to convey its approval to the project and said the State Government had also decided to extend this route upto Ballabhgarh and detail project report for extension of Metro from Mundka up to Bahadurgarh was being examined.

He said that the State Government had embarked upon an ambitious plan for creation of the state-of-the-art towns along KMP Expressway with world class infrastructure in order to check migration of population from NCR to Delhi.

Mr Hooda said Gurgaon had already emerged on the global map and to regulate its further growth the Development Plan of Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex had been prepared for a population of 37 lakhs.

To meet the requirement of this population the infrastructure had been planned in advance. To support a healthy growth of the area, an initiative for construction of NCR water-supply channel had been planned.

He said the Government had already approved this project at a cost of Rs 225 crore. Presently, water to Gurgaon and Bahadurgarh towns was being supplied through G W S channel which was constructed during 1994-95 with a capacity of 135 cusecs. Its capacity had been recently increased to 200 cusecs.

The balance requirement of 800 cusecs would be met through the new canal. Once the canal was completed there would be a big relief for the fast developing areas.

UNI