NCR board to form panel on power, water

The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) today decided to constitute a high-powered committee to identify solutions for critical urban development issues such as power, water supply and pollution.

Besides finding solutions to tackle these issues, the high-powered committee will also suggest ways to finance the same. This was decided at the 29th meeting of the NCRPB, held in the capital, chaired by Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy.

The meeting also decided to set up an empowered committee to coordinate and monitor various critical activities essential for making the NCR a region of global excellence.

The issues to be dealt with by the high-powered group include power and water supply, landfill sites, pollution and greenery.

"The board can meet only once in six months. But both the high-powered group and the empowered committee will ensure that issues are dealt with and solutions are found much faster," Reddy told mediapersons after the meeting.

The union minister said the two groups will have representatives from all the states that are part of the board, and the union urban development ministry will decide who will head them.

The board, meanwhile, also announced a performance-linked incentive package to the states in the region to boost infrastructure development.

The incentive will be in the form of reduction of interest rate up to one per cent on the loan for projects. This will make the financial assistance package to the participating states more attractive at 5.50 per cent interest rate for basic infrastructure projects.

On the occasion, Reddy also released the Regional Plan-2021 which deals with long-term planning for the NCR.

The meeting also focused on preparing sub-regional plans by the states in pursuance of the Regional Plan-2021.

Reddy said the meeting agreed that immediate steps should be taken to accelerate the pace of development in the region.

He also called for greater cooperation from the states in the NCR. "The planning board will not be effective beyond a point unless there is cooperation from the participating states," the minister said.

Earlier, inaugurating the meeting, Reddy said the board has taken up with the finance ministry the proposal for extending support in the form of seed money to infrastructure projects in the NCR.

He noted that work on construction of the Western Peripheral Expressway with a total length of about 136 km had been awarded by the Haryana government and the Eastern Peripheral Expressway with a length of 134 km will be implemented by the National Highway Authority of India.

Reddy said a circular rail network was being planned for the region and the matter was under consideration of a ministry committee.

He informed that Rajasthan together with the board has begun a study to prepare an action plan for developing the Behror-Neemrana-Shahjahanpur area as a new township.

The meeting was attended by Delhi Lt Governor BL Joshi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Union Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Ashok Bajpai, Rajasthan Urban Development Minister Pratap Singh Singhvi and Madhya Pradesh Minister for Housing and Environment Jayant Malaiya.