A new draft regional plan approved by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) for restricting the NCR within a 100-km radius from Rajghat in Delhi has led to disquiet in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, which is set to be excluded. The move will make an adverse impact on development activities in Bharatpur, which was included in the NCR in 2013.
Though the residents of Bharatpur have been facing the NCR-related restrictions, the benefits of being a part of the NCR were few and far between largely because of the absence of the Centre’s assistance. No proposal from the district administration came up for the NCRPB’s consideration during the recent years.
Restricted area
While the final Regional Plan-2041, entailing the restructuring of NCR, is likely to be notified by the end of the current financial year, prominent citizens of Bharatpur have called for a focus on getting benefit of the district’s location near both New Delhi and Jaipur. The district’s area measuring 5,066 sq. km, which was earlier included in NCR, is likely to be reduced to 2,071 sq. km, comprising only Kaman and Pahari tehsils.
Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal opposed the draft plan at a meeting of the NCRPB in New Delhi and requested the Centre for incorporating the existing areas of both Bharatpur and Alwar districts in the NCR after the delineation.
The inclusion of any region in the NCR implies allocation of budget for a robust development of infrastructure. Ever since 2013, the people in Bharatpur have been looking forward for establishment of new industrial units, introduction of a metro train to Delhi and steps for development of tourism in and around the world-famous Keoladeo bird sanctuary.
Bharatpur-based Samriddh Bharat Abhiyan Sansthan’s convener Sita Ram Gupta told The Hindu on Monday that the district, which shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, had not developed on the expected lines despite its inclusion in the NCR. “All hopes will dash when Bharatpur is excluded from NCR. Political leaders of the region enjoying influence in the government structure need to wake up,” he said.
Weak political will
Mr. Gupta said the immense potential in Bharatpur could be realised by developing Jurehra industrial area on the lines of Bhiwadi, construction of an airport at Kirawali, creation of a Brij circuit comprising Bharatpur, Mathura and Agra and establishment of a State-level agro-processing centre, for which a provision was made in 2011-12.
Former Bharatpur MP Ratan Singh, who was instrumental in getting the NCR status for the district, said a weak political will was responsible for the latest turn of events. He said the exclusion from NCR would put the breaks on the region’s development for a long time to come, especially because the district administration had not taken any initiative to send any worthwhile proposal to the Centre.
