Major boost for rapid transit system in NCR in Budget
Gurugram, February 1
Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in the National Capital Region (NCR) got a major boost in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha today.
An amount of Rs 3,596 crore has been allocated for the construction of the country’s first RRTS between Delhi and Meerut .
The semi-high speed rail based transit network, which will be 82 km-long, is being constructed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The agency is also responsible for the Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat RRTS.
The RRTS trains will have a maximum speed of 180 kmph while they will operate at 160 kmph. After construction of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, the journey will be completed in 55 minutes across the corridor. This corridor will begin in Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi pass through Anand Vihar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Duhai, Muradnagar, Modi Nagar, Meerut before ending at Modipuram in Meerut.
Meanwhile, real estate developers in the NCR have applauded the budget. They have commended the decision of the government to raise the allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to over Rs 79,000 crore, an increase of 66 per cent.
The developers claimed that the step would boost affordable housing.
Chairman of the CII Delhi panel on infra Harsh Bansal said the decision would increase the demand and the new tax regime would also promote people to spend more.
Navin M Raheja, Chairman and Managing Director of Raheja Developers, said the budget also promote states and cities to take up urban planning, which would lead to planned real estate development. “It will also improve living standards in cities and provide developers with an opportunity to provide better housing,” he added.
