Haryana plans to cut NCR area by 60% as six districts to be affected

Haryana is likely to witness about 60 per cent reduction in its territorial footprint within the National Capital Region as the matter is on the agenda circulated among participating states for the June 16 meeting of the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB).

Panipat, Karnal, Jind, Mahendragarh and parts of Bhiwani district are expected to bear the brunt of the proposed redrawing of boundaries.

According to the agenda, the “re-delineation of the NCR boundary remains a live agenda item, with the Draft Regional Plan-2041's boundary principles set to be formally progressed”. The draft, approved in principle at the NCRPB's 41st meeting on October 12, 2021, proposes limiting the NCR to a contiguous circular zone of 100-km radius from Rajghat (Delhi).

Currently, Haryana contributes 14 districts to the NCR--Gurugram, Faridabad, Rohtak, Sonepat, Rewari, Jhajjar, Mewat, Palwal, Panipat, Mahendragarh, Jind, Karnal, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri, covering a combined area of 25,327 sq km. Under the new boundary formula, that area would be slashed to just 10,546 sq km, a reduction of nearly 60 per cent, as recorded in Chapter 1 of the plan document.

Interestingly, Haryana’s territorial restriction is self-imposed. The draft mentions that while Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan agreed to include tehsils even partially within the 100-km radius, “Haryana conveyed its decision to keep only those tehsils within the NCR that were covered entirely within the 100-km radius”.

The impact spreads across five to six districts. Karnal city is at a radius of about 113-121 km from Delhi, clearly placing most of the district outside the NCR. Mahendragarh, at a radius of 112–113 km, has no significant portion close to the boundary and it faces near-total exclusion. Jind city sits 103–115 km from Delhi, right on the margin, with tehsils almost certainly extending beyond it. Panipat city, at 88-95 km, is on the borderline--the city itself may survive, but the wider district extends well past the 100-km mark. Bhiwani city is about 107-108 km away, but lies to the west of Delhi, meaning some of its closer tehsils may survive depending on the arc. Charkhi Dadri, at roughly 83 km straight-line, is the safest of the lot--its city sits within the radius, though some tehsils could still be clipped.

Haryana has, however, built in buffers to soften the blow. The state has proposed a 1-km corridor on both sides of 11 national highways, including NH-44, NH-48 and NH-9, for continued NCR inclusion.

Karnal and Panipat, both situated along NH-44, could see their urban cores retained through this highway corridor provision. Bhiwani has a partial lifeline via NH-148B and Charkhi Dadri via NH-334B. Jind and Mahendragarh do not sit on any of the 11 named highways, giving them no corridor-based safety net.

The draft does not name the specific municipal bodies that Haryana wants retained. It only states the numbers--26 municipal committees, 13 municipal councils and seven municipal corporations. Haryana currently has nine municipal corporations and among them, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar and Sonepat sit firmly within the 100-km radius.