Govt may soon create NCR transport corporation

The government may soon create a National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to expedite the construction of three regional rapid transit systems (RRTS) that would connect Delhi with Panipat, Alwar and Meerut.
Officials said the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) had earlier identified eight lines for the development of rail-based RRTS corridors of which three -- Delhi-Panipat, Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Meerut -- were assigned priority by a panel appointed by the Planning Commission.
It was also suggested the formation of NCRTC to develop, run and maintain the proposed metro corridors.
Officials said the NCRPB had begun working on a plan to form a NCRTC and also got required approvals from the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

The formation of the NCRTC now requires the Cabinet's go ahead and it is likely that the Urban Development Ministry will present a proposal soon, sources said.
The NCRTC, it is learnt, would be set up with a seed amount of Rs 100 crore in which the central government and the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, through which the RRTS lines would pass, would contribute.
The three corridors put together mean the development of 381 km of rail based transport system. Of these there, the Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari-Alwar corridor is the longest at 180 km. The second corridor Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat is 111-km-long while Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut is 90-km-long.

Officials said that the feasibility studies for the three corridors have already been conducted.