Haryana Presents 'Central NCR' Plan: Five Greenfield Cities Along KMP Corridor Proposed as 'Golden Ring of Opportunity'

What Haryana Proposed

Haryana presented a draft plan at the National Capital Region (NCR) Planning Board meeting on June 16, proposing the designation of a five-kilometre belt along both sides of the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) and Kundli–Ghaziabad–Palwal (KGP) expressways as 'Central NCR'. The Draft Regional Plan-2041 officially designated the belt encompassing the KMP and Eastern Peripheral Expressway as the Central NCR (CNCR) and gave it an unambiguous economic mandate: the Golden Ring of Opportunity.

The Panchgram Project at Its Core

At the heart of the proposal is the Panchgram Project, under which five new greenfield cities are planned along the 135-km KMP Expressway corridor spanning approximately 2.5 lakh hectares and including industrial towns, residential townships and modern urban centres, developed across a zone extending two to six kilometres on both sides of the expressways. A dedicated 'Panchgram Development Authority' will be set up to oversee the initiative.

Manesar–Bawal Investment Region Integration

The plan prioritises the Manesar–Bawal investment region, linked to the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor, with the aim of boosting industrial investment and generating employment. The area of 402 square kilometres has been identified spread over 134 settlements in Bawal, Khol and Rewari blocks.

At Panchgaon Chowk in Manesar, the Delhi–Alwar RRTS, Gurugram–Manesar Metro and the Jhajjar–Palwal rail line are to be integrated into a single hub; and at Kherki Daula in Gurugram, a combined RRTS, metro and bus interchange is planned.

Parallel NCR Boundary Proposal

In a parallel proposal, Haryana moved to remove large parts of Karnal, Jind, Mahendragarh, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts from the NCR, currently covering over 25,000 square kilometres; if accepted, the NCR's area in Haryana could shrink to around 10,500 square kilometres, a reduction of nearly 60 per cent.

Status (as of June 16, 2026): The National Capital Region's boundaries remained unchanged for Haryana, with all 14 districts continuing in the NCR fold. The boundary reduction proposal was not approved at the June 16 meeting.

What This Changes

The Central NCR designation and Panchgram Project framework establish the KMP corridor as the region's primary zone for intensive greenfield urban and industrial development. The plan estimates that nearly Rs 20 lakh crore will be required to meet the NCR's future housing, transport and civic infrastructure needs.

The proposal explicitly integrates the Manesar–Bawal Investment Region—a national DMIC priority zone—into state and regional planning frameworks, signalling priority for auto, electronics and advanced manufacturing in southern Haryana.

Challenges Raised

Haryana's long-pending Panchgram project received backing with the NCR Draft Regional Plan 2041, but Gurugram MP and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh raised a fundamental question: where will these cities get their water from, directing authorities to first identify a sustainable water source before taking the project forward. This intervention underscores one of the biggest challenges facing urban expansion in southern Haryana, where groundwater has been severely over-exploited and existing cities, including Gurugram, already face recurring water shortages.

What Is Next

The 42nd NCRPB meeting discussed several forward-looking proposals under the Regional Plan-2041 framework; a committee has been constituted to finalise these recommendations and is expected to submit its report by August 15, with the board's 43rd meeting now proposed for December.

The Panchgram Development Authority must now undertake detailed Sub-Regional Planning, conduct environmental and social impact assessments, identify water sources, and begin the process of land identification and acquisition across multiple districts.