vikas

The millennium city just got a lot bigger. It will now stretch all the way to, and include, Manesar.

What started off as a suburb across Delhi's southern borders has become a city in itself, with the 1971 population of 57,000 now touching 22 lakh and set to increase to 37 lakh by 2021.

Gurgaon's new Master Plan, notified on February 5 (a gazetted copy of which is with TOI), makes it clear that the city's construction boom is only likely to become more frenetic.

With the private-government partnership development model for the residential sector of 'New Gurgaon', private players will have a large role to play as Gurgaon grows even more rapidly than at present.

Besides a lion's share in the residential sector, private players will be permitted to develop 50% of area marked for commercial sectors.

The development plan is for a total of 37,069 hectares against the 9,881-hectares target of the 2001 plan. This includes special economic zones of 4,570 hectares and existing towns and villages in the region.

While the plan looks to focus on residential development - read more and more highrises - it also earmarks 5,441 hectares for industrial and commercial development. The inclusion of Manesar and its industrial environs is an indication of this.

There is news for Gurgaon residents who have begun to despair of connectivity with Delhi. Two 90-metre-wide link roads have been planned.

One is from Vasant Kunj to Mehrauli Road and Gurgaon, the other between Andheria Mor and Faridabad road through Mandi and Gwal Pahari.

Another 150-metre-wide link road has been proposed from Dwarka to Palam Vihar. An additional corridor along the 150-metre northern link to Delhi extending from Dwarka has been proposed in the final development plan 2021 while a similar MRTS will come up along Mehrauli road up to the proposed inter state bus terminal at Kherki Dhaula.

This will be extended to Manesar. A 150-metre road would be constructed along the NH 8, or Delhi-Jaipur highway, which will ensure that traffic entering Gurgaon flows smoothly.

This is essential if traffic which gets off the highway and moves in and out of Udyog Vihar and Cybergreens is not to be choked.

To cater to a projected population of 37 lakh, 14,930 hectares have been marked for residential purposes. Some 8,000 hectares have already been developed by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and private developers and this is expected to accommodate some 20 lakh people. The additional 6,930 hectares would accommodate 15 lakh people by 2021.

The city's future would seem to be set in glass and concrete as is already visible in the case of New Gurgaon. There will be an explosion of malls and corporate parks.

"The new commercial areas will be in the form of big malls and corporate commercial complexes. In addition, commercial belts with the width of 200 metres have also been provided along the selected roads to cater to the needs of the surrounding areas,"states the gazette notification.