Housing ministry seeks nod for Behror extension of Delhi-Bawal RRTS

The proposed 36 km extension will add four stations, cost about ₹8,000 crore and take the total project estimate to nearly ₹43,000 crore.

The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs has proposed extending the Sarai Kale Khan–Gurugram–Bawal Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor to Behror in Rajasthan and has sought financial approval from the Ministry of Finance, the Union minister of state and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh said on Wednesday.

The proposal has been sent to the finance ministry for approval. The extension is expected to improve connectivity for industry and commuters in Haryana and Rajasthan. (HT Archive)

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Singh said the proposal was discussed at a recent meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), where it was proposed to extend the corridor to Behror. He said the housing ministry has written to the department of expenditure under the Ministry of Finance seeking approval for the extension beyond Bawal.

Singh said the RRTS corridor was originally planned up to Neemrana-Behror during the first phase but was later curtailed to Dharuhera and subsequently to Bawal. He said social organisations and residents of Haryana and Rajasthan had been demanding that the project be restored to its original scope.

Earlier this year in January, the Union housing ministry approved the Delhi-Bawal RRTS project after it had previously been limited to Dharuhera. Last year, the Haryana government approved the Delhi-Bawal proposal and forwarded it to the Union ministry.

“The file regarding the extension to Behror was submitted for financial approval this July. The construction of the RRTS project between Delhi and Behrore would benefit both people and industry in Rajasthan and Haryana. This project will greatly boost the economy of South Haryana and neighbouring Rajasthan,” Singh said.

According to Singh, the proposed extension will cover around 11 km in Haryana and 25 km in Rajasthan, with four stations planned between Bawal and Behror. The journey between the two points is estimated to take 24 minutes. He added that extending the corridor would increase the project cost by around ₹8,000 crore, bringing the total proposed cost to about ₹43,000 crore, officials added.

Singh said the Union government decided to extend the corridor considering the logistics hub under construction at Nangal Chaudhary, the future expansion of IMT Bawal and the Khushkhera-Behror-Neemrana Investment Region in Rajasthan.

During a project review meeting in May, NCRTC officials informed Singh that the Delhi–Gurugram–SNB (Shahjahanpur–Neemrana–Behror) Namo Bharat corridor is a 93.5-km RRTS linking Delhi with Gurugram, Manesar, Dharuhera, Rewari and Bawal. Officials said topographical surveys, utility mapping, building condition surveys and initial pile load tests have been completed, geotechnical investigations are over 90% complete, utility shifting, underground cable laying and forest clearances are underway, and most approvals from GMDA, NHAI, the Forest Department and HVPNL have been secured, bringing the project closer to construction.