Haryana’s long-pending Panchgram project has received a fresh boost with the NCR Draft Regional Plan 2041 backing the proposal to develop five greenfield cities along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway. But even as the ambitious blueprint moves closer to approval, Gurugram MP and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh has raised a fundamental question: where will these cities get their water from?
Reviewing civic infrastructure with officials in Gurugram, Rao directed authorities to first identify a sustainable water source before taking the project forward. His 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.
“Water is one of the most basic requirement and one of key civic issues. We are in dark zone and even in urban areas water supply is an issue in many parts. We aim to build new cities but I need to see the plan about getting water there,” said Rao Inderjit during a meeting with GMDA officials.
The NCR Draft Regional Plan 2041, scheduled to be taken up by the NCR Planning Board on June 16, designates the 135-km KMP Expressway corridor as the “Golden Ring of Opportunity” — the region’s highest-intensity development zone.
Under the proposal, the state plans to develop five greenfield townships, or Panchgrams, across nearly 2.5 lakh hectares, extending 2 to 6 km on either side of the KMP Expressway. The townships would be administered by a dedicated Panchgram Development Authority and equipped with smart civic infrastructure on the lines of AURIC City under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The plan estimates that nearly Rs 20 lakh crore will be required to meet the NCR’s future housing, transport and civic infrastructure needs.
Despite the renewed momentum, Rao Inderjit has consistently voiced reservations about the project. He has previously warned that the proposed development could adversely affect farmers and argued that agricultural land risked being “squeezed like a lemon.” He had opposed the project in its present form, particularly in the Rewari-Gurugram belt, and had indicated he was prepared to take the matter to the Prime Minister’s Office.
His latest intervention signals that while he is not opposed to the concept of Panchgram, he wants the state’s planners to first address the project’s most critical resource challenge.
The Panchgram proposal was originally cleared by the Haryana Cabinet under then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in 2018. It envisioned five new cities spread across eight districts — Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Rewari, Mewat, Faridabad and Palwal.
However, the project remained stalled for years because of land acquisition hurdles and administrative delays. After feasibility concerns in NCR districts, the present government shifted focus to the broader Dashagram proposal, envisaging 10 industrial townships across Haryana.
With the NCR Draft Regional Plan 2041 now reviving the Panchgram framework, the project has regained momentum. However, industry observers caution that prolonged political disagreements and unresolved issues such as water availability could affect investor confidence at a time when the NCR is competing aggressively for large-scale investments.
