LUCKNOW, June 28 -- The UP government's State Capital Region (SCR) plan, envisioned on the lines of Delhi-NCR, is set to take shape around Lucknow with an initial funding of Rs 71 crore for planning purposes. LDA officials on Friday selected a consortium of Aecom India Pvt Ltd and Aegis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd to prepare a GIS-based regional master plan within one year. Over the next five years, the consultants will prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) and oversee on-ground implementation. The entire development plan will be executed in phases over six years, said officials. A presentation in this regard was held at the Lucknow Development Authority office on Friday during a meeting chaired by Keshav Verma, head of SCR committee. Senior officials, including principal secretary (housing and urban planning) P Guruprasad, principal secretary (urban development) Amrit Abhijat, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob, LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar, and representatives from the World Bank attended the session. The proposed SCR will cover Lucknow, Barabanki, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, and Rae bareli, spanning 26,700 sq km. The plan aims to address regional imbalance in infrastructure and urban services by creating fast, high-quality connectivity and improving basic amenities across all six districts. With work on the ground expected to begin in a phased manner once the master plan is finalised, the SCR is set to become one of Uttar Pradesh's most ambitious regional transformation projects. LDA V-C Prathamesh Kumar said the consultancy will first create the Master Plan using advanced GIS technology. "After the Master Plan is ready in one year, the next five years will be used to identify, design, and execute various infrastructure and economic development projects under the SCR plan," he added. A team from the World Bank, present at the meeting, expressed interest in supporting the SCR project. Officials from the bank said they would share technical knowledge and experiences from similar regional development models in other countries. They assured that the cultural and heritage aspects of the region would be preserved during planning and implementation. According to officials, one of the key goals of the SCR is to ensure fast and seamless inter-district connectivity. The plan includes completion of missing road links, development of high-speed corridors, ring roads, and even rapid rail connectivity between districts. "Better connectivity will accelerate industrial and commercial activities in the region. This will create thousands of new job opportunities, attract investors, and contribute significantly to the economic growth of the state," said Kumar. Officials acknowledged that Lucknow currently bears the burden of being the economic, health, education, and employment hub for the surrounding districts. The SCR aims to distribute this load by upgrading smaller towns in adjoining districts. "With the implementation of SCR, villages and semi-urban areas will start receiving urban-level facilities. People will no longer need to migrate to Lucknow for every requirement. Local development will ensure people can live, work, and grow in their own districts," Kumar noted....