Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that Kundli-Sonepat will be the next growth hu b. Citing the example of Gurgaon,Hooda said that Sonepat will be the future “millennium city”. The chief minister was speaking at the ‘Unfolding of the Haryana Growth Story’ forum in the Capital.Hooda said,“Haryana has harnessed the progressive thrust of industrialisation with its innovative policies and pragmatic strategies. The state-of-the art infrastructural facilities,industry friendly policies and responsible administration make it a preferred destination for setting up industry and enterprise and for investment for all sectors of the economy. Haryana offers unique competitive advantage as compared to other states and has emerged as a preferred destination and among the domestic and foreign investors.” He further added,“Kundli-Sonepat is the future Indian City and will develop like Gurgaon in the coming years.”The state has several initiatives lined up for the Kundli-Sonepat region. One of the major initiatives is the Rajiv Gandhi Educational City that would comprise 2,000 acres hosting 10 universities and will be a part of the Kundli-Sonepat multi-functional urban complex along NH-1,located 5 kilometres from the Delhi border. The education hub will be the anchor for Kundli,similar to what the IT industry did for Gurgaon.The state government has completed the necessary infrastructure developments such as augmenting water supply and power,improvement of sewage facilities and construction of a railway bridge on the Sonepat-Kundli road.The 135 km Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway (also known as the Western Peripheral Expressway) which inter-connects four National Highways: 1,2,8 and 10 in Haryana will be fully operational in a few months time,Hooda said. Apart from road connectivity,the Haryana government is also focused on improving the rail network. It is planned that Kundli will soon have a metro stop as part of the Rapid Rail Transport System,connecting ISBT-Delhi to Sonepat in 20 minutes.