The Master Plan for Delhi 2047 (MPD-2047) sets out a new approach to how the city should grow over the next two decades. It seeks to accommodate 3.2 crore people and provide 40 lakh additional homes, much of this through redevelopment of existing areas and higher-density construction around public transport. Notably, it reduces the minimum area needed to redevelop housing complexes from 40,000 sq m to 3,000 sq m. This reduces the redevelopment threshold from about 10 acres to less than one acre, enabling regeneration at a much smaller and more manageable scale — from the size of a large housing colony to that of a small apartment complex. I support it.

Regeneration schemes in unauthorised colonies may receive a floor area ratio (FAR) of 350, while the High-Density Corridor along Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) allows a FAR of 400. Both changes are necessary because Delhi has limited land and a growing population. Redevelopment cannot be based indefinitely on outward expansion. The proposals for affordable and rental housing, a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, unified parking management, and designated areas for 24-hour activity are also forward-looking.

Compact and mixed-use development along UER-II — a 75-km western arc from Alipur on National Highway 44 (NH-44) to Mahipalpur on National Highway 48 (NH-48), passing through Bawana, Rohini, Mundka, Bakkarwala (near Nangloi), Najafgarh and Dwarka — could expand housing and bring people closer to employment. But more floor space means more residents, vehicles, sewage, waste, and greater demand for water and electricity. Unless this is accounted for, new people will move to the already congested parts of Delhi in search of jobs, worsening the congestion. Planning must consider........

© Indian Express