Delhi Master Plan 2047: Key highlights of blueprint for housing, metro & Yamuna
The Master Plan for Delhi 2047 (MPD-2047) was unveiled, setting out Delhi's urban development blueprint through 2047
The plan targets roughly 30-40 lakh new homes for a projected population of about 3.2 crore, including affordable housing in Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones and units for redevelopment of unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopri (JJ) cluster residents
Delhi's metro network is planned to expand from its current length of around 416 km to 695 km by 2047
The plan proposes ecological restoration of nearly 1,700 hectares of the Yamuna floodplain through multiple projects, alongside drain-treatment measures and a floodplain cycle track
Green buffers and afforestation measures are included to address noise pollution and improve environmental quality
Statutory Basis of Delhi's Master Plan — Delhi Development Act, 1957
Delhi's master planning is not an ad hoc exercise; it is a statutory function performed under a specific central Act. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, derives its master-planning powers from the Delhi Development Act, 1957.
Key Details
- Sections 7 to 11A of the Delhi Development Act, 1957 empower the DDA to prepare and implement the Master Plan, Zonal Development Plans, and Action Area Plans for Delhi
- The DDA's first Master Plan was notified in 1962; it was revised into Master Plan 2001 and subsequently Master Plan for Delhi 2021
- MPD-2047 is the next generational revision, extending the planning horizon in line with the centenary of India's independence in 2047
- The DDA operates directly under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, distinguishing Delhi's planning framework from most other Indian cities, where municipal or state town-planning bodies hold this function under respective state Town and Country Planning Acts
MPD-2047 is the statutory successor to MPD-2021, prepared and to be notified by the DDA under its Section 7 powers, and will govern land use, zoning, and redevelopment across the National Capital Territory for the coming decades.
Yamuna Floodplain Restoration and River Rejuvenation Framework
Floodplains are the low-lying land adjacent to a river that gets inundated during high flow and plays a critical ecological role — groundwater recharge, flood attenuation, and biodiversity support. Encroachment and construction on the Yamuna floodplain in Delhi has been a long-standing environmental and legal concern, addressed through both judicial intervention and mission-mode river-cleaning programmes.
Key Details
- The Yamuna Action Plan (Phase I, 1993; Phase II, 2004; Phase III) has been the principal river-cleaning initiative for the Yamuna, funded partly through bilateral assistance
- Namami Gange, though primarily focused on the main Ganga stem, also funds sewage-interception and treatment infrastructure for tributaries including the Yamuna
- Courts, including the National Green Tribunal, have repeatedly directed removal of encroachments from the Yamuna floodplain and treatment of untreated sewage drains discharging into the river
- MPD-2047 proposes restoring nearly 1,700 hectares of floodplain through multiple projects and treating drains discharging into the Yamuna, alongside a floodplain cycle track
The floodplain restoration and drain-treatment components of MPD-2047 build on decades of Yamuna Action Plan and judicial intervention, now embedded as a formal land-use and ecological commitment within the statutory Master Plan itself, rather than a standalone scheme.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Policy
TOD is an urban planning approach that concentrates high-density, mixed-use development around mass transit nodes (like metro stations) to reduce private vehicle dependence, cut commute times, and make public transit financially sustainable through higher ridership and land-value capture.
Key Details
- India's TOD Policy was notified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2017 as part of the broader National Urban Transport Policy framework
- TOD zones are typically defined as a 500m-800m radius (or influence zone) around transit stations, permitting higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in exchange for public amenities and affordable housing components
- DDA has applied TOD norms along the Delhi Metro network to unlock additional housing supply, one of the stated sources for MPD-2047's targeted 30-40 lakh new homes
- TOD is distinguished from conventional zoning by prioritising walkability and public-transit access over automobile-oriented, low-density sprawl
A significant share of the new housing envisaged in MPD-2047 is planned within TOD zones along the expanding 695-km metro network, linking the housing and transport components of the plan into a single land-use strategy.
- MPD-2047 target: roughly 30-40 lakh new homes for a projected population of about 3.2 crore
- Delhi Metro network: to expand from about 416 km currently to 695 km by 2047
- Yamuna floodplain: nearly 1,700 hectares proposed for ecological restoration through multiple projects, plus a 52-km floodplain cycle track
- Statutory basis: Delhi Development Act, 1957 — Sections 7-11A empower DDA's master-planning function
- Predecessor plans: Master Plan 1962 → Master Plan 2001 → Master Plan for Delhi 2021 → Master Plan for Delhi 2047
- Nodal authority: Delhi Development Authority (DDA), under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs