Manohar Lal Khattar unveils Delhi's 2047 blueprint: 40 lakh homes, 695-km metro & jobs on agenda
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs unveiled the "Master Plan for Delhi — 2047" (MPD-2047), envisaging 30-40 lakh new housing units over the next two decades.
Delhi's Metro network, currently around 416 km, is proposed to expand to 695 km, supplemented by six new Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors and expanded bus services.
The plan is designed around a projected Delhi population of about 3.2 crore, with an emphasis on affordable housing delivered through transit-oriented development (TOD) and provisions for taller buildings.
The plan states an aim to balance urban development with environmental preservation, alongside job creation, as Delhi is positioned as a "world-class, inclusive, and economically vibrant" city by 2047.
Delhi Development Authority and the Statutory Master Plan Process
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is a statutory body constituted under the Delhi Development Act, 1957, tasked with the "promotion and securement" of the planned development of Delhi. Master Plans prepared by DDA are the primary long-term land-use and zoning instruments for the National Capital Territory (NCT) and are legally binding once notified.
Key Details
- Sections 7 to 11A of the Delhi Development Act, 1957 empower DDA to prepare and enforce the Master Plan and subsidiary Zonal Plans.
- Delhi's first Master Plan was notified in 1962; successive plans followed for 2001, 2021, and 2041 (approved 2023 but never separately gazetted as a distinct plan), with MPD-2047 now the latest iteration timed to the platinum jubilee of Independence.
- DDA functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (a Union ministry), while municipal services in Delhi are run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) — an institutional split characteristic of the NCT's layered governance structure.
- Master Plans are implemented through more granular Zonal Plans and Local Area Plans/Action Area Plans.
MPD-2047 is the newest link in this statutory chain — replacing/superseding the horizon-2041 framework — and once formally notified will set binding land-use and Floor Area Ratio (FAR) norms for housing, metro corridors, and commercial development till 2047.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Policy
Transit-Oriented Development is an urban planning approach that concentrates high-density, mixed-use development within walking distance of mass-transit stations, aiming to reduce private vehicle dependence, cut commute distances, and make public transit financially viable through higher ridership and land-value capture.
Key Details
- Delhi's TOD Policy (notified as part of MPD-2021 amendments and further operationalised in later years) designates "Influence Zones" within 500m (walk-to-transit) and up to 800m of transit corridors/stations.
- Permissible FAR under TOD norms can go up to 400, extendable to 500 on payment of additional FAR charges to DDA, which acts as the nodal authority.
- At least 65% of total permissible FAR in TOD zones is reserved for residential units below 100 sq. m built-up area, aimed at affordable/compact housing supply.
- TOD is a key global response to "urban sprawl" and is central to India's broader push toward compact, transit-linked cities under schemes like AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission.
MPD-2047's housing and affordability targets are explicitly routed through TOD around the expanded 695-km Metro network and new RRTS corridors — using transit capacity as the mechanism to deliver dense, affordable housing rather than horizontal sprawl.
National Capital Region (NCR) Planning and Environmentally Sensitive Zones
Delhi's Master Plan does not operate in isolation — it sits within the larger National Capital Region (NCR) planning framework, which coordinates development across Delhi and adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and identifies environmentally sensitive zones that any city-level plan must respect.
Key Details
- The National Capital Region Planning Board Act, 1985 established the NCR Planning Board to prepare a Regional Plan, harmonise land-use policy, and prevent haphazard development across the NCR.
- Environmentally sensitive features flagged in NCR regional planning include the Aravalli Ridge (extending into Delhi as the "Delhi Ridge"), the Yamuna floodplain, and associated water bodies — areas where the Delhi Master Plan traditionally restricts construction ("no further infringement of the Ridge").
- RRTS corridors (implemented via the National Capital Region Transport Corporation, NCRTC) are themselves an NCR-level, not merely Delhi-level, infrastructure intervention connecting Delhi to satellite cities such as Meerut, Gurugram/Alwar, and Panipat.
MPD-2047's stated goal of "balancing development with environmental preservation" and its integration with regional RRTS corridors reflect the constraints and opportunities set by the overarching NCR Regional Plan and its protected ridge/floodplain zones.
- MPD-2047 proposes 30-40 lakh new housing units for a projected 2047 population of about 3.2 crore.
- Delhi Metro network to expand from approximately 416 km to 695 km.
- Six new RRTS corridors proposed in addition to metro and bus expansion.
- Statutory basis of DDA and the Master Plan process: Delhi Development Act, 1957 (Sections 7-11A).
- TOD FAR: up to 400, extendable to 500 with additional FAR charges; minimum 65% of FAR reserved for units under 100 sq. m.
- NCR-level planning body: National Capital Region Planning Board, established under the NCR Planning Board Act, 1985.