DDA Approves Master Plan Delhi 2047, Opening 70 Villages and Yamuna Buffer
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday approved the Master Plan for Delhi-2047 (MPD-2047), establishing a new urban planning framework that opens 70 peripheral villages to commercial activity, permits higher-density vertical development, and splits the Yamuna floodplain into two distinct regulated zones. The decision was made during an authority meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and attended by Vice-Chairman N Saravana Kumar.
The approved master plan outlines long-term development guidelines for housing, infrastructure, mobility, economic growth, environmental sustainability, heritage conservation, and urban governance across the national capital. The document will now be submitted to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for final approval and subsequent notification.
A key provision of the plan modifies the handling of the 22-kilometre-long Yamuna floodplain, which was previously treated as a single protected O zone with strict development restrictions. MPD-2047 divides the floodplain into an O-1 zone and an O-2 zone. The O-1 zone encompasses the core floodplain subject to a 1-in-25-year flood probability, where all construction and development remain prohibited. The O-2 zone, located outside the core area, will permit regulated recreational activities, such as parks and green spaces.
The new framework also establishes a Green Development Area (GDA) policy covering 70 peripheral villages in the Green Belt and Low-Density Residential Area. The affected localities include Tikri Kalan and Mitraon Dhansa, along with farmhouse areas such as Mehrauli, Chhatarpur, and Satbari. The policy permits commercial and institutional activities with higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) norms, enabling vertical development similar to that seen in Noida and Gurugram. Roads measuring at least 12 metres, 18 metres, and 30 metres are being planned to support infrastructure in these GDA areas.
Additionally, the authority approved a uniform policy for the reconstruction and redevelopment of old DDA-built two-storey residential units on individual plots, applying to older housing projects such as Naraina Vihar. The DDA also cleared amendments to the 2016 Unified Building Bye-Laws to simplify building plan approvals, alongside a land-use change for a metro depot along the Rithala-Kundli corridor in Narela.
