Delhi Master Plan 2047 Proposes Congestion Charges for Connaught Place
The Master Plan for Delhi 2047 has proposed the introduction of congestion pricing zones to levy fees on private vehicles entering high-traffic commercial hubs, including Connaught Place. The planning document was officially notified by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on August 20.
Under the MPD-2047 framework, authorities would be permitted to charge private vehicles entering specific sectors facing chronic traffic gridlock. The document outlines three potential zones for implementation: the Metropolitan City Centre, the Walled City Heritage Zone, and catchments surrounding transit-oriented development nodes.
The Metropolitan City Centre classification includes major central districts such as Connaught Place, Janpath, and Karol Bagh. The Walled City Heritage Zone comprises Old Delhi areas, specifically Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Jama Masjid, and Chawri Bazar. Transit-oriented development nodes encompass high-density, mixed-use zones developed around Delhi Metro stations and other mass transit hubs.
According to the master plan, radio frequency identification tags may be considered as a mechanism to enforce the congestion charges. The document also suggests that municipal parking rates could be revised to vary dynamically based on geographic location and the time of day.
Following the notification of the master plan, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar stated that there is no immediate plan to implement the congestion pricing scheme in Delhi.
The proposed framework examines international traffic management models from several global capitals. Cities that have implemented similar systems include Singapore, which introduced electronic road pricing that adjusts rates by vehicle speed and time of day, and London, which established a central congestion charge in 2003 alongside adaptive traffic signal networks. Other global mechanisms highlighted include Milan's Area C pricing zone, Stockholm's cordon charging system, and vehicle restriction policies utilized in Paris, Bogota, Mexico City, and Beijing.
