Master Plan for Delhi 2047 Omits 351 Mixed-Use Roads, Leaving Traders Worried

The draft Master Plan for Delhi 2047 has remained silent on 351 roads awaiting notification as mixed-use and commercial streets in New Delhi, triggering concern among local traders who have awaited clearance for years.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) originally passed and forwarded a proposal regarding the 351 stretches to the Delhi government in 2007. Despite the passage of several years, the final clearance and statutory notification for these stretches have remained pending.

Under the provisions laid out in MPD 2047, mixed-use and commercial streets that have already been notified by the Delhi government will continue to operate with their permitted activities. However, the master plan specifies that no such new roads will be notified. The new plan does permit mixed-use development along roads with a right of way of 30 metres or more, allowing commercial operations on the ground or first lower floor in buildings equipped with stilt parking.

By comparison, 2,538 roads and streets were notified for mixed-use and commercial activities under MPD 2021. In 2018, amid mounting political pressure and an ongoing sealing drive, the Delhi government submitted a draft notification for the 351 roads to the lieutenant governor. That final notification, however, has stayed stalled amid statutory oversight and ongoing court proceedings.

Addressing the situation, D Thara, secretary of the capital development department under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), stated that authorities plan to adopt a holistic approach to resolve the pending notification issue.

Thara noted that the minister has given officials a two-month window to review the matter. Officials are required to take multiple aspects into consideration, including matters previously placed before the Delhi High Court and a Supreme Court-appointed committee, as well as additional streets that were subsequently identified by the MCD.