DDA Eyes Key Land for Transit‑Oriented Development

Delhi Development Authority has identified 14 land parcels along Delhi Metro corridors for transit-oriented development, according to reports published on May 17 and details on the agency’s TOD framework page. The sites are spread across Dwarka, Rohini, Karkardooma and other east and west Delhi locations, and together cover more than 3.6 lakh square metres. The move comes weeks after the Centre notified Delhi’s Transit-Oriented Development policy and regulations on April 6, 2026. The policy is meant to steer housing and mixed-use projects toward areas within walking distance of major transit stations. ### Which parcels has DDA picked out? The 14 parcels identified by DDA sit along the Blue, Red, Green, Pink and Yellow Metro lines, according to the Times of India report citing officials. Six are in east Delhi — including Dilshad Garden, Jhilmil, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Mandawali/Fazalpur — while three are in Dwarka. The remaining sites are in Rohini, Madipur, Peeragarhi and the Rohtak Road area. Most are vacant, officials said. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) A 76,251-square-metre triangular parcel behind Kailash Deepak Hospital in Karkardooma is among the largest named sites. The report said the land is along the Blue Line and is currently marked for transportation-related use. Another major parcel near the Peeragarhi district centre spans about 1.2 lakh square metres and is earmarked for commercial and district-centre use along Outer Ring Road. In Dwarka, DDA has identified plots in sectors 10, 12 and 1, including a 31,100-square-metre district-centre site and a 26,400-square-metre district-centre parcel. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### What does “transit-oriented development” mean in Delhi’s rules? The April 6, 2026 notification defines a TOD zone as land within a 500-metre corridor on either side of existing or approved metro corridors, and within a 500-metre radius of major regional transport nodes such as railway stations or RRTS stations. The notified policy says TOD is intended to combine compact, mixed-use development with public transport access. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The 2026 regulations cut the minimum eligible TOD plot size to 2,000 square metres from 10,000 square metres, according to the notified policy material hosted by DDA’s UTTIPEC platform and contemporaneous reporting. The rules also set TOD charges and allow higher floor area ratio levels than standard development norms, with additional FAR available on payment of charges, according to those documents and reports. (dda.gov.in) ### Why is Karkardooma mentioned so often? Karkardooma already hosts what DDA describes as Delhi’s first transit-oriented development housing project. DDA’s 2026 brochure for “DDA Towering Heights, Karkardooma Housing Scheme 2026” says the scheme was launched on Jan. 3, registration opened on Jan. 8 and flat booking began on Jan. 23. The brochure describes the project as a first-come, first-served sale of two-bedroom flats in east Delhi. (uttipec.org.in) The Karkardooma parcel now under consideration sits near that existing TOD project, which gives DDA a built example as it tries to extend the model to other metro-linked sites. That connection is an inference from the location details in the parcel list and DDA’s own description of the Karkardooma scheme. (dda.gov.in) ### How does this fit into Delhi’s larger planning agenda? Delhi’s draft Master Plan 2041 presentation places transit-oriented development inside the city’s spatial development framework. The presentation says the plan provides flexibility to load FAR and mix uses along urban extension roads and future metro stations, and says 25% of net residential FAR in those new housing areas would be dedicated to small-format housing of 40 to 60 square metres. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That planning language links TOD to housing supply as well as mobility. The same Master Plan presentation estimates housing demand of about 34 lakh dwelling units between 2011 and 2041, though the presentation says those estimates would be revisited after Census data became available. ### What happens next for developers and approvals? (dda.gov.in) Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who chaired a recent review meeting, directed DDA to prepare a portal and upload details of the identified parcels, according to the Times of India report. Sandhu said the portal would also allow private developers to submit details of plots they want to develop under the new policy. Officials told the newspaper that four private developers had already expressed interest in TOD-linked projects. (dda.gov.in) Under the amended regulations, developers must reserve at least 10% of the amalgamated plot area for green or open space, the report said. Once an application is filed through the online building plan portal, it is to be forwarded automatically to the TOD committee headed by the DDA vice-chairman for scrutiny and approval within a fixed timeline, according to officials cited in the report. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)