Big TOD push for Delhi

Delhi just changed the rules for how a large part of the city can grow. The Union government has notified new Transit Oriented Development regulations for Delhi that apply across about 207 square kilometres along metro corridors and major transit nodes, replacing a narrower station-by-station approach with a corridor-wide one. The notified policy took effect through a Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs gazette on April 6, 2026, under the Master Plan for Delhi 2021. (gazettetracker.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Transit Oriented Development means putting more homes, shops, offices, and daily services within walking distance of mass transit instead of pushing growth farther outward. In Delhi’s case, the new policy defines that zone as a 500-metre corridor on either side of existing or planned metro routes, plus a 500-metre radius around major regional and interstate transit stations such as Regional Rapid Transit System stations and railway stations. (gazettetracker.com) (indianexpress.com) The headline number is not just the land area. It is the kind of building now allowed on that land. Under the revised rules, eligible plots can use a base Floor Area Ratio of 400, which means built-up area equal to four times the plot area, and that can rise to 500 with additional charges. The minimum plot size has also been cut sharply to 2,000 square metres, down from 10,000 square metres under the earlier framework, which brings many more private and fragmented sites into play. (gazettetracker.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That change matters because Delhi’s older Transit Oriented Development framework was hard to use in practice. According to officials cited by The Indian Express, Delhi Development Authority had identified 12 Transit Oriented Development clusters over the years, but construction had begun at only one location, the East Delhi Hub in Karkardooma, whose first phase is expected to finish in 2026. (indianexpress.com) The new rules try to fix that by widening both the geography and the set of eligible neighborhoods. About 80 square kilometres of land, including land pooling areas, low-density residential zones, and unauthorized colonies, has been brought under Transit Oriented Development for the first time, provided plots meet size and road-access conditions. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The most consequential provision is the housing mix. At least 65 percent of the total permissible Floor Area Ratio must be used for residential units of less than 100 square metres of built-up area, while at least 10 percent must be reserved for neighborhood commercial uses, facilities, and social amenities. That leaves up to 25 percent for larger homes, offices, guest houses, studio apartments, or similar uses. (gazettetracker.com) (indianexpress.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That 65 percent requirement is why this is not just a density reform. It is also a social-housing and affordability intervention. Developers who want the richer development rights near metro and rapid rail corridors now have to produce a large share of smaller units, rather than using the policy mainly for premium towers. In practice, that pushes redevelopment pressure toward compact apartments near stations, especially in areas where land values are already supported by strong transit access. (indianexpress.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Old Delhi and other mature parts of the city are likely to feel that pressure most sharply because they already sit on top of valuable transport connections but often have low-rise or underused parcels nearby. The policy covers metro corridors and also applies around Regional Rapid Transit System and railway nodes, which means station areas with strong footfall can now become targets for denser mixed-use rebuilding. This is an inference from the notified geography and development incentives, rather than a list of named neighborhoods in the gazette. (gazettetracker.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The policy also tries to reduce one of Delhi’s chronic bottlenecks: approvals. Eligible sites can be designated as Transit Oriented Development plots without a separate land-use change approval, and the Delhi Development Authority has been named the nodal agency to run implementation, manage a dedicated portal, and oversee a dedicated fund. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (gazettetracker.com) There is a price attached to the new building rights. The Times of India reported that Transit Oriented Development charges have been fixed at a uniform rate of Rs 10,000 per square metre for the base Floor Area Ratio, with additional charges for using the extra band between 400 and 500, and those collections are to be distributed among agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and Delhi Jal Board for infrastructure upgrades. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The physical design rules show what kind of city this policy is trying to produce. Maximum ground coverage is capped at 40 percent, at least 10 percent of an amalgamated plot must be green space, and parking is set at 1 Equivalent Car Space per 100 square metres of Floor Area Ratio area, with at least 30 percent public parking in mixed-use schemes above one hectare. The policy also includes underground or elevated pedestrian links to transit stations to make walking part of the development model rather than an afterthought. (gazettetracker.com) ([timesofindia.indiatimes.com](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/centre-eases-tod-norms-to-boost-affordable-housing-in-delhi/articleshow/130