The Master Plan for Delhi-2047 was notified on Thursday, setting out a 20-year framework for housing, redevelopment, transport and urban expansion in the national capital.

The framework aims at nearly 43 lakh new houses, most of them aimed at meeting affordable housing needs, said Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal while unveiling the plan, along with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

Ms. Gupta called the document a “comprehensive road map” for the development of the national capital. “Keeping the Capital’s current challenges in mind, it will set the direction for development in line with its future needs. Better coordination between the Central and Delhi governments will give fresh momentum to the city’s development,” she said.

Mr. Lal said provisions in the MPD-2047 will help address the city’s growing population, which is expected to reach 3.2 crore within the next two decades, and housing demand despite limited land availability.

The plan was approved by the Delhi Development Authority on August 12.

Of the proposed 40 lakh houses, the largest component will come from transit-oriented development (TOD), followed by land pooling, redevelopment of slum clusters and group housing societies, and high-density development corridors along Urban Extension Road-II, said DDA vice-chairperson N. Saravana Kumar.

High-density growth

The master plan introduces high-density development, transferable development rights and town planning schemes while simplifying several land-use and building regulations, added Mr. Kumar.

The maximum height restrictions for buildings of all kinds, including residential and commercial, have been removed across most of the national capital, except in areas including the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone, Civil Lines Bungalow Area, Connaught Place, the Yamuna floodplains, the Ridge, land pooling and low-density areas, and locations subject to restrictions imposed by the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Monuments Authority.

Under the revised TOD policy, development will be promoted within 500 metres on either side of metro corridors and around the Regional Rapid Transit System and railway stations. The minimum plot size for TOD has been reduced from 10,000 sq m to 2,000 sq m while the maximum floor area ratio — the ratio of a building’s total built-up area to the total area of the plot — has been increased from 300 to 500.

Land pooling is expected to enable nearly 200 sq km of planned urban expansion and a road network of about 600 km.

The DDA will develop roads of 30 metres and above upfront in these areas to support planned growth, said the Union Minister.

The plan also seeks to make the redevelopment of existing areas easier. The minimum plot size for redevelopment of group housing projects has been reduced from 40,000 sq m to 3,000 sq m.

To promote ease of doing business, the number of land-use categories has been reduced from 133 to 45. The plan proposes single-window online approvals for TOD, change of land use and layout plans.

New economic activities such as data centres, integrated industrial parks, co-working spaces and start-up hubs have also been included in the MPD-2047.

The Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP), a breakaway faction of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday after all its 16 councillors joined the ruling party in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, taking their strength in the 250-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House to 139.

Ms. Gupta said residents of the councillors’ wards would now fully benefit from the development initiatives of Delhi’s “triple-engine government”.

The IVP emerged as a separate front in the MCD in May last year after 13 councillors, led by Mukesh Goyal and Hemchand Goyal, resigned from AAP, citing “disillusionment” with AAP’s leadership.

“Although the party maintained cordial relations with the BJP, the councillors and their supporters eventually realised that by remaining a separate party, they were unable to ensure that their wards fully benefited from the all-round development being undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta,” IVP chief Mukesh Goyal said.

AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “We knew the BJP was behind this entire operation. Today, the mask has finally come off IVP.”

Meanwhile, three IVP leaders were among those nominated on Friday for the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of the 12 ward committees and for membership of the Standing Committee, ahead of the July 15 elections.

The Delhi government will set up three-day public welfare camps at 42 locations in the city from Thursday, bringing a slew of services and schemes directly to citizens’ doorsteps and ensuring the prompt resolution of people’s grievances.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government’s priority was to ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits of welfare schemes in a timely and transparent manner. The exercise will bring various welfare schemes and public services of the Central and Delhi governments on a single platform and eliminate the need for citizens to visit multiple offices. All departments have been asked to participate in the camps and resolve as many cases as possible on the spot.

Camps in schools

Most of the camps will be set up on school premises to provide citizens with convenient and easily accessible venues. The camps will function daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Officials and staff from departments such as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Jal Board, Power Department, Transport Department, Urban Development Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, Education Department, Women and Child Development Department, and Revenue Department will be present at the camps.

A range of citizen-related applications and services will be addressed, besides the necessary guidance and assistance. Ms. Gupta said the camps will offer services related to Pink Saheli cards, registration and loan facilities under the Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana, ration card services, Aadhaar registration, e-Shram cards, Jan Dhan accounts, loan facilities for Start-up India, and MSMEs.

Sub-registrar offices will be transformed into transparent, technology-enabled, and citizen-centric service centres, modelled on the time-bound service delivery of Passport Seva Kendras, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday.

Ms. Gupta said the aim is to transform the functioning of these offices so that citizens registering property no longer have to deal with “delays, corruption, middlemen or unnecessary hassles”.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), she recently held a meeting with senior officials of the department concerned, during which several private firms also made presentations on how technology-driven systems, trained staff and integrated digital services have enabled some States to deliver faster, more transparent and hassle-free public services. Following this, the government decided to adopt a similar model to improve citizen services and enhance revenue collection, the CMO added.

Ms. Gupta said the facilities planned for these centres include air-conditioned waiting lounges, help desks, digital assistance counters, smart token systems and real-time application tracking.

“Online appointment booking, pre-verification services, live application tracking and smart token management are expected to reduce waiting times and improve transparency,” the CMO said.

‘Advanced security’

“The government also plans to introduce advanced security and verification mechanisms. These will include AI-powered facial recognition for identity verification, background checks and blockchain-backed record security. Modern technologies such as digital record management, geo-fencing and secure data integration will be used to make property records tamper-proof, curb fraud and reduce disputes,” it added.

The Chief Minister said that while private partners may assist in establishing and operating premium model registrar centres, all statutory powers and final decision-making authority will remain exclusively with the government.

The new system is also expected to eliminate the influence of middlemen and touts, while addressing issues such as revenue leakage, incorrect property valuation, difficulties in tracking pending documents and the risk of fraudulent paperwork.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said a structural audit of all government schools will be conducted to assess the condition of buildings and basic facilities after finding safety and infrastructure lapses during an inspection of a government school.

Ms. Gupta also criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s education model, saying it was heavily promoted but essential ground-level issues remained unaddressed. “The audit will examine the structural strength and safety of school buildings, along with basic amenities such as drinking water, toilets, cleanliness and fire safety systems,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement.

The CM’s remarks came after inspecting Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Roop Nagar, where she found several lapses.

“Students informed the Chief Minister that the school lacked proper access to clean drinking water, with water coolers and RO systems lying non-functional for a long time. As a result, many students were forced to drink tap water directly,” read the statement.

Students also complained about the poor condition of toilets, saying several doors were broken, regular cleaning was not carried out, and the water supply remained inconsistent. “Expressing strong displeasure over the lapses, she reprimanded officials and said negligence related to children’s safety would not be tolerated under any circumstances,” read the statement. The Chief Minister directed the departments concerned to immediately address all safety-related shortcomings in the school.

Publicity versus reality

Ms. Gupta said students would not be struggling for basic facilities had the previous government genuinely strengthened the education system. “Advertisements and publicity alone cannot improve education. What matters is ensuring real facilities, a safe environment and quality education for children,” she said.

Ms. Gupta said the Delhi government is committed to delivering concrete, result-oriented work instead of indulging in “politics of appearances”. She said over the past year, the government had been working consistently to strengthen basic facilities and modernise infrastructure in government schools. The Chief Minister said the government aims to provide every student with clean drinking water, hygienic toilets, smart classrooms, digital facilities and safe infrastructure.