Laldora PDF

REPORT
OF THE
EXPERT COMMITTEE
ON
LAL DORA
AND
EXTENDED LAL DORA
IN
DELHI
JANUARY - 2007
Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 1 of 52

P. P. Shrivastav NEC Secretariat
Member NEC Shillong - 793 003
Tel.: 0364-2522642 Fax: 0364-2522666
Chairman, Expert Committee on Lal Dora, Delhi
FOREWORD
Decision of the Government of India in the Ministry of Urban

Development to address the long-standing problems of the villages of Delhi
that had been swept into the backwaters of progress by the torrent of
urbanisation was not only timely but also imperative. Besides, it gave us, the
Members of the Expert Committee on Lal Dora (ECLD), the opportunity to
get associated once again in the noble task of improving the living conditions
and environment in the villages and bringing before the village-people
unprecedented opportunities of enhancing their prosperity. All of us,
Members of this Committee, have had long and pleasant experience of
serving the people of Delhi in one capacity or the other and have intimate
knowledge of their problems. Discussions and interactions on this issue over
the past few months were a stimulating and rewarding experience. Drawing
up of this Report has been for us a labour of love.
The village-abadis of Delhi - 227 rural and 135 urbanised till date -
have been circumscribed by Lal Dora. Confined as it were by the Red Line,
both in the literal and figurative sense, they have got reduced to cramped,
unhealthy pockets, lacking largely even in the basic civic services.
Surrounding agricultural lands, fields and farms, the traditional and principal
base for their livelihood over the ages, were taken away for a pittance and
resold at huge profit. Yet very little, not even a reasonable proportion, was
invested in introducing the basic-most civic services (water-supply,
sewerage, solid waste management systems etc) to them.
Little attention was paid to facilitate and smoothen their transition to

alternate means of livelihood. The choice before them for sheer survival was
either to earn as best as they could from their land/property or to let their
younger generation take to dubious get-rich-quick ways of life. The innate

maturity and high value system of our rural folk, based as it is on our noble
cultural and spiritual tradition and the teachings of our epics, they chose the
former. Deprived of land for agriculture and facilities for keeping cattle,
they were driven to opening shops, starting small industries wherever they
could; renting out their premises for godowns, offices and the like. Some
were tempted to sell off their lands at prices, seemingly high but just a
fraction of their real intrinsic potential value.
The latest trend of strict segregation of the non-residential uses in

residential areas in urban colonies, is thus neither relevant nor even fair and
just to the villages that still retain their predominantly rural character.
The Committee feels, strongly and unanimously, that the solution lies
not in making futile attempts at resisting the wave of urbanisation in Delhi,
but in taking the maximum advantage of the opportunities that urbanisation
has to offer. Our national capital has to be the pride of our great country.
Its urbanisation with as intensive use of land as is possible to accommodate
its present population and the addition in future, is inevitable. At the same
time it must be ensured that sub-standard pockets (villages, unauthorised
colonies, slums, JJ-c1usters etc), as well as our heritage areas including the
Old City be developed or redeveloped with wide street pattern and clean and
decent living spaces, limited 24-point mixed land-use (as recently approved
by the Hon'ble Supreme Court) and ample commercial spaces adequate for
the present and up to 2021, are planned for and provided. All this must be
done while retaining the green character of Delhi, improving the aesthetics
and conserving, improving and beautifying our heritage sites and places of
healthy recreation.
With increase in population and limited space, one has to shed the
reluctance in going vertical. If other world-class cities have sky-scrapers,
why must we limit our constructions to 4 or 8 storeys? If DDA can have a
23-storey tower and MCD plans to have 28-storey Civic Centre, why should a
private enterprising citizen be denied the opportunity to go still higher - a
tower that provides for most of the requirements of its residents in situ
and is a self-financing (and profitable) endeavour? Liberty and opportunity
to private sector has to be provided if our dream of making Delhi a world
class metropolis is to come true.

The Committee has recommended a strategy of development/
redevelopment that aims at:
• Providing modern, decent living accommodation to all the present

residents of villages and for natural increase in the future;
• Enabling painless and desirable, limited segregation of residential and

non-residential activities;
• Renewal of decaying structures, markets and areas, including private

properties;
• Building up of proper urban infrastructure for better health & hygiene;
• Integration of sub-standard decayed pockets (Lal Dora/urban villages

etc) with the surroundings of planned proper residential colonies and
commercial areas;
• Putting vacant and encroached public land to proper use;
• Promotion of trade and commerce for creation of job opportunities and

economic prosperity;
• Conservation and promotion of traditional arts & crafts and recognition

to artistes and artisans;
• Development/Beautification of Delhi befitting of our National Capital;
• Making development/redevelopment process largely self-financing and

self sustaining and in consultation with the people;
• Quick enrichment of the villagers through optimally intensive utilisation

of their land - vacant and built up - that will enhance its value several-
fold through:
o self-effort if they are prepared to invest in development OR

o adopting PPP-route where land-owners are the main beneficiaries
without making any investment.

• Large-scale public satisfaction and enrichment and transformation of
sub-standard areas into good modern localities with urban facilities and
rural ambience.
This strategy can easily be adopted/adapted to transform other

sub-standard areas of Delhi, viz., unauthorised and regularised colonies,
JJ-clusters, slum areas etc on one hand and heritage areas like Old City
and some villages, localities on the Ridge, in Reserved Forest Areas and
such others.
On behalf of the Members of the Committee and on my own behalf I

express my heartful thanks to all those who contributed their wisdom and
time in the making of this Report.
Sd/-
New Delhi [P. P. Shrivastav]
12 Jan 07 CHAIRMAN, EXPERT COMMITTEE ON LAL DORA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Committee expresses its thanks and gratitude to the wide cross-
section of the village-society who gave it the benefit of their views,
suggestions and opportunity for intensive interaction. Special thanks are due
to the Hon'ble Union Ministers, MOS, Chief Minister (and former CM) of
Delhi, Speaker of Delhi Assembly, Members of Parliament, Members of Delhi
Assembly, Municipal Councilors, political leadership at various levels,
professional experts in the urban planning and administration, Officers,
academicians, Civil Society representatives, journalists and others. Special
thanks are due to the Secretary (present and former) and Addl. Secretary in
the Ministry of UD for their support to the Committee.
I have no words to adequately express gratitude to my colleagues in

the Committee without whose willing help and cooperation, it would have
been difficult to complete this task. The Committee was enriched by the
erudition and breadth of outlook of Prof Jamal Ansari, the deep knowledge,
wide experience of Shri R G Gupta and the exhaustive data-base that he
made available to us; the scholarly cOl1tribution of Shri D.D. Mathur as
former Chief of Town Planning Dept of MCD for a quarter of century, the
imaginative and inspiring plans of redevelopment of several sub-standard and
potentially valuable pockets prepared by Shri Vijay Singh. All these have
gone into the making of this Report. The pressure of work on Divisional
Commissioner (Revenue) in Delhi is tremendous. Yet Shri Narendra Kumar
and his Successor Ms Naini Jayaseelan gave us whatever time they could
spare. ADMs, Shri A K Kaushal mainly and Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha on a few
occasions, represented them in the Committee's meetings. As the Chief
Town Planner of MCD, Shri V K Bugga was a repository of knowledge and
wisdom. He was involved in so many Committees and was needed in so many
meetings at so many places. Yet as Member-cum-Convener of ECLD, his
contribution was comprehensive and admirable. He was ably assisted by Shri
Ajay Das Biswas, Dy. Town Planner, MCD who worked for this Committee day
and night. I am extremely grateful to him.
New Delhi (P.P. Shrivastav)

12 Jan 07 CHAIRMAN, EXPERT COMMITTEE ON LAL DORA

EXPERT COMMITTEE ON LAL DORA
Constituted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development

vide its order No. K-120161512006-DDIB dated 26.7.06
We, the Members of the Committee have the honour of presenting

the Report of this Committee to you for consideration and acceptance of its
recommendations.
(Prof. Jamal Ansari) (R.G. Gupta)

Member Member
(Naini Jayaseelan) (V.K. Bugga)

Member Member
(D.D. Mathur) (Vijay Singh)

Co-opted Member Co-opted Member
(P.P. Shrivastav)
Chairman

CONTENTS
Chapter 1 : Introduction 9
Chapter 2 : The Background 12
Chapter 3 : Efforts of the Govt. of NCT Delhi to 18

address the problem of the Villages
Chapter 4 : Problems of the villages and efforts 20

of DDA and MCD at addressing
them.
Chapter 5 : Aspirations of the village people and 30
their assessment.
Chapter 6 : Terms of Reference: Committee's 38

response with reference to the
problems faced by villages.
Chapter 7 : Recommendations 45
Annexures

REPORT OF THE EXPERT COMMITTEE ON LAL DORA
CHAPTER - l
INTRODUCTION
The Union Ministry of Urban Development vide its order No. K-

12016/5/2006-DDIB dated 26.7.06 (copy at Annexure-1a) set up a Committee of
experts to look into the issues of application of building regulations and
development control norms in Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora areas and their
integration in the overall process of the planned development of Delhi. The
Committee consists of the following experts:
Chairman Shri P.P. Shrivastav Member, North-Eastern Council (the

statutory Planning Body for the eight
States of the North Eastern Region)
Members i Prof Jamal Ansari Formerly, Actg. Director, School of

Planning & Architecture, New Delhi
ii Shri R G Gupta Policy Planner, Delhi
iii Div. Commissioner Shri Narendra Kumar (upto Oct 06)

Govt. of NCT of Ms Naini Jayaseelan thereafter
Delhi
Member- iv Chief Town Planner Shri V K Bugga
Convener Mpl. Corpn. of Delhi
1.2 Subsequently, the Committee found it desirable to co-opt two other

eminent experts. One of them, Shri D.D. Mathur, has the unique experience of
heading the Town Planning Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
for quarter of a century (from 1965 to 1990) during which he remained
associated with formulation and implementation of the Master Plan of Delhi.
Besides, he has teaching experience in the University of Roorkee and the
School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi. The second co-opted expert, Shri
Vijay Singh, presently posted as Dy. Commissioner (City Zone and IT) in the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi has a doctorate degree from JNU in land
development in Delhi. He also has long experience of planning and
administration of rural areas while heading the Panchayat Department of the
Govt. of NCT Delhi. Besides, he is presently engaged in holistic redevelopment
of Jama Masjid area and some other congested areas of Delhi including the
walled city.
1.3 Terms of Reference of this Expert Committee on Lal Dora (ECLD) are as
follows:

(i) To examine the desirability and/or feasibility of integration of Lal Dora
and extended Lal Dora areas of Delhi in the overall process of Planned
development of the city;
(ii) If so, to recommend broad principles and terms and conditions for
achieving the integration, as mentioned at (i) above;
(iii) To suggest planning and development control norms that should govern
development activity in Lal Dora and extended Lal Dora areas of Delhi;
(iv) To consider the recommendations contained in the Tejendra Khanna

Committee report in respect of Lal Dora and extended Lal Dora areas and
to suggest modalities for implementation of the feasible
recommendations; and
(v) Any other matter related or incidental to any of the terms of references
mentioned above.
1.4 The Committee was to submit its recommendation in 3 months time but
the magnitude of the task was so large, involving as it did, intensive interaction
with interested members of the village community, leaders of public opinion
and elected representatives of the people, that it was not possible for ECLD to
complete its work within this deadline. Accordingly, ECLD requested extension
of time till 31 Dec 06 and this was given by the Ministry of Urban Development.
(ANNEXURE -1b)
1.5 In order to obtain views and suggestions on the various issues involved
from the various sections of the Society including representative bodies,
interest groups, NGOs, Civil Society representations, experts, member of public
and representative of the affected villagers etc, a Public Notice was issued
which appeared in the National Press on the 27th & 28th August, 2006. (English
version of the Public Notice is at ANNEXURE 2).
1.6 Around 90 representations were received in response to the Public

Notice and all these were closely studied. All the persons/groups concerned
were invited for detailed face-to-face interaction to fully understand and
realistically appreciate their points of view and suggestions. Detailed
discussions were held with all those who came and these proved invaluable.
The Committee is grateful to them for the trouble taken by them and for their
valuable ideas and suggestions. The points made in all these representations
and interactions have been summarised in ANNEXURE 3.
1.7 It was also felt that in addition to the public hearings mentioned above,
closer interaction with the elected representatives of the people, especially
those representing the rural areas and are fully conversant with the area and
feelings of the public, would provide valuable input to the Committee. All the
Hon'ble Members of Parliament from Delhi were addressed accordingly for

seeking their convenience for meetings. Widespread discussions were held
formally and informally and these included discussions with Hon'ble Union
Minister of State in Ministry of UD, Hon'ble Lt Governor of Delhi, Hon'ble Chief
Minister of Delhi, former Chief Minister, Hon'ble Speaker of Delhi Assembly,
Hon'ble MPs. from Delhi, Hon'ble MLAs of Delhi Assembly, Chairman of the
Standing Committee and Leader of the Opposition of MCD. VC DDA was also
addressed and his reply was also received. The Committee also met
concerned officers of Govt. of NCT of Delhi and Commissioner of MCD to
elicit their views. A meeting organized by the Hon'ble Speaker of Delhi
Assembly collectively with the Hon'ble Members representing rural areas had
to be cancelled at the last moment on account of an unexpected last-minute
local problem. The inputs received from these close and detailed interactions
were most valuable.
1.8 The Committee also visited some typical rural/urban villages based on
their geographical location, character and predominant activities of the
people. These villages included Azadpur and Badli (urbanized) and several
other villages in different areas of Delhi.
1.9 The Committee met formally in a total of 23 sittings where the various
aspects of the issues involved were discussed threadbare and unanimous
consensus emerged in identification of the problems of the rural people and
finding ways of addressing them in an effective, practical and time-bound
manner.
1.10 The Committee was also keen to demonstrate implementation of two of

its key recommendations (viz., firstly of making a beginning in introducing
transparency in maintenance of village records and secondly of showing how
with people's participation development in a village could be integrated with
the surrounding areas) in the form of two small pilot projects. Under the first
project, rural maps and records already available in South District were to be
brought on to MCD's Website within a month's time. Under the other, model
redevelopment plans of a few villages were to be prepared. Both these could
be taken up with funds available under a sanctioned scheme of Delhi
Government. Unfortunately, these could not be initiated due to certain
reasons. These pilot projects could easily be taken up and completed in a
period of 3 months or so.
1.11 The Committee would like to place on record its deep appreciation and
gratitude to all those members of the public and their leaders who took keen
interest in favouring us with their views and constructive suggestions. These
proved to be of great help in bringing this initiative and endeavour of the
Government to solve the problems of the rural areas in consultation with the
people at this crucial point of time when the Master Plan of Delhi with 2021-
perspective is being finalized.
*** *** ***

CHAPTER – 2
THE BACKGROUND
2.1.1 As per the 2005-06 edition of the Economic Survey of Delhi, the total
population of Delhi (2001 census) stood at 138,50507 out of which the urban
population was 129,05780 (93.18%). Out of Delhi's total area of 1483 sq km, the
Urban area was 924.68 sq km. Thus the area of rural Delhi stood at 558.32 sq
km and the population was 9,44,727 (say 9.5 lakh) in 2001. Draft Master Plan
2021 has projected Delhi's population in 2011 at 182.0 lakh and 230.0 lakh in
2021.
2.1.2 While Appendix 1 of the Delhi Land Reforms Rules, 1954 lists 358 villages
in the UT of Delhi, the Tejendra Khanna Committee Report has put the number
of villages at 362. Possibly some Revenue Estates created subsequently by the
Lt. Governor of Delhi have been included in the list of villages. 135 villages out of
these have been declared as urbanized villages (ANNEXURE 4) and thus the
remaining 227 remain as rural villages. 15 out of these 227 villages stand
recommended by MCD (since the year 2000) to the Govt. of NCT of Delhi for
being declared as urban u/s 507 of DMC Act. The notification to this effect is
yet to be issued by Govt. of NCT of Delhi.
2.1.3 The metropolitan town of Delhi has grown on agricultural lands acquired
from the villagers. Initially, in building up of Lutyen's Delhi, the villages were
relocated; later only their agricultural lands were acquired and the residential
areas (abadi deh) were circumscribed by a red line and that is how the term Lal
Dora came into use. The process of urbanisation over the years has been
engulfing the villages. Urban Delhi grew fast around them while the villages
remained within the confines of their Lal Doras. The close layouts and narrow
lanes of old village abadis were conditioned by old (now outdated) historical
compulsions of collective security, considerations of mutual interdependence and
availability all-round of vast open agricultural fields. Now with agricultural fields
(that provided the open environment) having been acquired by DDA or
grabbed/colonised by market forces driven by skyrocketing land-values, on the
one hand and with natural increase in village population on the other, the village
abadis have become intolerably cramped. It has not been possible to extend
even the basic-most civic services like water-supply and sewage-disposal in the
narrow twisting streets and haphazard layouts within Lal Dora in all the 135
urbanized villages as on date. Most of the dwelling units are inaccessible to
ambulances and fire-tenders to attend to emergencies.
2.1.4 What is still worse is that the villagers have been deprived of their
principal, if not the sole means of permanent sustenance - their agricultural fields
and space to maintain cattle. A farmer's life is as inextricably linked with

agricultural fields as a tribal's is to the forests that have sustained his past
generations. One-time compensation at government rates for land acquired
tends to go as fast as it comes. It is hardly an adequate recompense for land
(with ever-escalating value in the urbanization process) that is a permanent and
perennial source of sustenance. Deprived of agricultural land and facilities for
keeping cattle, the villagers were driven to opening shops, start small industries
wherever they could; renting out their premises for godowns, offices and the like.
With urban Delhi hard-pressed for dwelling units to house the flood of in-migrants
from elsewhere, and consequent sky-rocketing of value of vacant land, many
villagers were tempted to sell off their lands to colonizers and builders. The areas
covered by extension of Lal Dora and agricultural fields around the villages - both
acquired and unacquired - became favourite hunting ground of the middle-class -
lower and higher - to satisfy their need of cheap housing. Thanks to the alleged
collusion between colonisers and enforcement agencies, highly sub-standard
unauthorized colonies mushroomed in these areas. A big list of 1432 such
colonies is slated for regularization as of date and reportedly, a proposal to add
88 more to this list is under consideration.
2.1.5 In the shadow of these developments and with their age-old traditional
means of sustenance taken away from them, can one blame the villagers for the
shops and industries, godowns and show-rooms that have come up in violation,
technically speaking, of the laws and bye-laws, rules and regulations? In the
struggle for survival and sustenance, it was either this technical violation or
taking to violence and crime.
2.1.6 The solution to the problems of rural villages lies in finding ways that
would inspire the villagers themselves, at least the younger generation, to
demand that they be permitted to enhance the value of their property by making
as intensive use of their lands as feasible through redevelopment. The
Committee also feels, very broadly at the macro-level, that with our rural brethren
(6.82% of Delhi's total population) living in 37.64% of the total land area of Delhi,
it should not be difficult to adequately meet not only the present but also the
future needs of our villages. Creation of good modern housing and commercial
areas in multi-storey complexes would mean substantial enhancement in the
value of their property. It would not be necessary for anyone to move away from
their original area: all their non-residential activities could also be met in the
vicinity itself. In fact, new markets could be created for fresh commercial and
trading activity adding to the prosperity of the villages. That would also relieve the
acute scarcity of commercial premises in Delhi which is causing so many
problems for the traders. Further details of this strategy will be discussed
elsewhere in this Report.
2.2 Among the factors for deterioration of the situation in village abadis as
seen today, are the following. The first Master Plan of Delhi (1961-81)
prescribed principles for development of rural areas in Delhi, but detailed
planning remained partial especially in respect of rural villages. Even in the

villages included (or proposed to be included) in the urbanisable limits of Delhi,
implementation of detailed guidelines in respect of development of abadi areas
remained partial and unsatisfactory. On 16 Feb 77 the Ministry of Urban
Development issued orders regarding regularization of unauthorized colonies. It
was further specifically clarified (vide Order No. J-13037/113/74/UDI/II-B dated
22 Mar 77) that "the unauthorized colonies/residential and commercial structures
located within the 'Lal Dora'" would also be covered. In 1979 a Working Group
was constituted to formulate a Perspective Plan for the Development of Sub-
standard Areas of Delhi (1980-2000). This included villages as well, but was not
followed up. A Mini-Master Plan giving details of physical and financial planning
of all the essential services was formulated in 1984, but was not implemented.
This was further revised during the period 1991 onwards and a few facilities were
provided. Another ambitious project Sardar Patel Gramodaya Yojna was
inaugurated in 1997 but remained largely unimplemented.
2.3 The revised Master Plan - MPD-2001 - that was enforced in 1990, did lay
emphasis on integrated development of rural areas. Unfortunately, the zonal
plans, area development plans and redevelopment plans prepared by different
authorities did not indicate abadi (Lal Dora and extended Lal Dora) on the maps
and attempts, if any, to implement whatever had been planned or to integrate the
development of abadis with the surrounding areas remained thoroughly
inadequate.
2.4 Even in cases where decision had been taken to urbanise some villages,
delay in issue of notification declaring them as urban and acquisition of land for
meeting the needs of village communities resulted in unplanned growth around
the villages. Also, instead of making allowance for natural increase in village
population and reserving adjacent land for the same, new colonies were planned
in such lands, e.g., East of Kailash, Dwarka, Rohini and Vasant Kunj. These
were developed on acquired agricultural land of villages. Responsibility for
preparation and implementation of various schemes under the program was
never clearly defined. This responsibility as well as that of framing and enforcing
development controls was transferred from one agency to another. Building
control regulations were neither prescribed in the Master Plan nor made effective
in urban villages (Lal Dora or Extended Lal Dora) under the erroneous but
convenient assumption that since such regulations were not applicable in the
village abadis, the same would also not apply to urbanized villages as well.
2.5 Large scale unauthorised construction that began on account of the

above and of lack of integration of urbanized village 'abadis' with the process
of planned development in the surrounding areas, soon spread to all parts of
Delhi. In February 2006 the Ministry of Urban Development constituted a
Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri Tejendra Khanna, former Lt.
Governor of Delhi, to look into various aspects of unauthorized construction

and misuse of premises in Delhi. In its Report (May 2006) the Tejendra Khanna
Committee highlighted the urgency of the need to look into problems of Lal Dora
and Extended Lal Dora areas, with specific reference to their non-integration with
the overall planned development of Delhi. That perhaps prepared the ground for
setting up of this Expert Committee on Lal Dora (ECLD).
2.6 At this stage, it would be desirable to clarify some terms that have come
into common parlance.
2.7 The land earmarked for village abadi and the agricultural land of the
village were duly demarcated in the land settlement of 1908-09 and the abadi site
was circumscribed in the village map in red ink. That is how it came to be
commonly known as Lal Dora. The land falling within Lal Dora is not assessed to
land revenue. Those falling outside the village abadi (Lal Dora) are meant for
purpose connected with agriculture and are subject to Land revenue.
2.8 Similarly the term Extended Lal Dora does not appear in any of the
provisions of the revenue Laws. However, the East Punjab Holding
(Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948 as extended to Delhi
did provide for extension of abadi for residential and common purposes and for
common needs of the villagers. Consolidation operations (detailed in Chapter 3
ahead) began in Delhi in 1952 and orders extending Lal Dora were issued in
Delhi from time to' time. The extended village abadi was enclosed within the new
peripheral boundary known as 'phirni' (generally a road at the periphery) and the
area between the original Lal Dora and the post consolidation 'phirni' was treated
as Extended Lal Dora area. Plots in the Extended Lal Dora are given separate
Khasra numbers in revenue records. These constitute free-hold residential land
with ownership name recorded in Khatouni (Register of permanent Land
Record). The Extended Lal Dora plots can be transacted authorisedly through
registered sale deeds and the ownership is mutated accordingly in the revenue
records. On the other hand, the ownership of land falling within Lal Dora is only
held by way of possession and is not recorded in the revenue records.
2.9 The entire village abadi bears just one Khasra number and the competent
authority to certify the boundary of village abadi is the Revenue Department of
the Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi.
2.10 Rural villages that fall within the urbanisable limits as per Master Plan of
Delhi are declared urban u/s 507 of the DMC Act through a notification issued by
the Govt. of NCT Delhi. The legal consequences of urbanization of a village is
that the provisions of Master Plan/Zonal Plan/relevant Area Development
Plan/Building Bye-laws become applicable and the provisions of the Delhi Land
Reforms Act ceases to operate as per the provision u/s 1 (2) of the said Act. The
moment, a village is declared urban u/s 507 of DMC Act, Lal Dora ceases to
exist. The clarification in this context was issued by the Union Ministry of Urban

Development vide their letter dated 23.3.01 (ANNEXURE 5). Depending on the
body having territorial jurisdiction, development plans of urban villages are
prepared by DDA or MCD in accordance with the norms stipulated in Master Plan
of Delhi.
2.11 Villages falling in the Rural Use Zone that have NOT been notified u/s 507
of DMC Act nor any change of land-use declared under the DDA Act, 1957 are
termed as Rural Villages. Here the traditional revenue records like Khasra
Khatouni (Khasra is the unit number assigned to a specific plot of land and
Khatouni is record of ownership and other details like area, record of mutations
etc), Shijra (map of the Revenue Estate), Jamabandi (record of ownership and of
possession under the East Punjab Act), etc are maintained by the Revenue
Department of Govt. of NCT of Delhi.
2.12 Applicability of Building Regulations
Rural villages are exempt from the operation of certain sections of DMC
Act pertaining to Building Regulations only in so far as the areas of village abadis
as defined in the revenue records are concerned provided that the exemption is
not applicable to Factories, Ware Houses, Cold Storages, and Slaughter Houses.
The said exemption was authorized under MCD's Notification of August 1963
(ANNEXURE 6). This notification only exempted the residents of the abadi area
from obtaining sanction of building plan for their residential units. It did not
exempt buildings from the purview of Building Bye-laws. Residential Buildings
within Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora are permitted two and a half floors. These
stipulations have been made amply dear in the Office Order No. TP/G/683/04
dated 03.02.04 issued by Commissioner, MCD (ANNEXURE 7). Building activity
in urban villages is governed by the relevant stipulations contained in the
Master Plan/Zonal Plan/Development Plan of concerned village/Building Bye-
laws.
2.13 The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its judgment dated 07.05.04 (M C Mehta
Vs. UOI & Others) directed MCD to consider withdrawal of the notification dated
24.08.1963. The deliberative wing of MCD approved the withdrawal of the
notification vide its Resolution No. 683 dated 21.02.05 as recommended by the
Sub-Committee constituted for the purpose. Government of NCT of Delhi was
accordingly requested to notify withdrawal of the notification of 1963. However,
the matter came to be reconsidered by the Corporation after 10 months on the
basis of the Standing Committee's Resolution of 27.02.06 approving a Private
Member's proposal that the said 1963-notification should not be withdrawn. The
Government of NCT of Delhi was thereupon informed accordingly.
2.14 Development Plans for Urbanised Villages are to be prepared by DDA/

MCD as per norms stipulated in the Master Plan of Delhi. In the process, vacant
areas around the villages are reserved for such community facilities that are
deficient in the villages. Unfortunately, the lands earmarked for the same get

encroached/built upon and the local bodies are unable to remove them. DDA/
MCD has prepared development plans for about 70-75 villages but these were
implemented only partially. Development plans of two urban villages are
appended as ANNEXURE 8 as samples.
2.15 Recently the Union Ministry of Urban Development has again directed that
MCD and DDA should take up preparation of development plans of the villages
for which no plans have been prepared so far. It remains to be seen if this would
also end up as an exercise in futility for lack of effective enforcement.
2.16 Provision of Draft Master Plan-2021: The urban limits of Delhi are
proposed for extension up to interstate boundary leaving one revenue village at
the periphery as buffer green. Hemmed as border villages in the north-east and
the south of Delhi are between highly urbanized areas of Ghaziabad/NOIDA and
Gurgaon, it is highly doubtful that these border villages would be able to escape
the wave of urbanization. The chances are that they would also get urbanized.
However, it must be very strictly ensured that the Ridge, water bodies and
recreational green areas are preserved and deterrent punishment should follow
attempts at their defilement and encroachment. In this context the proposal in
Draft MPD-2021 to increase green/recreational use to 18-20% (and commercial
from 3-4% to 5-6%) is a welcome step.
*** *** ***

CHAPTER – 3
EFFORTS OF THE GOVT OF NCT DELHI

TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF THE VILLAGES
3.1 Revenue Settlement was last carried out in Delhi in the years 1908-1909.
The lands earmarked for village abadi and those meant basically for
agricultural purposes were duly demarcated. The Village Abadi i.e.,
essentially the residential (Ghar Gitwar) component of the community was
shown in the village map circumscribed in red ink. The Abadi deh thus
came to be known as Lal Dora in common parlance. Lands falling within
village abadi (Lal Dora) were not assessed to land revenue. The
agricultural fields outside the village abadi were subject to land revenue.
Villagers of Delhi, as villagers elsewhere, depended predominantly on
agriculture.
3.2 Deluge of refugees as an aftermath of the partition coupled with natural

increase in population and in-migration from the rest of the country, led to
extensive fragmentation in these rural pockets, making the holdings
uneconomical. Essentially to meet these fresh challenges, Punjab enacted
a new law providing for compulsory consolidation of holdings of
agricultural land. This Act was extended to the Union Territory of Delhi in
1951. Under the provisions of this Act, the work of consolidation of Holding
was initiated in some of the villages from 1951 and completed in 102
villages by the year 1954. Thereafter, Delhi land Reforms Act 1954 was
enacted and came into force in Delhi. The East Punjab Holding
(Consolidation & Prevention of Fragmentation) Act 1948 which continued
to remain extended to Delhi, was also amended to provide for extension of
village abadi while undertaking Consolidation of Holdings. Among the
objectives were to (a) Enable extension of village abadi, and (b) Provide a
source of income for the Village Panchayat and for benefit of the village
Community.
3.3 In the Rules framed under the Consolidation Act, common purposes were
specified as follows:
"Pasture lands, cremation or burial grounds, Khalihan, land for keeping

cattle, fisheries, tanks, skin flaying center, public latrines, fuel plantation,
water channels, training places, well for drinking purpose, sewage tank,
market, mela ground, rural dispensary, veterinary center, village theater,
guardwara, temple, mosque or church, drains, community orchards,
community center, young farmers club, etc."

3.4 Consolidation operations were taken up next in the year 1970 and 70
villages were covered. This programme was included in the Third Five
Year Plan of Delhi and Plan funds were provided. The 102 villages
covered during 1951-54 could not be benefited in this manner since the
relevant legal enabling provision did not exist at that time.
3.5 It would thus be seen that Consolidation work was taken up sporadically,
instead of being a continuing exercise to cover all the villages although
phenomenal increase in population continued leading to rapid urbanization
and generating tremendous pressure on land and squeezing of rural
population within the Lal Dora. Timely relief by way of· extension of Lal
Dora, while land was still available around the villages, could not be
provided to the villagers of Delhi. It was only in a few villages that Phirni or
Extended Lal Dora was provided.
3.6 Consolidation operations in 1970 led to extension of Lal Dora and

provision for the needed community services (like additional house sites,
pathways, Phirni, School, hospital, community services etc.) was made.
As a result, the value of land in such villages rose considerably. However,
situation has deteriorated even in these villages in the intervening over 3
decades. In other villages where Abadi was circumscribed almost a
century back (in 1908-1909), the situation is pitiable. In small houses more
than 15 to 20 people and the animals are living together leading to serious
health hazards. The position is that on the one hand the space within Lal
Dora has become grossly insufficient to meet the rising needs and
aspirations of the increasing population and on the other, the land outside
Lal Dora cannot (on pain of punishment under the Delhi land Reforms Act,
1954) be put to any use other than agriculture.
3.7 It is very heartening that the Government of India and the Government of
NCT Delhi have taken congnizance of the increasingly serious problems
faced by the villagers of Delhi for no fault of theirs, and initiated a study of
the same so that appropriate measures could be taken at the earliest.

CHAPTER - 4
PROBLEMS OF THE VILLAGES AND
EFFORTS OF DDA AND MCD AT ADDRESSING THEM
THE PROBLEM
4.1.1. Our villagers had by and large been traditionally living on agriculture and
agriculture-related activities. The situation changed with large-scale acquisition of
their fields and farms by DDA for Planned Development of Delhi. With loss of
their fields and farms and space for agriculture-related activities, the villages lost
their traditional ambience. The villagers, restricted within the confines of Lal
Dora, lost their age old traditional agricultural-cum-cattle based livelihood.
Whatever little they got as one-time lump-sum monetary compensation for their
acquired lands, did not last long. Lacking in experience/training in other
marketable skills, they had l1ttle choice except to use the only asset that they
were left with, viz., their properties within (and in some cases outside) the Lal
Dora. Some opened shops, some set up small household industrial units and
some rented them out to others (naturally, to outsiders). Offices, godowns and
workshops also came up this way. Many properties were outright sold to non-
villagers to get some cash. The speculative buyers of such properties exploited
the situation and made huge profits.
4.1.2. The Government and the local bodies have been taking a lenient and
sympathetic view to these new activities of the villagers to earn a living. Mixed
land-use was tolerated.· Running of household industries in Lal Dora with up to 1
KW of power and employing up to 5 workers was permitted. Later an order was
issued permitting (with prior approval of the Administrator) electric connection for
up to 20 HP to be given by the Electricity Supply Utility without insisting on a
factory-licence. This created an impression among the Villagers who are more
used to word of mouth than tortuous procedural paper formalities that they could
go in for industries beyond the threshold of household industries.
4.1.3. Of late, the villagers have started feeling apprehensive over the likelihood
of action (sealing/demolition or other penal action) being taken against such
existing usage of their properties as are technically not permissible under the
existing rules & regulations, laws & bye-laws. If penal action like sealing and
demolition etc is started, that would deprive them of their means of sustenance
for the second time. That would not at all be fair. This is the first problem of the
villagers.
4.2.1. The second problem of the villagers is that of utter lack of civic services in
the villages and the inaction of the civic authorities in providing the same.
The grievance is that village lands were acquired at the official acquisition

rates, which are admittedly far lower than what the market is prepared to offer. (It
is an open secret that a substantial proportion of payment in land deals remains
unaccounted.) These lands fetched very high sale prices in auctions conducted
by DDA. Despite the huge profits made, not enough was invested in providing
basic civic amenities in the village abadi areas. By and large, villages lack even
the most basic civic amenities (like treated drinking water supply, proper storm
water drainage system, sewerage, proper street lighting and safe electric supply
system, effective scavenging system etc). Women face problems since at many
places the open fields around the villages that were used earlier for morning
ablutions have been built upon after acquisition and are no longer available. The
villagers see no prospects of any remedial action. They are told that proper civic
services cannot be provided in the existing cramped, twisting layouts.
4.2.2. Villagers have seen the fate of the villages - 135 of them - that have so far
been declared as Urban Villages, consequent upon their inclusion in the
expanding urban limits. Conditions there hardly improved. Habits and practices of
pre-urbanisation days continued to persist - out of ignorance or by design.
Building activity picked up furiously within Lal Dora in the time-gap between
declaration of urbanization under the Master/Zonal Plan and issue of notification
u/s 507 (a) of the DMC Act and continued even after that. Market forces
generated by acute land-hunger of urban Delhi have been pushing up real estate
value skywards and this has proved too strong to resist, especially by the
enforcement agencies. This process continues in spite of observations of the
Hon'ble Supreme Court (in the case of M.C. Mehta vs. UOI) that exemptions
given to rural villages did not extend to villages notified as urban villages under
Section 507 (a) of the DMC Act. God forbid, if a disaster like fire or earthquake
occurs, the narrow roads and the twisting streets would seriously hamper fire-
fighting, emergency rescue, relief and casualty evacuation operations.
4.2.3. Urbanization has thus not brought about the desired and the expected
improvements even in the villages that have been officially urbanized. As for the
rural villages, with pastoral surroundings gone, most of them remain 'rural' and
'villages' in name only.
4.2.4. A situation has been reached in the villages where it will be grossly unfair
to swoop against existing mixed land use cases where Rules & Regulations or
Building Bye-laws have been ignored in the past and to close them down. At the
same time those who out of sentiment or other obvious reasons; press that
villagers should be left alone and no existing exemptions be touched, are being
equally myopic. Genuine and sincere well-wishers of the villagers may consider
encouraging the village-elders to accept the inevitable and not deny the benefits
of urban life that their children already yearn for, but to encash the rare
opportunity of material prosperity and better quality of life that urbanization has to
offer.

4.3.1 The third problem of the villagers originates from the fact that the speed of
acquisition of agricultural lands has outpaced utilisation of these lands for
creating housing and other urban infrastructure. DDA could neither guard the
acquired vacant lands effectively, nor did it permit the Private Sector to develop
them or participate in their development. The result was extensive
encroachments on them and mushrooming of unauthorised colonies - highly sub-
standard and deficient in urban design and services. The tragedy is that villages
have lost their charm and development remains stalled despite the very heavy
price by the villagers for planned development of Delhi.
4.3.2. The responsibility of counseling and advocacy among the unintended

villager-victims of Delhi's urbanization phenomenon should legitimately fall on the
local bodies, governmental agencies, Voluntary Organisations and most of all on
the elected representatives of the people. The village youth should also be
encouraged to let their elders know about their true feelings on their preference -
life in cramped pockets deficient in civic services as against living in properly
planned accommodation in multi-story complexes with all amenities in the
vicinity. All must combine to see that rural villages of today do not suffer the
same fate as befell such rural villages of yesteryears which got urbanized and
are Urban Villages of today.
4.4.1. There is yet another problem relating mainly to Urban Villages, but the
Committee feels that an easy solution to this fourth problem could be found very
quickly and without waiting for a broad overall strategy to emerge.
4.4.2. It has been observed by MCD that people undertaking construction in

urban villages do not come forward for getting their building plans sanctioned.
But the fact is that if a villager who volunteers to seek sanction of his building
plan, it is not entertained by the Building Dept of MCD on the ground of his
inability to establish his ownership of the plot to the satisfaction of MCD. This is
despite the well known ground reality that the entire old abadi bears a single
Khasra number and the record of ownership of individual plots is generally not
available (or updated) by the Revenue authorities. The exercise to get a
certificate to this effect is time consuming and allegedly generally expensive.
4.4.3. Following a number of court cases on rejection of building plans on the

above score, MCD has drafted a policy for urban villages which has been
pending approval of the Standing Committee of MCD. Details of this proposed
policy are given under para 4.7.2.
4.5. Both MCD and DDA have from time to time been making attempts at
evolving appropriate policies, development control rules and building bylaws to
suit special requirements of villages.

Building control policy proposed by DDA
4.6.1. DDA sought comments of MCD sometime back (vide their letter to MCD
No. F.3 (29)1994-MP.Pt.III/D-374-85 dated 26.09.05) on the norms/regulations
proposed by them for building activity in villages (rural and urban). Relevant
excerpts from the letter are reproduced below:
"Building plans to be considered only for plots which form part of Lal Dora/abadi area in case the
following conditions are fulfilled:
(i) The land use will be residential and construction shall confine to a maximum of 3 stories
with maximum permissible FAR and height as per building bye laws.
(ii) Revenue Department of GNCTD to certify that the plot forms part of Lal Dora/abadi area.
(iii) No projection outside the plot line, except sunshade projection of 45 cm shall be allowed.
(iv) The application shall provide proper documentary evidence or a certificate from the
GNCTD (Revenue/L&B Department) that land is not under notification for acquisition.
(v) Plots located in the erstwhile villages/notified area committees of Mehrauli, Najafgarh and
Narela etc. which now have the status of census towns would be considered on the same
basis.
(vi) For all dead end roads or cul-de-sacs up to 150m in length, the ROW will be 4.5 m and
for all other roads and dead end lanes above 150m, the ROW will be kept 9 m except in
villages where redevelopment plans have been prepared.
(vii) Development charges will be recovered as decided by the competent authority from time
to time.
(viii) Conformity will be maintained with Master Plan/Zonal Plan, with specific attention to
ROW of master Plan roads and land use.
(ix) Amalgamation of plots may be permitted subject to condition that FAR shall be
permissible on the basis of amalgamated plot (with height relaxation up to maximum of
15m). However, group housing shall not be permitted in the villages, including
amalgamated plots.
(x) The following guidelines shall be followed - CFO (DFS) for fire safety; Rainwater
harvesting; Structural safety
(xi) The building activity in all villages (including the villages in the development areas) will be
controlled by MCD and NOC from DDA will not be needed for approval of building plans.
4.6.2. DDA has prepared a Redevelopment Proposal for Dhul Siras Village in
Dwarka, Sector 24 in consultation with the Delhi State Industrial and
Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). DDA wishes to use this effort
as a model for the redevelopment of the villages in Delhi. The salient features of
this proposal are:
Exploiting the real estate potential of the village by increasing accessibility.

Enhance property values by provision of parking, increased residential accommodation,
drainage, sewerage and public transport.
Power sub-station on a site adjacent to the village
Village ponds to be partly conserved as a water body and partly reclaimed for providing
facilities.
Freight complex, two hotel sites and a golf course.

Export oriented activities.
Other employment oriented activities.
Flatted residential development.
School and health facilities.
4.6.3. The important lesson to be drawn from the above is that to be effective,
Urban Planning has to precede development. Unfortunately, in practice, it has
been lagging far behind in Delhi. Had the MPD-2021 and its related Zonal Plans
been finalized and published around the mid-90s, there would have been total
clarity of the intentions and knowledge about the direction of planning over the
coming two decades. In absence of advance planning unplanned and illegal
developments on the ground have come up and caused untold misery to the
people and created serious difficulties in planned development of the national
capital.
Efforts of MCD
4.7.1. MCD has made no change in its policy governing building activity in rural
villages. However, an insight into its thinking on this subject can be seen from a
note submitted by Commissioner MCD to the Hon'ble Supreme Court around four
years back. The note highlights the following issues:
A.
(i) Considering that urbanization is hallmark of the entire NCTD, practically
speaking, there is no defined boundary between the urban rural areas.
Almost every part of NCTD is either already urbanized in all respects or
slated for urbanization in the near and intermediate future. The disparity
among the villages, which are within and outside the urban limits, is fast
disappearing. As such the exemptions given to rural areas need to be
withdrawn and it needs to be examined whether entire Delhi be notified
under Section 507 (a) of the DMC Act.
(ii) Since the pattern of development of village is typical in character due to the
activities carried out by the residents of the villages and their style of living,
urban laws cannot be imposed on such area.
(iii) Carrying out industrial activities in rural areas is against the orders of the
Hon'ble Supreme Court, which has restricted it to conforming areas. Whether
there is a need to enforce further restrictions of power from the existing order
of allowing 1 kW power for units employing 5 workers needs to be reviewed
further in the context of the Supreme Court Orders.
B. The official note further elaborates that the issues discussed above raise
the following questions:
(a) Is there any real distinction between rural and urban Delhi in the context of the
fast changing developments in Delhi?
(b) Once government declares by Notification under Section 507 of the DMC Act that
a village or group of villages ceases to be rural area with effect from a particular
date as published in the gazette, should not the development control and building
permission procedures be made applicable immediately?
(c) Notification of 24th August 1963 has exempted 'abides' in the rural areas from
the provisions of the MCD relating to building activity from Sections 322, 333,
334, 335, 336, 342 and 347. This is only in respect of ABADIS as defined in the
revenue records. This exemption is not applicable to the non-residential
categories of activities like warehouse, factories, cold storage and
slaughterhouse.

(d) However for other industries like small-scale industries, electricity connections up
to 20 HP are given without license by DVB. Sanction of building plan is not
required for such industrial activity inside the Lal Dora, which is non-polluting
nature. As per revised master Plan of 2001, this is restricted to 1 kW power and
five workers.
(e) What happens during the period from the time a village is urbanized to the time
its development plan is prepared? The result is that Lal Dora exemptions
continue to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous elements and unauthorized
colonies start mushrooming and factories start working.
(f) It needs to be clarified that industrial activity should only be permitted in industrial
areas and not in residential areas as laid out in the Supreme Court case 'maili
Yamuna. No industry in non-conforming areas should be allowed. The
exemptions given to Lal Dora areas should be withdrawn by notification at the
earliest possible. Time taken to notify a village under Section 507 of the DMC Act
should be minimized. Or else much of the damage is done in the interim period
when people know that the village is to be declared as urban area. Unauthorized
colonies come up before the notification and continue after that due to lack of
knowledge and application of laws.
(g) In urban villages, it is well recognized that the normal building bylaws can not
apply due to historical factors. Rural activity intersperses with urban activity like
rearing animals and dairies and opening shops and trading. There is a need for a
separate set of laws governing urban villages since it is not possible to regulate
their activity under normal building bylaws.
C. In short the key issue relate to the following:
(i) Applicability of provisions of Section 313 of Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957
in extended 'Lal Dora'.
(ii) Nature of industries to be allowed in extended Lal Dora keeping in view the
excessive pollution levels prevalent in Delhi.
(iii) Application of building regulations under Section 332-347 of DMC act in
extended 'Lal Dora'.
(iv) Restrictions on transfer of land in extended Lal Dora.
(v) Grant of water and electricity connections to buildings constructed by persons
who have purchased land from local residents under existing laws, which do not
prohibit transfer of land.
4.7.2. After a number of court cases on rejection of building plans on the point of
ownership (Ref. para 4.4.1 to 4.4.3 above), MCD has drafted a policy for urban
villages which has been pending approval of the Standing Committee of MCD.
As per this draft, building plans in urban villages shall be considered by MCD if
the following conditions are fulfilled:
Revenue Department of the GNCTD certifies that the plot forms part of Lal Dora/
abadi area.
The applicant shall identify location of the plot on the basis of approved
development plan of the village.
The applicant shall submit an affidavit declaring ownership/possession of the plot
vesting with him/her. Documentary evidence, if available, shall also be submitted
with the affidavit.
The applicant shall indemnify MCD in respect of all proceedings in Courts/other
authorities in case of disputes on this score.
The applicant shall also submit a certificate from Revenue Department of
GNCTD that the plot under question is not under notification for acquisition.

4.7.3. How far would it be fair to burden the villager, unaccustomed to all these
procedural paper formalities that involve knocking at so many office doors?
Instead, it should be the responsibility of the concerned authorities to bring about
transparency in their functioning by putting all the information that they have and
that they want the applicant to submit to them, in the public domain (website) for
anyone to access at ease. Had individual ownership records been prepared at
the time when Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas were declared as urban
villages, these difficulties would not have arisen. Unfortunately it was not done
either by Revenue Authorities or the Development Authorities.
4.7.4. The above would show that the no clear-cut policy has emerged so far to
address the problems of the villages and the villagers (Lal Dora/ Extended Lal
Dora) so far.
4.8 The Union Ministry of Urban Development is to be complimented for

addressing the problems of urbanization in a holistic manner and setting up a
number of expert committees to examine the different aspects of the issue and
give their recommendations.
4.9 The Tejendra Khanna Committee on Unauthorized constructions and

misuse of premises in Delhi has addressed the issues connected with Lal Dora
and observed the following:
"9.3 The farmers of Delhi whose agricultural lands were acquired have, in general,
been put to a great disadvantage. Firstly, their lands were acquired for a pittance, at the
rate of about of about Rs. 3,000 per acre in 1957. Subsequently in 1966-68, the
acquisition rates were revised to between Rs. 25,000-Rs. 30,000 per acre. The rate was
revised to Rs. 5 lacs per acre in 1981 to Rs. 8 lacs per acre in 1993, to Rs. 16 lacs in
1998 and Rs. 24 lacs in the year 2004.
In the initial stages of acquisition of land, the farmers were given an alternative
piece of land measuring 400sq.m by way of residential plot and one person from the
farmer's family was offered government employment. With the passage of time, the size
of the alternative residential plot was reduced to 250sq.m and the practice of giving
employment to member of the farmer's family was done away with completely. Even
though the villagers were assured that integrated development of the so-called 'urbanized
village' will go hand in hand with the urbanization in their neighborhood, no such planned
village development has actually taken place.
9.4 It is a clear and unanimous view of the Committee that the interests of the Delhi
villagers, which have suffered in the past, should be dealt with sympathetically. Three
separate types of developments which have taken place in the Lal Dora or extended Lal
Dora areas need to be carefully considered:
(1) Construction of additional story beyond two and a half stories normally
permissible in the city under the MCD Building Bylaws or allowed in Lal
Dora without MCD permission in rural areas.
(2) Some Lal Dora premises have been sold to commercial buyers who
have established showrooms, eateries, etc.
(3) Some Guest House/show rooms/Factory outlets have been established
in the Lal Dora areas abutting on major highways, such as NH-8, viz. in
the area of village Mahipalpur.

(4) Commercial activity of non-village origin, such as Fashion designer
outlets are being conducted within the Lal Dora areas even along smaller
streets.
9.5 (1) Future construction mid land use Dora areas have to be brought within
an appropriate framework of regulations, to accord with public safety and
convenience. However, special Building Bylaws will need to be framed
for village abadis (Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora) keeping in view the
peculiar nature of the abadis and absence of sufficient land for leaving
setbacks etc. In addition, in order to accommodate the heavy population
pressure and dearth of alternate residential sites, a height authorization
up to 4 storeys or 15 m) on plots abutting on the 'phirni' and up to 3
storeys (11.5 m) on other interior plots may be permitted.
(2) Individual micro-plans (local area plans) for proper development of the
villages should be carefully drawn up in consultation with the village
community. Sufficiently wide access roads to enable' fire tenders and
ambulances to reach premises, which may require such assistance,
should be provided for, with the cooperation of the villagers and other
current users.
(3) Complete property ownership records should be developed and
maintained on a digital base. All existing properties should be
surveyed/evaluated/from the standpoint of structural safety. Any building
generating safety concerns should be earmarked for remedial action by
the owners/occupants within a time bound period, failing which they
should be got vacated and marked for being dismantled, if no other
structural remedy is available.
(4) Commercial activity may be permitted on narrow streets below 9 m or 6
m width provided such streets are designated as pedestrian shopping
streets.
(5) All existing show rooms or guest houses abutting major public roads may
be regularized, in view of the general policy recommendation to allow
nonresidential activity such roads, subject to the availability of service
road and some additional parking facilities. There is no reason why
villagers who happen to have plots within the Lal Dora abutting on major
road should be denied the opportunity of exploiting the favorable location
to their advantage, in the same way as an owner of similar premises
outside the Lal Dora area.
(6) All the above facilities meant. for the Lal Dora area should be equally
extended to land falling in the Extended Lal Dora i.e., between old Lal
Dora and the new 'phirni' demarcated at the time of consolidation of land
holdings by the land revenue authorities.
(7) Plots in the extended Lal Dora area should also be allowed to be used
for running educational and health care institutions, professional training
institutes, etc., subject to availability of parking space and adequately
wide access roads.
9.6 Besides the above, institutions connected with education, health care,
religious and cultural charitable organizations have been established in
the surrounding agricultural belt around the village abadis.
Representatives of Delhi's villagers have urged these institutions should
be allowed to be run where they are presently located and necessary
land use conversion should be allowed to them in the larger interests of
the welfare of the villagers themselves.
9.7 As and when a policy of permitting private colonizers/developers to
develop housing/ commercial/institutional facilities in areas earmarked
for further expansion of the urban area of Delhi is put into effect, farmers
owning sufficient land may be permitted to participate in such a

development process. However, they will be required to follow the norms
that may be prescribed for the purpose."
"11.34 (10) Village Development Plans by way of Local Area Plans
(Laps) should be prepared in consultation with the residents, for all Lal
Dora and Extended Lal Dora Areas in each village,"
4.9 It is the legitimate right of the residents of villages - both rural and urban -
to get the benefit of urban services (like water, sewerage, power) clean and
healthy environment for themselves and their younger generations. Their
transition from rural to urban living is inevitable, but there is no reason why it
should not be smooth and profitable for them. In stead of letting the middle-men
take away all the profits, the villagers have to be made aware of the opportunities
and counseled to come together and join in developing their lands in a planned
manner and get richer in the process. Their land has very high intrinsic potential
value: only it has to be properly planned and environment improved to encash
the value-addition. The land has to be utilized as intensively as needed and
practicable to accommodate all of them in proper comfort by adequately
satisfying all their needs (viz., physical and social infrastructure; trading &
commerce, household, industries, offices and institutions etc.) as are consistent
with area planning. The Committee is convinced that this is very much within
reach today but will become increasingly difficult with passage of time. We must
act now: there is little time to lose.
4.10 This Expert Committee on Lal Dora has gone deep into the problems and
carefully considered concrete suggestions aimed at:
(a) Providing relief to the villages by developing them in a manner that

preserves their heritage to the extent possible,
(b) Enabling civic services to be extended to them,
(c) Permitting enhancement of land-value by improving the layout and
environment in a manner that exemptions applicable to the village abadis
are not withdrawn
(d) suggesting instead that official agencies should bring about transparency
in regard to relevant village maps and village data by bringing them on to
website so that all needed data could be downloaded without visiting
offices;
(e) Liberalizing the norms and simplifying the procedures to make them
hassle-free
(f) Making development norms for villages easy to understand and follow
(g) Upgrading the civic services and environment in villages in order to
integrate them with the surrounding planned urban development and in a
manner that the villagers are benefited by enhancement of value of their
lands

4.11 In the chapters that follow the Committee has taken account of the
aspirations of the people obtained first hand (Chapter-5) and thereafter (in
Chapter-6) analysed the relevant issues with reference to its mandate (Terms of
Reference) and finally made specific recommendations to address the problems
of the villages and villagers on a short-term as well as long-term basis and
permanent basis in Chapter-7.

CHAPTER- 5
ASPIRATIONS OF THE VILLAGE PEOPLE

AND THEIR ASSESSMENT
5.1 The Committee is grateful to all those persons from the villages,
representatives of the interest groups, leaders of public opinion and all others
who sent in their representations and offered suggestions in response to our
public notice published in the national press. Face-to-face interaction with them
gave the Committee the opportunity to properly understand and appreciate the
genuine grievances and consider the solutions suggested by them. In fact,
practically all the recommendations of the Committee are based on the
suggestions received from the affected people and their representatives.
Aspirations of the people as expressed by them in their representations and in
the course of discussions that followed are summarised below and grouped
under relevant heads for the sake of convenience. A fuller summary is appended
as Annexure 3.
5.2 Aspirations of the People as expressed by them:
A. Relating to Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora Boundaries

(i) Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora should cover the entire area up to:
• Phirni where it does not define the boundary of Extended Lal Dora.
• One km from the Lal Dora.
(ii) Extended Lal Dora should be merged with Lal Dora .
B. Relating to Relaxation of Development Controls and Building Bye-laws
(iii) Merger of villages with the surrounding development should not be

attempted since it would put numerous restrictions on the development of
the villages.
(iv) Exemptions under the Notification dated 24 August 1963 should continue.
(v) Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora should be exempted from the provisions
of DMC Act/DDA Act/Land Acquisition Act since such provisions create
hurdles for the development of villages.
(vi) Ownership of plots should be treated as free-hold.
(vii) Residential buildings up to 6 storeys and commercial buildings up to 4
storeys should be allowed in the village abadi and building control norms
should be related to plot sizes.
(viii) All types of constructions for personal use for residential and commercial
purposes in Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora may be allowed and no
building bylaws may be enforced up to 15 m height on phirni road and

11.5 m in the interior plots and with no restrictions on ground coverage ,
FAR and setbacks.
(ix) No permission should be needed for construction of basement and G+3

floors.
(x) In case of plots over 1500 sq m in Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora,
villagers may be allowed to construct multi-storey flats/apartments on the
pattern of group housing on payment of development charges to MCD @
Rs. 200/ - per sq m.
(xi) Car parking should be allowed in the basement and the basement should
be exempted from FAR.
C. Relating to Strict Enforcement of Development Control Rules
(xii) Peripheral road/Lal Dora road (phirni road) should be kept free from
encroachment.
(xiii) All encroachments should be removed.
(xiv) No industrial activity should be recommended by the Committee in Lal

Dora and Extended Lal Dora.
(xv) Only small shops like kirana (general merchandise) stores, medical stores,
hair saloon, milk and butter shops should be permitted in Lal Dora.
(xvi) Development in Lal Dora should be strictly residential in character with

only complimentary facilities allowed therein.
(xvii) Instead of uniform Building by-laws, area specific by-laws should be

adopted and made applicable within Lal Dora.
(xviii) FAR should be rationalized.
D. Maintenance of Ownership Records
(xix) Ownership records of Lal Dora should be maintained by patwari or else a

government department should do it, since house tax receipts are not
taken as proof of ownership.
E. Development Proposals
(xx) Whenever Lal Dora is extended, new peripheral road should be
constructed.
(xxi) 25% of the Lal Dora areas be utilized for EWS housing in Group Housing
Schemes.

(xxii) The recommendations of Tejendra Khanna Committee should be
implemented.
F. Liberal land-use Policy
(xxiii) Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas should be declared as mixed land use
areas and conditional/ restricted commercial activities should be allowed
facing roads not less than 8 m wide. This would allow flexibility for liberal
provision of relatively cheap commercial retail and office use premises for
the benefit of not only the villagers but also the middle and low income
population residing in the vicinity.
(xxiv) Phirni road should be considered as commercial street and commercial

activities should be allowed even along the roads that are less than 6 m
wide.
(xxv) All 80' wide roads with 70% commercialization should be declared as
commercial streets. Computer/vocational institutes on such streets should
be allowed to operate including banks and government offices.
(xxvi) Commercial activity such as banquet halls, coaching centers, etc. should
be permitted along roads, which are more than 3 m wide.
(xxvii) Commercial establishments such as offices of real estate, insurance,

cargo agencies, small call centers, godowns, warehouses, service stations
etc. should be allowed in Lal Dora as the villagers work in these offices.
(xxviii) Small-scale industries such as Dal mills and flourmills, shoe making units
and cottage industries and agricultural produce processing units which do
not generate pollution, nuisance or any other adverse impact on residents
should be encouraged.
(xxix) In the villages that are located in the vicinity of major bus terminals,
railway stations, and domestic and international airports, low budget small
hotels and guesthouses should be permitted.
(xxx) Villagers should be allowed to keep cattle within the phirni.
(xxxi) Commercial establishments that have been operating for more than 40
years, existing showrooms and guesthouses on major public roads, and
commercial offices should be regularized.
(xxxii) Educational, health care units (including gymnasia and nursing homes),
professional institl1tions and barat ghars; in fact, all those activities that
are allowed in plotted colonies should be allowed in Lal Dora/Extended Lal
Dora, subject to provision of adequate parking space.

G. Other Policy Issues
(xxxiii) In case of acquisition of agricultural land, villagers should be allotted plots

free of cost in the nearby areas.
(xxxiv) Seeking permission from DDA/ MCQ, for opening a college should not be
necessary subject to the condition that construction is done as per rules
and guidelines of Directorate of Higher Education.
(xxxv) Villagers were promised industrial plots measuring 300 sq. yd. to the
farmers in the Lal Dora, but no action has been taken in this regard. This
Committee should recommend immediate action in this regard.
(xxxvi) Gram Sabha land should be used for providing facilities within the villages
and, where necessary, plotted land may be used for providing facilities
and the owner of such land should be given Gram Sabha land in
exchange.
(xxxvii) Gram Panchayat should be revived so that consultation with government
can be done.
H. Need for Planning and Regulation
(xxxviii) Construction in Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora be brought within proper
framework of regulations.
(xxxix) Urban Planning and land use policies should be enforced in village abadi.
(xl) Commercial activity should be allowed in Lal Dora along major roads after
due permission and sanction of building plans.
(xli) Village plans showing all roads and location of facilities such as hospitals,
community halls and parks should be prepared after proper survey and
development in the village should be regulated according to plan.
5.3 The committee was greatly benefited from its intensive and free and frank
interaction with the Hon'ble Members of Parliament, elected representatives of
the people and other dignitaries. Discussions with the Hon'ble Lt. Governor,
Hon'ble Chief Minister and Hon'ble Speaker of Delhi Assembly proved to be
extremely fruitful. Interactions with the Hon'ble Members of Parliament and of
Delhi Assembly and Municipal Councilors were very educative since the elected
representatives, leaders of various interest groups were aware of those aspects
of the problems of the people that are generally not known or properly
understood. The solutions that they suggested were generally just, fair and
practical. The following issues emerged and these need to be addressed to
enable a mutually acceptable development of the villages in the context of
urbanization that is inevitable.

(i) The village plans already prepared by DDA/ MCD should be made
available on the website of MCD as also available maps showing
Lal Dora areas and their surroundings, (Gaon Sabha lands, open
lands, colonies that had come up, etc). These should be
superimposed on the aerial photographs that were now available.
That would bring about transparency and the villagers would be
saved of spending a lot of time and money in knocking on many
doors to get the information.
(Note: Deputy Commissioner/City Zone, MCD informed that a
proposal is under consideration for computerization of Gaon Sabha
land records under the scheme titled "Strengthening and
modernization of Panchayat unit and its Functions". The Chairman
of the Committee advised the Deputy Commissioner/City Zone to-
take up the matter personally with Div. Commissioner, GNCTD for
requisite funds and initiate the work on the project. No decision has
yet been taken on this suggestion.)
(ii) These two points were discussed with the Divisional Commissioner
in detail and it was requested that funds for these tasks may be
released out a sanctioned scheme of the Delhi Government.
Hon'ble CM Delhi to whom these ideas were mentioned liked them
and convened a meeting to expedite the process, but the meeting
had to be deferred on account of her indisposition.
(iii) Framing of specific Building Bye-laws to regulate the building
activity in Lal Dora and extended Lal Dora.
(iv) Municipal Councilors suggested that all existing activities by the
original villagers in Lal Dora might be allowed to continue except
polluting industries and such godowns as generate high volume of
traffic and cause congestion. Agro based industries and their
storage space should be provided in the rural area considering the
rural tradition and the present need of the villagers.
(v) The need for preparing redevelopment plans in consultation with
the villagers was emphasized. Example of villages in Chandigarh
where this was done with the active cooperation/suggestions of the
villagers was cited. It was also explained how steep enhancement
of land value resulting from planned redevelopment had
encouraged villagers to go in for proper redevelopment of their
village.
(vi) Hon'ble Members of Delhi Assembly also raised the issue of
ownership title of land owned by the villagers within Lal Dora. It was
insisted that proper ownership record should be maintained by the
Revenue Department of Delhi Government.
(vii) Serious objections were raised over the recently published Zonal
Development Plan of Zone-J prepared by DDA in which the status
of Lal Dora had not been spelt out dearly, particularly those that fall

in the regional park. The Committee therefore included this point in
its objection/suggestion sent to DDA on the Draft Development plan
of Zones J (South Delhi-II i.e., south of Mehrauli-Badarpur and
Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Roads) and L (West Delhi-III i.e., south of
Rohtak Road and west of Najafgarh Drain) (ANNEXURE 9).
(viii) The Committee discussed in detail the various aspects to be taken
into consideration for categorising the villages based on pre-
dominant activities prevailing in the village. Accordingly, it was
decided to identify villages having pre-dominant industrial use,
residential use, Commercial use, Religious Institution like Ashram,
heritage value and villages falling in the ridge.
(ix) The representative of Div. Commissioner (Revenue) was requested
to supply the list of villages for which consolidation (Chakbandi) has
not been done yet. He was also requested to place before the
Committee any relevant decisions of the court which shall be
binding for the Committee.
(x) The villages for which the extension of abadi has not been done
should be listed and their abadi area be extended based on
suitable terms and conditions. A proper phirni road be provided
along with a green belt wherever possible.
(xi) Most of the Gram Sabha lands have been encroached and
attempts should be made to retrieve all the Gram Sabha land. In
cases of gram Sabha land which are far away from the abadi, may
be exchanged with the villagers and proper facilities be developed
on these lands. In case of excess gram Sabha land available, this
may be considered for disposal by the Govt. and using the funds for
the development of the village.
(xii) In future, whenever, the lands of the villagers are acquired by DDA
for planned development, the immediate area adjoining the village
should be kept reserved for the facilities of the villages. These
conditions should be made mandatory at the time of acquisition.
(xiii) Health, Education & Religions institutions, commercial, godowns;
industries should be allowed in the Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora.
(xiv) Presently, there is no ownership document available with the
villagers residing in the Lal Dora. As a result, the villagers have to
face problems in getting their building plans sanctioned or obtaining
loans from banks. Suggestions have been made to formulate a
suitable mechanism through which ownership right can be given to
the individuals residing in Lal Dora.
(xv) A proper sewerage system is provided in the villages. Suggestion
has been made regarding grouping of villages and providing proper
sewerage and sewerage treatment plant.

(xvi) The entire urban extension/urban development is taking place on
the lands acquired from the villagers thereby depriving them of their
livelihood. Therefore, in order to safeguard the future of the
villagers and integrate the activities of the village with the urban
areas, development plan should take into consideration the existing
activities, attitude and social status of the villagers into
consideration.
(xvii) Cattle are inseparable elements of the life of villagers and therefore
space for one dairy colony close to every village should be left to
allow the cattle oriented activities of the villagers. The present
concept of developing dairy colonies away from the villages in one
part of the city is not practical as villages residing in a village in
South will not go for the dairies in the Northern end of the city.
(xviii) Suggestions were given by Hon'ble MLAs that every Patwari of the
village should keep a detailed map of Abadi Deh clearly indicating
the ownership by possession of all the residents of Lal Dora. This is
an important record and should be utilized while confirming the
ownership of the properties within Lal Dora after village has been
urbanized.
(xix) When the villages are included in urban areas as urban villages,
MCD Act and DDA Act are applicable in the villages and the 1963
notification ceases to operate as soon as the village is declared
Urban Village. Thus, MCD is bound to apply building regulations to
the entire urban village (old as well as extended abadi) and village
residents have to get building plans approved from various
authorities. The court has only asked for enforcement but this move
has raised a furore amongst villagers which has taken' a political
hue. The ground situation, too, is not immediately conducive to
application of bye-laws as variants of existing building byelaws may
have to be evolved for the villages whose morphology is of organic
development.
(xx) Hon'ble MPs suggested that the extended abadi of the village due
to natural growth of population should be treated as part of the
village. Leaving aside any unauthorized colony which has been
established adjacent or on four sides of the village and the plan
(map) of which has been submitted to Delhi Govt. for regularization,
the entire area should be declared as village. In this connection, the
report of the Committee which was unanimously approved by Delhi
Vidhan Sabha in terms of which recommendations have been
made to the effect that the population due to natural growth spread
over the area of 1000 sq.m. on four sides of the village and should
be included in the Master Plan for implementation. Simultaneously,
the recommendations made in the report of Tajendra Khanna
Committee regarding mixed land use in the villages should be
implemented.

(xxi) Hon'ble MPs pointed out that, in the existing Master Plan the
reference to "Parks" is generic and does not specifically mention
"Amusement and Water Parks". He suggested that the request of
the owners of Amusement parks to use Extended Lal Dora land for
entertainment and amusement/water parks be specifically included
in the proposed Master Plan of Delhi.
(xxii) The Committee was of the view that there is no reason why the
villagers, who happen to have plots within the Lal Dora abutting on
a major road, should be denied the opportunity of exploiting the
favorable location to their advantage, in the same way, as an owner
of similar premises outside the Lal Dora Area.

CHAPTER - 6
TERMS OF REFERENCE: COMMITTEE'S RESPONSE

WITH REFERENCE TO THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE VILLAGES
6.1 Chairman and Members of the Committee, together and individually,

carefully considered their mandate with reference to the material provided in the
written representations in response to the Public Notice issued, their views and
suggestions during interaction, discussions (and site-visits), with the
representationists and their leaders, special interest groups, village elders,
elected representatives of the people at various levels, officers and others. The
Committee carefully analysed each point made, related it to the Terms of
Reference (TOR) and reached unanimous consensus on the various issues.
Given below are the TORs (with sequence altered to make the narration logical
and sequential) along with broad views and comments of the Committee.
6.2 The Committee has carefully considered the views and recommendations
contained in the Tejendra Khanna Committee Report in respect of Lal Dora and
extended Lal Dora areas (vide Para 4.11 ante) and fully agrees with them and
feels that:
(i) With large scale acquisition for Planned Development of Delhi, the
villagers of Delhi lost their agricultural lands around their villages. The
compensation was given at the official rates but these were disposed off through
auctions where they fetched very high price. Yet even the basic civic amenities
were not provided in the villages. Some villages were urbanized, but even these
Urban Villages continue to face serious problems of congestion, poor layout, lack
of civic amenities, degraded environment etc.
(ii) The villagers were deprived of their traditional and permanent means of
subsistence but little effort was made to upgrade their skills to enable them to
take to alternate means of earning their livelihood. Driven to the edge, they had
no choice except to make a living out of the only asset that they were left with,
viz., their landed property (lands and houses). Some opened shops, some
started small industrial units (which grew in course of time) or godowns, some
rented them out and others went in for one-time income by sale (outright or in
partnership) of their property. The buyers made a big profit by constructing
houses, guesthouses, eateries, showrooms or industries. To deprive the villagers
of their means of subsistence by terming them as irregular or illegal would mean
depriving them of means of livelihood once again. That would be most unfair and
unjust. It would be a bigger blow to them than the earlier one - of depriving them
of their lands - where at least something was paid as compensation.
(iii) The village limits were sharply circumscribed in red but little thought was
given to the problem of finding space for the natural growth of population and to
their needs for alternate means of livelihood (e.g., space for commerce,
manufacturing, physical and social infrastructural needs like roads, streets, civic
services; schools, hospitals, recreation facilities, playgrounds etc). Their dwelling
units were restricted to 2½ storeys.

(iv) This Committee (ECLD) is strongly of the view that these cases of mixed land-
use were dictated by dire necessity of keeping body and soul together. These have to be
treated not from a myopic technical viewpoint and subjected to sealing and demolition,
but with sympathy and utmost consideration. Deprived of honest means of subsistence
and without a viable practical alternative, such coercive measures will only have the
effect of driving the villagers, especially the youth, to clandestine, dubious and perhaps
criminal ways of earning money. Instead, they need be made fully aware of the fact that
by making more intensive use of the available land and improving the environment, it
would be possible for them to (a) accommodate all their needs - residential, commercial,
infrastructural, social etc and (b) also considerably enhance the value of their property in
the process. Only the old mindset has to be broadened and the inevitability of high rise
constructions will have to be accepted, of course, with proper norms for safety, health,
access, parking etc. This way it would also be possible to cater adequately to all their
commercial and social needs, segregated from but within easy reach of the residences.
Till that is done, these existing non-residential activities should be permitted to continue.
(v) Instead of withdrawing the existing exemptions forcing the villagers to do tortuous
paper-work (like obtaining permissions and NOCs from numerous offices), it is the
Government Departments and Public bodies that should be directed to go in for
transparency in their record-keeping and to bring all relevant and useful data on their
website (in public domain) so that the villager-applicants are able to get authentic copies
from their nearest cyber-cafe, if not from their children's computer at home. All maps (with
Khasra boundaries and development plans superimposed), ownership records and other
relevant data should be digitalized and put on web-site. It should be possible for the
citizen of Delhi to apply for and get permissions over the internet. (One of the
distinguished Members of this Committee has already taken the initiative in this direction
and introduced a system under which around 1,30,000 applications along with requisite
fees (as per Court directions to traders) were received and duly acknowledged over the
internet within a few days - all properly classified and with all relevant details available at
the push of a button- without anyone having to spend hours at municipal offices).
(vi) Village Development Plans should be prepared with involvement of the village
community. This may need sincere efforts at counseling and considerable extension work
to make the village community realize and appreciate the need for proper planning and
going high-rise to get maximum enhancement of value of their lands, which have very
high potential value on account of locational advantages and short-supply-high-demand
situation that exists in Delhi. They have to be convinced of the inevitability of the process
of urbanisation in the national metropolitan capital of our country with fast growing
economy and counselled to take full advantage of the process in value-addition of their
assets to carve out 'a brighter future for themselves and their younger generations.
6.3 The Committee's view on the point in the TOR relating to examining
"the desirability and/or feasibility of integration of Lal Dora and extended
Lal Dora areas of Delhi in the overall process of Planned Development of
the city" is unambiguously and categorically in the affirmative. We strongly
feel that Delhi can no longer afford to have over 200 sub-standard, cramped
pockets of insanitation that once had plenty of open spaces, farms and fields
full of greenery. The people (9.5 lakh as per 2001-census) were a happy,
satisfied lot, full of faith and patience, bristling with health and earning their
livelihood based on agriculture and cattle, through honest hard labour. Now,
deprived of their farms and fields and cramped within the red-lines, they are
feeling highly insecure about their future. Continuance of such a state of
affairs is highly risky and not at all desirable. The genuine problems of the Lal

Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas have to be seen in the correct perspective,
properly understood and appreciated from the human angle and addressed in a
sympathetic manner. The best course and perhaps the only one with win-win
prospect, is their comprehensive redevelopment so that villages get the benefit of
civic services, improved environment and infrastructure with plenty of scope for
commercial and other livelihood activities there itself, and thus get integrated with
the rest of planned metropolitan Delhi while still retaining their rural flavour .
6.4 This has to be done fast in a short span of time preferably with the village
community taking the initiative, with involvement of experts and in
cooperation/association with the Private Sector. The Government has to facilitate
the process by adopting the Task-Force approach with total focus on completion
of the task within a specified time - say 3-4 years .
6.5 As regards the remaining TORs, viz., "broad principles and terms and
conditions for achieving the integration" and "planning and development control
norms that should govern development activity in Lal Dora and extended Lal
Dora areas" and other "related or incidental" matters, one has to consider the
existing planning framework that has legal validity and then think of the
improvements or modifications that are needed.
6.6 The Draft Master Plan of Delhi -; 2021 as recently published suggests that
the entire area within the NCTD, barring a string of fringe villages abutting the
boundary of NCTD will be urbanized. '.Thus most of the villages in the NCTD will
soon become part of urbanisable area. Even the few fringe villages, hemmed as'
they are between highly developed and fast urbanizing neighbouring areas of
Haryana (Faridabad and Gurgaon) and UP (NOIDA, Ghaziabad etc) and of
metropolitan Delhi, will find it difficult to resist the pressures of market forces.
They are bound to aspire for and acquire in course of time, all the social,
economic and physical dimensions of urbanized villages. Thus the distinction
between rural and urban villages may vanish in course of time .
6.7 The broad principles and terms Et conditions for achieving integration and
evolving planning and development control norms that should govern
development activity in Lal Dora and Extended Lal Dora areas will therefore have
to be aimed at comprehensive development of the villages in such a manner that
their
layout gets improved with proper access road and street pattern,
essential civic services (like water-supply, sewage disposal, storm
water drainage, electricity, etc) are brought it,
social needs (schools, hospitals, playgrounds, parks etc) are
provided for and most importantly
means of livelihood are catered to.
Having lost its 'agricultural base and with industries shifted, the main activity in
Delhi now is commercial (trading, wholesale & retail sale and services). These

need adequate shops, godowns, offices for the entire range including
multinationals, corporate houses, Business houses, Call Centres and other IT-
related activities and such like. Planning norms have to be so designed as to
permit of smooth transition of existing undesirable activities to properly planned
locations in the vicinity and facilitate their shifting and growth there.
6.8 Among the other "related or incidental" matters mentioned in TOR, the
most important point is to see that the present privileges and exemptions
available to the rural areas are not withdrawn. On the other hand, the system
should be so liberalized and modified by introducing transparency and easing of
procedures taking advantage of available IT-solutions as to make exemptions
unnecessary. Some examples are given in the following paragraphs.,
6.9 Under the existing disposition, original inhabitants in villages that are not
declared as urban are exempted from seeking planning permission for
extensions and alternations to their residential premises provided the altered/
extended premises are to be used for residential purposes only and are limited to
2½ storeys with height restrictions. This exemption has been misconstrued and it
is now the general impression amongst the village-folk, actively supported by
their leaders that all kinds of development are allowed without the need for
seeking any official permission. The legal position is quite clear that such
concessions are deemed withdrawn once a village is notified as urban. This
factor is generally ignored on the plea, right or wrong, that whatever has been
already built upon under relaxed rules cannot be corrected retrospectively to
comply with the new rules. The main reason is, however, the mindset of the
people and their psychological resistance to withdrawal of a long standing facility.
It has to be admitted that the process of obtaining sanctions is not only painfully
slow and tortuous. It is also a painful open secret that the process is generally
expensive involving compromise of moral principles if the sanction is to be
obtained. Here again it would be far preferable to improve the system than
withdraw the exemption. As said earlier also the remedy lies in simplifying the
rules and planning norms, making them user-friendly and bringing about total
transparency in the system. It should be made possible for applications to be
sent and queries/sanctions received electronically within a time frame.
Responsibility for certifying that the rules have been followed could be given to
the qualified registered architect/expert hired for the job.
6.10 Another factor that must be taken into account is that many villages,
whether urban or rural, have distinct characteristics of their own and need to be
given a special treatment rather than painting all of them with the same brush.
Development norms would have to be liberal enough to be able to cater to the
special needs of individual villages and preserve its desirable social, cultural,
economic and physical characteristics.

6.10.1 The following shortcomings in the villages have also to be remedied in the
Comprehensive Development Plans of the villages:
• Absence or proper access, narrow roads and twisting very narrow streets and a cramped
layout with no access even for emergency vehicles (ambulances, Fire Tenders and
Rescue Vehicles);
• Serious shortage of parking spaces;
• Non maintenance of light and air planes leading to very poor light and ventilation in
buildings that are in unhealthy proximity of each other;
• Encroachments on Goan Sabha lands needed for social services and markets; jumbled
and exposed Power-lines close to buildings posing danger of electric shocks,
electrocution and fires;
• Need for commercial potential to be fully exploited for the benefit of the people, etc
6.11 Property values in villages remain depressed on account of the

aforementioned deficiencies and degraded environment and insanitation.
Comprehensive Redevelopment can unleash the unrealized potential of real
estate value and lead to a planned expansion of commercial usage, adequate
parking facilities, wider streets, pedestrian-vehicular segregation and other
amenities including hard and soft landscaping. In fact, it is now an imperative
necessity to prevent the villages from degenerating into pockets of civic chaos
with destruction of cultural and heritage assets and complete takeover by
outsiders/unscrupulous builders/land Mafia and depriving the villagers of what is
their legitimate due.
6.12 The mechanism for achieving renewal of villages through comprehensive

redevelopment should have the following elements:
• Awareness campaigns, extension work and advocacy by motivated and trained social
workers to mobilize the village community to explain how the villagers can easily enhance
the value of their property several-folds through comprehensive redevelopment, and also
meet all their residential, commercial and other needs within the village area and in the
vicinity.
• Village residents may be encouraged to come together and seriously consider making
more intensive use of land without which it would not be possible to improve the layout or
the environment or even to lay proper drainage/sewerage systems. The value of their
property would remain depressed.
• Residents may be encouraged to form Cooperatives or Village Group Housing Societies

members of which should be allowed to amalgamate their plots, get a redevelopment
plan prepared by a consultant hired by them and get the necessary permission from
designated authorities to build as per the approved redevelopment plan. Individual micro-
plans (Local Area Plans) for proper development of the villages should be carefully drawn
up in consultation with the village community.
• In case the village community so desires (or if it has problems in coming together to form
such Societies), the Government may get Redevelopment Schemes prepared by hiring
qualified experts from the market to preparation of Redevelopment Schemes to achieve
compact and energy efficient development and, if necessary, go in for high rise
development to achieve intensive use of land.
• Those among the villagers who want to retain their existing houses would be free to do
so provided that they limit their buildings to a maximum of 15 meters. The existing
exemption (doing away with getting building plan sanctioned) should continue. They

would, however, have to make adjustments to accommodate essential civic services lines
and road/street if that is necessary for the Redevelopment Scheme of the village.
• Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan should reflect village characteristics in the urban
form and retain heritage and residential character of the village. Traditional crafts of the
villagers should be promoted and if possible a site of the village should be reserved for
the development of a village haat where the craftsmen display their skills and also own
shops to sell their manufactured products. A food bazaar may also be incorporated in the
complex to attract tourists and enhance business.
• Multi-storey car parking facilities may need to be provided at the periphery so that volume
of traffic on village roads can be reduced to a minimum. Wherever redevelopment
proposals are implemented to generate additional commercial spaces to increase
employment avenues for the villagers, one or two layer basement parking should be
insisted depending upon the requirements (as per MPD-2021).
• Non-residential uses to service the 'contemporary living and work requirements of
villagers may be permitted both as a stand-alone use on a plot or mixed with residential
use provided such development does not vitiate the quality of residential and work
environment in the village.
• Building heights limitation may be raised to allow more floors depending on the ROW of
the abutting street.
• A PPP or a tripartite arrangement between the community, the local government and the
private entrepreneur should be relied upon to achieve comprehensive redevelopment of
villages.
6.13 In spite all the weaknesses in the civic-planning sense, it is heartening to

note that the villages have retained a substantial proportion of original inhabitants
who have strong and active associations of both residents and traders. The
predominantly residential character has also been maintained and commercial
uses are confined mainly to the periphery. These qualities will greatly help in the
efforts to improve the living conditions in the villages.
6.14 The Committee was not inspired by the past record of the concerned
existing bodies/agencies in providing even the basic civic amenities in the
villages or looking after their livelihood problems when their lands were getting
acquired for Planned Development of Delhi. Their preoccupations leave them
with little time to think of the present problems of the 9.5 lakh village population,
or plan for their future well in time and in a realistic manner.
6.15 The Committee feels that a compact and totally dedicated Task Force
may be set up under a dynamic head and it should be mandated to prepare the
villagers for the betterment of their villages on a long-term basis and plan
comprehensive redevelopment projects of the Villages in a time-bound manner
and get such plans implemented in consultation with the villagers preferably in
cooperation with the Private Sector and complete its task within the prescribed
span of time, say within the 11th Plan period. Its role should include advocacy
and involving the village community meaningfully in their redevelopment in a
manner that they are able to reap the benefits of escalation in the value of
their property, get accommodated in the village itself, practically in situ and their
commercial/social and other essential needs are met in the vicinity. Planning
and Development could be done by commissioning known professionals

and associating Private Sector in an appropriate manner. Funds for this could
perhaps be found from the Jawaharlal Nehru Gram Vikas Yojana.
6.16 It is against this backdrop that the Committee has made its
recommendations that are enumerated in Chapter-7.
*** *** ***

CHAPTER - 7
RECOMMENDATIONS
7. Based on the deliberations on the various issues pertaining to the rural

villages, the Committee is happy to make recommendations - general and
specific - for consideration of the Union Ministry of Urban Development.
7.1 Transparency in Land Records and Permission Process
(i) Complete property ownership/possession in Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas must be
recorded, digitized and put on Website. Since the data is incomplete, a beginning may be
made with whatever is available and public be invited to submit affidavits suggesting
corrections. These may be displayed on the web and any claims/disputes arising
therefrom may be resolved in the normal manner. In due course the ownership rights in
Lal Dora areas should be settled. This will be of great help to villagers in proving the
single entity status of their holdings while seeking building permissions, obtaining Bank
loans etc.
(ii) Master Plan and Zonal Plans should be digitized and put on the Website.
(iii) Individual Village Development/Redevelopment Plans and Revenue maps of villages

(Shijra) should also be digitized, superimposed and brought on to Website in a manner
that the citizens are able to relate the map to the ground.
(iv) Location of each urban and rural village with demarcation of Lal Dora and Extended Lal
Dora should be shown superimposed on the satellite image of NCT Delhi. Land use in
the immediate surroundings should also be shown.
(v) Demarcation of 'Gaon Sabha' Lands and public spaces and encroachments, should be
shown on Revenue map (Shijra), superimposed on satellite image and put on website.
(Note: Statistics of Gaon Sabha lands and extent of encroachments on them, as
furnished by Govt. of NCT Delhi are enclosed as ANNEXURE-12. However, the Deptt.
has also said that these are provisional, incomplete and may not be treated as authentic.)
(vi) All available and relevant data in this context should be collected, brought on to the
website (and updated periodically) and the people be invited to point out inaccuracies
and give suggestions for improvement.
(vii) Land Use maps, Building Footprints and Floor-wise Building Use Maps of Lat Dora, and
Extended Lal Dora areas (erstwhile or otherwise) should be prepared and put on the
Website.
(viii) Satellite image of Delhi (except certain areas on security considerations) showing
existing structures, infrastructure and amenities (especially within and around villages)
should also be put on the website.
(ix) Basic information about socio-economic characteristics, physical features, historical

background and heritage of villages and the nature of economic establishments and
enterprises should also be collected and put on the website.

7.2 Strategy of awareness and incentive based
Development
A. Awareness Campaigns
(i) Awareness campaigns, extension work and advocacy by motivated and trained social
workers should be organized to explain to the village community how they can easily
enhance the value of their property several-folds through. comprehensive
development/redevelopment, and this way also meet all their residential, commercial and
other needs within the village area
(ii) The concerned authority should take up this task itself or through NGOs and make the
village communities aware of the need to get out of existing insanitary cramped
environment and made to realize that the process of ongoing urbanisation cannot be
wished away. The counseling and extension effort should aim at motivating the village
community, especially the youth, to go in for planned compact development (even if it
entails construction of high-rise buildings) to meet all of their floor space requirements
within the village and its vicinity. This will also yield monetary benefits through increased
rental and property values.
(iii) Residents of Villages should be encouraged to come together to make more intensive
use of their land without which it would not be possible to improve the layout or the
environment or even to lay proper drainage/sewerage systems. Unless this is done, the
value of their property would remain depressed. They may be encouraged to take the
initiative for these improvements themselves and form Cooperatives or Village Group
Housing Societies, members of which should be allowed to amalgamate their plots, get
layout Plans prepared by experts from the market and get the necessary permission from
designated authorities and develop and build as per the approved local Area Plan.
B. Planning for improvement
(i) For bringing about comprehensive development of villages, Local Area

Plans (LAPs) for all the villages, rural and urban (Le., existing and
erstwhile Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas) should be got prepared by
the Government/DDA/ MCD by commissioning suitable qualified experts
from the open market for the purpose. These LAPs should aim at compact
space and energy efficient development and, if necessary, go in for high
rise structures to achieve intensive use of land. These experts should
consult the village community and Associations etc. The Local Area Plans
should address the common acute problems of villages, which include the
following:
(a) Lack of (or terrible deficiency in) civic services like water supply, drainage,
sewerage and solid waste management system;
(b) Absence of proper access, narrow roads and twisting streets and a cramped
layout with no access even for emergency vehicles (ambulances, Fire Tenders
and Rescue Vehicles);
(c) Serious shortage of parking spaces;
(d) Non maintenance of light and air planes leading to very poor light and ventilation
in buildings that are in unhealthy proximity of each other;

(e) Encroachments on Gaon Sabha lands needed for social services and markets;
jumbled and exposed Power-lines close to buildings posing danger of electric
shocks, electrocution and fires;
(f) Need for commercial potential to be fully exploited for the benefit of the people
and to relieve the acute shortage of planned commercial space.
(ii) Accordingly, the Local Area Plans should:

(a) ensure that ample space is created for relocating the existing and projected
residential, commercial, institutional and other needs of the villagers for the next
twenty years, in the village area itself or in the vicinity;
(b) aim at achieving a judicious mix of residential, commercial and institutional
spaces to ensure sustainable development of the village. The planned
commercial activity should be adequate and should aim at engaging the local
community in the development process by providing them ample work
opportunities and thus helping them to upgrade their income, status and quality
of life;
(c) reflect village characteristics in the LAP and retain heritage and residential
character of the village. To promote traditional crafts, a suitable site should be
reserved for the development of the village haat where the craftsmen can display
their skills and also own shops to sell their products. A food bazaar may also be
incorporated in the complex to attract tourists and enhance business.
(d) Permit non-residential usages to service the contemporary living and work
requirements of villagers both as a stand-alone use on a plot or mixed with
residential use provided that such development does not vitiate the quality of
residential and work environment in the village.
(e) Provide adequate car parking ,facilities (preferably multi-level underground
parking and with 30% of FAR for commercial component to make it self-
sustaining) at the periphery so that volume .of traffic on village roads can be
reduced to a minimum. Wherever redevelopment proposals are implemented to
generate additional commercial spaces to increase employment avenues for the
villagers, multi-level parking should be .Insisted upon as per norms of
requirement prescribed in the Govt. Notification of 22.9.06 or as per MPD-2021
when it comes into force.
(f) Encash the new opportunity provide by proximity of the village to the Metro lines
and' stations in boosting its development and economy. From this viewpoint,
extension of Metro-routes to new areas to cover villages with high potential,
should also be recommended.
(g) An area to the extent of 20% of the village abadi should be earmarked in the
vicinity for expansion and provision of facilities for the village.
(h) In case of large-scale acquisition of agricultural land for Planned Development of
Delhi in future, should ensure that the development of Village abadi areas are
integrated in the specific scheme of planned development.
C. Development Control Norms/Regulations

(i) Area specific development regulations may be needed for villages that need
special attention e.g., heritage villages or villages lying in the ridge area or forest
zones. There should be provision in the Master Plan of Delhi to accommodate
such area specific development regulations which should override the general
regulations proposed in MPD- 2021 .

(ii) A PPP or a tripartite arrangement among the community, the local government
and the private entrepreneur should be relied upon to achieve comprehensive
development/redevelopment of villages on self-sustaining basis.
(iii) Those among the villagers who want to retain their existing houses should be
free to do so provided that they limit the building-height to a maximum of 15
meters. The existing exemption (of doing away with getting building plan
sanctioned) should continue provided that the construction is done under
supervision of registered architect who should certify and take the responsibil1ty
of adherence to safety norms and other prevailing building parameters. They
would, however, have to make adjustments to accommodate essential civic
service lines and road/street if that is necessary for the Redevelopment Scheme
of the village.
(iv) The following concessions should be given in Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora areas
in view of limited availability of land, and to encourage village residents to come
together and amalgamate their small plots, the minimum size of plot for high-rise
buildings should be reduced to 2000 sq m . (from 3000 sq m elsewhere) for
group-housing. FAR and maximum ground coverage applicable should be as
follows:
Plot size Ground Coverage FAR Subject to
conditions
2000-3999 sq m 40% 400 given below.
4000 sq m and above 40% 500 -do-
Conditions:
(a) Minimum of 12 m wide road will be provided. Where land for road-
widening is surrendered (free of cost) from the plot area, the permissible
FAR will be proportionately increased as TDR incentive.
(b) Other infrastructure norms - as prescribed in the Master Plan for Delhi
with the exception that minimum set-back of 3 m should be provided on
all sides.
(c) Car Parking norms as prescribed in the Master Plan for Delhi. Multi-level
underground parking in basement up to the envelop-line.
(v) Left over requirement of parking of the village should be met by constructing
multistoried parking lots on the periphery of the Lal Dora or Extended Lal Dora
where land can be found for the purpose. One-third of the total space should be
left for commercial component to make the facility self-sustaining.
(vi) In order that villages, in the course of development, take advantage of the
prevailing acute shortage of and demand for commercial space in Delhi (that has
resulted in traders' unrest and exorbitantly high costs) the LAPs of villages should
plan for maximum possible commercial space and also consider planning Multi-
storey commercial buildings for offices, markets and IT-education facilities.
Norms as recommended for group-housing vide sub para (iv) above (especially
in regard to Ground coverage, FAR and parking) would apply to commercial
structures as well, subject to such special conditions as may be provided in LAP
keeping in view local conditions that differ from village to village.
(vii) In Extended Lal Dora areas the list of permissible land-uses should include group
housing, commercial centres, specialized institutions, non-polluting non-nuisance
creating House-hold industries and recreational/amusement parks. These will
have to abide by the prescribed standards of physical infrastructure and
transportation/ parking requirements as per the Master Plan of Delhi-1011. FAR
and Ground Coverage shall be governed by the con'9itions vide sub-para (iv)
above.

(viii) If a residential Building Plan application submitted through a registered architect is
certified by him to conform to the aforesaid parameters (vide sub paras (iv), (v) and (vi)
above) and if the other infra-structural requirements prescribed by the Master Plan
Notification dated 22 Sep 06 of the Govt. of India (ANNEXURE -11) will be followed and
that he would be responsible for any violation of the above, the Building Plan would be
deemed to be sanctioned for plot-size up to 500 sq m. For bigger size plots and for non
residential use on plot of any size, the Building Plan would be deemed to have been
sanctioned unless valid objections are sent by the sanctioning authority within 30 days of
submission of Building Plan application. Also all the objections shall be pointed out by the
sanctioning authority at one time. Similar conditions should apply for grant of Completion
Certificate.
7.3 Task Force mechanism to give focused attention to villages
(i) Looking to the pre-occupation of the local bodies that has been resulted in the villages
getting neglected, the Committee strongly recommends that a compact and totally
dedicated Task Force should be created for a limited period, say for the Eleventh Plan
Period, and entrusted exclusively with the responsibility of development/redevelopment of
villages as suggested in this Report. The mandate of this Village Development Task
Force (VDTF) should include all the tasks given in the preceding paras and it should plan
and implement comprehensive redevelopment projects of the Villages (including Census
Towns) in a time-bound manner preferably through tripartite partnership arrangements
involving the village community, the public agencies and the Private Sector.
(ii) VDTF should involve the village community meaningfully in preparation of Local Area
Plan for the village and in implementation of the same. The development/ redevelopment
should be done in. a manner that the residents are able to reap the benefits of escalation
in the value of their property, get accommodated 1n the village itself, practically in situ
and their commercial/social and other essential needs are also met in the village itself or
in the vicinity.
(iii) Funding of VDTF should not be left to bodies that face resource-constraints themselves.
Its needs may be met out of Plan funds say under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
(iv) For extension of civic services to the villages, the normal principles may be followed
(Trunk services to be provided by MCD/Jal Board etc at their cost; peripheral services to
be shared by the beneficiary-colonies/villages and the internal services to be met by the
development under the LAP (Local Area Plan) for the village.
(v) With involvement of the Private Sector, Building Trade etc, it should be possible to make
the project self-financing and self-sustaining. Banks should be willing to liberally extend
loan facilities to the village-Community and others for construction of buildings,
commercial structures and setting up enterprises.
7.4 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE VILLAGES
7.4.1 Mixed Land Use and Permissible Activities in LD/ELD areas
(i) Though village abadi is primarily residential, traditionally many livelihood activities
(like keeping cattle, ghanis to extract oil, smithy, carpentry and various other such
activities) had been going on in villages for ages. This issue of mixed land use has,
therefore, to be treated more liberally than in a normal urban residential colony. Soft

commercial activity like retail, food, offices and in fact, all the 24 categories of activities
that the Monitoring Committee of the Hon'ble Supreme Court has permitted in mixed land
use areas of Delhi (ANNEXURE-10) should be allowed liberally in Lal Dora/Extended Lal
Dora areas. Existing institutions (socio-cultural, educational, religious etc) should also be
permitted to continue till they are relocated as per LAP. Activities that should be permitted
in the Extended Lal Dora would include institutional, commercial, group housing,
recreational, etc ensuring a minimum ROW of 24 m of the abutting road.
(ii) Many villages developed certain commercial activities of the type of wholesale, retail,
warehousing and industry, which became their means of sustenance after the loss of
their farms and fields. For example, Dal Mills, small hotels, warehousing and courier
service establishments have come up near the Airport. Retail trade and offices have
come up in villages in south Delhi. All these economic activities should be allowed to
continue till they get reorganized in a planned manner under the LAP. Only the polluting
or nuisance creating ones should not be permitted. Manufacture or bulk storage of
hazardous and noxious materials/goods should not be permissible in either Lal Dora or
Extended Lal Dora area.
(iii) Activities prohibited under GOI Notification dated 07 Sept 06 regarding Mixed Use
Regulations shall not be permitted in Lal Dora/Extended Lal Dora till implementation of
LAPs where the location for these activities would be specifically earmarked in the
Commercial areas.
(iv) The entire range of offices - multinationals, corporate houses, Call Centres, IT-related
activities etc and others, should be permitted to continue. In fact, LAP should be so
designed as to facilitate their continuance and growth and their smooth transition from
undesirable or untenable locations to properly planned areas within the villages or in the
neighbourhood where adequate parking facility can made available either in the
basements or multi-storey blocks.
(v) Besides the villages with pre-dominantly commercial, industrial, and warehousing
activities, there are two other kinds of villages in Delhi, viz., villages with heritage
structures and those in reserved forests or in the Ridge area. These need special
planning and development. The villages with heritage structures or those near them (like
Hauz Khas, Mehrauli etc.) should be re-developed to highlight their heritage character
with local and international tourism as their pre-dominant economic activity. Villages in
Reserved Forest area like Ayanagar, Dera, Mandi, Jaunapur etc which are located on the
southern ridge, activities connected with eco-tourism or institutional activities in the field
of education, art and culture should be preferred. Industrial and commercial warehousing
activities shall not be permitted in the villages falling in the Southern Ridge and in
Reserved Forest Areas.
(vi) All kinds of encroachments oil the Gaon Sabha land in the heritage and reserved forest
villages should be removed and they should be converted to green. Some livelihood
activities could perhaps be accommodated in the additional spaces (after adjusting
relocations of mixed land-uses within the Lal Dora area) for the relevant types of activities
in the LAP.
7.4.2 Interim Arrangements
(i) Till the LAPs are prepared, the existing non-residential activities should be frozen at their
present level. Only residential alterations and extension may be permitted as per the
existing relaxations extended to the rural villages.

(ii) For urban villages, for sanction of building plans in the erstwhile Lal Dora area, an
affidavit from the applicant should be accepted as proof of ownership and single entity of
the plot, in cases where revenue record is not available.
(iii) Land allotted in Extended Loa Dora under consolidation proceedings, should be allowed
to be sold legally by the owners without any restriction (as laid down in the DLR Act) for
healthy and beneficial growth of the village and the villagers as well. This will stimulate
the development process-Of the village. Moreover, since most of the villages in Delhi are
proposed to be urbanized during the next 20 year, the procedure for consolidation of
landholding may not be needed any more and may be dispensed with.
7.4.3 Gaon Sabha Lands
Availability of original Gaon Sabha lands should be verified and recorded village wise
with information about the extent of area available/ encroached/ utilized for specific socio-cultural
facilities/physical infrastructure etc. Special drives should be organized to get encroachments
vacated and to promptly utilize the encroached pockets for providing public utilities/facilities for
the spillovers from the Village or for increasing the green cover in Delhi.
7.4.4 Rehabilitation Measures

Specific developmental projects/schemes should be chalked out for the villagers to
provide alternative occupation in terms of industry/work-centre wherever the agricultural lands of
the villagers are acquired for the planned development of the city and where relocation in situ or
in the vicinity is just not"-possible in the LAP.
7.4.5 Conservation Measures

Special effort should be made to conserve and preserve the handicraft, the heritage and
historical character of the village by giving incentives and relaxations in the process of
redevelopment of the Lot Dora/Extended Lat Dora in terms of land/loan/permissibility of
commercial land use or additional FAR.
7.4.6 Compensation Measures

The earlier practice of allotment of plots in developing colonies to villagers
whose lands have been acquired for Planned Development of Delhi should be
resumed and care should be taken that plots are given in the neighbourhood.
7.5 Pilot Projects to serve as demonstration models
To demonstrate implementation of two of the key recommendations (viz.,
firstly of making a beginning in introducing transparency by bringing available
village records on to Website; and secondly of showing how with people's
participation development in a village could be integrated with the surrounding
areas) two small pilot projects should be taken up.
Under the first project, rural maps and records already available in South District
should be brought on to MCD's Website within a month's time.
Under the other, LAPs of a few villages should be prepared (e.g., Mehrauli
Kishangarh, Mandi, Mandavli-Fazalpur and Sarai Kalekhan. Nizamudddin Basti
may also be taken up as an example of extension of this strategy to urban sub-
standard areas).

These pilot projects could be taken up with funds available under a sanctioned
scheme of Delhi Government (In fact, ECLD would have got it done during its
tenure. Unfortunately, these could not be initiated due to certain reasons). It is
possible to complete this pilot project in 3 months time and that should be done.
7.6 Extension of this Development Strategy to other sub-standard areas

(e.g., Unauthorised/Regularised Colonies, JJ-Clusters, Slum pockets
and special areas as defined in the Master Plan)
The mandate of this Committee is limited to Lal Dora and Extended Lal
Dora areas, but the Committee would humbly suggest that the strategy of
development/redevelopment· recommended above for villages could gainfully be
extended to other sub-standard areas of Delhi. The advantages in adopting such
a course of action would include the following:
It will be a people-centric strategy of development based on

intensive preparation of the target groups through carefully drawn
up awareness campaigns and incentives (of upgrading their
standard of living and of their gaining prosperity through value
addition of their property without having to make monetary
investments), with no element of coercion, to be implemented in
consultation with the residents and with their willing cooperation.
With more intensive Use of land, it would be possible to

accommodate practically all the residents in situ or at least in the
vicinity. Thus it would avoid dislocation.
It will also be possible to flood the market with adequate

commercial space bringing down their cost (which is exorbitantly
high at present) and that would provide livelihood opportunity to the
needy besides easing the problem of traders who were misusing
residential premises for commercial activity on account of dearth of
planned commercial spaces in Delhi.
With intensive utilization of land on the PPP principle, development

will become largely self-financing and self-sustaining.
With provision of civic services, sanitation and improvement of

environment, there will be appreciable value addition to the
property and their market value will go up. The owners will gain
substantially from the sharp rise in the value of their property.
This awareness-cum-incentive based strategy of development is

likely to result in a win-win situation for all concerned.
**** **** ****

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REPORT

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 1 of 52

Chairman, Expert Committee on Lal Dora, Delhi

Decision of the Government of India in the Ministry of Urban

Little attention was paid to facilitate and smoothen their transition to

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 2 of 52

The latest trend of strict segregation of the non-residential uses in

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 3 of 52

• Providing modern, decent living accommodation to all the present

• Enabling painless and desirable, limited segregation of residential and

• Renewal of decaying structures, markets and areas, including private

• Building up of proper urban infrastructure for better health & hygiene;

• Integration of sub-standard decayed pockets (Lal Dora/urban villages

• Putting vacant and encroached public land to proper use;

• Promotion of trade and commerce for creation of job opportunities and

• Conservation and promotion of traditional arts & crafts and recognition

• Development/Beautification of Delhi befitting of our National Capital;

• Making development/redevelopment process largely self-financing and

• Quick enrichment of the villagers through optimally intensive utilisation

o self-effort if they are prepared to invest in development OR

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 4 of 52

This strategy can easily be adopted/adapted to transform other

On behalf of the Members of the Committee and on my own behalf I

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 5 of 52

I have no words to adequately express gratitude to my colleagues in

New Delhi (P.P. Shrivastav)

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 6 of 52

Constituted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development

We, the Members of the Committee have the honour of presenting

(Prof. Jamal Ansari) (R.G. Gupta)

(Naini Jayaseelan) (V.K. Bugga)

(D.D. Mathur) (Vijay Singh)

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 7 of 52

Chapter 3 : Efforts of the Govt. of NCT Delhi to 18

Chapter 4 : Problems of the villages and efforts 20

Chapter 6 : Terms of Reference: Committee's 38

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 8 of 52

The Union Ministry of Urban Development vide its order No. K-

Chairman Shri P.P. Shrivastav Member, North-Eastern Council (the

Members i Prof Jamal Ansari Formerly, Actg. Director, School of

ii Shri R G Gupta Policy Planner, Delhi

iii Div. Commissioner Shri Narendra Kumar (upto Oct 06)

1.2 Subsequently, the Committee found it desirable to co-opt two other

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 9 of 52

(iv) To consider the recommendations contained in the Tejendra Khanna

1.6 Around 90 representations were received in response to the Public

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 10 of 52

1.10 The Committee was also keen to demonstrate implementation of two of

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Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 11 of 52

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 12 of 52

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 13 of 52

2.5 Large scale unauthorised construction that began on account of the

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 14 of 52

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 15 of 52

2.12 Applicability of Building Regulations

2.14 Development Plans for Urbanised Villages are to be prepared by DDA/

Report of Expert Cte. On Lal Dora Page 16 of 52

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