Haphazard development: Why it’s a key concern in DDA’s transit-oriented development policy

“If the number of people are going to increase in an area, there should also be a proportionate increase in the common infrastructure such as the street network, sewers and drains. That is called the LAP approach, which should be included in the policy,” said Jignesh Mehta, urban planner and architect who teaches at Gujarat-based CEPT University.

While DDA has released different versions of TOD policies in 2015, 2019 and 2021, and identified 12 clusters or TOD nodes, different metro and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) stations over a decade, the construction work is yet to start at any of these locations, except one. At DDA’s East Delhi Hub in Karkardooma, the only node where work started, the initial phase is set to be completed mid-next year. Sources suggest that relaxations in the new draft may have been introduced to draw the interest of developers.

The DDA has not responded to queries on concerns over the new draft.

Key differences between old and new

Here’s how the new policy is significantly different from the previous policies.

A point of major concern with the new policy is the potential for haphazard development. The 2021 policy required the submission of an Influence Zone Plan (IZP) to the DDA, which outlines area improvement works such as road widening, upgraded public streets with multi-utility zones, facilities for intermediate public transport, pedestrians and non-motorised transport, multi-modal integration, public parking, urban furniture, signage, public conveniences and street vending zones. The new policy has no mention of this kind of plan — a landowner with the minimum required land in the TOD area will automatically benefit with a higher FAR, without being part of an integrated TOD plan. A higher FAR (Floor Area Ratio) means more floors or taller buildings can be constructed on the same size of land.

Also, at the heart of a TOD policy is the integration of community, business and leisure spaces. However, no mention of public green spaces, universal barrier-free access and active frontages — which were a part of the 2021 policy – in the latest draft has raised eyebrows.

Another key change is that transit-oriented development was not allowed earlier in unauthorised colonies, land pooling zones, low density villages and most importantly, the congested spaces of the Walled city in Old Delhi. However, the new draft allows it, raising an important question — can such congested spaces accommodate this kind of vertical growth?

Further, the latest draft lacks clarity about identification of TOD nodes around Metro and RRTS stations on the basis of passengers passing through the transit system or the availability of land. It defines TOD zones as area within 500 metres on either side of the complete metro corridor, as well as area within the 500 metre radius of RRTS and railway stations. This definition has been labelled problematic by RWAs in Greater Kailash-1. “…With Pink Line in the North, Magenta in South, Violet in East and the proposed marked Red in the West, the 500-meter wide corridor will swallow 85% of GK-I as two Metro Lines in places are not even 800 meters apart,” a collective of Delhi RWAs, running a campaign called Save Our City, has written to the DDA, raising objection.

Harsh Vardhan Bansal, Vice-Chair of Confederation of Indian Industry Delhi and Co-founder of Unity Group, a real estate developer said, “To further strengthen the policy framework, we need to introduce a two-tier TOD structure: Intense TOD Zone and Transition TOD Zone to strengthen coverage along transit corridors and provision to transfer any unutilised FAR to another project through TDR,” .

AK Jain, former planning commissioner at DDA, underlines that traffic management should also have been in focus. “They are talking about everything but transit. There should have been a traffic management plan which details how the area will deal with increased traffic. Otherwise, they will become massive congestion points,” Jain said.

Meanwhile, in the new draft, DDA has also brought down the required size of the plot from 10,000 square metres to 2,000 square metres, which allows people with smaller land parcels to also participate in the policy. This move has been welcomed by the developers.