The Regulations for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Charges, 2026 are designed to promote planned, sustainable, and transit-linked urban growth, especially along metro corridors, thereby improving accessibility and aiding the development of affordable housing stock in the NCT of Delhi. This new policy builds upon the vision established in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal stated that the TOD concept was already included in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, and the 2026 Regulations enhance this vision to support transit-linked urban growth.
Smt. Rekha Gupta elaborated that, following the vision of the Hon'ble Prime Minister, the TOD policy promotes planned, high-density, and mixed-use development within a 500-metre radius around Metro and RRTS corridors. This comprehensive approach covers an area of approximately 207 square kilometres.
This corridor based approach facilitates the provisioning of affordable housing through planned development and redevelopment. The initiative aims to improve connectivity and enhance the overall ease of living, providing significant support particularly for poor and middle-class families.
Key Provisions for Affordable Housing and Development
The new Policy is structured to ensure the provision of affordable housing in the NCT of Delhi and promotes sustainable mobility alongside optimized land utilization through compact mixed-use development. This is achieved by leveraging existing and upcoming public transit infrastructure.The scope of the policy encompasses an area of 207 sq. km, defined as 500m on either side of Metro corridors and a 500m radius around RRTS/Railway Stations. Notably, approximately 80 sq. km of land, previously classified under Land Pooling, Low Density Residential Area, and Unauthorised Colonies and excluded from earlier TOD Policy, has now been incorporated under the purview of this new TOD Policy.
The policy offers flexibility for TOD development along both operational and proposed metro corridors, RRTS, and Railway Stations. This allows development to align with the construction timeline of new metro corridors, ensuring that planned new affordable housing and associated infrastructure can emerge systematically in these areas, which in turn is expected to boost metro ridership and overall livability.
In terms of development specifications, the policy now allows for the development of smaller size plots of 2000 sq.m. Furthermore, a Maximum FAR up to 500 is permitted in TOD Zones on plot sizes of 2000 sq.m. and above, accompanied by an 18 m road. A mandatory provision dictates that 65% of the total permissible FAR must be earmarked for Residential use, specifically for Dwelling Units with a built-up area of 100 Sq.m (≤ 99 Sq. m.), thereby mandating affordable housing along the metro corridor.
The remaining 35% of FAR allocation has specific guidelines: 10% must be used for the provision of commercial amenities for the housing area, while there is a flexibility allowing 25% of FAR to be used for larger size housing, Office Space, Guest House, and Studio Apartments.
To enhance walkability, the policy permits the provision of new underground or elevated pedestrian walkways connecting residents to the transit/metro stations. Additionally, public and semi-public facilities are set to receive augmentation through enhanced FAR allocated to Public & Semi-Public plots within the TOD Zone.
Improvements in Ease of Doing Business
The new Policy streamlines several inefficiencies present in the earlier framework, promoting Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) by introducing several key changes:| Earlier Policy Requirement | Current Policy Provision |
|---|---|
| Node based approach requiring a minimum 8 Ha of developable land for declaring a TOD Node. | Replaced by a corridor based approach. |
| Earlier policy required a minimum plot area of 1 Ha; Max FAR up to 500 only on plots with minimum area of 4 Ha on a 30 m road. | Now allowed on smaller size plots of 2000 sqm with an 18m road. |
| Mix of use based on the landuse of the TOD plots. | This requirement has been removed. |
| Required preparation of Influence Zone Plans (IZPs) for each TOD Node prior to Project approval; projects sanctioned by Local Bodies. | Replaced by a single window system to promote EoDB. |
| Payment of various Charges (TOD Charges, Additional FAR Charges, Conversion charges for lease hold to free hold) to DDA/Local Body. | Replaced by a simplified and single TOD charge. |
The policy promotes EoDB through a single window application and clearance mechanism for TOD projects. A TOD Committee under the VC, DDA, comprising all concerned stakeholders including service providing agencies, is tasked with ensuring time bound and seamless approval. Citizens seeking to develop their land must now apply for approvals along with the charges at one point only, eliminating the need to approach various service providing agencies separately.
The TOD Charges have been simplified into a single charge that encompasses fees related to water & sewerage (DJB), sanction charges of MCD (including charges for landuse change and levy/additional levy/additional FAR), and DDA charges for conversion from lease hold to freehold.
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