The Delhi government has begun the process of granting urban status to 48 villages, a move intended to bring their development within a clearer planning and administrative framework while preserving their cultural identity and heritage, according to a report by Jagran.
The proposed urbanisation is being undertaken under Section 507(A) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. Once the notification is issued, the villages will move from rural to urban status. The change is expected to clarify the rules governing land use, construction and development activity in the affected areas.
The villages are spread across several parts of Delhi and include Bakoli, Hamidpur, Palla, Kulakpur, Singhola, Sungarpur Delhi, Sungarpur Shahdara, Tajpur Kalan, Tehri Daulatpur, Rajpur Kalan, Auchandi, Mungeshpur, Shahpur Garhi, Nizampur Raspidpur, Chatesar, Pur Delhi, Jagatpur Delhi, Sultanpur Majra, Pur Shahdara, Sabapur Delhi, Badarpur Khadar, Bakiabad and Khanpur Khani.
The second group includes Jafrabad, Jagatpur Shahdara, Badarpur Majra Burari, Fatehpur Beri, Chandanhola, Badusarai, Deorala, Ghumanhera, Jainpur, Jhatikara, Kanganheri, Raghopur, Rawta, Shikarpur, Bijwasan, Nanak Heri, Bakargarh, Dhansa, Galibpur, Issapur, Kair, Mundela Kalan, Mundela Khurd, Surakhpur and Chak Chilla.
The government’s stated objective is to connect these settlements with Delhi’s planned development process while retaining their existing identity. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government wanted to bring the villages into the mainstream of development without losing their cultural character and heritage, the report said.
The decision is also being linked to the draft Master Plan for Delhi-2041. The urban status is expected to help government agencies assess requirements for internal roads, sewerage, water supply, drainage, street lighting and waste management, and prepare plans for these services within a more defined administrative framework.
However, the change in legal status will not automatically deliver these facilities. The report notes that infrastructure work will still depend on approved plans, statutory clearances, coordination between the relevant agencies and the availability of resources. The distinction is important because urbanisation under the municipal law creates a planning and regulatory framework, but does not itself constitute an immediate infrastructure upgrade.
The move addresses a long-standing administrative challenge in Delhi’s expanding urban landscape: settlements that have experienced development pressure but have not always been governed through a uniform urban framework. Clarifying their status can help establish how construction, land use and civic services are to be managed, although the pace and quality of implementation will depend on follow-up decisions by the concerned departments.
The next formal step is the issuance of the notification under the relevant provision of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. After that, agencies will have to prepare and implement development and service plans for the 48 villages in accordance with applicable approvals and available resources.
