Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Delhi Master Plan Proposes Market for Unused Construction Rights
Delhi is planning a new way to let people trade permission to build.
If a landowner cannot use all the building space allowed on their plot, they could sell the unused permission.
Another developer could then use it on a different approved plot.
This system is called Transferable Development Rights, or TDR.
The plan is meant to help pay for slum rehabilitation, protect heritage buildings, and improve old parts of Delhi.
The rights would be available only in areas selected by the Delhi Development Authority.
The DDA would issue certificates and create an online portal for trading them.
The plan has been approved by the DDA but still needs final approval and notification from the housing ministry.
Delhi’s proposed MPD-2047 would let property owners sell unused construction rights to developers elsewhere.
The Transferable Development Rights system would support heritage conservation, Walled City regeneration, and in-situ slum rehabilitation.
Unused rights would be issued through DDA certificates and usable only in designated receiving areas within Delhi.
The rights are expected to be valuable because slum-rehabilitation projects may receive a Floor Area Ratio of 500.
The DDA plans a single-window portal for buying, selling, and using TDRs, pending final government approval.
- Who
- The Delhi Development Authority, property owners, and private developers would participate in the proposed TDR system; the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs must give final approval.
- What
- The proposed MPD-2047 would allow unused construction rights to be transferred or sold for use on another plot.
- When
- The DDA approved the Master Plan proposal last week; it is awaiting final approval and notification.
- Where
- The rights would apply within the National Capital Territory of Delhi and only in DDA-designated receiving areas, including expected transit-oriented development zones.
- Why
- The mechanism is intended to encourage private participation in heritage preservation, Walled City regeneration, and in-situ slum rehabilitation while keeping development geographically controlled.
- Plan
- Master Plan for Delhi 2047 (MPD-2047)
- Approving body
- Delhi Development Authority (DDA)
- Pending approval
- Final approval and notification from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Eligible uses
- Heritage conservation, Walled City regeneration, and in-situ slum rehabilitation
- Development limit
- TDR certificates would provide rights usable within the National Capital Territory of Delhi
- Potential receiving areas
- Designated areas expected to include transit-oriented development zones along Metro corridors
- Planned trading system
- A dedicated DDA single-window portal for buying, selling, and using TDRs