Land pooling: DDA grants approval for change of use in north-west Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority (DDA) granted approval for the change of land use for a 40.2-hectare land pooling area in Sector-8B of Planning Zone P-II, making it the first sector to become eligible for development under Delhi's Land Pooling Policy, notified in 2018.Sector-8B comprises land in the villages of Garhi Khusro, Mukhmelpur and Ibrahimpur in north-west Delhi.
The authority initially approved the proposal on Nov 5, 2025, following which a public notice was issued inviting objections and suggestions. After completion of the statutory process, the proposal was cleared and will be forwarded to the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for notification."Sector-8B is the first among 138 designated sectors under the policy to achieve the mandatory threshold of 70% contiguous pooled land, making it eligible for implementation. The eligibility follows changes made to operational norms last year, which enabled landowners and developers to complete pooling requirements and move towards development," a DDA official said.The Land Pooling Policy was incorporated in the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 and notified on Oct 11, 2018, with detailed regulations issued on Oct 24 the same year. The policy seeks to promote planned urbanisation by enabling landowners to voluntarily pool their land parcels for integrated development.Instead of acquiring individual plots, DDA aggregates the pooled land, simplifying and expediting the process. After development, a defined portion of serviced land will be returned to participating landowners, while the remaining area will be utilised for housing, public amenities and key infrastructure such as roads, drainage systems, utilities and large residential or commercial clusters.The policy applies to 105 urban villages across six planning zones — K-I, L, N, P-II and parts of P-I and J — covering a total poolable area of approximately 20,422 hectares. These were divided into 138 sectors to facilitate phased planning and implementation.In Sept 2023, DDA directed power discoms to withhold new electricity connections in land pooling areas to discourage unauthorised construction and ensure development in accordance with the Master Plan and the Delhi Development Act, except in PM Uday colonies falling within such areas."The policy is designed to support the planned expansion of Delhi's urban limits and create infrastructure-ready sectors equipped with residential, commercial and public facilities. DDA processed applications before the formation of a consortium in eligible sectors," a source said.According to DDA, progress in other sectors will depend on landowners completing pooling formalities and meeting prescribed eligibility conditions.