There is not a single village officially left in the capital. With the recent declaration of 48 villages as urbanized, all 352 villages of Delhi have joined the urbanized category. MCD has completed this process in eight phases. However, despite this process lasting more than six decades, the picture of most of the villages has not changed even today and the villagers are waiting for basic facilities like cities.
Declaring villages as urbanized in Delhi started in the year 1963 after the implementation of the first master plan. At that time 19 villages were given the status of urbanized villages. Three years later, in 1966, 72 more villages were included in this category. While during the second master plan in the year 1982, 24 villages were declared urbanized, while in 1994, 20 more villages were added to this list. The process of urbanization gained momentum after the implementation of the Third Master Plan and Land Pulling Policy. In the year 2017, 89 villages were declared urbanized. After that, 79 villages got this status in 2019 and one village in 2021. Now in the year 2026, the remaining 48 villages have also been declared urbanized. In this way, the villages in Delhi have completely ceased to exist administratively.
The condition of villages has not changed even after six decades
Former MP Ch. According to Tarif Singh, the purpose of declaring the villages as urbanized was to provide them city-like facilities, but most of the villages are still struggling with basic problems. Narrow streets, disorganized construction, parking problems, lack of drainage and bad roads are still a big challenge in many villages. Former metropolitan councilor Rohtash Dabas said that in the name of urbanization, only taxes and rules were implemented in the villages, but the facilities did not reach. Apart from laying sewer lines, no major development work took place in most of the villages. Posh colonies have developed around many villages, but the villages themselves remain isolated areas surrounded by boundary walls.
Rules increased, favorable system was not made
After the villages became urbanized, property tax has been implemented there. Besides, the provisions of building bye-laws, master plan and DDA have also come into force. Due to this, construction and reconstruction of houses in villages has become a big problem for the villagers. Villagers say that considering the traditional settlement and narrow streets of the villages, the urban building bye-law is not practical. Many people are not able to construct or repair their old houses easily. On the other hand, commercial activities are not completely permitted in villages like in urban areas, due to which economic activities are being affected.
Difference between master plan and ground reality
Urban planners believe that the process of declaring the villages of Delhi as urbanized was completed on paper, but development could not take place at the ground level. A separate development model was not prepared keeping in mind the historical and social structure of the villages. As a result, villages could neither remain completely rural nor become modern urban areas. Than Singh Yadav, head of Delhi Panchayat Union, says that the government and concerned agencies should no longer limit themselves to just declaring themselves urbanized, but should focus on developing infrastructure, parking, roads, drainage, community facilities and employment opportunities as per the villages.