- Why in news
- On 7 April 2026, Union Minister Manohar Lal and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta announced the Regulations for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Charges, 2026 for Delhi, opening 207 sq km along transit corridors for affordable housing.
- What it is
- Transit Oriented Development is planned, high-density, mixed-use building close to public transport so people can walk to stations and use less road transport. In Delhi, the idea was placed in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. The 2026 regulations replace the earlier node-based TOD policy with a corridor-based one and a single charge.
- Area covered
- About 207 sq km: 500 m on either side of Metro corridors and a 500 m radius of RRTS/railway stations.
- Newly included land
- About 80 sq km of land under land pooling, low density residential areas and unauthorised colonies, excluded earlier, is now covered.
- Approval system
- A TOD Committee under the Vice Chairman of DDA gives single-window, time-bound approvals. This replaces Influence Zone Plans and sanction by local bodies.
- Single TOD charge
- One TOD charge replaces separate DJB water and sewerage, MCD sanction and land-use change, additional FAR and DDA leasehold-to-freehold conversion charges.
Don’t confuse with FAR vs ground coverage: Floor Area Ratio is total built-up floor area divided by plot area. Ground coverage is only the share of the plot the building footprint covers.
Don’t confuse with Node-based vs corridor-based TOD: The earlier policy needed a TOD node of at least 8 ha of developable land. The 2026 policy covers whole corridors, operational or proposed.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Dense housing near transit can raise metro and RRTS ridership and cut road traffic and emissions.
- Makes better use of scarce land and adds affordable housing for poor and middle-class families.
Problems
- Higher density strains water, sewerage, roads and open space in already crowded areas, and includes unauthorised colonies and land-pooling areas.
- Affordable units may not reach target groups, and land costs and the single TOD charge may push developers to build larger flats.
Way forward
- Phase approvals with the construction of corridors and upgrade civic services before densifying.
- Monitor the 65% affordable-housing rule and publish outcomes.
- 2014Mains GS3 · Q8Critically discuss success of strategies for 'moving people' under National Urban Transport Policy.
- 2019Mains GS1 · Q16How efficient, affordable urban mass transport is key to India's economic development.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: A lasting urban planning policy with facts such as the 500 m radius and 207 sq km. It is Delhi-specific, so a question is unlikely.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.