What Are Influence Zones In Delhi's Master Plan?

Delhi Transport Corporation-run (DTC) buses used to be to the national capital what local trains still are to Mumbai: its lifeline. However, with the arrival of the Delhi Metro, which started operations in 2002, the way people travelled in the national capital saw a remarkable change. The change in Delhiites' preferred mode of transportation and a huge impact on their housing needs, too. Home buyers started making houses closer to an area's Metro station a priority. Developers who have projects in Delhi never forget to mention the distance between their proposed project and a planned or an existing Metro station. This helps them sell better after all.

The brains behind the Delhi Master Plan 2021 sensed an opportunity in this and made housing development around Metro stations and other mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) a focal point of infrastructural development in the national capital. And, this is when the term influence zone came into picture.

The Master Plan talks about developing influential zones — an area along the MRTS where intensive urban development will be carried out — for utilising land in a better way. According to the plan, influence zones will help absorb "a sizable proportion of the additional population with requisite facilities and employment".

Government estimates show Delhi's population will reach 22.5 crore by 2021 and major changes are required in Delhi's urban planning to house this population.  

What is the plan?

“Influence zone (s) along MRTS corridor (s) and the sub-zones for redevelopment and renewal should be identified on the basis of physical features such as Metro, roads, drains, high-tension lines and control zones of monuments/heritage areas, etc,” says Master Plan 2021.

Up to 500 metres of land on both sides of the central line of a transport corridor will be designated as influence zone. Every zone will have to prepare and suggest these areas in their zonal development plans.

Developers building projects in these zones will be given higher floor area ratio (FAR) . However, this higher FAR will not be applicable on development in areas such as the Lutyens' Bungalow Zone, Civil Lines Bungalow Area, Delhi Imperial Zone, DMRC property development, comprehensive commercial schemes, Chanakya Puri, Matasundari Area and monument-regulated zones.

According to the plan, in the proposed urban extension areas, the land uses will be integrated with the proposed movement corridors at planning stages.

It would surely change the way Delhi works if more people could live closer to mass transit networks systems, and could reach their respective destinations faster without getting stuck in traffic jams. This will save their time as well as a huge amount of money. If all goes fine with the plan and its implementation, the Metro would not be the last revolutionary change the national capital underwent.