New Delhi, October 24 — The Delhi government has decided to urbanise 48 villages by invoking Section 507(a) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, aligning the villages' legal status with Delhi's urban landscape and the Draft Master Plan 2041, Hindustan Times reported. The move aims to improve roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage and sanitation in the affected settlements.

Source: Hindustan Times via Inshorts

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government's objective was to connect the villages with the mainstream of development while preserving their cultural identity and heritage, according to a Jagran report cited by UrbanAcres. Once the formal notification is issued, the 48 villages will change from rural to urban status, giving agencies a clearer administrative framework for planning infrastructure, land use, construction rules and development activity.

Source: UrbanAcres (citing Jagran)

48Villages to get urban status under Section 507(a)
357Total urban villages in Delhi after the change, per reports
1957Delhi Municipal Corporation Act under which the decision is taken
2041Draft Master Plan with which the move is aligned

The villages named in the report include Bijwasan, Fatehpur Beri, Jafrabad, Bakoli, Hamidpur, Palla, Kulakpur, Singhola, Tajpur Kalan, Tehri Daulatpur, Rajpur Kalan, Auchandi, Mungeshpur, Shahpur Garhi, Dhansa, Galibpur, Issapur, Kair, Mundela Kalan, Mundela Khurd, Surakhpur and Chak Chilla, among others spread across the capital's rural belt.

Under the urban framework, the villages are expected to be assessed for requirements such as internal roads, sewerage networks, water supply, drainage, street lighting and waste management. Reports noted, however, that the change in legal status does not mean all facilities will become available immediately — infrastructure works will depend on approved plans, statutory clearances and the resources available with the concerned agencies, and coordination between departments will remain necessary before projects are implemented.