NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has approved a series of planning and land development measures, including the change of land use for land pooling areas and the continuation of the Enhanced Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Policy for commercial centers.

In a meeting chaired by L-G V. K. Saxena on Wednesday, the DDA approved the change of land use for 40.23 hectares under the land pooling policy, paving the way for the first phase of its implementation. The policy, notified in October 2018 as part of the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021, covers 105 urban villages across six planning zones. The area is divided into 138 sectors, covering 20,422 hectares.

Sector 8B of Planning Zone P-II, near Bhalaswa Lake, has become the first sector to achieve 70% contiguous pooled land, making it eligible for development. The DDA said that land distribution for the sector will follow a 60:40 ratio between landowners’ consortiums and the authority. The move will open up the area for massive commercial development.

The DDA also extended its enhanced FAR policy for commercial centers by one year. Introduced in 2018, the scheme allows higher construction potential, while the DDA benefitted by raising additional revenue. This extension is applicable across the city. The DDA said it would allow stakeholders another chance to use unclaimed FAR and support the growth of commercial infra.