NEW DELHI: Following Minister Parvesh Verma’s announcement that 48 villages in the national capital will soon be urbanised under the Delhi Master Plan 2041, residents of ‘already-urbanised’ villages have voiced scepticism, citing unfulfilled promises and worsening conditions.
On Saturday, Verma, during a visit to Daulatpur village in southwest Delhi, said the urbanisation plan marks a “historic shift” in the capital’s development. “Under this plan, around 48 villages in Delhi will be urbanised. It will bring infrastructural growth and access to essential urban amenities like paved roads, drainage systems, water supply, street lighting, schools, and healthcare,” he said.
However, villagers who have already undergone “urbanisation” challenge these claims. Haripal Dabas, a resident of Kanjhawala in northwest Delhi, declared ‘Urban’ in 2017, said the process has delivered little on the ground. “This is urbanisation, apparently,” he exclaims, clearly disillusioned. “Connectivity, health or education have not improved. In fact, they’ve deteriorated. We had a hospital in the village earlier; now it’s just a dispensary. Vaccination drives are rare, and we need to travel long distances for proper healthcare.”
Dabas also alleged that land redistribution post-urbanisation has been manipulated by the land mafia. “Agricultural land is taken over and converted into residential plots for villagers, but much of it ends up with outsiders. Meanwhile, community resources are misused or neglected – the local Gram Sabha land was handed over to DDA but lies vacant. Ironically, the village post office continues to operate from rented premises,” he said.
Aditya Tanwar, a resident of Naraina village in west Delhi, urbanised in 1966, echoed similar concerns. “Our village has grown in an unplanned, haphazard way. There are no community centres or parks, and local water bodies have vanished. Even piped gas, available in nearby residential societies, hasn’t reached the village.”
As the government pushes forward with the next phase of urbanisation, villagers are urging authorities to address the gaps in earlier phases.
Promised land?
Experts say these problems reflect systemic flaws. Centre for Youth Culture Law and Environment president Paras Tyagi noted that 174 villages have been urbanised since 2017. “Residents are lured with promises of rising property values, but end up with disjointed governance. Once urban, the local governance structure is dissolved, subjecting them to civic neglect.”