Commercial hub proposed at north Delhi’s Azadpur

The Delhi Municipal Corporation’s ambitious plan of creating a commercial hub in North Delhi is set to take off, with blueprints finalized to develop three million sq ft of commercial and residential properties in Azadpur at a cost of Rs 2,900 crore.

The plan has been created by Design Forum International (DFI), a consultancy firm for architecture, urbanism and design. WAPCOS, a government company, has been selected as a consultant to these projects along with DFI.

The project that was languishing for almost three years has now been altered as per the recently approved Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy.

The development is part of North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s plan to redevelop the existing colony and convert a 23-acre area into a residential and commercial hub.

“We have planned two commercial towers and 18 residential towers in this part of Delhi, which is always short of supply. While we raise the initial funding to start construction, the project will be largely funded by the sale of residential and commercial units,” said Anand Sharma, founder-partner, DFI.

The total built-up has been distributed such that 20% has been dedicated to commercial development, 10% earmarked to be developed as social infrastructure for the population, while the remaining 70% has been utilised for residential development.

North MCD had awarded the work in October 2018, but the project has been delayed due to Covid-19 disruptions.

WAPCOS said it is awaiting final approval from MCD and will begin construction soon.

Of the total three million sq ft, 5.5 lakh sq ft will be commercial where retail and office space will be built to promote the walk-to-work culture.

The redevelopment will also offer 2,000 residential units—of 2BHK and 4BHK configuration—spread across 18 residential towers.

“Construction will be completed in two phases and 50% of the project will be completed in phase 1. We will take 36 months from the date of starting the construction,” Sharma said.

The corporation owns a large section of Delhi's urban territory and is now in the process of redeveloping it.

The land parcel sits near major transport infrastructure, and the GT road in the front provides easy connectivity, with DTC buses and an upcoming underground metro link set to bring the area within the transit zone.

The proposed development is in sync with the redevelopment policies of the Government of India,which aspires to connect residential neighbourhoods to existing urban infrastructure, encourages walk to work, and promotes dependence on public transport by reducing travel time and distance.

“Since urban living in a high-density area demands consolidation of infrastructure, the greens and open areas are amassed into one large contiguous space, which also acts as a green lung,” Sharma said.