New Delhi, Oct 14 Coaching centres, restaurants, grocery stores, and sweet shops operating from residential premises across Delhi could face sealing, as the MCD has identified around 21,000 properties violating land-use norms during a survey of nearly four lakh buildings, officials said on Wednesday.
Around five per cent of the properties surveyed were found to be used for commercial activities despite being designated for residential purposes, a senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official told PTI.
“Nearly four lakh properties have been surveyed, and around 21,000 were found to violate land-use norms. These include coaching centres, restaurants, grocery stores, sweet shops and other commercial establishments operating from residential premises. We will issue notices to the owners and initiate sealing proceedings in phases,” the official said.
Of the 21,000 properties identified, around 7,000 owners claimed they had completed the conversion process for commercial use, while another 6,000 properties were located on roads designated for mixed land use, another MCD official said.
“Properties where the required conversion process has not been completed, including those where conversion charges remain unpaid, could face sealing. Notices will be issued to the owners, and action will be taken in a phased manner after examining the applicable requirements,” the official said.
The survey follows a March 2026 Supreme Court order directing local bodies in the capitals of all states and Union territories to take action against residential properties illegally used for commercial activities.
The order was passed in ‘Loganathan vs State of Tamil Nadu and Others’ — a case that began with a dispute over an unauthorised structure in Chennai before the Supreme Court extended its directions to other states and Union Territories.
Under Delhi’s land-use rules, commercial activities are permitted on designated commercial streets. Specified commercial establishments can also operate on roads notified for mixed land use, subject to conditions, including payment of conversion charges to the MCD.
According to official data, Delhi has around 1,821 roads, of which 987 have been notified for commercial activities and 834 fall under the mixed-land-use category. Shops are permitted on the ground floors of properties along mixed-land-use roads, while upper floors can be used for residential purposes, subject to applicable rules.
The mixed-land-use provision was introduced in 2006 amid a major sealing drive against unauthorised commercial establishments in residential areas. The drive, monitored by a Supreme Court-appointed committee, had triggered protests by traders and shopkeepers across the city.
(PTI News)
