Chapter XV CHAPTER XV

(1) All streets within the jurisdiction of the Corporation constituted under sub-section (1) of section 3 of this Act which are or at any time become public streets, and the pavements, stones and other materials thereof shall vest in such Corporation: Provided that no public street which immediately before the commencement of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2011 (12 of 2011) vested in the Union, shall, unless the Government with the consent of the concerned Corporation so directs, vest in such Corporation by virtue of this sub-section. (2) All public streets vesting in the Corporation shall be under the control of the Commissioner and shall be maintained, controlled and regulated by him in accordance with the bye-laws made in this behalf. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-sections (1) and (2), the Government may, by notification, direct that all or any of the functions of the Corporation or the Commissioner, in respect of public streets under this Act shall be performed by such authority as may be specified therein.

(1) The Commissioner shall, from time to time, cause all public streets vested in the Corporation to be levelled, metalled or paved, channelled, altered or repaired, and may widen, extend or otherwise improve any such street or cause the soil thereof to be raised, lowered or altered or may place and keep in repair fences and posts for the safety of foot-passengers: Provided that no widening, extension or other improvement of a public street, the aggregate cost of which will exceed Rs. 5,000, shall be undertaken by the Commissioner except with the previous sanction of the Corporation. (2) With the previous sanction of the Corporation the Commissioner may permanently close the whole or any part of a public street: Provided that before according such sanction the Corporation shall by notice publish in the manner specified by bye-laws give reasonable opportunity to the residents likely to be affected by such closure to make suggestions or objections with respect to such closure and shall consider all such suggestions or objections which may be made within one month from the date of the publication of the said notice.

Whenever any public street or a part thereof is permanently closed under sub-section (2) of section 299 the site of such street or of the portion thereof may be disposed of as land vesting in the Corporation.

The Commissioner may at any time with the previous sanction of the Corporation,— (a) lay out and make new public streets; (b) construct bridges and sub-ways; (c) turn or divert any existing public street; and (d) lay down and determine the position and direction of a street or streets in any part of Delhi notwithstanding that no proposal for the erection of any building in the vicinity has been received.

The Commissioner shall, from time to time, with the sanction of the Standing Committee, specify the minimum width of different classes of new public streets according to the nature of the traffic likely to be carried thereon, and the streets with which they join at one or both ends, the localities in which they are situated, the heights up to which buildings abutting thereon may be erected and other similar considerations.

(1) The Commissioner may— (a) prohibit vehicular traffic in any public street or any portion thereof so as to prevent danger, obstruction or inconvenience to the public or to ensure quietness in any locality; (b) prohibit in respect of all public streets, or any particular public street, the transit of any vehicle of such form, construction, weight or size or laden with such heavy or unwieldy objects as may be likely to cause injury to the roadways or any construction thereon, except under such conditions as to time, mode of traction or locomotion, use of appliances for the protection of roadways, number of lights and assistants and other general precautions and upon the payment of such charges as may be specified by the Commissioner generally or specially in each case; (c) prohibit access to premises from any particular public street carrying high speed vehicular traffic: Provided that the Commissioner shall not take action without the sanction of the Corporation in cases under clause (a) and without the sanction of the Standing Committee in cases under clause (c). (2) Notices of such prohibition as are imposed under sub-section (1) shall be posted in conspicuous places at or near both ends of public streets or portions thereof to which they relate, unless such prohibition applies generally to all public streets.

Subject to the provisions contained in Chapter X, the Commissioner may— (a) acquire any land required for the purpose of opening, widening, extending or otherwise improving any public street or of making any new public street, and any building standing upon such land; (b) acquire in relation to any such land or building, all such land with buildings, if any, thereon as the Corporation may think expedient to acquire outside of the regular line, or of the intended regular line, of such street; (c) acquire any land for the purpose of laying out or making a public parking place.

(1) The Commissioner may define a line on one or both sides of any public street in accordance with the bye-laws made in this behalf and may, with the previous sanction of the Corporation, redefine at any time any such regular line: Provided that, before according sanction the Corporation shall by public notice afford reasonable opportunity to the residents of premises abutting on such public street to make suggestions or objections with respect to the proposed redefined line of the street and shall consider all such suggestions or objections which may be made within one month from the date of the publication of the said notice: Provided further that the regular line of any public street operative under any law in force in any part of Delhi immediately before the commencement of this Act shall be deemed to be a line defined by the Commissioner under this sub-section. (2) The line for the time being defined or redefined shall be called the regular line of street.

(1) If any part of a building abutting on a public street is within the regular line of that street, the Commissioner may, whenever it is proposed—(a) to repair, rebuild or construct such building or to take down such building to an extent exceeding one-half thereof above the ground level, such half to be measured in cubic feet; or (b) to repair, remove, construct or reconstruct or make any additions to, or structural alterations of, any portion of such building which is within the regular line of the street, by any order which he issues concerning the additions to, rebuilding, construction, repair or alterations of, such building, require such building to be set back to the regular line of the street. (2) When any building or any part thereof within the regular line of a public street falls down or is burnt down or is, whether by the order of the Commissioner or otherwise, taken down, the Commissioner may forthwith take possession on behalf of the Corporation of the portion of the land within the regular line of the street therefore occupied by the said building and, if necessary, clear the same. (3) Land acquired under this section shall be deemed to be a part of the public street and shall vest in the Corporation.

(1) Where any building or any part thereof is within the regular line of a public street and in the opinion of the Commissioner it is necessary to set back the building or part thereof to the regular line of the street he may, by notice served on the owner in accordance with the provisions of this Act, require him to show cause within such period as may be specified in the notice as to why such building or part thereof which is within the regular line of the street should not be pulled down and the land within the regular line acquired by the Commissioner on behalf of the Corporation. (2) If such owner fails to show cause as required by sub-section (1) the Commissioner may, with the approval of the Standing Committee, require the owner by another notice to be served on him in accordance with the provisions of this Act, to pull down the building or part thereof which is within the regular line of the street within such period as is specified in the notice. (3) If within such period the owner of the building fails to pull down the building or part thereof as required by the Commissioner, the Commissioner may pull down the same and all the expenses incurred in so doing shall be paid by the owner and recoverable from him as an arrear of tax under this Act. (4) The Commissioner shall at once take possession on behalf of the Corporation of the portion of the land within the regular line of the street occupied by the said building or part thereof and such land shall thereupon be deemed to be a part of the public street and shall vest in the Corporation.

If any land, whether open or enclosed, not vesting in the Corporation and not occupied by any building is within the regular line of a public street or if a platform, verandah, step, compound wall, hedge or fence or some other structure external to a building abutting on a public street or a portion of such platform, verandah, step, compound wall, hedge, fence or other structure is within the regular line of such street the Commissioner may, after giving to the owner of the land or building not less than seven clear days’ notice of his intention so to do, take possession on behalf of the Corporation of the said land with its enclosing wall, hedge or fence, if any, or of the said platform, verandah, step, compound wall, hedge, fence or other structure or of any portion thereof which is within the regular line of the public street and, if necessary, clear the same and the land so acquired shall thereupon be deemed to be a part of the public street and shall vest in the Corporation: Provided that where the land or building is vested in the Union or a State the Commissioner shall not take possession thereof without the previous sanction of the Government.

(1) Where a land or building is partly within the regular line of a public street and the Commissioner is satisfied that the land remaining after the excision of the portion within the said line will not be suitable or fit for any beneficial use, he may, at the request of the owner, acquire such land in addition to the land within the said line and such surplus land shall be deemed to be a part of the public street and shall vest in the Corporation.

[Omitted.]

(1) Compensation shall be paid by the Commissioner to the owner of any building or land acquired for a public street under the provisions of sections 306, 307 and 308 for any loss which such owner may sustain in consequence of his building or land being so acquired and for any expense incurred by such owner in consequence of any order made by the Commissioner: Provided that— (a) any increase or decrease in the value of the remainder of the property of which the building or land so acquired formed part, likely to accrue from the setting back to the regular line of the street shall be taken into consideration and allowed for in determining the amount of such compensation; (b) if any such increase in the value exceeds the amount of loss sustained or expenses incurred by the owner, the Commissioner may recover from him half the amount of such excess as a betterment charge. (2) If in consequence of any order to set forward a building made by the Commissioner, the owner of such building sustains any loss or damage, compensation shall be paid to him by the Commissioner for such loss or damage after taking into account any increase in value likely to accrue from the setting forward. (3) If the additional land which will be included in the premises of any person required or permitted under sub-section (2) to set forward a building belongs to the Corporation, the order or permission of the Commissioner to set forward the building shall be a sufficient conveyance to the said owner of the said land; and the price to be paid to the Corporation by the owner for such additional land and the other terms and conditions of the conveyance shall be set forth in the order or permission. (4) If, when the Commissioner requires any building to be set forward, the owner of the building is dissatisfied with the price fixed to be paid to the Corporation or with any of the terms or conditions of conveyance, the Commissioner shall, upon the application of the owner at any time within fifteen days after the said terms and conditions are communicated to him, refer the case for the determination of the court or the district judge of Delhi whose decision thereon shall be final.

If the owner of any land utilises, sells, leases out or otherwise disposes of such land for the construction of buildings thereon, he shall lay down and make a street or streets giving access to the plots into which the land may be divided and connecting with an existing public or private street.

(1) Before utilising, selling or otherwise dealing with any land under section 312, the owner thereof shall send to the Commissioner a written application with a lay-out plan of the land showing the following particulars, namely:— (a) the plots into which the land is proposed to be divided for the erection of buildings thereon and the purpose or purposes for which such buildings are to be used; (b) the reservation or allotment of any site for any street, open space, park, recreation ground, school, market or any other public purpose; (c) the intended level, direction and width of street or streets; (d) the regular line of street or streets; (e) the arrangements to be made for leveling, paving, metalling, flagging, channelling, severing, draining, conserving and lighting street or streets. (2) The provisions of this Act and the bye-laws made thereunder as to width of the public streets and the height of buildings abutting thereon, shall apply in the case of streets referred to in sub-section (1) and all the particulars referred to in that sub-section shall be subject to the sanction of the Standing Committee. (3) Within sixty days after the receipt of any application under sub-section (1) the Standing Committee shall either accord sanction to the lay-out plan on such conditions as it may think fit or disallow it or ask for further information with respect to it. (4) Such sanction shall be refused— (a) if the particulars shown in the lay-out plan would conflict with any arrangements which have been made or which are in the opinion of the Standing Committee likely to be made for carrying out any general scheme of development of Delhi whether contained in the master plan or a zonal development plan prepared for Delhi or not; or (b) if the said lay-out plan does not conform to the provisions of this Act and bye-laws made thereunder; or (c) if any street proposed in the plan is not designed so as to connect at one end with a street which is already open. (5) No person shall utilise, sell or otherwise deal with any land or lay-out or make any new street without or otherwise than in conformity with the orders of the Standing Committee and if further information is asked for, no step shall be taken to utilise, sell or otherwise deal with the land or to lay-out or make the street until orders have been passed upon receipt of such information: Provided that the passing of such orders shall not be in any case delayed for more than sixty days after the Standing Committee has received the information which it considers necessary to enable it to deal with the said application. (6) The lay-out plan referred to earlier in this section shall, if so required by the Standing Committee, be prepared by a licensed town planner.

(1) If any person lays-out or makes any street referred to in section 313, without or otherwise than in conformity with the orders of the Standing Committee, the Commissioner may, whether or not the offender be prosecuted under this Act, by notice—

(1) If any private street or part thereof is not levelled, paved, metalled, flagged, channelled, severed, drained, conserved or lighted to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, he may by notice require the owners of such street or part and the owners of the lands and buildings fronting or abutting on such street or part to carry out any work which in his opinion may be necessary, and within such time as may be specified in such notice. (2) If such work is not carried out within the time specified in the notice, the Commissioner may, if he thinks fit, execute it and the expenses incurred shall be paid by the owners referred to in sub-section (1) in such proportion as may be determined by the Commissioner and shall be recoverable from them as an arrear of tax under this Act.

If any street has been levelled, paved, metalled, flagged, channelled, severed, drained, conserved and lighted under the provisions of section 315, the Commissioner may, and on the requisition of a majority of the owners referred to in sub-section (1) of that section shall, declare such a street to be a public street and thereupon the street shall vest in the Corporation.

(1) No person shall erect, set up, add to, or place against or in front of any premises any structure or fixture which will— (a) overhang, jut or project into, or in any way encroach upon, and obstruct in any way the safe or convenient passage of the public along, any street, or (b) jut or project into or encroach upon any drain or open channel in any street so as in any way to interfere with the use or proper working of such drain or channel or to impede the inspection or cleansing thereof. (2) The Commissioner may by notice require the owner or occupier of any premises to remove, or to take such other action as he may direct in relation to, any structure or fixture which has been erected, set up, added to, or placed against, or in front of, the said premises in contravention of this section. (3) If the occupier of the said premises removes or alters any structure or fixture in accordance with such notice, he shall be entitled, unless the structure or fixture was erected, set up or placed by himself, to credit into account with the owner of the premises for all reasonable expenses incurred by him in complying with the notice.

Omitted by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provision) Act, 2026 (8 of 2026), s. 2 and Sch. (w.e.f. 15-5-2026).

The Commissioner may at any time by notice require the owner of any premises on the ground floor of which any door, gate, bar, or window opens outwards upon a street or upon any land required for the improvement of a street in such manner, as in the opinion of the Commissioner, to obstruct the safe or convenient passage of the public along such street, to have the said door, gate, bar or window altered so as not to open outwards.

(1) No person shall, except with the permission of the Commissioner granted in this behalf, erect or set up any wall, fence, rail, post, step, booth or other structure whether fixed or movable or whether of a permanent or temporary nature, or any fixture in or upon any street or upon or over any open channel, drain, well or tank in any street so as to form an obstruction to, or an encroachment upon, or a projection over, or to occupy any portion of such street, channel, drain, well or tank. (2) Nothing in this section shall apply to any erection or thing to which clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 325 applies.

(1) No person shall, except with the permission of the Commissioner and on payment of such fee as he in each case thinks fit, place or deposit upon any street, or upon any open channel, drain or well in any street or upon any public place any stall, chair, bench, box, ladder, bale or other thing whatsoever so as to form an obstruction thereto or encroachment thereon. (2) Nothing in sub-section (1) applies to building materials.

The Commissioner may, without notice, cause to be removed— (a) any stall, chair, bench, box, ladder, bale or other thing whatsoever, placed, deposited, projected, attached or suspended in, upon from or to any place in contravention of this Act; (b) any article whatsoever hawked or exposed for sale on any public street or in other public place in contravention of this Act and vehicle, package, box or any other thing in or on which such article is placed.

(1) No person shall tether any animal or cause or permit the same to be tethered in any public street. (2) No person shall milk or cause or permit to be milked any cow or buffalo in any street. (3) Any animal tethered or any cow or buffalo found being milked as aforesaid in any street may be removed by the Commissioner or any municipal officer or employee and be impounded and dealt with under the provisions of the Cattle-Trespass Act, 1871 (1 of 1871).

(1) The Commissioner shall, so far as is practicable during the construction or repair of any public street, or any municipal drain or any premises vested in the Corporation— (a) cause the same to be fenced and guarded; (b) take proper precautions against accident by shoring up and protecting the adjoining buildings; (c) cause such bars, chains or posts to be fixed across or in any street in which any such work of construction or repair is under execution as are necessary in order to prevent the passage of vehicles or animals and avert danger. (2) The Commissioner shall cause such street, drain or premises to be sufficiently lighted or guarded during night while under construction or repair. (3) The Commissioner shall, with all reasonable speed, cause the said work to be completed, the ground to be filled in, the said street, drain or premises to be repaired and the rubbish occasioned thereby to be removed. (4) No person shall, without the permission of the Commissioner or other lawful authority, remove any bar, chain, post or shoring, timber, or remove or extinguish any light set up under this section.

(1) No person other than the Commissioner or a municipal officer or other municipal employee shall, without the written permission of the Commissioner— (a) open, break up, displace, take up or make any alteration in, or cause any injury to the soil or pavement or any wall, fence, post, chain or other material or thing forming part of any street; or (b) deposit any building materials in any street; or (c) set up in any street any scaffold or any temporary erection for the purpose of any work whatever, or any posts, bars, rails, boards or other things by way of an enclosure, for the purpose of making mortar or depositing bricks, lime, rubbish or other materials. (2) Any permission granted under clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1) shall be terminable at the discretion of the Commissioner on his giving not less than twenty-four hours notice of such termination to the person to whom such permission was granted. (3) The Commissioner may, without notice, cause to be removed any of the things referred to in clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1) which has been deposited or set up in any street without the permission specified in that sub-section, on which having been deposited or set up with such permission has not been removed within the period specified in the notice issued under sub-section (2): Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to cases under clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1) in which an application for permission has been made with such fee as may be prescribed by the Commissioner in this behalf but not reply has been sent to the applicant within seven days from the date of the application.

(1) Any of the things caused to be removed by the Commissioner under this Chapter shall, unless the owner thereof turns up to take back such thing and pays to the Commissioner the charges for the removal and storage of such thing, be disposed of by the Commissioner by public auction or in such other manner and within such time as the Commissioner thinks fit. (2) The charges for removal and storage of the thing sold under sub-section (1) shall be paid out of the proceeds of the sale thereof and the balance, if any, shall be paid to the owner of the thing sold on a claim being made therefor within a period of one year from the date of sale, and if no such claim is made within the said period, shall be credited to the Municipal Fund.

(1) The Commissioner may— (a) with the sanction of the Corporation, determine the name or number by which any street or public place vested in the Corporation shall be known; (b) cause to be put up or painted at a conspicuous part of any building, wall or place at or near each end, corner or entrance of such street or on some convenient part of such street the name or number by which it is to be known; (c) cause to be put up or painted on boards of suitable size the name of any public place vested in the Corporation; (d) determine the number or sub-number by which any premises or part of such premises shall be known and cause such number or sub-number to be fixed to the side or outer door of such premises or to some place at the entrance of the enclosure thereof.

(1) If any place is, in the opinion of the Commissioner, for want of sufficient repair or protection or enclosure, or owing to some work being carried on thereupon, dangerous or causing inconvenience to passengers along a street or to other persons including the owner or occupier of the said place, who have legal access thereto or to the neighbourhood thereof, the Commissioner may by notice in writing require the owner or occupier of such place to repair, protect or enclose the same or take such other step as shall appear to the Commissioner necessary in order to prevent the danger or inconvenience arising therefrom. (2) The Commissioner may before giving any such notice or before the period of any such notice has expired, take such temporary measures as he thinks fit to prevent the danger or inconvenience arising therefrom; and any expense incurred by the Commissioner in taking such temporary measures shall be recoverable from the owner or occupier of the place as an arrear of tax under this Act.

The Commissioner shall— (a) take measures for lighting in a suitable manner all such public streets and public places as may be specified by the Standing Committee; (b) procure, erect and maintain such number of lamps, lamp posts and other appurtenances as may be necessary for the said purpose; (c) cause such lamps to be lighted by means of oil, electricity or such other light as the Standing Committee may determine.

[Prohibition of removal, etc., of lamps.] Omitted by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provision) Act, 2026 (8 of 2026), s. 2 and Sch. (w.e.f. 15-5-2026).