The Delhi government's revenue department has put forward a groundbreaking proposal to completely restructure the capital's administrative map, recommending the creation of nine new revenue districts that would transform the existing 11 districts into 13.
Major District Boundaries Set to Change
According to a detailed draft restructuring plan obtained by The Times of India, several current districts including North, North East, East, North West, South East and South West will be dissolved to pave the way for the new administrative units. The proposed map has been formally submitted to the Delhi government for consideration and closely mirrors the 12 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) administrative divisions.
The naming of many proposed districts reflects this alignment, with areas like Karol Bagh, Civil Lines, Keshavpuram, Najafgarh, Narela, Rohini, North Shahdara and South Shahdara drawn directly from the corporation's existing divisions. This strategic naming convention aims to create clearer administrative identification for residents.
Streamlining Administrative Structure
The proposal includes minor adjustments to the outer boundary of the New Delhi district, which largely corresponds with the New Delhi Municipal Council's (NDMC) area covering Lutyens' Delhi. Currently, the New Delhi district contains three subdivisions: Delhi Cantonment, Vasant Vihar and Chanakyapuri. Under the new plan, it would be streamlined to just two subdivisions: Delhi Cantonment and a unified New Delhi subdivision.
Vasant Vihar is likely to come under the administrative control of Najafgarh district, representing one of the more significant geographical shifts in the proposal. Two major districts that currently house some of Delhi's most densely populated neighborhoods—North-East and East—will cease to exist entirely, with their areas being redistributed between Shahdara North and Shahdara South to ensure more balanced administrative workloads.
Addressing Long-standing Coordination Issues
The need for this comprehensive restructuring stems from Delhi's highly fragmented administrative structure. Presently, each of the 11 revenue districts is headed by a district magistrate, while the civic body has 12 zones, each overseen by a deputy commissioner. The mismatch in boundaries has frequently led to coordination problems and jurisdictional confusion among various departments.
An official familiar with the proposal explained that the government will thoroughly examine the proposed boundaries, assess administrative implications, and consult with concerned departments before making a final decision. The official noted that further changes might be incorporated before the plan receives final approval.
The restructuring initiative was prompted by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who ordered a comprehensive redrawing of district boundaries following her August 30 announcement that districts would be realigned with corporation zones. The stated objectives include improving inter-departmental coordination, eliminating jurisdictional overlaps, and enabling quicker response to public grievances.
According to officials, the chief minister has given her in-principle approval for the revenue department to proceed with the capital's map overhaul. The fundamental aim of this exercise is to ensure that revenue districts and corporation zones share common boundaries, allowing both agencies to work within the same jurisdiction seamlessly.
The proposal specifically addresses several problematic inconsistencies in the current system. For instance, parts of the Najafgarh MCD zone currently fall within the New Delhi revenue district, despite significant geographical distance between them. Similarly, pockets of the Karol Bagh MCD zone lie within the North West district. These geographical mismatches have confused residents about their actual local administration and made joint departmental actions cumbersome.
Under the new arrangement, parts of the North West district will be carved out to form Rohini, Narela and Keshavpuram districts, while South West is expected to be reorganized into Najafgarh. The central district will be retained, though prominent areas of South East—including Defence Colony, Kalkaji and Badarpur—will be merged with it.
Officials emphasized that the plan focuses on replacing older, larger districts with smaller, more compact units to minimize complexities and simplify governance. This approach is expected to make administrative processes more efficient and responsive to citizen needs.
