India, May 4 -- The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee has cleared a proposal to grant urban status to 48 villages across the Capital, paving the way for improved civic infrastructure and planned development in areas that have long outgrown their rural classification.

Standing Committee chairperson Satya Sharma on Sunday said the decision, taken under the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, would enable more efficient delivery of essential services such as roads, sewerage and drinking water. "Several of these villages have already acquired an urban character. Bringing them under a formal urban framework will ensure better planning, regulation and service delivery," she said.

"We (the standing co...