If you’ve been involved in Delhi’s real estate market for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the rumour that another floor might be allowed to be built on top of existing structures.

It’s one of those whispers that keeps coming up every few years, making homeowners, builders, and investors wonder if they’ll get the green light to add another level.

But let’s be real: the chances of this happening are slim. And the reasons have nothing to do with policy—they’re all about Delhi’s crumbling infrastructure.

This rumour has been swirling for over a decade, but the reality is that Delhi simply doesn’t have the infrastructure to support additional families on already crowded plots. Even when the third floor was allowed years ago, it came with a lot of caveats.

People were required to submit an undertaking saying that if the court ever ordered the top floor to be knocked down, they wouldn’t object.

That in itself should tell us how shaky the ground is on this issue.

Why the Rumour Persists

Every few years, the idea of allowing an additional floor gains traction. It’s easy to see why.

Delhi is bursting at the seams, and space is running out. Property owners are always on the lookout for ways to maximize the value of their land, and the idea of adding another floor is attractive.

More space means more rental income, more living area, and higher property value.

Builders and developers, too, have an interest in promoting the possibility. After all, it opens up more projects, more construction, and more profits. But just because it’s a popular idea doesn’t mean it’s practical—or even possible—at this point.

The Infrastructure Problem

Here’s the crux of the issue: Delhi’s infrastructure is already stretched beyond its limits. Allowing another floor on top of already multi-level houses would mean more people living in the same space, which translates to a heavier burden on the city’s utilities and services.

• Water Supply: Delhi’s water supply system is barely able to cope with the current population.
  More floors mean more families, which in turn means more strain on an already inadequate water supply system.
  Water shortages are already a reality in many parts of the city, and adding more floors would only make the situation worse.
  
• Sewerage and Drainage: The city’s sewerage system is aging and overworked. Many parts of Delhi still struggle with flooding during the monsoon season because the drainage system can’t handle the volume of water.
  
  More families on more floors would just make the system collapse even faster.
  
• Electricity: Power cuts are still a regular occurrence in many areas, especially during peak summer months when air conditioning usage spikes.
  
  More residents mean more demand for electricity, which the city’s grid is simply not equipped to handle.
  
• Parking and Traffic: One of the most immediate challenges would be parking. Adding another floor means more cars in already overcrowded areas, where finding a parking spot is often a daily battle.
  
  The city’s roads are already clogged with traffic, and adding more residents without improving transportation infrastructure is a recipe for chaos.

Lessons from the Third-Floor Issue

Remember when the third floor was allowed to be built around 15 years ago? It wasn’t smooth sailing. People were required to submit an undertaking saying that if the court later decided to have that floor demolished, they wouldn’t object. This alone shows how difficult it was for Delhi to accommodate even one additional floor back then.

What’s more worrying is that the infrastructure has only worsened since then. More people have moved into Delhi, adding to the burden on the city’s resources. If Delhi struggled with an extra floor 15 years ago, how can it possibly handle the strain of an additional one today?

I’m not sure what the current status of that court case is, but it highlights how Delhi has always been on shaky ground when it comes to adding extra floors. The city’s ability to support more residents has always been in question, and things haven’t gotten any easier since.

The Need to Spread Out from Delhi

The real solution isn’t to keep piling people on top of each other within Delhi’s already overstretched boundaries. The city needs to spread out.

Delhi is not equipped to handle more people in the same space, so the focus should be on developing surrounding areas.

Towns and cities around Delhi need to be developed into viable alternatives for people to move to.

Expanding infrastructure in nearby regions and improving connectivity between Delhi and these areas would make it easier for people to live outside the city while still being able to commute for work.

This is the only way to ease the pressure on Delhi’s overburdened systems.

Investments in better roads, public transport, and essential services in areas like Gurgaon, Noida, and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) will help create a more balanced spread of the population.

By doing this, we can create more living space for families without making Delhi’s already fragile infrastructure collapse under its own weight.

Wrapping Up

The idea of allowing another floor to be built in Delhi is an appealing one, especially for property owners and developers. But the reality is that the city simply cannot handle the additional burden. The last time an extra floor was allowed, it came with warnings, and even today, the infrastructure has only deteriorated further.

Instead of cramming more people into Delhi’s already crowded areas, the focus needs to shift towards expanding outward, developing nearby regions, and improving infrastructure there. Delhi is at its breaking point, and adding another floor won’t solve the problem—it’ll only make it worse.

For Delhi to thrive, people need to spread out, and the government needs to make it easier for families to move into well-developed, well-connected surrounding areas. Until that happens, the rumour of an additional floor will remain just that—a rumour.