Introduction

With the decision to form the Capital at Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in his notification, ordered the Collector of Delhi District to acquire land for the New Capital of India. After the land was acquired Imperial Delhi Estate was created vide Chief Commissioner, Delhi notification. The Land and Development work was then done by an Executive Engineer of PWD, known as Land and Development Officer, in the Chief Engineer office, under the control of the Secretary to the Chief Commissioner in the Public Works Department. The Land and Development Officer formally charged with the land record work and administration on behalf of Government of Raisina Estate. The work was transferred under the direct control of the Chief Commissioner, Delhi with effect from 1 March 1928. Thus in 1928, the office of the Land and Development Officer came into being as a separate Organization under the Administrative control of Commissioner., Delhi. Since independence, the activities of this office have gradually expanded. In 1958, the Chief Commissioner resumed Nazul lands under the management of the Notified Area Committee, Civil Section, Delhi and put them under the administrative control of the Land and Development Officer. Land and Development Officer was brought under the control of the then Ministry of Urban Development (presently Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) with effect from the 1 October 1959 and since then, it had been functioning as a subordinate office of this Ministry till it was upgraded from that of a subordinate office to an attached office of Ministry of Urban Development (presently Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) vide Gazette Notification dated 4 April 2000.