After over three years of a pause, conversion of Land and Development Office (L&DO) properties in Delhi from leasehold to freehold could restart soon, with the L&DO deciding to use the circle rates last notified by the Delhi government to determine rates for conversion charges. The L&DO, which administers around 60,000 properties and controls around 7% of Delhi’s land, had given plots on lease for construction of residential colonies after Independence in areas like Defence Colony, Chittaranjan Park and Lajpat Nagar, among others. On Thursday, it issued an office order stating that circle rates — last notified by the Delhi government on September 22, 2014 and any subsequent revisions — will apply for L&DO’s processes from January 1, 2026. The development will come as a relief to those property owners who have been waiting for conversion from leasehold to freehold, which has been closed since December 2022.According to the order, the circle rates would be used for “determination of rates for conversion charges, land use change charges, calculation of ground rent/license fee, etc”. While the …