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INDIA CITY SCAN
Relocating to
New Delhi
As the Indian capital gets ready to host the 2010 Common Wealth
games with much fanfare, The International Indian looks at the
city which can be easily termed the most cosmopolitan city of
India. How well equipped is New Delhi to host Indians returning
by the lure of new jobs and brighter prospects and how well is it
geared for the hordes of foreigners expected for the games?
by: Archisman Dinda
Welcome to New Delhi! An enthusiastic air-hostess
declared over the public announcement system. It
was a long journey home, for your correspondent.
Though technically not from Delhi as it it is mostly
referred to minus the ‘New’, I was certainly heading
back home after a trip abroad. So was it for my co-passengers, who were
also returning home after sojourning in the United States. So amidst our
chit chats I found,
one was returning
to Noida, one
to Gurgaon and
their respective
workplaces were
in Ghaziabad
and Dwarka. But
strangely all said
they were returning
to New Delhi!
So where or
rather what makes
New Delhi? To
apprise my readers, New Delhi or Luyten’s Delhi is what the world
knows as the India’s capital, the power centre from where this country
is governed. But with the passage of time, Delhi has grown beyond the
dreams of its architects and to accommodate these aspiring individuals
Bahai Lotus Temple
the government of India
formulated the National Capital
Region, commonly known as
NCR. This comprises New Delhi,
and the satellite townships of
Gurgaon, Dwarka, Noida and
Ghaziabad. But to make things
look simple, we call all this New
Delhi.
However, navigating Delhi
can be a tricky business, even for
people who have stayed there for
a number of years. Not only due
to the massive geographical area
this city poses, but also due to the
fact that the feel of the various
areas change as you travel
through the city. Delhi‘s growth
started in 1947, especially after
the partition, and to provide
shelter, the government of the
day had to build colonies for
respective groups of people. So
when you reach Rajori Garden or
Punjabi Bagh, you will feel as if
you are in Punjab. The same happens when you reach Chittaranjan
Park, which is an area demarcated for Bengalis. Not that people of
other communities can’t live in these areas, in fact they do and are
quite happy about it. But such demarcations are clearly visible.
HOUSING
One of the primary concerns for any individual shifting to a new
city is finding the accommodation of their choice. Though finding
accommodation is not a big issue in Delhi, one should give due
consideration to the location. “Delhi is a huge city. It is almost double
the size of any other Indian metropolis and one could end up travelling
a lot if you don’t choose the location of your house carefully,” says
Sanjeev Tiwari, whose company helps people relocate. “While deciding
on the house, people
look into creature
comforts that the
building and the
locality provide.
But in Delhi, one
should first find out
how far it is from
your work place
and how far is your
kids school,” adds
Sanjeev. Radhika
Sen, who recently
shifted to Delhi
from Qatar, finds it
difficult to believe
Old Delhi
that her 5-year-old daughter has to commute fifteen kilometres to reach
school every morning. “We made a strategic mistake. When we bought
this flat three months ago we never took this into consideration and our
daughter is suffering the most. Now it’s difficult to change the school
or the flat,” says Radhika.
When it comes to the outright purchasing of property, Luyten’s
Delhi provides very few options, not only in terms of cost, but also
in terms of availability. A three-bedroom apartment can cost more
than one crore in South Delhi. “Property prices have soared in Delhi
in the last five years and are all set to go even higher with increasing
demand. However, the satellite townships are offering a lot of options
in terms of affordable housing. “Not only are the satellite townships
offering lot of options in terms of price, but also in terms of choice.
A duplex in South Delhi will cost you around three crores where as it
will be a crore in Noida,” says Rajesh Singania a leading real estate
dealer in NCR. “The biggest hurdle facing the real estate market in
Delhi is the fact that builders demand a major portion of the price in
cash, which makes it difficult for the new buyers,” he added.
th
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ANNI V ERSARY
TRANSPORTATION
Delhi is a rapidly expanding
megacity. Population and vehicle
use continue to expand, and
vehicles are the principal source
of severe air pollution. Yet vehicle
ownership is still a fraction of
that in industrialized countries.
The complexities of Delhi’s
transport sector are examined,
along with what kind of a future
is likely and how it might be
altered. Indian transportation
experts and political leaders
were interviewed, historical
data analyzed, and various
policy options and strategies
reviewed. Because of large
institutional, political, economic,
and technological uncertainties
as well as limited knowledge of
travel behaviour and preferences,
two scenarios were created to
characterize what is likely and
what is possible. The “businessas-usual”
scenario extrapolates
from present trends in Delhi,
modified to reflect existing
policies and commitments. It
results in dramatic increases in
vehicle use, translating to about
a fourfold increase in transportrelated
greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions between 2000 and
2020. The second scenario is
premised on strong political
and institutional leadership to
enhance the economic, social,
and environmental performance
of Delhi’s transportation system
in which car use decreases and
transit and bicycle use increase.
Even with this aggressive shift
toward more environmentally
benign transportation, GHG
emissions more than doubled
during the 20-year period. Under
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