New Delhi

New Delhi pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: नई दिल्ली, Punjabi: ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ, Urdu: نئی دلی‎) is an urban area within the metropolis of Delhi, and the capital city of the Republic of India, as well as the seat of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

History

Main article: History of Delhi

From 1772 to 1911, Calcutta was the capital city of British India. However, Delhi had served as the political and financial centre of several empires of ancient India, most notably of the Mughal Empire. During the early 1900s, a proposal was made to the British administration to shift the capital of the Indian Empire from Calcutta to Delhi. Unlike Calcutta, which was located on the eastern coast of India, Delhi was located in central India and the Government of British India felt that it would be easier to administer India from Delhi rather than from Calcutta. Owing to its historic and cultural importance, George V, the then Emperor of India, made the announcement the capital of the Raj was to be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. Peter Hall provides a succinct and entertaining description of the founding of New Delhi in "Cities of Tomorrow".

New Delhi was laid out to the south of the Old City which was constructed by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. However, New Delhi overlays the site of seven ancient cities and hence includes many historic monuments like the Jantar Mantar and the Humayun's Tomb.

Much of New Delhi was planned by Edwin Lutyens, a leading 20th century English architect and it has been dubbed "Lutyens' Delhi". Luyten laid out the central administrative area of the city as a testament to Britain's imperial pretensions. At the heart of the city was the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhawan (then known as Viceroy's House) which sat atop Raisina Hill. The Rajpath, also known as King's Way, stretched from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Secretariat which houses various ministries of the Government of India, flanked out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Parliament House, designed by Herbert Baker, is located at the Sansad Marg, which runs parallel to the Rajpath.

After India gained independence in 1947, a limited autonomy was conferred to New Delhi and was administered by a Chief Commissioner appointed by the Government of India. In 1956, Delhi was converted into a union territory and gradually the Chief Commissioner was replaced by a Lieutenant Governor. The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as National Capital Territory of Delhi.^[1] A system of diarchy was introduced under which, the elected Government was given wide powers; except law and order which remained with the Central Government. The actual enforcement of the legislation came in 1993.

Geography

New Delhi lies in northern India. It lies almost entirely in the Gangetic plains. There are two prominent features of the geography of New Delhi. New Delhi was once a part of the Aravalies, but all that is left now is the Delhi ridge, the first prominent geographical feature. The second feature is the Yamuna floodplains; New Delhi lies west of the Yamuna river, although for the most part, New Delhi is a landlocked city. East of the river is the urban area of Shahdara. New Delhi falls under seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to major earthquakes.^[2]

New Delhi and its vicinity have a somewhat exaggerated continental climate due to its distance from the coasts and location with respect to mountain ranges. The winters in New Delhi are relatively cold due to cold fronts from the Himalayan region; the summers are very hot, due to heat waves, and often precautions have to be taken before going out in the afternoons for extended periods of time. The temperature varies from 45 degrees Celsius in summers to around 4 degrees Celsius in winters.^[3]

See also: Climate of Delhi

Government

As of 2005, the government structure of the New Delhi Municipal Council includes a chairperson, three members of New Delhi's Legislative Assembly, two members nominated by the Chief Minister of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) and five members nominated by the central government. The current Chief Minister of the NCT is Sheila Dikshit.

New Delhi is governed by its own municipal government, known as the New Delhi Municipal Council. Other urban areas of the metropolis of Delhi are administered by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and are hence not considered a part of the capital city. However, the entire metropolis of Delhi is commonly known as New Delhi in contrast to Old Delhi.

Urban Structure

New Delhi is structured around two central promenade called the Rajpath, stretching from the Presidential Palace(Rashtrapati Bhavan) upto the the India Gate and the Janpath which begins from Connaught Circus and cuts the Shantipath at right angles. New Delhi is characterised by its wide straight roads and numerous roundtanas.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Delhi

Public transport in New Delhi is provided by buses, auto rickshaws, a rapid transit system, taxis and suburban railways.

Bus

Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of the total demand.^[4] The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is a major bus service provider for the city. Delhi Transport Corporation operates many routes not-only in Delhi, but also many inter-states routes. The mofussil buses operate around 34 depots. and the inter-state buses operate from the Three Inter State Bus Terminals in Kashmere Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar.

Delhi Transport Corporation services in New Delhi has vastly distributed network of bus services. It connects almost every part of Delhi with this network of buses. The most Prominent of these being the Mudrika and the Bahri Mudrika services interconnecting all parts of the city with a great frequency of buses until approximately 10:30 p.m. DTC has been helping Delhi Metro to connect Delhi City better by operating new bus routes connecting commuters in areas surrounding the metro stations for a better city experience. The DTC now operates the world's largest fleet of environment-friendly CNG buses.^[5]

Metro

A world class metro system has been instituted in New Delhi. In order to meet the transport demand in Delhi, the State and Union government started the construction of a mass rapid transit system, including the Delhi Metro.^[4] As of 2007, the metro operates three lines with a total length of 65 km (40 miles) and 59 stations while several other lines are under construction.^[6] As of November, 2006:

Taxi & Rickshaw

Rickshaws are popular in New Delhi. Since they run on CNG, they are environmentally-friendly and a quick way to get around. They are usually green and yellow. A rickshaw ride usually costs Rs. 50.

Taxis are not as prevalent in New Delhi as rickshaws. The black and yellow coloured taxis tend to be more expensive, but hold more luggage and passengers.

Private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport.^[4] At 1922.32 km of road length per 100 km², Delhi has one of the highest road densities in India.^[4] Delhi is well connected to other parts of India by five National Highways: NH 1, 2, 8, 10 and 24. Roads in New Delhi are maintained by MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority.^[7]

Suburban Railway

Railways served only 1% of the local traffic until 2003.^[4] However Delhi is a major junction in the rail map of India and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway. The four main railway stations are Old Delhi, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Sarai Rohilla and New Delhi Railway Station.^[4]

Air

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is situated in the southwestern corner of Delhi and serves for domestic and international connections. In 2005–06, the IGI airport recorded a traffic of more than 8.5 million passengers,^[8] making it one of the busiest airports in South Asia. Safdarjung Airport is the other airfield in Delhi used for general aviation purpose.^[9]

Demographics

In 2003, the National Capital Territory of Delhi had a population of 14.1 million people making it the second largest metropolitan area in India after Mumbai.^[10] This includes about 295,000 people living in New Delhi and 125,000 in Delhi Cantonment. There are 821 women per 1000 men, and the literacy rate is 81.82%.^[11]

Culture

New Delhi's capital status has amplified the importance of national events and holidays. National events such as Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi's birthday) are celebrated with great enthusiasm in New Delhi. On India's Independence Day (15 August) the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the Red Fort. Most Delhiites celebrate the day by flying kites, which are considered a symbol of freedom.^[12] The Republic Day Parade is a large cultural and military parade showcasing India's cultural diversity and military might.^[13][14]

Religious festivals include Diwali (the festival of light), Durga Puja, Holi, Lohri, Maha Shivaratri, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha and Buddha Jayanti.^[14] The Qutub Festival is a cultural event during which performances of musicians and dancers from all over India are showcased at night, with the Qutub Minar as the chosen backdrop of the event.^[15] Other events such as Kite Flying Festival, International Mango Festival and Vasant Panchami (the Spring Festival) are held every year in Delhi.

Economy

With an estimated net State Domestic Product (SDP) of 83,085 crores (830.85 billion) Indian rupee (INR) (for the year 2004–05),^[16] Delhi is an important commercial center in South Asia. Delhi has a per capita income of 53,976 INR which is around 2.5 times of the national average.^[16] The tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 25.2% and 3.85% contribution respectively.^[16]

In 2001, the total workforce in all government (union and state) and quasi government sector was 620,000. In comparison, organised private sector employed 219,000.^[17] Delhi's service sector has expanded due in part to the large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies. Key service industries include information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Delhi's manufacturing industry has also grown considerably as many consumer goods industries have established manufacturing units and headquarters in and around Delhi. Delhi's large consumer market, coupled with the easy availability of skilled labour, has attracted foreign investment in Delhi. In 2001, the manufacturing sector employed 1,440,000 workers while the number of industrial units was 129,000.^[18] Construction, power, telecommunications, health and community services, and real estate form integral parts of Delhi's economy. Delhi's retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India.^[19]

Sister cities

• Image:Municipal Flag of Chicago.svg Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Image:Flag of Washington, D.C..svg Washington D.C., USA
• Image:Flag of Serbia (state).svg Image:Flag of Belgrade.png Belgrade, Serbia

in new delhi they believe that cheese is a common breeding ground for most cows. they also are afraid of pie one day ruling the earth, i share this fear.Bold text CHEESE!!!

References

Hall, P. 2002. Cities of Tomorrow. 3rd edition. Oxford. Blackwell. pp 198-206.

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