Center of Government

Following Delhi's independence in 1947, Delhi remained the capital of India. The buildings of New Delhi illustrate the city's role as center of government. They were designed by an English architect and have a domineering style, large and spacious.

Cultural Center

Delhi is important to culture in northern India. The metropolitan area is filled with structures of historical importance. For example, the Qutab Minar, the Red Fort, the Old Fort. The city also contains buildings such as the National Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Triveni Arts Centre, and Shri Ram Centre for Arts and Culture. Throughout the year, Delhi hosts many national fests and seven major cultural festivals.

Economic Center

Traditional economic practices can be found in the older parts of the metropolitan area as well as in the slum settlements. For example, small scale manufacturing and traditional crafts are located throughout Old Delhi.

Modern industry has grown significantly since India's independence. By the late 1980s, 650,000 people were employed in the manufacturing of electronic equipment, clothing, and chemicals. Manufacturing takes place in two main areas: Najafargarh Marg in the west and Mathura Marg in the south.

Tourism is also an important aspect of Delhi as an economic center. The development of infrastructure makes the metropolitan area suited for hosting both national and international events.

Transportation Hub

Delhi is well connected to transportation networks in India. With Indira Gandhi International Airport, an important rail center, and with the convergence of five national highways, Delhi acts as the gateway to North India. Buses traveling throughout India have a main terminal near Delhi Railway Station.

Development of Infrastructure

1864 Onset of modern western-style city planning by British.
1880s British continue improvements by adding piped water and proper sewages 1901 Electric lighting is introduced to the city.
1902 System of trams added to city transport.
1911 Lutyens begins plans for the British capital city of New Delhi
1955 Delhi Development Authority becomes the first official Indian planning authority in Delhi.
1961

• DDA develops plots of land and accumulates capital by selling plots to upper class individuals (lower classes can not afford land/construction in Delhi)
• DDA creates Master Plan which failed because the satellite towns were dependent on Delhi and added stress to Delhi's economic and structural growth. The 1961 plan was to:
  1. Build two ring roads
  2. Build a national highway along the Yamuna River
  3. Build several other major roads
  4. Decrease the density of Old Delhi and increase the density of New Delhi
  5. Expand Connaught Place
  6. Build 1 mile wide greenbelt surrounding the city

Services

In the modern metro area, municipal services such as water and electricty are disproportionately distributed. Water, ironically, is in plentiful supply for fountains and canals in the garden city of New Delhi while residents of slums lack fresh water and proper sewages.

Transportation within Delhi is congested due to slow traffic which predominantly consists of bicycles, bullock carts, and pedicels. The city's bus system is very crowded. Metered taxis are available, but auto rickshaws are better means of cheap negotiation through the city.

Attempts have been made to ease traffic congestion. However, the widening of roads and construction of bypasses have failed to mitigate problems. The nature of slow traffic in India makes alleviation of traffic congestion a difficult task.

Ghaziabad rated in world's 10 most dynamic cities (Source: TOI)

Believe it or not - and many inhabitants who have to battle pathetic infrastructure, chaotic traffic and soaring crime probably want - Ghaziabad is in Newsweek's list of ten most dynamic cities in the world. For good measure, it has also been billed "India's hottest city".

Based on an advance copy of the latest UN forecast for cities with populations greater than 7,50,000, Newsweek's list encompasses the fastest growing cities in each of the world's ten most important economies. Only 2 major capitals - Moscow and London , which continue to outspace smaller rivals for unique national reasons figure on it while the rest are aspiring middleweights like Toulouse, Munich and Las Vegas, or unknowns like Florianopolis (Brazil), Go yang (South Korea) and Fukuoka (Japan).

Sanjay Verma, joint managing director of Cushman and Wakefield, attributes the rapid growth to Ghaziabad 's excellent connectivity with Delhi , which create more new jobs per year than Bangalore and Hyderabad , as well as an established IT destination like Noida. "Its very strategically located on the old grand trunk road. Not only does it attract a sizable IT - ITES work force from Noida, it is affordable for those who cannot manage Delhi prices," he says.

R C Mishra, Ghaziabad Development Authority Secretary, doesn't deny that the rapid industrial development in Ghaziabad is the result of a spill over from Noida and Greater Noida. Sahibabad was conceived as in industrial estate but Ghaziabad's growth has been quite recent," he says. Today, the city has more than 14,000 small scale industrial units and larger plants run by giants like Coca Cola and ITC.

Metro Rail Project Permitted from Delhi to Vaishali

Delhi and Vaishali will be linked by Metro after 2 years. This was decided on Tuesday during the ministerial meeting headed by Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in which the crucial decision of extending the metro project from Anand Vihar to Ghaziabad was taken. In order to move the project in the right direction, the Ghaziabad Development Authority was asked to co-ordinate with the Metro Rail Corporation.

Informing the media about the UP Cabinet meeting, Mr. Naveen Chander Vajpayee, Spokesperson, said that the forthcoming project will witness a distant connectivity of nearly 2.05 Km by railway tracks between Delhi based Anand Vihar and Ghaziabad. This distance will be covered via Kaushambi and Vaishali. This project will require 170 crore of funds, which will be enthused by Ghaziabad Development Authority. The government will not be locating any further funds in it.

According to sources, one of the ministers in the meeting also proposed that the Metro rail should be extended till Meerut. Other than this, the meeting also approved the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) projects for 2006. According to which the SEZs will be set up in Public Owned Areas, Private Owned Areas and Public Private Partnership (PPP) Areas.