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states
By far the most important development in the nation’s capital was the opening of the Airport Metro, known as the Sky Train, even as the state government went ahead with the New Delhi centenary celebrations
When did Delhi become the capital of India? A 100 years ago in December, 1911, when the Durbar was moved from Calcutta by the then British rulers or nearly 500 years ago when the Mughals made it their capital? Even as the controversy raged among historians and intellectuals, the Delhi Government went ahead with ‘centenary celebrations’, launching a book and a photo exhibition for starters. A slew of other events are planned over the next one year. To be fair, the Delhi government has also earmarked Rs 1,500 crore for ‘beautifying’ the Chandni Chowk and adjacent areas in the old city. A Shahjehanabad Development Board has also been set up to initiate similar schemes in the walled city. The most important development during the year, however, was the opening of the Airport Metro. Even as the Metro is changing the travel habits of residents, the hassle-free and fast ride to the airport has brought back smiles to the visitors and residents alike. The check-in facility introduced at the New Delhi Railway Station has meant that travelers can check in their baggage at the station and then take a smooth ride to Terminal 3 to catch their flights. While Delhi residents
are generally the priviliged lot, the commissioning of the gas based
Bawana power plant has added to the cheer by adding 1,500 MW of power
to the grid. The inauguration of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial at
Singhu on the outskirts of Delhi was also a landmark event. The Delhi
Government also implemented The terror blast outside the Delhi High Court, fire in the trans-Yamuna area in which 14 eunuchs lost their lives, and more lives lost when old and unsafe houses collapsed in the walled city and Uttam Nagar, exposed the creaking civic services and relatively slow response of disaster management teams. The flavour of the year was, however, the anti-corruption agitation launched by Anna Hazare. The Ramlila Ground and Jantar Mantar were the places where people, especially the young, descended, waving the tricolour, enjoying patriotic songs, partaking food, raising slogans and having the time of their lives. There was high drama when the police cleared the ground in a midnight swoop and Baba Ramdev put on a salwar kameez and tried to escape with a group of women devotees. A middle-aged woman, who sustained injuries in the stampede actually died. There was little that happened to redeem Delhi’s reputation as a city unsafe for single women. Abductions, rapes in moving cars and murders sullied the city’s name even as the incidence of road rage increased in proportion with the rush-hour traffic moving bumper to bumper, despite the Metro. Finally, the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi meant that there will be separate elections next year for South Delhi, North Delhi and for Trans-Yamuna areas, with each getting a Mayor and functioning independently of each other. 50 per cent reservation for women will ensure greater participation by Delhi’s women.
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