There was time when people living in south Delhi were looked upon with awe and reverence. The matrimonial advertisers would never forget to mention their residence in South Delhi. Some would even prefer to have their future spouses to be from this prestigious part of the capital.
While the South Delhi people were considered a class apart, their poor cousins living in East Delhi were pooh-poohed, looked down upon and commiserated for living Yamuna paar- across the Yamuna.
But God, as they say cannot remain on the side of the saints all the time. He has to look after his flock of sinners as well.
One reason why South Delhi was catapulted to its present position of superiority was that it infrastructure got the boost during the 1982 Asian Games. Games changed the face of south Delhi through the development plans.
This time the history is repeating itself in East Delhi in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Like the Asian Games Village in South Delhi, East Delhi is set to have its Commonwealth Games Village. The 400 crore ‘village’ is a bench mark in residential accommodation. It will provide the most ultramodern facilities for luxurious living. Situated along the National Highway-24 near the Akshardham Temple,it will house the athletes participating in the sports extravaganza. The project will include metro rail connectivity, a new railway station and some major road projects and flyovers. Once complete, these projects will almost integrate East Delhi with the rest of the Metropolis.
The area is to host over half-a-dozen three and four star hotels in colonies like Mayur Vihar, Shahdara, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar and Mandawali. The present market prices of a three-bedroom flat in societies like Glaxo in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 is anywhere between Rs 85 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.
The Metro too is set to totally transform the way the Yamun paar people will commute in near future. Its phase II work has to complete by 2010. The Metro rail will connect the high density residential areas like Dilshad Garden, Laxmi Nagar, Shakarpur, Preet Vihar and Mayur Vihar with educational and commercial hubs of North and Central Delhi through a reliable mode of transport. The work at the Mega-Terminal railway station at Anand Vihar near the Inter State Bus Terminus is near completion. This 85-crore station project will be at par with the New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations.