Kamal Ghorui
On any given morning, as the shutters of the shops roll up and walkers make their rounds through parks, Dwarka feels less like a typical Delhi colony and more like a self-contained town. Retired residents exchange greetings under kadam trees, roads fill with office-goers, and the drone of aircraft headed to IGI Airport can be heard — a reminder of how close this sprawling sub-city sits between the capital and the NCR skyline.Planned, orderly and expansive, Dwarka appears complete at first glance. But conversations with residents reveal another story, of a neighbourhood still working to bridge certain gaps. Strong on parameters like safety, cleanliness, greenery, community connect and social cohesion, Dwarka is dragged down by accessibility and amenities and, probably, the cultural narrative often associated with older south Delhi colonies.Located on Delhi’s southwestern edge, Dwarka, envisioned as a modern residential alternative to crowded neighbourhoods, is one of Asia’s largest planned sub-cities, organised into sectors dominated by cooperative group housing societies. Evolution, however, has been uneven, say residents.Rejimon C K, a resident of Sector 10, remembers purchasing his flat at a time when much of the area was still under construction. “Our sector was just taking shape,” he recalls, describing dusty roads and vacant plots. While the area has transformed into a bustling residential hub, civic infrastructure hasn’t kept pace, he says.For Krishan Singh Lingwal, the ‘Treeman of Dwarka’, the neighbourhood’s story is rooted in its greenery. Since 2004, he has helped plant thousands of trees. “When we came, everything was empty, infrastructure was missing. But there was nature,” he says. He worries about the preservation of the greenery though, noting the absence of a coordinated policy to sustain it. Others like Pankaj Sharma urge stronger patrolling and better upkeep of public spaces, pointing to snatchings, stray dog bites and inconsistent sanitation.For S S Mann, who moved here from East of Kailash in 2007, connectivity is still a challenge. “Weak coordination between govt agencies affects traffic management, handling of waste and maintenance of green spaces,” he says. The residents’ group he is part of has been pursuing authorities to revive a waterbody in Sector 23, highlighting the role citizen activism plays in shaping a mohalla.Colonel Prem Choudhary, a resident since 2011, sees Dwarka as a ‘21st-century town’, but planning alone isn’t enough. “Glitches in water supply, fragmented governance and ecological pressures continue to test the vision,” he says.While civic challenges persist, residents acknowledge the neighbourhood delivers on everyday liveability. Deepali Raina, who moved from Saket to Sector 9 after marriage, says, “Dwarka is far better than many other areas. That said, issues like sanitation and access to clean water need attention.”
