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Contn. Delhi: The Rot Continues... The Newer Delhi
Delhi had another satellite city, Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Both Gurgaon and Noida-part of 30,000-odd sq km National Capital Region comprising Delhi and parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan-offered an alternative to the capital's congestion. Though it closer to the CBD than Gurgaon-just 15 km against 30 km in the case of Gurgaon-it hadn't taken off. Verma had said this was because Noida didn't get the same focussed attention from the Uttar Pradesh government that successive Haryana governments had lavished on Gurgaon. Though both the towns had somewhat eased the pressure on Delhi, they hadn't succeeded in decongesting the city. The Delhi Development Authority's Additional Commissioner (Planning) Vijay Risbud had once lamented that the NCR Plan had said there should be no new offices in Delhi, but that had not happened. ''Everybody wants their office in Delhi.'' The NCR was not developing as a common economic zone, he explained, because the four state governments involved couldn't agree on a common tax. What's more, he said, office areas were unevenly distributed, creating congestion points in various parts of the city. By lunchtime, Aditya was in a foul mood. His secretary had misplaced some important papers and only grew sullen when he pulled her up. He agreed with Cargill's Singh who complained about the sarkari overhang in the attitude to work in Delhi. Cargill had once seriously considered setting up an office in Bangalore because the work ethic there was better, as was the quality of life. ''The secretarial staff in Bangalore is of very good quality,'' Singh had said.
Aditya decided to meet up with old friend Anshuman Magazine, Managing Director (South Asia) of real estate firm C.B. Richard Ellis, over lunch. They arranged to meet at the DVB, the trendy restaurant down the road from his office. Both of them marvelled at the change that had come over Delhi. From a dull overgrown village, it was morphing into a hip, happening cosmopolitan city. It now had a wide range of eating places-Thai, Mexican, Lebanese, Chinese, Continental- several cineplexes, amusement parks, and glitzy shopping areas that could rival those found abroad. ''Delhi has changed completely in terms of lifestyle and entertainment,'' Magazine pointed out. That's why he remained upbeat about Delhi, even though it is bursting at the seams. Despite all the infrastructure problems, people still flock to Delhi, he pointed out. ''Overall, Delhi is still a city with opportunities.'' An architect Aditya knew and who had stopped to say hello, agreed with Magazine. Surajit Dasgupta had moved from Kolkata to Delhi in 1984, because Delhi and Mumbai were the only places offering good opportunities for architects. ''That's true even today,'' said Dasgupta.
Aditya remembered Risbud telling him that around 5 lakh people came in to Delhi each year. And he had seen figures that showed the number of companies grew at an annual average of 7 per cent between 1995 and 2000, while employment was growing at a steady clip of 4 per cent. Surely, Delhi must offer something for so many companies to set up offices here. The Chain Of Change Magazine ticked off the various advantages Delhi had to offer. Great connectivity, for starters. Indeed, what swung Cargill's scales in favour of Delhi was the airport. Top quality schools and colleges not only solved the problem of educating one's children, but also ensured a wide pool of talent that companies could tap. Indeed, Purdy had told Aditya how his company had recently recruited 130 people of which only around 10 senior level managers were from outside Delhi.
Delhi also offered cheaper housing, with rental and capital values being nearly 40 per cent cheaper than Mumbai, helping companies save on the cost of housing staff. That was also one reason Dasgupta had chosen Delhi over Mumbai. ''Delhi is definitely among the top five cities to live and work in,'' asserted Magazine as they walked out of the restaurant. Aditya mentioned this to Cargill's Singh and Purdy at a party that night. Singh agreed only partially. Social life for middle-level executives was a problem in Delhi even now, he pointed out. Mumbai and Kolkata catered to the transitory corporate population with a variety of clubs and other facilities. Not so Delhi, where one needed to have the right connections for almost everything. Fortunately, Gurgaon was solving that problem. Singh, like Aditya's Mumbai-born wife, wasn't enamoured by status-conscious social scene in Delhi. ''People here thrive on rental values,'' he sneered. Aditya spotted Kapoor in a corner and went up to speak to him. The talk naturally veered to Delhi's infrastructure. ''Delhi is on the upswing,'' Kapoor soothed. ''As soon as all these flyovers, water, and power augmentation plans fructify, there will be a quantum improvement in life here.'' Delhi becoming an ideal place to live in? Aditya's mind boggled. ''Oh no,'' said Kapoor, ''Delhi will always be in the throes of change.'' Those words echoed in Aditya's ears as he walked half a km in the posh Maharani Bagh to where he had parked his car. Tomorrow was going to be another difficult day. 1 2 |
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