Dwarka is a neighbourhood located in Southwestern edge of Indian Capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

South West Delhi South West Delhi (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Dakṣinṇa Paścima Dillī'') is one of the eleven administrative districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. Kapashera serves as the administrative headquarters of South West Delhi. Sout ...

district of the NCT of Delhi. The

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

that functions under the Delhi High Court for

is located in Dwarka. The sub-city is close to

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

and the Millennium City of Gurugram in Haryana in the NCR region. It is among the largest sub-cities in Asia. Dwarka is organized into sectors and mainly has Cooperative Group Housing Societies as residential options. It is one of the most sought-after residential areas in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. The sub-city also has the largest rooftop solar plant in the

Union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

of Delhi. In January 2017, the

Cabinet of India The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India'' It is chaired by th ...

approved Dwarka to be the second Diplomatic Enclave for 39 countries on 34 hectares, after

Chanakyapuri Chanakyapuri () is a neighbourhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950s in New Delhi, India. It is also a sub-division of the New Delhi district and plays host to the majority of foreign Embassy, embassies in New Delhi. Chanakyapuri, ...

. In 2016, the

, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved 89.72 hectares of land for an Exhibition-cum

Convention centre A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

, estimated to cost . Dwarka is being developed as a

smart city A smart city is an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and operate services. Data is collected from citizens, devices, buildings, or cameras. Applications include traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities ...

under Delhi Development Authority's ‘smart sub-city’ project. Dwarka (Delhi Assembly constituency) and Matiala (Delhi Assembly constituency) both represent Dwarka sub-city and are one of the 70 Vidhan Sabha constituencies of Delhi.

History

Origins

Dwarka is named after the legendary Dwaraka kingdom. It is a short distance away from

Gurgaon Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest ...

which is a major hub for large national and multinational corporations in the country and about 10 km away from

. With the opening up of the Airport Express Line in 2011, Some parts of modern-day Dwarka historically came under the colony of ''Pappankalan'', which are now being developed under the 'Urban Expansion Projects' of the Delhi Development Authority. Dwarka Baoli (also known as Loharehri Baoli) is a historical

stepwell Stepwells (also known as vav or baori) are wells, cisterns or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from the 7th to the ...

recently discovered in Dwarka Sub City, in South West Delhi, India. An elaborate conservation project by the India National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) for the Lodi-era baoli was completed recently. It was constructed for the residents of Loharehri village by the Sultans of the

Lodi Dynasty The Lodi dynasty was an Afghan royal family that ruled Sultanate of Delhi from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty. Bahlul Lodi Followin ...

in the early 16th century.

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

now stands where the Loharehri village once stood.

21st century

In 2019,

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...

inaugurated India's first National Cyber Forensic Lab which is part of the National Cyber Coordination Centre and Cyber Protection Awareness and Detection Center (Cypad) of

Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Police falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In 2024, the sanctioned strength of Delhi Police w ...

in Dwarka. The

Election Commission of India The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...

has established

India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management {{Use Indian English, date=September 2019 Background 1. In June 2011, the Election Commission of India (ECI), established the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) to advance its professional competence in ...

campus in Dwarka. The

National Highways Authority of India The National Highways Authority of India or NHAI () is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, set up in 1995 (Act 1988) and is responsible for management of a road network of over 50,000 km of National highways out of 1,32,499 ...

headquarters, an autonomous agency of the Government of India, set up in 1988, is located in Dwarka. The Ministry of External Affairs owns the MEA Housing Complex in Dwarka, which houses its officials and diplomats. The Government of Delhi has approved the construction of Indira Gandhi Hospital, a super-specialty hospital in Dwarka, which will cost and will be spread over 24 acres, to be operational from the year 2020. The Punjab National Bank opened its new corporate head office in Dwarka in 2018. In 2020, Manipur Bhavan is being built in Dwarka by

Government of Manipur The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...

. In 2021, as per media reports

Government of Bihar Bihar Government is the State governments of India, state government of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Bihar and its nine Divisions of Bihar, divisions which consist of Districts of Bihar, districts. It consists of an execut ...

built Bihar Sadan in Dwarka.

Politics

It is part of the Dwarka, Delhi Assembly constituency. Vinay Mishra of

Aam Aadmi Party The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, ) is a List of political parties in India, political party in India. It was founded on 26 November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement against then gover ...

is the MLA since 2015.

Geography

Ecology

Groundwater and Land Subsidence

A study published in Nature Scientific Reports reports that land is sinking down in Delhi due to groundwater overpumping.

Cityscape

Parks

Delhi Development Authority is currently planning to establish Bharat Vandana Park, to be spread over 220 acres in sector 20.

Culture

Sports

Dwarka is home to a sports complex (DDA Sports Complex) in Sector 11 with facilities such as Tennis (Clay and hard Courts), Badminton (including a covered Badminton Hall), Table Tennis, Billiards / Snooker / Pool, Basket Ball, Volleyball, Jogging Track, Cricket, Cricket Practice Pitches, Multigym, Skating, Snack Bar, pro Shop, Tennis Practice wall, Squash, Children's Park, Yoga, Karate, and Swimming Pool with Toddler Pool. The Delhi Development Authority is planning to create an 18-hole state-of-the-art golf course over an area of 173 acres in Sector 24.

Location

* The sub-city is located in

in the vicinity of

Gurugram Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest o ...

and

International Airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

. * NH-8, Outer Ring Road, Najafgarh Road, Pankha Road Near Dabri Mor, and the Rewari railway line bound it. * West End, Uttam Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Vikas Puri,

Najafgarh Najafgarh is a town in the South West Delhi, South West Delhi district of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. It is one of the three subdivisions of the Southwest Delhi district. Najafgarh is located on outskirts of NCT Delhi in south we ...

, Bijwasan, Palam Vihar, Vasant Vihar, Janakpuri residential areas, and Delhi cantonment are the other major surrounding areas in South/West Delhi. * Dwarka is the largest residential suburb in Asia, with 1718 residential enclaves, and a net population of 1,100,000. Currently, the Dwarka Sub-City (Sector 1 to 29) is divided into 5 MCD Wards: :: 135 - Kakraula :: 136 - Matiala :: 141 - Bijwasan :: 145 - Palam :: 147 - Mahavir Enclave. Dwarka is divided into three Assembly Constituencies i.e. AC-34 Matiala, AC-36 Bijwasan, AC-37 Palam. It is also divided into two parliamentary constituencies, West Delhi and South Delhi. The area of Dwarka Sub-city as per DDA records is 5648 hectares.

Social issues

Sanitation

The irregularity in transportation of garbage and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation failing to clean Dwarka, has recently caused the sub-city to face a severe sanitation crisis. The

Delhi High Court The High Court of Delhi ( Hindustani: दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय; ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') is the high court in Delhi, India. It was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966. ...

has been looking into the issue of lack of sanitation and cleaning in Dwarka since 2014. Civic agencies such as DDA and the municipal corporation have blamed Dwarka filth on ‘lack of civic sense’. In February 2020,

directed South Delhi Municipal Corporation and DDA to provide a healthy and safe environment to residents of the sub-city.

Crime

Two new police districts were proposed in 2016 to increase security. Dwarka sub-city, which earlier came under one police station, has been now split up between three police stations – Dwarka North, Dwarka South and Dwarka West.

Transportation

* Dwarka's robust and well-connected road network is built to modern specifications for each of its sectors and adjoining areas. * The sub-city is well connected by metro rail with the city centre and other major parts of the city by MRTS. There are a total of 8 metro stations in Dwarka. * Connected to

Terminal 3 via Sector 21 Station interchange with the Airport Express Line. * The sub-city is now connected via the

Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...

to Noida (UP), Anand Vihar and Ghaziabad (Vaishali Station). * The sub-city will be connected to the mother city by 4 major roads from all directions. * If entering from the north, a 45-meter-wide road connecting Pankha Road partly covers the Dabri Palam drain. Work was completed and the road was opened to the public in 2007. * If entering from the west, a 60-meter wide road connecting

Road is constructed. * If entering from the east, a 45-meter wide road through the Cantonment area with a fly-over near Palam. The flyover and road were opened to the public in 2006. * If entering from the southeast, go through a 60-meter-wide road from NH-8 (with a rail underpass). The road was already constructed. * Airport Express (Orange Line) of

connects Dwarka to the Indira Gandhi International Airport and terminates at New Delhi metro station from where one can go to

New Delhi railway station New Delhi railway station (station code: NDLS) is the primary railway hub for the Indian capital, New Delhi, and an integral part of Indian Railways. Situated in Central Delhi, approximately 2 kilometers north of Connaught Place, the station ...

. * Due to its proximity to the NCR town, Dwarka is expected to be connected to Gurgaon by metro shortly.

Cultural hub

Dwarka sub-city is emerging as a cultural hub of southwest Delhi. Different music and dance clubs are present. Shopping centres have come up in the five-star hotels and another one next to the Sector 12 metro station, which hosts a few eateries and places to hang out. In 2019, Vegas Mall, a commercial complex, was inaugurated. It consists of a shopping mall, movie theatre, corporate offices and various restaurants spread over an area of 7 acres. The architecture of Vegas Mall was designed by Bentel Associates International, Johannesburg, SA. In 2018, Pacific India was selected to develop a shopping mall and multi-level car parking at the Dwarka Sector 21 metro station.

Mixed land use concept

DDA has implemented a unique Mixed Land Use (MLU) concept in Dwarka. Most of the DDA housing clusters in Dwarka have commercial buildings nearby. In many sectors, approximately 80% of a plot is used for residential flats and the remaining 20% for commercial use. This unique MLU concept is convenient for the occupants of Dwarka DDA flats, as they get shopping, dining, and grocery shopping facilities nearby.

Social infrastructure

The sub-city has been planned for an environment of convenience containing essential facilities and services at different levels—mainly health, education, hotel, safety and security, cultural, and communication, etc. Two malls recently opened, one at the Dwarka Sector 21 Metro Station and another near the Dwarka Sector 14 Metro Station.

Education

The sub-city is well-equipped with multiple elementary and higher secondary schools.

Universities and Colleges

Faculty of Law, University of Delhi is planning a new campus in Dwarka and will build hostels for students and residential quarters for staff members.

National Law University, Delhi National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) is a law school in India, situated in Sector-14, Dwarka, Delhi. It offers courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As one of the national law schools in India, NLU Delhi (NLUD) is built on ...

and Netaji Subhas University of Technology are located in Dwarka. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University has its main campus in Dwarka Sector 16-C, housing the University School of Law and Legal Studies and University School of Management Studies, among others. The university has around 120 affiliated colleges in the NCR. Engineering and law institutes in Dwarka include Bhaskaracahrya College of Applied Sciences, University School of Chemical Technology, (GGSIPU) University School of Information, Communication and Technology (GGSIPU), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, and

References

External links

District Magistrate/DM South West Delhi
Government of Delhi *

DDA
Complete Dwarka Expressway by 2022: PM Narendra Modi to road transport minister
Times of India
DDA plans international sports complex in Dwarka sub-city
The Indian Express
DDA plans Delhi's first adventure park for cycle sports in Dwarka
The Times of India
DDA, Indian Navy to develop old-age homes in Dwarka
The Economic Times
DDA plans Delhi to get new cricket stadium near Dwarka
The Times of India {{Neighbourhoods of Delhi Neighbourhoods in Delhi South West Delhi district Cities and towns in South West Delhi district Diplomatic districts Planned communities in India District subdivisions of Delhi Housing cooperatives in India Smart cities in India