New infra brings Dwarka sub-city back in demand
Over the past decade, Dwarka has transformed from a suburb saddled with myriad civic problems into one of the most sought-after addresses in the Capital
It’s 4pm, and Amit Sharma, a real estate agent in Dwarka, is engrossed in a meeting with a couple from Gurugram, who are interested in buying a three-bedroom apartment in the sub-city. Sharma diligently suggests a diverse range of properties available within the price range of ₹1.6 to 2 crore. “You see, prices have risen by 25% over the past two years,” he tells the couple, both IT professionals, who feel the cost is a bit beyond their budget. Twenty minutes later, as his clients depart, he shifts his attention to us.

“There was a time when most of my clients only wanted to sell their property in Dwarka, but now, we have people from all over Delhi and Gurugram eager to buy property here. The demand far outweighs the supply,” says Sharma, whose father ventured into Dwarka’s real estate market in the late 1980s, when the sub-city was still in the planning stage.
Sharma’s real estate firm is called Pappan Properties, a name, he proudly points out, has connections with Dwarka’s history. “Not many people are aware that Dwarka was originally called Pappan Kalan, and it was renamed Dwarka by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the 2000s, when it realised that the name didn’t align well with their vision of creating a Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh-like mini city,” says Sharma, whose office has a large map of the sub-city on one of the walls. “In recent years, brand Dwarka has got a major boost; it is a sub-city of the future.”
Dwarka, about 26km from Connaught Place, has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade, evolving from a suburb saddled with myriad civic problems into one of the most sought-after addresses in the Capital located close to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, thanks to the government’s unprecedented infra push over the past few years.
For example, last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the ₹25,703-crore India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC), named “Yashobhoomi”, which once complete, will also feature office and retail spaces, hotel rooms, and exhibition halls, apart from a convention centre.
The ₹530-crore Bharat Vandana Park is being developed as a prominent tourist destination, and will include an eco-forest, numerous lakes, cultural and adventure sports facilities, and will showcase replicas of 36 prominent Indian monuments.

Meanwhile, lieutenant governor VK Saxena recently laid the foundation stone for a world-class international cricket-cum-football stadium in Dwarka, boasting a seating capacity of 30,000, apart from inaugurating a brand-new sprawling sports complex. A 159-acre golf course, set to be the country’s longest with a length of 7,377 yards, and amenities such as audio-visual simulation rooms and capillary bunkers, will be completed by early next year. The plan for a diplomatic enclave in Dwarka — to be developed along the lines of Chanakyapuri — is also in progress.
The beginnings
Spread over 56 sqkm, Dwarka is Delhi’s third sub-city, planned in the late 1980s to cater to the housing needs of the city’s rapidly growing population. In 1981, Delhi’s population was around 6 million and was projected to double by 2001. Dwarka, along with Rohini and Narela, were planned to accommodate approximately 1 million people each.
“At that time, Jagmohan was Delhi’s LG, and he took keen interest in the planning and development of Dwarka. The vision was to establish a self-sufficient sub-city with a distinct character and identity, akin to Chandigarh. The initial plan was formulated by DDA and underwent a review by the Delhi government and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission. It received approval in 1990,” says AK Jain, former commissioner of planning at DDA, who played a key role in the planning of Dwarka.
More than 5,000 acres of land from 11 villages were acquired for the development of the sub-city, and each of the 29sectors was planned to accommodate around 30,000 residents, complete with parks, schools, community centres, and shopping complexes. “We established a small makeshift office in neighbouring Manglapuri to oversee the Dwarka project. A total of 352 plots were allocated to various group housing societies. Besides, DDA planned 52 housing pockets of its own in various sectors,” Jain said.
The transformation of agricultural fields into modern apartment complexes began in the early 1990s. By 1995, the first flats were constructed in sectors 6, 7, and 9.
However, till the mid-2000s, few people moved in, mainly due to challenges related to civic amenities such as electricity and sanitation. Water supply, in particular, was a big challenge, with residents having to rely on DJB tankers for their daily needs.
“These issues stemmed from a lack of coordination and cooperation between various agencies,” says Sushil Kumar, president of Dwarka Forum, a prominent body representing civil society groups and RWAs in the sub-city.
“Allottees were reluctant to move into the area, and those who did were looking to sell their property. Dwarka seemed destined for failure,” says Sharma.
The road to revival
One event in December 2005 turned the tide — the inauguration of the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line corridor connecting Dwarka to Barakhamba Road. This boosted connectivity, the empty flats began to fill, and over the course of the following decade, government agencies — under the growing pressure from RWAs and civil society groups — took steps to resolve many of its civic amenity issues.
“However, the major transformation has happened only in the last 5-6 years. Till a few years ago, Dwarka had no malls, hospitals, and five-star hotels, and residents depended on the markets in sectors 9 and 10 for shopping and eating out,” says Robin Sharma, president of the Dwarka Traders’ Association, who also lives in the sub-city.
“Until a few years back, people here used to travel to Janakpuri and Vasant Kunj for medical treatment, and to Gurugram for shopping. However, today, Dwarka boasts numerous malls and multi-specialty hospitals, attracting a lot of people from nearby localities for medical care. Dwarka is now a priced postal address, and I take pride in calling it my home,” says Vineet Khanna, who has lived in Dwarka since 2009.

A middle-class address no more
The identity of Dwarka as a middle-class housing hub dominated by cooperative housing societies is undergoing a transformation. Private builders have entered the scene and are now undertaking luxurious projects similar to those in Gurugram. Golf Island, one such project, offers what its builder calls ‘ultra-luxurious flats starting at ₹5.6 crores’.
The marketing strategy for these new luxury projects often highlights their proximity to new infrastructure developments in the area. For instance, Golf Island boasts its proximity to the new Convention Centre, and to the upcoming golf course, Bharat Vandana Park, and sports stadium. “These infrastructure projects have played a significant role in opening up Dwarka to the luxury housing market and there are many takers for such apartments here,” says Sharma, the real estate agent.
“The upcoming Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road-2 (UER-2), which will provide direct connectivity to Dwarka from various parts of Delhi-NCR will be the major drivers of property prices in the coming years,” says Pankaj Bajaj, another property dealer.
In recent years, Dwarka has also become a favoured location for many public sector institutions and enterprises. These include the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and the National Highway Authority of India. In 2021, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the new Bihar Sadan. Many of these institutional buildings are strategically located in the leafy sectors 8, 9, and 10, close to Metro stations.
Besides, the sub-city is also home to several top-notch higher educational institutions, including National Law University, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
A new business hub
DDA is also in the process of setting up an international business, information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITeS) hub in Dwarka’s sectors 24, 25, and 26 — all close to IICC. These sectors are currently colossal construction sites, with the Dwarka Expressway and a maze of elevated roads being built in front of the newly inaugurated convention centre. One can see the high-rise apartment of Gurugram just across the Delhi-Haryana border.
“The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for an International Business, IT & ITES hub will be ready by January, with construction commencing shortly thereafter. This project will be executed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and will include a blend of residential and commercial spaces, based on the ‘walk-to-work’ concept. In Dwarka, we will henceforth focus on transit-oriented development,” says Subhasish Panda, vice chairman, DDA.
Experts laud DDA’s plan to develop a new business hub on the walk-to-work concept, saying Dwarka, a compact sub-city, has the potential to transform into a 15-minute city (FMC) — an innovative urban planning concept that envisions a city where the majority of essential daily needs and services, including work, shopping, education, healthcare, and recreational activities, are conveniently accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any location within the city.
“However, achieving this vision requires addressing key factors such as mobility, connectivity, and safety,” says Hitesh Vaidya, director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), who has been living in Dwarka since 2007.
“One of the significant challenges Dwarka faces is the issue of last-mile connectivity. Merely focusing on trunk infrastructure is not enough; there is a need to boost both intra-city and inter-city connectivity in Dwarka. But yes, the sub-city, a massive residential hub, offers great potential for harnessing its population to drive economic growth in the area. With the world-class convention centre, Dwarka can become a thriving cultural and commercial hub,” he adds.
Ramesh Menon, an independent policy analyst for Master Plan of Delhi-2021, agrees. “With commercial spaces and approximately 3,500 hotel rooms, equivalent to the presence of 7-8 five-star hotels, IICC will stimulate substantial economic activity in Dwarka, which has a huge potential to attract IT, biotech, and fintech firms,” he says, adding that the upcoming diplomatic enclave will greatly elevate Dwarka’s brand equity. “In the next few years, its physical, social, and recreational infrastructure, will give the posh south Delhi neighbourhoods a run for their money.”

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