Noisy Delhi gets richer

Delhi is rich with 10 times the national average of cars. For every 1,000 people in the city, 85 own private cars. The national average is 8 cars per 1,000 people. But it is also noisy and polluted, says the Delhi Economic Survey 2008-09, reports Anuradha Mukherjee.

Delhi is rich with 10 times the national average of cars.

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For every 1,000 people in the city, 85 own private cars. The national average is 8 cars per 1,000 people.

But it is also noisy and polluted, says the Delhi Economic Survey 2008-09.

In the gloom and doom of economic slump, the survey raises hopes that things may not be all that bad financially.

But the Delhi government has an uphill task as far as cleaning up the city’s notorious environmental record ahead of Commonwealth Games 2010 is concerned.

The survey, released by Finance Minister AK Walia on Friday, indicates that per capita income in the city has been rising steadily over the last few years.

Driven by its service industry centric economy, the per capita income of Delhiites rose from Rs 60,951 in 2005-06 and Rs 70,238 in 2006-07 to Rs 78,690 in 2007-08, the survey says.

Value Added Tax contributed 75 per cent (Rs 9152.09 crore) of the revenue collected by the Delhi government. Stamp and registration fee collections dipped from Rs 1318.40 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 788 crore in 2008-09.

Delhiites are also buying more four-wheeled private vehicles like cars and jeeps.

Get a grip on this: In 10 years between 1997-98 and 2007-08, the number of cars, jeeps and two-wheelers in the city has grown by 92.53 per cent — the routine traffic jam on way to work should make sense now.

The over vehicular population — including buses, trucks, auto rickshaws and taxis — has grown by 85.53 per cent. Needless to say this has played havoc with the city’s environmental health.

The government is now planning to sharpen its public transport system. It has proposed 26 High Capacity Bus Service routes and Monorail corridors are also on the cards.