‘Dwarka fastest-growing residential hub’

Delhi’s population growth slowed down between 2001 and 2011,as compared to the decade before that,provisional Census counts show,offering hope that the mounting pressure on the Capital’s infrastructure could ease.

Population growth that climbed to 47 per cent between 1991 and 2001,reduced by a little more than a half — to 21 per cent — over the last decade,according to the provisional Census.

The number of people in the Capital grew from 1.38 crore in 2001 to 1.68 crore in 2011. “It thus appears that the population growth of Delhi is now showing a tendency towards stabilisation,” says the provisional Census document.

Delhi’s population density,or the number of people living per square kilometre,increased from 9,340 people in 2001 to 11,297 in 2011,the data shows. Northeast Delhi is the most densely-populated district with as many as 37,346 people living per square kilometre.

New settlements in areas bordering Gurgaon

Southwest Delhi’s population grew most over the last decade,riding on the rush of people to the highrise sub-city of Dwarka and of migrants working in Gurgaon who settled in areas bordering Haryana.

The population here surged from 17.55 lakh in 2001 to 22.92 lakh in 2011,a jump of 31 per cent,10 percentage points more than the state average,according to the provisional statistics.

“The new sub-city of Dwarka,which has come up in the last 10 years,is a major factor leading to high growth here,” it says.

New settlements have also mushroomed around Najafgarh and Bijwasan,which border Gurgaon. “They have become heavily populated due to tenants who are migrants mainly working in factories in Gurgaon and in the service sector both in Gurgaon and Delhi,” the document says.

Old Delhi residents want to move out

Youngsters living in one of the world’s renowned heritage zones,Old Delhi,are increasingly reluctant to stay in the area,the provisional Census says.

The trend of converting residential areas to commercial set-ups is common throughout the city,but it is most visible in areas like Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar,the findings state.

“There is a marked reluctance of descendants of old-time residents of Old Delhi to continue to stay there. People prefer to move out to more modernised housing in other parts of Delhi and NCR,” it states.

After drive during CWG,fewer people live in slums

Fewer people live in Delhi’s slums now than a decade ago,the data shows,as authorities have removed several slums,more recently in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

As many as 32,000 families displaced in various slum removal drives over the last decade have been rehabilitated in colonies in the Northwest and the South districts,according to the findings.

“But the rest were not eligible for rehabilitation and were thus displaced. It is not known where they may have gone; some may have settled in new clusters at different locations,and the rest may have moved to other cities,” it says.

The removal of slums along the Yamuna riverbed in New Delhi,Central,North and the East districts is a major reason for the slowing of the Capital’s population growth rate.

Sex ratio better,but fewer girls than boys of 0-6 yrs

The Capital’s sex ratio has improved drastically over the last decade,leaving Census managers struggling to figure out the reasons for the trend.

Till last year,Delhi had 866 women for every 1,000 men,a jump from 2001 when the corresponding figure stood at 821,according to the provisional Census findings.

“This can only be fully explained upon further study of the complete Census data. It may,however,indicate that a larger proportion of migrants coming into Delhi for work are women as compared to a decade ago,” it says.

The more worrying fact,though,is that up to the age of six,the number of girls per 1,000 boys has reduced over the last 10 years from 868 in 2001 to 866 in 2011.

“Much more efforts are needed to bring the child sex ratio in Delhi on a par with the national figure of 914,” the findings read.

Literacy levels rise,more women literate now

Literacy levels have increased between 2001 and 2011 and the gap between the number of literate men and literate women has narrowed down,according to the provisional Census data.

At 91 per cent for men and 81 per cent for women,literacy rate has improved by five percentage points,while the gap between literate men and literate women has reduced by 2.53 percentage points.