Delhiites get richer, city chokes

The city has seen a progressive preference for private vehicles over public transport. File photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

The average Delhiite became more affluent and healthy despite progressive preference for private vehicles over public transport. Their expenditure on essential goods has increased and relatively depend less on State-sponsored welfare schemes, according to government statistics collected over the last year.

Data released by the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Economics & Statistics recorded an increase of Rs.18,896 in per capita income, which rose from an annual Rs.2,01,083 in 2012-13 to Rs.2,19,979 in 2013-14 — the highest among all Indian cities.

However, a closer analysis of the data revealed that per capita income, in actual terms, actually registered a marginal decrease given the fact that it had increased by Rs.27,397 in 2012-13 compared to an increase of Rs.27,392 in 2013-14.

The data was released in the form of a statistical handbook based on data pertaining to various socio-economic parameters under 23 broad chapters.

Transportation

With a recent National Green Tribunal directive to reduce congestion on Delhi streets in the interest of the environment even as the Capital’s total road length remained the same, its vehicular population increased by as much as 5.19 lakh pushing the total number of vehicles registered in Delhi from 77.74 lakh in 2012-13 to 82.93 lakh in 2013-14.

Even as Delhiites’ ridership of Delhi Transport Corporation buses plummeted by the absence of 3.3 lakh commuters per day, over five lakh vehicles — 3.35 lakh more two wheelers and over 1.5 lakh four wheelers — were registered in 2013-14.

Lifestyle

Like their consumption of liquor — from Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor to beer and country-made alcohol — that registered a marginal dip from last year’s figure of 2.55 crore cases to 2.49 crore cases in 2013-14, the number of Delhiites visiting movie theatres on a daily basis fell from a daily figure of 1.15 lakh to 1.07 lakh.

Meanwhile, with inflation ensuring that they had to shell out more for ghee, meat, eggs, chillies and potatoes, Delhiites became more economical in their use of water consumption for which fell from 49 gallons per day in 2012-13 to 48 gallons per day in 2013-14.