<p>Indirapuram, meaning the abode of Lord Indra, was probably rightly named, as its numerous high-rises today scale the sky. Step into this newly-developed township and it is difficult to tell that you are in Ghaziabad – a city better known for dirt, backwardness and abundant crime. <br /><br /></p>.<p>There are no old, yellow, peeling flats, open drains or dumping grounds – only builder developed swanky multi-storey apartments, many malls and lush beautiful greens. No wonder it is called the 21st century uber-modern satellite City of Delhi.<br /><br />Alongwith Vaishali, Vasundhra and Kaushambi Indirapuram forms the ‘New Ghaziabad.’ Indirapuram came up in the late 1990s and habitation started in 2000. Motilal Vohra, then governor UP, laid the foundation stone, which is today a well-known landmark called Kala Patthar.<br /><br />Having developed later than its sister townships, Indirapuram actually benefited, for Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) learned from its earlier mistakes and planned it better and private builders developed it like a mega-city. <br /><br />64-year old Rai Lalu Prasad, a resident of the oldest area here – Shipra Reviera says, “When we came in 2006, Indirapuram was like a forest, desolate. People did not dare to venture out after dark; commuting without personal conveyance was impossible and we went grocery shopping in Delhi.<br /><br />“Hardly six years later, the face of the township has completely changed. There are at least 50 multi-storey societies complete with swimming pools, gyms and 24-hour security. There are no buses yet but autos and taxis are frequent; we have world-class schools like St. Thomas and Presidium, multi-speciality hospitals like Asia Columbia and wherever you look there are malls. The Shipra Mall here claims to be the biggest in India and there are so many Food Bazaars that we don’t even go out to buy vegetables. <br /><br />We just order them in.”However, there is a darker side to this upscale megapolis. In spite of all the security, criminal incidents are common especially highlighted by the murder of Nitin Sharma, a senior executive with Woodland, recently. Ajit Kumar Jha, a resident says, “Snatching cases, motor theft and robberies are very common. Murders also happen and frequently dead bodies are dumped here by criminals. Of late, there have been incidents of kidnapping and rapes of minor girls and this latest incident of the murder of the Woodland GM has left us all in a sweat.”<br /><br />But thankfully, there is also a soothing, more comforting side to Indirapuram – its greenery. A green belt runs across Indirapuram along the Hindon river canal and the GDA has developed many parks – most prominently the Swarn Jayanti, for its residents. Arpita Gautam, a young professional, expresses, “Indirapuram starts looking even more clean and green in the monsoons. It is a pleasure to walk in these parks in the evening. ” <br /></p>
<p>Indirapuram, meaning the abode of Lord Indra, was probably rightly named, as its numerous high-rises today scale the sky. Step into this newly-developed township and it is difficult to tell that you are in Ghaziabad – a city better known for dirt, backwardness and abundant crime. <br /><br /></p>.<p>There are no old, yellow, peeling flats, open drains or dumping grounds – only builder developed swanky multi-storey apartments, many malls and lush beautiful greens. No wonder it is called the 21st century uber-modern satellite City of Delhi.<br /><br />Alongwith Vaishali, Vasundhra and Kaushambi Indirapuram forms the ‘New Ghaziabad.’ Indirapuram came up in the late 1990s and habitation started in 2000. Motilal Vohra, then governor UP, laid the foundation stone, which is today a well-known landmark called Kala Patthar.<br /><br />Having developed later than its sister townships, Indirapuram actually benefited, for Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) learned from its earlier mistakes and planned it better and private builders developed it like a mega-city. <br /><br />64-year old Rai Lalu Prasad, a resident of the oldest area here – Shipra Reviera says, “When we came in 2006, Indirapuram was like a forest, desolate. People did not dare to venture out after dark; commuting without personal conveyance was impossible and we went grocery shopping in Delhi.<br /><br />“Hardly six years later, the face of the township has completely changed. There are at least 50 multi-storey societies complete with swimming pools, gyms and 24-hour security. There are no buses yet but autos and taxis are frequent; we have world-class schools like St. Thomas and Presidium, multi-speciality hospitals like Asia Columbia and wherever you look there are malls. The Shipra Mall here claims to be the biggest in India and there are so many Food Bazaars that we don’t even go out to buy vegetables. <br /><br />We just order them in.”However, there is a darker side to this upscale megapolis. In spite of all the security, criminal incidents are common especially highlighted by the murder of Nitin Sharma, a senior executive with Woodland, recently. Ajit Kumar Jha, a resident says, “Snatching cases, motor theft and robberies are very common. Murders also happen and frequently dead bodies are dumped here by criminals. Of late, there have been incidents of kidnapping and rapes of minor girls and this latest incident of the murder of the Woodland GM has left us all in a sweat.”<br /><br />But thankfully, there is also a soothing, more comforting side to Indirapuram – its greenery. A green belt runs across Indirapuram along the Hindon river canal and the GDA has developed many parks – most prominently the Swarn Jayanti, for its residents. Arpita Gautam, a young professional, expresses, “Indirapuram starts looking even more clean and green in the monsoons. It is a pleasure to walk in these parks in the evening. ” <br /></p>
