Lajpat Nagar

Overview

The suburb is divided into four parts: Lajpat Nagar I, II, III (north of the Ring Road) and IV (south of the Ring Road). Housing colonies like Amar Colony, Dayanand Colony, Double Storey (also known as Nirmal Puri), National Park and Vikram Vihar are also located in it. Lajpat Nagar is famous for Central Market, which is a popular shopping destination, and is known for the garments, and textiles which are sold here.

The colony falls partially under the New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) and part of it is in the South Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency).

History

Lajpat Nagar was developed in 1950s and most of its early residents were Hindus and Sikhs moving east from newly formed Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947. As such, many of these individuals are Multanis and Sindhis. The colony was initially named as Cheap Colony or Cheap Cantonment. One part of Lajpat Nagar - 4 (Dayanand Colony) was named after Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, by Mr. B.N. Puri in 1957.

Initially refugee camps were set up in Purana Quila. Plots and the people were allotted plots in areas like Lajpat Nagar, Patel Nagar, Rajendra Nagar. The plots were of 15x60 feet constructed like army barracks .The houses were all single storey, with asbestos roofs, in the beginning, but now most of the houses are multi-storied.

The colony also housed a refugee camp for Bengali widows which came up much later known as Kasturba Ashram. In 1960, Servants of the People Society, founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921 in Lahore, after functioning for many years since partition of India, from the residence of MP Lala Achint Ram, also shifted to the new building known as Lajpat Bhawan, Lajpat Nagar.

The colony has a railway line passing through the north and has a local railway station where one can board the EMU trains. The line is usually used by freight trains. At present, it is common to see individuals from different parts of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and African countries.

In the recent years, Lajpat Nagar has become a preferred residential neighbourhood for tourists and certain refugees from various Middle Eastern countries, including Afghanistan who often travel to New Delhi as medical tourists, owing to the presence of affordable quality health care in the capital.

Accessibility

Lajpat Nagar is well connected by Delhi Transport Corporation bus services and the Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System. Route no. 543 connects East Delhi Anand Vihar to Lajpat Nagar, and Teevr Mudrika connects Lajpat Nagar to the North (Rohini) and West Delhi Punjabi Bagh. The Lajpat Nagar Station of the Delhi Metro is an elevated station lying on the Metro’s Violet Line. It is located between the Jangpura and Moolchand stations. The station was opened to public along with the first section of the Violet Line. Kalkaji is another popular place in south delhi, which is very near to Lajpat Nagar. Visitors can take Delhi Metro from Kalka Mandir metro station to reach Lajpat Nagar. A new underpass connection has been opened in 2014 below Defence Colony-Lajapat Nagar flyover between Lajpat Nagar and Jungpura for easy access to areas like Jungpura Extn., Bhogal and Nizamuddin.

Another metro station is under construction and scheduled to open in 3 years, making it easier for customers to visit the market.

Popular culture

Lajpat Nagar is home to a large Punjabi community that is featured in multiple movies.

There is also a very famous market in Lajpat Nagar called the Center Market which is a hub for street shopping and street food. This market witnesses large footfall round the year