Sangam Vihar, the sprawling urban concrete jungle nestled in South Delhi, had always been an eye doe for the affluent class. Despite being an object of contempt, Asia's largest unauthorised colony has always been a hotly contested enclave in the city.
The AAP, two years ago had made this enclave their pocket borough as they rode on a massive anti incumbency wave and promised to change the face of the colony.
Two years down the line, the residents of Sangam Vihar have seen their community change — from a land of scarce water punctured by paralysing power cuts to a community with 24-hour electricity and water supply. Hundreds of residents, packed into cramped e-rickshaws try to reach their destinations. Aslam Khan, an auto driver, reminisces about the old days.
"We used to have very narrow roads and it was virtually impossible to ply through those routes. The roads were all broken and it would take months to fix them. But within a year of the AAP government, we have seen a remarkable improvement.
The roads may still be narrow but they get fixed every now and then. This has only contributed to my earnings". The colony, however, has seen a remarkable change in the supply of water in the colony. "We used to order a water tanker and would drink that water. The biggest problem was that of poor water supply. We used to just get running water for a few hours and that too at odd times but now we get water from the Sonia Vihar water line," said Sunil, an auto driver.
The power cuts which used to plague the colony have also seen a drastic change. "Power cuts were a norm and frankly speaking, we were used to it. There were so many problems in Sangam Vihar that power cuts would be seen as a common occurrence in our lives. These days, the new normal is 24-hour electricity supply. Even if there is a power cut, it lasts for a few minutes and we hardly notice it," said Ashish, who sets up gas connections in the colony.
The community had seen a large influx of people post 2005, as the population shot up to an estimated 10 lakh in Sangam Vihar, contributing to 6 percent of Delhi's population. The high density with crippling infrastructure had resulted in regular fights and stabbing incidents in the colony with the crime graph shooting up. But with the pro-active engagement of the government with the community, the area has slowly inserted itself into the narrative of a community.