NEW DELHI: East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar is a neighbourhood in constant motion. Cars squeeze out of narrow parking spaces, vendors call out to familiar customers, and conversations drift down from balconies that rise three to four floors above the street. Its identity is shaped by these everyday rhythms of residents who have witnessed the colony evolve.“I have been living here since 1983,” said Sanjay Goyal, a resident of A Block. “At that time, the colony was developed but houses were limited to the ground floor. Roads were open and wide,” he recalled. “Now, the roads feel narrow because buildings have gone up to four floors. Earlier, one house had one family of four-five people; now one house can have 20 people,” said Goyal. Water, he noted, once came easily. “Backthen, the population was less, so use of water was also less. Water supply is something we are still dealing with.”
Yet for Goyal, Vivek Vihar’s strength lies beyond infrastructure. “The biggest plus point of Vivek Vihar is that there is a strong senseof unity among people, wherever they come from. All festivals and school functions are celebrated together. That cohesion is reinforced by an active residents’ network. There is mutual respect among residents,” he said.Madan Mittal, a resident ofB Block, echoed similar views. “I have been living in the area for the past 40 years. There have been no major problems,” he said. “The parks are good and beautiful, and most people have adopted them. They have even hired private gardeners.”He pointed to recent civicactivities that are helping the area grow: “Work on the sewerage network is being done. Roads and lanes are also being developed.”For Mittal, congestion is the main concern. “The only area where improvement is needed is the issue of street vendors and hawkers. They cause traffic problems.”According to Ashok Gupta, a 53-year-old businessman residing in Vivek Vihar since 2001, “There is strong social cohesion. Neighbours support each other in celebrations and crises alike. However, infrastructure and parking must improve so that growth does not reduce quality of life.”Like many older colonies, Vivek Vihar stands at a crossroads, balancing density and growth with the resilience of a neighbourhood that still prefers to solve its problems together.
