The anti-colonial sentiments among the public led to a complete boycott of British goods, which forced the colonial government to reunite Bengal and immediately shift the capital to New Delhi.

The reason for this choice was that the hill lay directly opposite the Dinapanah citadel, which was also considered the site of Indraprastha, the ancient region of Delhi.

Subsequently, the foundation stone was shifted from the site of Delhi Durbar of 1911–1912, where the Coronation Pillar stood, and embedded in the walls of the forecourt of the Secretariat.

[citation needed] In the south, land up to Safdarjung's Tomb was acquired to create what is today known as Lutyens' Bungalow Zone.

The New Delhi Railway Station opened in 1926, with a single platform at Ajmeri Gate near Paharganj, and was completed in time for the city's inauguration in 1931.

Named after Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught (1850–1942), it was designed by Robert Tor Russell, chief architect to the Public Works Department (PWD).

[33] In Mercer's 2015 annual quality-of-living survey, New Delhi ranks at number 154 out of 230 cities due to bad air quality and pollution.

[76] On 16 December 2015, the Supreme Court of India mandated several restrictions on Delhi's transportation system to curb pollution.

Among the measures, the court ordered to stop registrations of diesel cars and sport utility vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000 cc and over until 31 March 2016.

[citation needed] On 7 November 2017, the Indian Medical Association declared a public health emergency due to high pollution levels.

[97] Connaught Place, one of North India's largest commercial and financial centres, is located in the northern part of New Delhi.

The city's service sector has expanded due in part to the large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies.

Key service industries include information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media, and tourism.

[100] The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Delhi at prices for the year 2011–12 has been estimated at Rs 3.13 trillion (short scale), which is an increase of 18.7 per cent over the previous fiscal.

[101] New Delhi is a cosmopolitan city due to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural presence of the vast Indian bureaucracy and political system.

[102][additional citation(s) needed] Religious festivals include Diwali (the festival of light), Maha Shivaratri, Teej, Durga Puja, Chhath Puja, Mahavir Jayanti, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Holi, Lohri, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Easter, Raksha Bandhan, and Christmas.

[citation needed] In 2007, the Japanese Buddhist organisation Nipponzan Myohoji decided to build a Peace Pagoda in the city containing Buddha relics.

The National Museum, which began with an exhibition of Indian art and artefacts at the Royal Academy in London in the winter of 1947–48,[105] was later at the end was shown at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in 1949.

On 15 August 1949, the National Museum was formally inaugurated and has 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, covering over 5,000 years.

[citation needed] The Rajpath, which was built similar to the Champs-Élysées in Paris, is the ceremonial boulevard for the Republic of India, located in New Delhi.

The Raj Ghat in the shape of the large square platform with black marble was designed by architect Vanu Bhuta.

[citation needed] Jantar Mantar located in Connaught Place was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur.

The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.

[citation needed] The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area was declared the cleanest in North India, based on solid waste management, access to sanitation and other parameters of cleanliness, under the zone-wise Swachh Survekshan 2017.

[113] Much of New Delhi, planned by the leading 20th-century British architect Edwin Lutyens, was laid out to be the central administrative area of the city as a testament to Britain's imperial ambitions.

[citation needed] The New Delhi town plan, like its architecture, was chosen with one single chief consideration: to be a symbol of British power and supremacy.

Since then, the club only carries out aircraft maintenance courses,[122] and is used for helicopter rides to Indira Gandhi International Airport for VIP including the president and the prime minister.

New Delhi has one of the highest road density in India and average vehicle speed is around 15–20 km/h (9.3–12.4 mph) in peak hours in the city.

[b] The network has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, and Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana.

[140] New Delhi is home to most UN regional offices in India namely the UNDP, UNODC, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, UNV, UNCTAD, FAO, UNFPA, WHO, World Bank, ILO, IMF, UNIFEM, IFC and UNAIDS.