The South Delhi district is one of the 11 districts of the NCT of Delhi. In September 2012, Delhi was reorganized into 11 districts; prior to this, there were 9 districts, which had been established in January 1997. Before that, the entirety of Delhi comprised a single district, with its headquarters located at Tis Hazari. The headquarters of the South district is situated on M.B. Road in Saket, and the district holds significant historical, social, economic, and cultural importance. It is bordered by the state of Haryana; to its south lie the Gurgaon and Faridabad districts of Haryana. To the east of the South district lies the South-East district of Delhi, while the New Delhi and South-West districts are located to its north and west, respectively.
The South District has 3 Sub-divisions :- Saket, Hauz Khas and Mehrauli. South District is predominantly urban but also has a sizeable rural area. There are 42 villages (13 in Saket,18 in Hauz Khas and11 in Mehrauli Sub-division) in the District with all characteristics of rural India.
South District of Delhi spreads over 247 Sq. Km & covering 16.65% of the total area of NCT of Delhi.
Population
- Male – 1467428
- Female – 1264501
- Urban – 2719736
- Rural – 12193
- Total – 2731929
Literacy rate
- Male – 92.20 %
- Female – 80.99 %
Sex ratio
- Male – 1000
- Female – 862
Geographical structure
The general topography of the district is plain. However, some part of the district represents the ridge characteristics of the old Aravalli hills. Large part of vacant Gaon sabha land of District South has been declared as Southern ridge area to be developed as reserve forest which will slowly become one of the crucial factors influencing the local environment and improving quality of life all over NCR.
Historically, South Delhi was seat of Power from the very beginning as evident by the Tughlaqabad Fort made by the Tuglaks, till the time old fort was constructed by Mughals. The world famous Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar are in this District. Places of religious importance are Dadabadi Jain temple, Chhattarpur temple etc.
An annual Cultural Social event “Phool Walon Ki Sair” is organized in the month of October in Mehrauli which is of great significance as it’s a symbol of communal harmony.
Apart from the colleges of Delhi University, South Delhi also is the headquarter of Indira Gandhi Open University(IGNOU) and Indian Institiute of Technology(IIT), Delhi.