Digital
Why OpenAI is hiring 100 ex-bankers: Inside the ChatGPT-maker's secret project to automate Wall Street's grunt work
Reddit post argues Delhi-NCR is no longer liveable as pollution, traffic and jobs come under fire
The post prompted extensive reactions in the comments section, with one user stating that pollution was a serious issue across much of India.
Image: PTI
A Reddit user has sparked a wide online debate after claiming that Delhi-NCR is no longer a liveable region, listing six key reasons ranging from severe air pollution to limited job opportunities and rising real estate costs. The post, titled Delhi NCR is cooked no point of defending it now, gained thousands of views and nearly 800 upvotes as the capital battled toxic smog on Sunday, December 14, when air quality slipped into the severe category with an AQI reading of 459, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
The user informed the r/delhi subreddit that they had lived in Bengaluru and Hyderabad for work, were born and brought up in Noida, and had recently spent a week in Pune, after which they concluded that Delhi-NCR was no longer sustainable as a place to live. The user stated that air pollution had reached a severe-plus level, citing AQI readings of 491 in Delhi compared with 118 in Bengaluru, which falls in the moderate category, and added that the larger issue was how normalised hazardous air quality had become.
On traffic, the user stated that congestion was a problem across all major metros but argued that peak-hour traffic in Delhi-NCR felt no different from other cities, reducing any relative advantage the region might have. Safety concerns were also highlighted, with the user stating that people in cities such as Pune were seen freely outdoors late at night, while in NCR residents often hesitated to step out after 10 or 11 pm, as deserted streets did not feel safe.
The post further stated that real estate prices in Delhi-NCR were prohibitively high, noting that in areas such as Gurugram, buyers struggled to find decent properties under Rs 1 to 1.5 crore, while cities such as Pune offered more affordable housing options within the same budget. On employment, the user stated that job opportunities, particularly in information technology, were far stronger in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, adding that these cities also offered better pay compared with North India.
Food was listed as the sixth reason, with the user stating that apart from variety, the NCR food scene no longer stood out and that southern cities such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru offered superior options, particularly for non-vegetarians.
The post prompted extensive reactions in the comments section, with one user stating that pollution was a serious issue across much of India, particularly in the North, but that Delhi was hit harder during winter due to its geography, ongoing construction activity and emissions from factories and vehicles. The commenter added that the wider problem lay in the normalisation of poor air quality nationwide, where AQI levels of 150 to 200 were often treated as acceptable and failed to attract sustained attention.
“Two drunks leaning on a lamppost”: Sir Martin Sorrell on the Omnicom–IPG merger and the turbulence ahead
In a wide-ranging interview with Storyboard18, Sorrell delivers his frankest assessment yet of how the deal will redefine creativity, media, and talent across markets.