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Navi Mumbai
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Navi Mumbai (Marathi/Hindi: ??? ?????, IAST: ), formerly known as 'New Bombay', is a city on the west coast of the state of Maharashtra, India. It was developed in 1972 as a twin city of Mumbai, and is one of the largest planned cities in the world, with a total area of 344 km˛ and 163 km˛ under the jurisdiction of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Navi Mumbai lies on the mainland on the eastern seaboard of Thane Creek. The city limits stretch from Airoli near Thane in the north, to Uran in the south.
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Encyclopedia
Navi Mumbai (Marathi/Hindi: ??? ?????, IAST: ), formerly known as 'New Bombay', is a city on the west coast of the state of Maharashtra, India. It was developed in 1972 as a twin city of Mumbai, and is one of the largest planned cities in the world, with a total area of 344 km˛ and 163 km˛ under the jurisdiction of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Navi Mumbai lies on the mainland on the eastern seaboard of Thane Creek. The city limits stretch from Airoli near Thane in the north, to Uran in the south. The length of the city is almost the same as that of Mumbai. The Vashi and the Airoli Bridges connect Navi Mumbai to Mumbai. A new link between Nerul and Uran is under construction. The costliest and most developed areas of Navi Mumbai are Vashi and Nerul. As a result, Vashi is known as the king of Navi Mumbai while Nerul is considered as the queen of Navi Mumbai. Navi Mumbai has a population of 2,100,000 of which approximately 600,000 come from Nerul and about 400,000 from Vashi with the remainder from Belapur, Kharghar and Koparkhairne and surrounding areas.
Navi Mumbai is a part of the Mumbai Conurbation. NMMC is also rated amongst the richest corporations in Asia. Navi Mumbai is the only Indian city to be featured in the National Geographic Channel's Super Cities of the World and was declared one of the best cities of the world by the National Geographic experts.
History
Navi Mumbai is arguably the world's largest planned city
It was initially planned with a specific purpose: to decongest Mumbai and become an alternative haven for the multitudes that throng Mumbai from different parts of India. Today, Navi Mumbai is a close competitor to Mumbai in every respect.
Planned city
The first post-independence development plan for Bombay, formulated by the Mayer-Modak Committee in 1948, suggested satellite towns. Ten years later in March 1958, the Study Group on Greater Bombay was set up under the chairmanship of Mr. S.G. Barve. In February 1959, the committee suggested the formation of a township on the mainland across the Thane Creek to decongest Bombay. One of its major recommendations was that a rail-cum-road bridge be built across the Thane Creek to connect peninsular Bombay with the mainland. The bridge accelerated development across the Creek, relieving pressure on the city's railways and roadways, and attracted industrial and residential concentrations eastward to the mainland.
The Barve Group's recommendations were accepted by the Government of Maharashtra in July 1964. A new committee chaired by Prof. D.R. Gadgil, then Director of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, in March 1965, was asked to form broad principles of regional planning. The Gadgil Committee strongly recommended of a new town across the harbour.
In March 1966, the Gadgil Committee recommended regional planning legislation and regional planning boards. In January 1967, the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966 was passed. July 1967 saw the constitution of Bombay Metropolitan and Regional Planning Board under the chairmanship of ICS officer L.G. Rajwade. The committee published the Draft Plan with recommendations to set up a new metro-centre or New Bombay (now called Navi Mumbai) across the creek. This proposal was accepted by the Bombay Municipal Corporation as a new twin city designed within the Bombay Metropolitan region to facilitate the decongestion of Mumbai.
CIDCO development
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) was formed on 17 March 1971, under the Indian Companies Act, 1956. It was given the mandate of converting about 344 km˛. of marshy land lying between village Dighe in Thane district and Kalundre village of Raigad district into a new city. It consisted of 150 km creek line of the total 720 km of the Konkan coast. The villagers under this area lived a calm life much different from the life in the neighbouring city of Mumbai (then called Bombay). Privately owned land covering 86 villages and measuring 15,954 hectares within the present limits of Navi Mumbai and further villages, measuring 2,870 hectares were acquired by the government of Maharashtra.
CIDCO carved out 14 nodes - small townships - of the land with a view to facilitate comprehensive development and to give it an identity of new city. These nodes are named Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, Vashi, Sanpada, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Kalamboli, Jui Kamothe, New Panvel, Ulwe, Pushpak and Dronagiri. CIDCO acquired 193.94 km˛ land of which 141.05 km˛ was private land, including about 22.92 km˛ salt-pan land and 52.89 km˛ government land. By the year 2000 CIDCO had developed about 117.60 km˛ of land. Of this land, 54.45 km˛ is saleable under various land uses. CIDCO has sold about 21.90 km˛ leaving a balance land for sale about 32.58 km˛ under various land uses.
CIDCO planned and constructed all the railway stations in Navi Mumbai and used the space for commercial purposes as well.
In 1973 the Thane Creek Road Bridge, Vashi Bridge, was opened to the public for residents of Vashi, Belapur and Nerul. The Sion-Panvel highway was built to reduce the time taken to travel from Sion to Panvel. Initially there was not much response to the new city. Major changes took place only after 1990, with the commissioning of the wholesale agricultural produce market at Vashi and the construction of a commuter railway line from Mankhurd to Vashi in May 1992. These developments caused a sudden growth in economic activities and population in Navi Mumbai.
Recent developments
By the end of the 1990s, the planning authority of Navi Mumbai initiated private participation in the developmental activity of Navi Mumbai.
Some of the old and more populated nodes are Airoli, Vashi, Nerul and Belapur. Some of the more recent node developments include Kharghar and New Panvel.
Recent developments include a 1.5 mile long Airoli Bridge over the Thane Creek between Airoli and Mulund - an eastern suburb of Mumbai city.
Administration
CIDCO
When Navi Mumbai was created in 1970s, CIDCO was the only authority that looked after the development and maintenance of the city. CIDCO prepared a developmental plan for Navi Mumbai covering 95 villages from Thane and Raigad district.
For the first ten years of the project CIDCO acted as the planning and administrative body, as well as the developer and builder for the project. Tax on property, land, commercial, water were payable to CIDCO. The 14 nodes which CIDCO created were named Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, Vashi, Sanpada, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Kalamboli, Kamothe, New Panvel, Ulwe, Pushpak and Dronagiri. Each of the nodes is divided into groups. These groups are blocks of one or more sector in each of the node. Initially only Vashi, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Airoli were developed by CIDCO with housing, schools, and community centre roads. But after the arrival of the Harbour Line extension in 1990s, there was an increase in population. CIDCO shifted its development plan to nodes like Kharghar, New Panvel, Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane. In its new development plan, CIDCO land was allocated to builders for housing. CIDCO only provided basic infrastructure like roads, water, and electricity; these nodes were developed mostly by private builders according to the
NMMC
In 17 December 1991 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) was constituted by the State Government for maintaining some of the developed nodes of Navi Mumbai.
The local self-government started on 1 January 1992. NMMC was handed 9 of the 25 nodes of the Navi Mumbai project area for its jurisdiction. However, CIDCO, as a Planning Authority has a right on the open plots in these five nodes.
The 9 nodes are Belapur, Nerul, Vashi, Turbhe, Koperkhairane, Ghansoli, Airoli, Digha, Dahisar on 1st January 1998 with all ready physical and social infrastructure.
The municipal corporation is headed by Municipal commissioner and an elected Mayor. There are 64 electoral wards in Navi Mumbai. A corporator is elected in each of the wards. All the nodes under municipal corporation come under Thane District.
The newly developed nodes of Navi Mumbai on the south side like Kharghar, Kalamboli, New Panvel and Panvel are still maintained by CIDCO and don't come under NMMC jurisdiction. These nodes (ie nodes beyond CBD Belapur (Belpada)) come under the Raigad District and fall under Panvel Municipal Council.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport Undertaking or NMMT Undertaking is the local transport service operated by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in the city of Navi Mumbai and adjoining areas of Dombivli, Badlapur, Uran, Panvel, Thane, Kalyan and Mulund.
Language
Navi Mumbai has a multilingual population. Marathi, the official language of the state of Maharashtra, is extensively spoken as most of the Navi Mumbai residents are Maharashtrians. Business in the municipal corporation is transacted in Marathi. A common language spoken on the city streets is Mumbaiya Hindi or Bambaiya Hindi a blend of Hindi, Urdu & Marathi and some invented colloquial words. English is also extensively spoken, and is the working language of the city's white collar workforce.
Physical characteristics
Navi Mumbai spreads over parts of two districts of Maharashtra; Thane, and Raigad. The region is hilly in some parts, and certain areas of the region are protected wetlands. Unlike its bigger neighbour, the city is sparsely populated.
Navi Mumbai is a part of South Konkan coast line. This coastal line joins Sahyadri mountain ranges to the south and 50 to 100m high hills to the east. Thus the Navi Mumbai area lies between mountain ranges and a coast line.
Its coordinates are between Latitude 19.5’ and 19.15’, Longitude 72.55’ and 73.5’
Geography and Geology
Along the east, there are small hills running in a North-South direction. This land forms part of the Konkan Region. The narrow belt of land starts at Dighe in the North and ends at Kalundre in the South. It is 25.6km˛ in area, 20km long and about 2km wide.
To part of Western Konkan coast is a narrow coastal strip along the western part of Sahyadris. It is bound on the East side by hillocks of 50 to 200 m height and on the west side by Thane creek.
The rock formations in the region are derived mainly from Deccan Basalt and also from granites, gneiss and laterite. The gently sloping coastal low lands are observed in patches and are covered with moderately shallow to deep soils, mostly lateritic in nature, sometimes oxidised to yellow marrum.
The soils of this region are high in saline in the vicinity of creeks with lower saline at other places. They are calcareous, neutral to alkaline in reaction (pH 7.5 to 8.5), often contain clay, with a high amount of bases and high water holding capacity (200-250 mm/m). The soils located on moderately sloping residual hills are lateritic in nature and show intensively leached surfaces. They are loamy and slight to moderately acidic (pH 5-6.5) with moderate base status (< 75%).
Land use
The land was used to produce rice during the rainy season. Some mango and coconut orchards and limited vegetable cultivation was also practised by locals. Those with good irrigation facilities would choose to cultivate legumes like tur and beans. With urbanisation, however, all agricultural activities in Navi Mumbai have almost ceased to exist, except in the easternmost part.
Fish, crabs and prawns were common products from the creek, though the quantities of each were not significant. Surplus from domestic consumption was sold in Thane and Belapur markets. With the advent of industries in the region, and with consequent deterioration of water quality, these markets were lost.
Climate
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has a station in Thane Belapur Industry Association (TBIA) premises which daily collects meteorological data. This area has sub-tropical monsoonal climate of humid-perhumid to semi arid and subhumid type. Overall climate is equable with high rainfall days and very few days of extreme temperatures.
Navi Mumbai temperature varies from 22°C to 36°C. In winter temperature is between 17°C to 20°C while summer temperature ranges from 36°C to 41°C. Out of total rainfall, 80% rainfall is experienced during June to October. Average annual rainfall is 2000-2500 mm and humidity is 61-86 %, making it a humid-perhumid zone. The driest days are in winter while the wettest days experienced in July.
According to the IMD, the predominant wind direction is southwest in monsoon and north-east during rest of the year.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Navi Mumbai had a population of 703,947. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Navi Mumbai has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 67%. In Navi Mumbai, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
67% of families living in Navi Mumbai own their homes and of the working population, 63.5% are employed within the city.
A 2000 survey done by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences revealed that 43% of the families currently settled in Navi Mumbai migrated from Mumbai. This percentage has gone up since then. The survey also found that the literacy rate in the city was 96%, that 32% of the total population was working, 67% own their houses and 46% own vehicles. As of 2008 the estimated population is 2,100,000,where Nerul and Vashi stands to be the most populated nodes of the city.
Facts
- Nerul is the most populated area of Navi Mumbai, with an estimated population of 600,000, followed by Vashi, which has an estimated population of 400,000.
- The literacy level of Navi Mumbai is 96%.
- The average monthly family income in Navi Mumbai is Rs. 9549/month, compared to Rs. 5000/month in Mumbai. Vashi has the highest monthly income at Rs. 12,349/month, followed by Nerul, at Rs. 11,998/month.
- Average family size is 4.05 persons, whereas Mumbai's average is 4.85.
- The majority of Navi Mumbai's population is young, with 28% in the age group of up to 15 years, 55% in the age group of 15-44 year bracket and 13% aged 45-59.
- Navi Mumbai has become self sufficient in `higher education facilities' - only 4% students go to Mumbai for higher studies.
- 67% of the surveyed families own their own homes.
- Out of the surveyed households, 43% have migrated from Greater Mumbai.
Religion
Navi Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city and people of different religions live together amicably.It has a population of 86%Hindus as the majority and 10%Muslims the remainder being Christian and sikh. The best example of this is in Brahmagiri, where CIDCO had in a planned way allotted plots to religious activities atop a hill near the west side of the Nerul Railway Station. This area houses a Balaji Temple, a Swaminarayan Temple Complex, an (Mata) Amirtandamayi Temple Complex, a Narayanaguru Temple Complex, a Little Flower Church and an Epworth Methodist Tamil Church. All these religious institutions are well patronised by people not only from Navi Mumbai but also from Mumbai city. Navi Mumbai is also home to four major Sikh temples.
Inside the SIES complex, Nerul (which is situated very close to Mumbai-Pune Expressway) there is a Anjaneyar (Lord Hanuman) Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple and an Adhisankarar Mandap Temple. The Anjaneyar idol is 10 metres in height and is installed on a pedestal that is 3.6 metre high, making the an overall height of 13.6 metres. It is made of a single granite stone.
Transportation
The most common forms of transportation in Navi Mumbai are the red NMMT buses and suburban trains. NMMT buses are similar to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport buses except that they are operated by NMMC. Auto rickshaws and Taxis are also a popular mode of transport.
With the Mulund-Airoli link, currently the fastest route to central is via NMMT or the BEST buses to Mulund.
Within each node auto rickshaw is the preferred mode of transportation. Yellow and Black taxicabs operating from designated taxi stands provide the means to travel further to destinations such as Mumbai and Thane. Coolcabs are also available. Taxis charge a fixed rate approved by RTO.
Mumbai's suburban railway network also covers most of the populated region of the city. The most important external railway stations of this region are Vashi, Belapur CBD and Panvel. Soon Nerul would also be an important external railway station when the Thane-Nerul-Uran link starts. The stations are planned as a major railway junction. Most trains plying on the Konkan Railway stop at Panvel so that those passengers destined to reach Mumbai may get the local trains. These trains bypass the island city altogether. Future plans include linking the station to Pune via Karjat to cut travel time between Mumbai and Pune.
The Thane-Vashi corridor on the Harbour Line of the Central Railway was commissioned on 9 November 2004. The trains ply along an 18.5km route through Vashi, Sanpada, Turbhe, Kopar Khairane, Ghansoli, Rabale and Airoli, to Thane. Work is underway to lay an additional pair of tracks between Thane and Kurla - the 5th and 6th corridor for a ring railway route: Thane-Kurla-Vashi-Thane. The new broad Gauge Harbour Line is functional between Karjat and Panvel.
BEST buses of the 500 series travel between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. For example, BEST route 505 starts from the CBD of Navi Mumbai and ends at Bandra in Mumbai, and vice versa. Others routes such as 506, 507, 511, 512 take commuters from Nerul in Navi Mumbai to Mumbai and back.
The 10km long Palm Beach Marg (Marg translates to Road in Marathi) is a six-lane state-of-the-art road that connects Vashi to CBD-Belapur running parallel to the Thane creek.
There is growing demand for a new bridge over the Thane Creek from Kopar Khairane to Kannamwar Nagar in Vikroli, Mumbai off the eastern express highway so as to connect the eastern suburbs of Mumbai. This will establish a much desired third bridge linking Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Navi Mumbai also boasts the most advanced port in India, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, at Nhava Sheva near Uran. It is well connected with road and railways, and handles approximately 65% of India's container traffic.
Navi Mumbai is located only 30km away from Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport which currently acts as a International Airport for the city , but things will change up soon when the Navi Mumbai International Airport will come up.
Navi Mumbai International Airport
The new international airport for Navi Mumbai, destined for the Kopra-Panvel area, will be built through public-private partnership (PPP) — with private sector partners having 74% equity and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Government of Maharashtra (through City and Industrial Development Corporation or CIDCO) each holding 13%
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has already given techno-feasibility clearance to the Navi Mumbai International airport. Central government provided its cabinet approval for the construction of an International Airport at Navi Mumbai on May 31, 2007. Specialised consultants are appointed and global tendering process is underway. The airport is expected to be fully operational by end 2011.
Infrastructure
Basic infrastructure worth Rs.40,000 million (US$1.14 billion) is already in place. The National Geographic Channel has declared Navi Mumbai as one of the best cities in the world. The city boasts a reliable supply of electricity from various sources, and excellent motoring conditions, with numerous flyovers, broad roads, and parking lots. The main problem facing the residents is poor connectivity with Mumbai, with only two road links between the two cities and a single rail line. A hovercraft service from Vashi to Colaba and the CBD to Colaba used to exist, but did not succeed due to the high cost of tickets and maintenance.Cidco is planning to relaunch its hovercraft service from Vashi , Belapur , Nerul and Airoli.
Utility services
There are adequate Utility services, banks, restaurants, malls, multiplexes and other shops through Navi Mumbai. Vashi boasts of a mighty range of malls such as Center One, Palm Beach Galleria, Citi Center, Raghuleela and InOrbit. Palm beach Road, Nerul and Kharghar are also witnessing the construction of several malls and multiplexes. Through Navi Mumbai supermarkets and malls like Apna Bazar, More, Spencer's, Subhiksha, Reliance Fresh, Spinach and Fairprice cater to the shopping needs of the residents.
DMart has also launched 4 Hyper Malls in Navi Mumbai.
Leading banks such as the State Bank of India, Union Bank, Saraswat Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of Hyderabad, Citibank, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have their branches and ATMs around Navi Mumbai. The Reserve Bank of India is also serving the people of Navi Mumbai since 2001.
There are many restaurants in Navi Mumbai mainly in Vashi area. Comparatively Mumbai restaurants are more well known than their Navi Mumbai counter parts. Navi Mumbai has very few three star and five star hotels. However with the completion of the Navi Mumbai airport by 2012, nodes like Nerul,Panvel, Kharghar and CBD Belapur are expected to get several 5 star luxury hotels.
Commerce
Most of the software companies in Maharashtra have their offices in Navi Mumbai. The government of Maharashtra has also setup software parks to cater to the growing demand. Many large institutions also have their offices here. The Reliance group of industries have a major presence, and (DAKC) in Kopar Khairane and Mahape. Other prominent companies include Hexaware, Patni Computer Systems, Intellenet, Hewitt Associates, TCS, Digit Computer Magazine, V2Solutions, most of them in an area called the Millenium Business Park in Mahape. As a part of long term planning, major commodity markets have begun moving from the heart of Mumbai city to Navi Mumbai. Kalamboli (another node in Navi Mumbai) is home to a major steel market. Vashi has the fresh fruits and vegetables market. One of the important business landmarks is the shipping port of JNPT (stands for Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) in Nhava Sheva - Dronagiri node.
The major business hubs in the City are CBD Belapur,Vashi,Nerul & Mahape.
Stock investment is popular in Navi Mumbai, being enabled by companies like Bigbull Investments, Sharekhan, Indiabulls.
The International Infotech Park at Vashi and Belapur railway station complex houses many international IT companies.
The New Millennium City near Mahape forms a major part of the Knowledge Corridor that spans Mumbai and Pune. The head office of Reliance Infocom - Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City is situated opposite to Koparkhairane station.
Other IT companies in Navi Mumbai include Wipro Ltd, CMC, Tata Consultancy Services, Aptech, Track Mail, ICICI Infotech and PCS, whose offices are on Thane Belapur Road.
The Mukesh Ambani promoted Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone(SEZ)spread over the main nodes of Dronagiri and Kalamboli are well poised to provided greater commercial growth and employment to the City. Strategically positioned enroute the (proposed) Navi Mumbai Airport, with investment lined up of close to 40,000 crores, this MEga project can be one of the growth accelerators for the city of the 21st Century, Navi Mumbai.
Marathon Group has launched the development of its mini SEZ called NexZone near the site of the proposed navi Mumbai International Airport. This mini SEZ will be specially for the IT/ITES industry and will be an integrated township of residential and commercial buildings, entertainment mall and eductation institutes.
Honda SEIL's Headquarters is located in Nerul MIDC.
Law and order
As the population and prosperity of the city rose through the years, it began to attract more criminal activity. Navi Mumbai's crime count jumped up from 2,763 in 2003 to 3,571 in 2004. One of the main reasons for the spurt in crime is continuous political meddlings in police investigations and the grossly under-staffed police force.
There are very few police chowkies throughout Navi Mumbai with virtually non existent beat chowkies and traffic police. Criminal activities in Navi Mumbai usually include chain snatching, pickpocketing, cellphone snatching. These crimes are mainly confined to sparsely populated areas. Of late, Navi Mumbai has witnessed several vehicle thefts and burglaries involving unoccupied houses. Murder and bank dacoity, arson are rare. Riots and community feuds do take place especially in the Ghansoli area. There have been several instances where mobs of frustrated native villagers have beaten innocent law abiding residents. Nerul is especially plagued by robbery . Accidents on the wide Palm Beach Road caused by reckless truck drivers and motor cars are growing at an alarming pace due to non existent traffic police or security cameras. The absence of street lights on the highway stretch between Belapur and Kharghar also poses a continued danger to motorists.
Shops and housing colonies often hire private security guards, as the police force is often overstretched . Businesses are expected to shut shop by 10pm. The Mumbai underworld has also begun to take notice of the city , targeting the increasingly thriving businesses of cable operators, builders and real estate developers for extortion. On the whole, crime in Navi Mumbai is much lesser than its elder brother Mumbai.
Recently Navi Mumbai played a prime suspect in the Ahmedabad serial Blasts.
Education
There are 11 Engineering Colleges,2 Medical Colleges and 62 schools. There are 128 primary schools, 80 secondary schools and 25 colleges in MNNC area.
Sports
Cricket is the prevalent sport in the city. Navi Mumbai has its own International Cricket Ground in Nerul called the DY Patil Stadium which hosted 3 IPL T-20 matches and the IPL T-20 Cricket Final. It is said that this stadium is one of the best in India.
Football is the second most popular sport with the city clubs playing during the monsoons, when other outdoor sports cannot be played. The FIFA World Cup is one of the most widely watched television events in Mumbai. India's national sport, field hockey, has gone into a sharp decline in the recent years, losing out in terms of popularity to cricket, though many Mumbai players play in the national team.
Navi Mumbai also has olympic size swimming pool at Nerul. CIDCO has proposed two 18 hole golf course-cum-academy at Nerul & Kharghar. There are plans to have sports facilities in the proposed 80 hectare Central park being developed in Kharghar. The park is expected to open in mid 2010.
is held every year.The 2008 Olympics was a mega event with 12 sports and more than 3500 participants.It was won by Vashi Vikings while the runners up were the Nerul Ninjas
Sister City
Navi Mumbai has many sister cities:
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