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Once a cluster of islands - Colaba,
Mumbai, Mazagaon, Old Woman's island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel,
and Matunga Sion - the home of the' Koli' fisher folk is today
the capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India.
In 1662, these islands were given
to the English King Charles II as a part of the wedding dowry
for the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza. In 1668,
Bombay ( now Mumbai ) was given to the East India company.
During this time the foundation for a modern city was laid
and Bombay eclipsed Surat in trading activities.
In the 18th century the city
grew into a major port as the ship building industry was shifted
to Bombay from Surat. The American civil war led to the opening
of the Suez Canal and cotton began to be exported from Bombay.
Bombay later became the capital of The Bombay Presidency which
had to be divided into Gujarat and Maharashtra in 1966. "Bombay"
was the name given to the islands by the Portuguese. The words
"Bom bay" mean "good bay" in Portuguese.
In 1996, Bombay officially came
to be known as Mumbai, the present name comes from Mumbadevi,
the goddess of the 'Koli' community, who were the original
inhabitants of Mumbai.
Gateway of India:
The Gateway of India was built in 1919 and was opened
to public in 1924. It is situated on the Apollo Bunder
(Colaba).
Elephanta Caves:
A Shiva temple on the Elephanta island is a fine example
of excellence in craftsmanship in rock cut structures.
Prince of Wales Museum: The Museum built in 1914, is surrounded
by a beautiful landscape forming an ideal getaway from
the bustle and hurry of the city.
The Flora fountain: The Flora fountain was built in 1969,
now known as Hutatma chowk (Martyr's square) in the honour
of Gov. Sir. Bartle Frere.
Haji Ali's Tomb:
A mausoleum built in the memory of Haji Ali a muslim saint
who was drowned while on pilgrimage to Mecca, can be reached
by a narrow causeway.
Kamala Nehru Park and The Hanging Gardens:
Overlooking the Marine Drive, these parks are beautiful
at night when the street lights on Marine Drive transform
the drive into the famous " Queen's Necklace".
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus:
An imposing structure formerly known as Victoria Terminus,
it was built in 1888, designed by Frederick William Stevenson.
The entire façade is covered by sculpture of animals and
birds.
The Nehru Planetarium:
The Nehru Planetarium and the Nehru science centre located
at Worli, are extremely popular not only with the children
but also with adults. Audio-visual shows at the sky theatre
are held here.
Other places of interests are:
- Taraporewala
Aquarium
- Sanjay Gandhi
National Park
- ISKON
- Amusement
parks like ESSEL World and Fantasy Land
- Chor Bazar
Beaches
- Madh island
- Manori
- Versova
- Gorai
- Marve
- Juhu
Navi Mumbai City
The City and Industrial Development
Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) was specially set
up by the Government of Maharashtra as its fully owned company
to plan and develop the new metro centre i.e. Navi Mumbai
across the Mumbai harbour over a sprawling area of about 344
sq.kms.
CIDCO's Navi Mumbai project,
conceived more than 20 years ago, is indeed the largest new
city project ever undertaken in the world. A strategically
located, environment friendly alternative to the severely
congested metropolis of Mumbai, it is a totally new 344 sq.
km. fully planned modern metropolis, with an infrastructure
designed to cope with the growing needs of life and commerce
in the 21st century.
With Rs 40,000 million (US $
1140 million) worth of basic infrastructure already in place,
Navi Mumbai is ready, willing and able to absorb the imminent,
large scale shift of population, business, commerce and non
pollutant industry from Mumbai and elsewhere.
Poised to become the most sought
after address for corporate India, Navi Mumbai is well balanced
and beautifully landscaped, and has been conceived as 14 self-contained
nodal settlements with the Central Business District (CBD)
at the heart of the metropolis. It has been planned so as
to avoid all the problems of urban congestion, nearly half
of the total township area has been reserved for green spaces,
making Navi Mumbai one of the greenest and healthiest places
to live in the world.
Navi Mumbai: Salient Features
- fully planned largest new
city in the world
- total area: 344 sq. kms.
- an efficient integrated transport
system covering all modes of transports
Adequate and regular power
supply
- Planned 1500 MVA (year 2010)
- Installed 960 MVA
- Consumption 90 MVA
- With the completion of the
Enron - Dabhol and Reliance - Patalganga power projects,
the whole state of Maharashtra will have surplus power.
- Locations of existing and
proposed power receiving stations at Navi Mumbai.
- State-of-the-art telecom network.
Lines planned - 0.4 million (year 2003)
Lines available - 70,000
- Population (year 1996) 0.9
million
Target Population (year 2003): 2 .0 million
Target Employment (year 2003): 0.8 million
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