About Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai was developed in 1972 as a twin city of Mumbai, and is the largest planned city on the planet, with 163 square kilometres (63 sq mi) under the jurisdiction of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and a total area of 344 square kilometres (133 sq mi).[1] Navi Mumbai lies on the mainland on the eastern shore of Thane Creek. It was initially planned with a specific purpose: to decongest Mumbai and become an alternative haven for the multitudes that throng to Mumbai from all over India.
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. The costliest real estate and most highly developed areas of Navi Mumbai are Vashi and Nerul, while Kharghar and Panvel are experiencing major infrastructural developments due to their proximity to the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport. Vashi is known as the king of Navi Mumbai while Nerul is called the queen of Navi Mumbai. 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.
The city has one Member of Parliament seat, two Member of legislature seats, and 89 Corporation seats.
Many pubs and discotheques are open until late. One of the most popular discotheque is that of Belapur. Rude is one of the most visited night spots by youngsters. With many new Lounges and Bars opened, the night life in Navi Mumbai is getting better. Apart from discos, suburban local trains also provide late night service till 01:30am with last local leaving for CST from Panvel. The suburban local service starts as early as 04:00am. Places worth visiting are : Rude Lounge (Belapur), Roackville (Belapur), Indulge (Belapur), Ice & Spice (Seawoods).
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 popular modes of transport. With the Mulund-Airoli link, currently the fastest route to central is via NMMT or the BEST buses to Mulund.
The 10 km 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. It is a twin of the Marine Drive.
Navi Mumbai 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.
There are adequate utility services, banks, restaurants, malls, multiplexes and other shops in Navi Mumbai. Vashi boasts several shopping malls such as Center One, Palm Beach Galleria, Citi Center, Raghuleela Mall and Inorbit Mall. Palm Beach Road, Nerul, and Kharghar are also witnessing the construction of malls and multiplexes. Throughout Navi Mumbai supermarkets and malls like Apnaa Bazaar, More, Spencer's, Reliance Fresh, Spinach and Fairprice cater to the shopping needs of the residents. DMart has launched five hypermalls 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 India, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank have their branches and ATMs around Navi Mumbai. The Reserve Bank of India has served the people of Navi Mumbai since 2001.
Navi Mumbai has very few three- and five-star hotels. However, with the completion of the Navi Mumbai International Airport by 2012, nodes like Nerul, Panvel, Kharghar, and CBD Belapur are expected to get several five-star luxury hotels.
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 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. Navi Mumbai has an olympic size swimming pool at Nerul. CIDCO has proposed two 18 hole golf course academies at Nerul and 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. The Navi Mumbai Olympics is held every year.
Today, Navi Mumbai is a close competitor to Mumbai in every respect.
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 and in and around Kopar Khairane and Mahape.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navi_Mumbai
http://wikitravel.org/en/Navi_Mumbai
