Pimpri-Chinchwad


Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune is the extended city limits of Pune, and part of the Pune Metropolitan Region. However, it was separated from PMC with its own taluka and municipal corporation. The modern area developed from what were rural suburbs of Pune as a result of rapid industrialization that began within a decade after Indian independence in 1947. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was once popularly famous for being Asia's richest municipal corporation. It is situated at an altitude of above sea level, about northwest of the historic center of Pune. Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune, as well as the cantonment areas of Pune Camp, Khadki and Dehu Road together form the urban core of the Pune Metropolitan Region. According to the 2011 census, It has a population of 1.72 million residing in an area of. It is home to a vast variety of industrial establishments and is well known for its automotive and manufacturing industry which call up Pune as the automobile manufacturing hub of India.

Medieval Ages

is noted for the shrine of Morya Gosavi, a prominent saint of the Ganapatya denomination of Hinduism that worships Lord Ganesha as the Supreme Being or its metaphysical concept of Brahman. Various sources place Moraya Gosavi between the 13th and 17th centuries CE. The inscription on the temple records that its construction began in 1658 CE.

British Raj and Partition of India

Chinchwad is also the birthplace of the Chapekar brothers: Damodar Hari, Balkrishna Hari and Vasudeo Hari, who assassinated W. C. Rand, a British civil service officer and the chairman of the Special Plague Committee of Poona, on 22 June 1897.
Following the partition of India, the Government of India constructed 1,609 residences and laid out around 300 plots on 203 acres of land in the Pimpri area. This area came to be known as Pimpri Camp is one of the 31 refugee camps in Bombay State set up during the period.

Industrialization

Starting in the mid-1950s, the green village fields on the sides of the highway and railways linking Pune to Mumbai were subject to large industrial development. In the 1960s, the newly founded Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation purchased vast tracts of land, developing roads and water supply infrastructure. It developed the area for a cluster of pharmaceutical, mechanical, and automotive industries, and, more recently, information technology, of national and international importance. Hundreds of thousands of people have migrated to the new hub to fill the jobs and benefit from rapid economic development.
On 4 March 1970, the villages of Pimpri, Chinchwad, Bhosari and Akurdi merged into a single municipal authority, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Council. Two years later, the Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority was established. Its chief objective was to create a planned environment for the working population in the vicinity of their work place. On 11 October 1982, the Municipal Council was merged with seven surrounding villages and the PCNTDA area to form the a new Municipal Corporation, and it split apart from the Haveli taluka to become the 15th and newest of Pune district's talukas. The size the city more than doubled in 1997 with the addition of 18 villages located at the periphery of the PCMC as it existed in 1982. Tathawade was added to the city in 2008, bringing the total area of the city to 176.41 km2.

Geography

The area within the city limits is widely considered as 'flat' given the altitude varying between 530 and 570 m above sea level. The city is situated approximately at 18° 37' North latitude and 73° 48' East longitude bordering its twin city of Pune on the north and north-west. The centers of the twin cities are 15 km apart. Three rivers Pavana, Mula and Indrayani flow through this area. The base rock found throughout the city is Deccan trap basalt. Building stone is the only commercially important mineral found in the area.

Climate

The city experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are February to May with maximum temperatures above 35 °C and reaching up to 42 °C on hotter days. The city receives most of its 722 mm of rainfall in the monsoon months of June to September. The temperature in the winter months of October to January ranges from 12 °C to 30 °C, with night temperatures often falling below 10 °C.

Economy

Pune is one of the major industrial hubs in Asia and many of these industries are situated in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Industrialization started in 1954 with the arrival of Hindustan Antibiotics Limited. PCMC is now home to the Indian operations of major automobile companies like Premier Ltd., Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. - Truck & Bus Division, Mahindra Engineering services, Bajaj Auto, BEL Optronic Devices Limited, TATA Motors, Kinetic Engineering, Force Motors Daimler Chrysler, Thermax and Autoline Industries. In addition to this, several heavy industries such as Forbes Marshall, ThyssenKrupp and GEA Ecoflex, Alfa Laval & Sandvik Asia have their manufacturing units in the city and also the German company KSB Pumps, Swedish bearing company SKF.

Government and public services

Civic administration

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is the local civic body. It comprises two branches: the executive branch headed by the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Government of Maharashtra, and an elected deliberative branch, the general body, headed by the Mayor. Municipal elections are held every five years to elect councilors, popularly known as 'corporators', who form the general body of the PCMC. The corporators, in turn, elect the mayor and the deputy mayor. In the Municipal Elections held in February 2017, 128 corporators were elected to represent the 32 electoral wards. While the position of the mayor is mostly ceremonial, the chief executive of the city is the Municipal Commissioner, appointed by the state government. The JNNURM award for Best Performing City, under Sub-Mission for Urban Infrastructure and Governance, was given to Pimpri-Chinchwad. The "System of Assisting Residents and Tourist Through Helpline Information", the grievance portal of the city, has gained national recognition and is a role model for other cities.
The Pimpri Chinchwad Police in Pune is the law enforcement agency for the area of Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune. It was carved out of Pune Police department and took charge on 15 August 2018. It is a division of the Maharashtra Police and is headed by the Police Commissioner, an officer of the Indian Police Service.
The Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority, popularly known as Prādhikaraṇ, is the urban planning authority of the city. The authority was established in 1970 to tackle the problems and meet the infrastructure needs of rapid industrialization as well as to plan housing for the working population in the vicinity of their work place. Ever since its formation, the PMRDA has been keen to take over PCNTDA, however, there has been opposition from local leaders who want it to merge with the PCMC.
Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which was on the cards since 1997, was formed on 31 March 2015 and is responsible for the integrated development of the PMR. Currently its jurisdiction extends over and includes the municipal corporations of Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, three cantonment boards, seven municipal councils, 13 census towns and 842 villages.

Utility services

The Pavana dam located 35 km from Pimpri Chinchwad is the sole source of water for the city. The water is lifted at the Ravet bund is pumped to the Nigdi filtration plant from where it distributed to the entire city. As of 2018, PCMC provides around 450 million liters per day of water to the city. This leads to the generation of around 290 MLD of sewage, of which the civic body has capacity to treat only 240 MLD at its 13 sewage treatment plants, a problem that has persisted for years. The untreated water is let into the rivers which lead to several health and environmental problems. Similar problems in the twin city of Pune as well as in the suburban areas, the rivers in the PMR are among the most polluted rivers in the state.
The state owned Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited supplies electricity to the city. The power comes from thermal, hydro, gas and renewable sources such as solar, wind and sugarcane bagasse. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, owned by the central government, as well as private enterprises such as Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Tata DoCoMo, Tata Teleservices, Virgin Mobile, and MTS India, are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city.

Transport

Public transport

Public transport modes in Pimpri Chinchwad include Suburban Railway, bus and Rainbow BRTS services operated by PMPML and auto rickshaws. Pune Metro, an urban mass rapid transit system is under construction in the twin cities. Online transport network companies like Uber and Ola cabs also provide rideshare and taxi services in the city.

Rail

Pimpri Chinchwad is served by five railway stations, Chinchwad, Akurdi, Pimpri, Kasarwadi and Dapodi, on the Pune Suburban Railway as well as the Mumbai Dadar–Solapur sections of the Indian Railways. Local trains connect Pimpri Chicnhwad to its twin Pune and the hill station of Lonavala, while daily express trains connect it to Mumbai. Daily express trains through Pune Junction connect the city to other parts of the country.

Bus service

Until 2007, Pimpri-Chinchwad was served by its own public transport bus service provider, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Transport. On 19 October 2007, it was merged with the Pune Municipal Transport that served the neighbouring city of Pune to form the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited. PMPML runs buses on 371 routes that cover a radius of 20 km around the cities of Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune. It also runs services on BRT corridors under the brand name Rainbow BRTS. As of May 2018, there are two operating BRT corridors in Pimpri-Chinchwad with a combined length of 22.5 km, while work is underway on three other corridors with a total length 28 km. Although the BRTS project has been deemed a failure in the neighbouring Pune, PCMC claims that the two BRT corridors, Sangvi-Kiwale and Nashik Phata-Wakad, have seen a rise in ridership after they became operation in 2015. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation operates buses from its main station at Vallabh Nagar, Pimpri to all major cities and towns in Maharashtra as well as in the neighbouring states. Private companies also run bus services throughout India.

Metro

, a mass rapid transit system, is under construction and expected to be operational by 2021. The detailed project report was prepared for the initial two lines by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation which was approved by the State government in 2012 and by the Central government in December 2016. Out of the two lines, Line 1 will run through PCMC limits from PCMC Building to Dapodi and further to Swargate in Pune City. A detailed project report is being prepared for the extension of the line up to Nigdi. The project is being implemented by MahaMetro, a 50:50 joint venture of the State and Central governments. Line 3 from Hinjewadi to Civil Court, Shivajinagar was approved by the State and Central governments in January and March 2018, respectively. The 23.3-km line is being implemented by PMRDA on a public-private partnership basis and will have a station at Wakad in PCMC limits. Another metro route connecting Hinjewadi to Moshi via Nashik Phata, Bhosari is also being contemplated.

Road transport

Pimpri Chinchwad has a 633-km long extensive network of roads connecting its various neighbourhoods. The NH 48 runs throughout the city and serves as the main connecting link for the twin cities of Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune. The NH 60 originates at Nashik Phata at Kasarwadi is another important road. The Mumbai Pune Expressway that originates at Kiwale just outside the city, is India's first six-lane high-speed expressway, and it was built in 2002. A ring road is being planned for the convenience of heavy traffic.

Personal transport

Rapid urbanization has led to the population of the city to double from 2001 to 2017. In the same period, the number of vehicles has increased of 700%. Like its neighbouring Pune, motorized two-wheelers dominate the streets. At the rate of 663 vehicles per 1000 residents, a total of 1.57 million vehicles are registered in the city in 2018, of which 1.17 million are two-wheelers. Public transportation in the city has not been able to keep up with the demand and is infamous for its unreliability leading to a constant upward trend in the number of vehicles. Unsurprisingly, the whopping number of vehicles has led to several problems including air pollution, noise pollution and traffic congestion.

Air

located at Lohegaon c.19 km away from the city is the closest airport. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India. In addition to domestic flights to all major Indian cities, the airport serves international direct flights to Dubai and to Frankfurt. The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje International Airport, initially proposed at a site near the Chakan-Rajgurunagar area just north of Pimpri-Chinchwad, will now be built at Purandar c. 20 km south of Pune.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Pimpri-Chinchwad had a population of 1,729,692. The sex ratio was 833 females per 1000 males. About 13% of the population was under six years of age with a sex ratio of 875 females per 1000 males. Around 8% of the city's population lives in slums. Pimpri-Chinchwad has an average literacy rate of 89.22%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. The 2011 census records Hinduism as the dominant religion in the city with 84.21% adherents. Islam is the second most populous religion with 6.91% adherents followed by Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism and Sikhism while 0.24% of the population did not state any religion. The main language spoken in the city is Marathi. There is a significant Sindhi population in Pimpri, which dates to the partition of India in 1947.
Pimpri-Chinchwad has considerable Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujrati, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu speaking population

Culture

Festivals and events

Like most Indian cities, a number of festival are celebrated across all communities in the city including Ganeshotsav, Navaratri, Dussehra, Janmashtami, Dahi Handi and Onam Holi, Diwali, Eid al-fitr, Eid al-Adha, Christmas, Buddha Purnima, Cheti Chand, Chalio, and several others. The birth anniversary celebrations of historical figures like Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the principal architect of Indian Constitution, among others are also celebrated with great pomp and show. The national holidays of Republic Day and Independence Day are also celebrated. Individual towns also organize annual village fairs which are dedicated to the local deity. The Bhairavnath fair in Bhosari is perhaps the well-known village fair for its controversial bullock cart race.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Festival is an annual cultural event held in the city. It was started by the PCMC in 1996 under the name 'Ganesh Festival' as it used to be organized on the occasion of Ganeshotsav. Since 2004, the PCMC stopped organizing the festival and it was kept alive by the Pimpri-Chichwad Social Club. Since 2014, the festival is not organized during Ganeshotsav but at another time of the year. Pavanāthaḍi Jatrā is an annual event organized by the Women and Child Welfare Committee of the PCMC. It is a three to five day long exhibition cum sale of goods produced by women's self-help groups in the city and features over 300 stalls. The city also participates in the Pune International Film Festival with screening of several films at a cinema in the city limits.

Parks, recreation and tourism

Pimpri Chinchwad has public parks such as the park on Durga Tekdi and Bhakti-Shakti park in Nigdi, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Science Park in Chinchwad, and the Boat Club in Thergaon. The city also has a zoo named after Nisargakavi Bahinabai Chaudhari in Chinchwad East. Close to the zoo is a lake garden called the Bird Valley because of the water birds like cranes which come migrating here. Appu Ghar is an amusement park located in the Pradhikaran area. There are ten public swimming pools run by PCMC. Chapekar wada in Chinchwad Goan, the residence of the revolutionary Chapekar brothers has been restored and is now a memorial cum museum dedicated to their life and displays swords and weapons used by freedom fighters during the struggle for Indian independence. Ramkrushna More Prekshagruha in Chinchwad, Acharya Atre Rangmandir in Sant Tukaramnagar, Ankushrao Landage Natyagruha in Bhosari, Nilu Phule Rangmandir in Sangvi are the auditoria in the city. There are several cinema halls as well as shopping malls in the city. There is a fort in Punawale that was built by and named after the Peshwa Minister Sardar Borge. The Vaishnodevi Temple in Pimpri attracts devotees from all over the city.

Education and research

runs 136 public schools, locally called 'Municipality Schools'. According to the PCMC website, the city also has 208 private schools that are run by individuals or educational trusts. Public schools are affiliated to the State Board. Private schools vary in their choice curriculum and may follow the State Board or one of the two central boards of education, the CBSE or CISCE.
According to the 2011 Census, the city has 75 colleges, three medical colleges and 3 engineering colleges. Most colleges in Pimpri-Chinchwad are affiliated to the Savitribai Phule Pune University. The College of Military Engineering is located in the Dapodi area. The city is also home to the National AIDS Research Institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research established in October 1992 in Bhosari MIDC. Central Institute of Road Transport is also located in Bhosari MIDC.

List of schools