Surat and Ahemdabad in Gujarat are the first and third fastest growing city regions in the country in terms of economic prosperity, says a study.
However in terms of actual GDP size, the country's financial capital Mumbai is the biggest of them all.
With an annualised GDP growth rate of 11.5 per cent over the past seven fiscal years, Surat has emerged as the fastest growing city, while Ahemdabad region, which also includes Gandhinagar, is third with 10.1 per cent, as per the data compiled by economic research firm Indicus Analytics.
Southern metropolis Bangalore is the second fastest growing region with 10.3 per cent growth, while rest of the city regions in the country saw a growth rate of less than nine per cent.
The growth rate figures are short-term annualised GDP growth rates for fiscal year 2001-02 to the fiscal year 2006-07. The city regions includes rural and urban areas of the corresponding districts, Indicus Analytics said.
In terms of actual GDP size and contribution to the all India GDP, Mumbai occupies the top position, followed by the national capital region Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
According to Indicus Analytics, the current price GDP for the fiscal year 2006-07 stood at Rs 2,00,483 crore for Mumbai region, including suburban Mumbai and Thane, and contributed 6.16 per cent to all-India GDP.
For Delhi, including its nine districts and adjoining Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgaon, the total region GDP stood at Rs 1,60,739 crore and contributed 4.94 per cent to all-India GDP size.
In GDP size, Mumbai and NCR are followed by Kolkata (Rs 100,229 crore and 3.08 per cent contribution), Chennai (Rs 63,195 crore and 1.94 per cent all-India share) and Bangalore (Rs 58,792 crore with 1.81 per cent share).
In the top 10 city regions in GDP size, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat accounted for two each, while Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh each had one region.
Pune came at the sixth position, followed by Ahemdabad, Hyderabad, Surat and Bardhman (West Bengal).
In terms of individual GDP growth rate, Surat, Bangalore and Ahmedabad are followed by Mumbai (8.5 per cent), Delhi (8.4 per cent), Hyderabad (7.8 per cent), Pune (7.4 per cent), Bardhman (6.6 per cent), Kolkata (6.3 per cent) and Chennai (6.2 per cent).
According to the data, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the only three regions with a GDP size of more than Rs 1,00,000 crore, while Surat, Bangalore and Ahmedabad are the only three to have a growth rate of more than 10 per cent.
Except for Bardhman in West Bengal, all the regions in the top 10 have a share of more than one per cent in the all India GDP.
Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of India [Get Quote] in its quarterly monetary policy review said on Tuesday that GDP growth projection has been retained at 8.5 per cent for the fiscal year 2007-08.
"The projection of overall real GDP growth in 2007-08 is maintained at around 8.5 per cent for policy purposes, assuming no further escalation in international crude prices and barring domestic or external shocks," the central bank said.
Showing posts with label Proud To be Gujarati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Proud To be Gujarati. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Why SURAT is the BEST!!!
1=> DIAMOND CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
-- 80 % OF THE WORLDS DIAMOND IS CUT & POLISHED IN SURAT !!
-- IN 2005 92% OF THE WORLDS DIAMOND WAS CUT N POLISHED IN SURAT !!
2=> TEXTILE CAPITAL OF INDIA
-- 2 OUT OF EVERY 10 SAREE IN INDIA IS MANUFACTURED IN SURAT !!
3=> SILK CAPITAL OF INDIA.
4=> 2nd CLEANEST CITY OF INDIA.
5=> MOST No. OF FLYOVERS IN GUJARAT.
6=> FIRST AND ONLY MULTILAYER FLYOVER OF GUJARAT IS IN SURAT.
7=> WORLDS FASTEST GROWING CITY -- U.N.SURVEY.
8=> SURAT STANDS AS THE BEST CITY IN INDIA TO EARN FAST MONEY AND INVEST MONEY. ? THE TIMES OF INDIA.
9=> INDIA 'S ONLY ZERO UNEMPLOYMENT CITY.
10=> Surat is one of the most industrially active cities that connect to it- BIG CORPORATE HOUSES IN SURAT LIKE?ESSAR, ONGC, RELIANCE, SHELL, L&T, HP, I.O.C, G.A.I.L AND MANY MORE...
11=> ATLEAST ONE PERSON FROM EACH VILLAGE OF GUJARAT HAVE A LINK WITH SURAT.
12=> EVERY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT TO/FROM INDIA HAS ATLEAST ONE
PASSENGER FROM SURAT.
13=> ONLY CITY IN GUJARAT TO HAVE "FAME" & "ADLABS" THEATRE'S BOTH.
14=> HIGHEST CONSUMPTION OF LIQUOR IN GUJARAT IS IN SURAT.
15=> MOST NO. OF "WOMEN LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS" IN GUJARAT ARE FROM SURAT.
16=> HIGHEST INCOME TAX PAYING CITY IN ASIA.
17=> SMC - SURAT MUNCIPAL CORPORATION EARNS Rs. 1 CRORE DAILY FROM OCTRO THIS IS HIGHEST IN INDIA.
18=> DOMINO'S FIRST PIZZA OUTLET IN GUJARAT WAS IN SURAT.
19=> IN DASSHERA 2006... SURAT MADE A RECORD IN WESTERN INDIA ...OF MOST NO. OF 4 WHEELERS AND 2 WHEELERS SALE.
20=> ONE OF THE LONGEST FLYOVER OF INDIA IS LOCATED IN SURAT.
21=> INDIA 'S ONLY READYMADE GARMENT PARK IS SITUATED IN SURAT.
22=> WORLD'S ONLY PUBLIC SECTOR JEWELLERY PARK IS SITUATED IN SURAT.
23=> IN PAST SURAT WAS A GLORIOUS PORT WITH SHIPS OF MORE THAN 84 COUNTRIES ANCHORED IN ITS HARBOUR.
24=> 40% OF INDIA 'S TOTAL MAN-MADE FABRIC PRODUCTION IS IN SURAT.
25=> 28% OF INDIA 'S TOTAL SYNTHETIC OUTPUT IS FROM SURAT.
26=> RICHEST CITY OF GUJARAT.
27=> FASTEST No. OF GROWING CROREPATI'S IN INDIA ARE IN SURAT.
28=> FAMOUS CITY FOR MAKING "manja" --THREAD USED FOR KITE FLYING.
29=> FAMOUS CITY FOR ITS UNIQUE FOOD...SURTI CUISINE ESPECIALY "UNDHYU".
30=> SURAT IS THE CITY, WHERE THE BRITISHERS FIRST LANDED IN INDIA.
31=> SURAT HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA INCOME IN ASIA.
32=> PONK IS A ROASTED MILLET VARIETY THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLY IN SURAT IN WHOLE WORLD.
33=> SURAT HAS BEEN ALLOTED A "S.E.Z . ? SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE" BY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
-- 80 % OF THE WORLDS DIAMOND IS CUT & POLISHED IN SURAT !!
-- IN 2005 92% OF THE WORLDS DIAMOND WAS CUT N POLISHED IN SURAT !!
2=> TEXTILE CAPITAL OF INDIA
-- 2 OUT OF EVERY 10 SAREE IN INDIA IS MANUFACTURED IN SURAT !!
3=> SILK CAPITAL OF INDIA.
4=> 2nd CLEANEST CITY OF INDIA.
5=> MOST No. OF FLYOVERS IN GUJARAT.
6=> FIRST AND ONLY MULTILAYER FLYOVER OF GUJARAT IS IN SURAT.
7=> WORLDS FASTEST GROWING CITY -- U.N.SURVEY.
8=> SURAT STANDS AS THE BEST CITY IN INDIA TO EARN FAST MONEY AND INVEST MONEY. ? THE TIMES OF INDIA.
9=> INDIA 'S ONLY ZERO UNEMPLOYMENT CITY.
10=> Surat is one of the most industrially active cities that connect to it- BIG CORPORATE HOUSES IN SURAT LIKE?ESSAR, ONGC, RELIANCE, SHELL, L&T, HP, I.O.C, G.A.I.L AND MANY MORE...
11=> ATLEAST ONE PERSON FROM EACH VILLAGE OF GUJARAT HAVE A LINK WITH SURAT.
12=> EVERY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT TO/FROM INDIA HAS ATLEAST ONE
PASSENGER FROM SURAT.
13=> ONLY CITY IN GUJARAT TO HAVE "FAME" & "ADLABS" THEATRE'S BOTH.
14=> HIGHEST CONSUMPTION OF LIQUOR IN GUJARAT IS IN SURAT.
15=> MOST NO. OF "WOMEN LIQUOR LICENSE HOLDERS" IN GUJARAT ARE FROM SURAT.
16=> HIGHEST INCOME TAX PAYING CITY IN ASIA.
17=> SMC - SURAT MUNCIPAL CORPORATION EARNS Rs. 1 CRORE DAILY FROM OCTRO THIS IS HIGHEST IN INDIA.
18=> DOMINO'S FIRST PIZZA OUTLET IN GUJARAT WAS IN SURAT.
19=> IN DASSHERA 2006... SURAT MADE A RECORD IN WESTERN INDIA ...OF MOST NO. OF 4 WHEELERS AND 2 WHEELERS SALE.
20=> ONE OF THE LONGEST FLYOVER OF INDIA IS LOCATED IN SURAT.
21=> INDIA 'S ONLY READYMADE GARMENT PARK IS SITUATED IN SURAT.
22=> WORLD'S ONLY PUBLIC SECTOR JEWELLERY PARK IS SITUATED IN SURAT.
23=> IN PAST SURAT WAS A GLORIOUS PORT WITH SHIPS OF MORE THAN 84 COUNTRIES ANCHORED IN ITS HARBOUR.
24=> 40% OF INDIA 'S TOTAL MAN-MADE FABRIC PRODUCTION IS IN SURAT.
25=> 28% OF INDIA 'S TOTAL SYNTHETIC OUTPUT IS FROM SURAT.
26=> RICHEST CITY OF GUJARAT.
27=> FASTEST No. OF GROWING CROREPATI'S IN INDIA ARE IN SURAT.
28=> FAMOUS CITY FOR MAKING "manja" --THREAD USED FOR KITE FLYING.
29=> FAMOUS CITY FOR ITS UNIQUE FOOD...SURTI CUISINE ESPECIALY "UNDHYU".
30=> SURAT IS THE CITY, WHERE THE BRITISHERS FIRST LANDED IN INDIA.
31=> SURAT HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA INCOME IN ASIA.
32=> PONK IS A ROASTED MILLET VARIETY THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLY IN SURAT IN WHOLE WORLD.
33=> SURAT HAS BEEN ALLOTED A "S.E.Z . ? SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE" BY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Surat !!!! Meri Jaan
Surat pronunciation? (Gujarati: સુરત) is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. As of 2006, Surat and its metropolitan area had a population of approximately 3.9 million. It is the second largest city in Gujarat and ninth largest in India[1].
The city is situated on the left bank of the Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat indicates the dividing-line between the old city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs, but the city wall has almost disappeared. The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses. Three-quarters of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat, thus it has been called the "Diamond capital of the world".[citation needed] It is also the fastest growing city in the world. [U.N.Survey; Kabul, Afghanistan is growing faster according to Demographia.com]
History
Local traditions fix the establishment of the modern city in the last years of the fifteenth century, and in 1514 the Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa described it as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar and all parts of the world. There still is an irregular picturesque fortress on the banks of the river built in 1540. One particular village in the suburbs of Surat is Barbodhan Village, possibly named after the explorer Duarte Barbosa (it derives from "Bab-ul-Aden"—Doorway to Aden, Yemen—where it has strong cultural and trading links).
Surat eclipsed Cambay as the major port of western India, as Cambay's harbour had begun to silt up by the end of fifteenth century. Subsequently during the reigns of Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan it rose to be the chief commercial city of India. An Imperial mint was established at Surat during that time. As the major port on the western seaboard of that time, Surat also served as the sailing port for the Hajj to Mecca. At the end of the 16th century the Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade. In 1608, ships from the British East India Company started docking in Surat, which was established as a trade transit point. In 1612, the British Captain Best, and after him Captain Downton, destroyed the Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat following the Battle of Swally. The city was made the seat of a presidency under the British East India Company after the great success of the embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of emperor Jehangir. The Dutch also founded a factory.
In 1664 the Maratha leader Shivaji sacked and looted Surat. When Shivaji arrived at Surat he demanded tribute from the Mughal commander and the small army stationed with him for port security. The tribute was refused and so after Shivaji took the city, he put it to sack. Surat was under sack for nearly 3 weeks, in which the Maratha army looted all possible wealth from Mughal & Portuguese trading centers. All this loot was successfully transported to Maharashtra before the Mughal Empire at Delhi was alerted. This wealth later was used for development & strengthening the Maratha Empire.
The only exception to the looting was the British factory, a fortified warehouse-counting house-hostel, which was successfully defended by Sir George Oxenden. But the prosperity of the factory at Surat received a fatal blow when Bombay was ceded to the British as part of the dowry for Catherine of Braganza's wedding to Charles II in 1662. Shortly afterwards in 1668 another factory was established in Bombay(Mumbai) by the British East India Company. From that date Surat began to decline with the rise of British interests in Bombay, and the city was sacked again by Shivaji in 1670. By 1689 the seat of presidency was moved to Bombay by the British East India Company. The Surat population had reached an estimated 800,000 in its heyday, but by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to 80,000. Surat was again taken by the British in 1759, and the conquerors assumed the undivided government of the city in 1800. Since the introduction of British rule, the city and the surrounding district remained comparatively tranquil; and even during the Revolt of 1857(also known as the first struggle for India's independence) peace was not disturbed, owing in great measure to the loyalty of the leading Muslim families to the British and to the largely mercantile interests of the local population.
A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed a great number of buildings. Among the interesting monuments still surviving are the tombs of the English and Dutch merchants and their families, dating to the 17th century, especially those of the Oxenden brothers.
By the early 20th century, the population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat remained a center of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries, such as ship-building, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as zari). The chief trades were organized in guilds. The manufacturing and trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicities to the city, making Surat's culture unique even in modern times.
In 1992, violent riots took place between Hindus and Muslims, the first and worst of their kind in the modern history of Surat. In 1994, a combination of heavy rains and blocked drains led to water logging in the city. A number of dead street animals and public waste were not removed in time and a plague epidemic spread through the city. This brought the world's attention to the city as evinced by the sanctions on travel and goods exchange put up by a number of countries. The municipal commissioner during that time, S. R. Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the late 1990s to clean the city up after which it was recognized in many circles as the 'second-cleanest city in India'.
In the second week of August, 2006, a massive flood caused severe damage to the city of Surat. In less than three days, at least 120 people died. More than 4,000 animal carcasses were later hauled out of the mud. Two weeks after the floods, Surat’s diamond-polishing factories were practically empty of workers, who had fled fearing disease. An industry group estimated the losses at $60 million.
Geography
Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapti river (though the port has disappeared because of the damming of the river Tapti, the nearest port is now in Hazira which falls in the metropolitan area of Surat). The city is located at 21.17° N 72.83° E.[1] It has an average elevation of 13 metres (42 feet). The Surat district is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari and Dang (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Cambay. The climate is tropical and the monsoon is abundant (about 2500 mm a year).
Area: 112.27 km²
Climate
Winter Temperature: Max 31 °C, Min 12 °C
Summer Temperature: Max 42 °C, Min 24 °C
Rainfall (mid-June to mid-September): 931.9 mm
Lowest Recorded Temperature: 7 °C
Highest Recorded Temperature: 45 °C
Economy
Flyover cutting through Surat's textile district.Surat is at the heart of India's thriving diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 92% of the world's diamond pieces and earned India $8 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 and by the 70's Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though a majority of polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future.
Surat is now india's second cleanest city.[2]
Surat was ranked the No.1 city in India to earn, invest and live.[3]
Furthermore, Surat is an industrial hub for the production of synthetic fibers and man-made fabrics, contributing almost 28% of India's total synthetic fiber output and 40% of the nation's total man-made fabric production and computrised embroidery work. In addition it is home to several major processing facilities/manufacturing centers for Reliance Petrochemicals, Essar Steel, Larsen & Toubro, KRIBHCO, ONGC, Shell, and many others.
Government and Politics
The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for the city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties.
Transport
While the city has a local city bus system, the public transport needs of the city are met by privately operated auto rickshaws. The city has recently seen the completion of a large number of road engineering projects, particularly the elevated roads, or flyovers in the diamond and textile districts of the city. This has significantly cut down on the commuting time for many commuters travelling to the diamond and textile districts.
Surat has the highest No. of flyovers in Gujarat.
The Golden Quadrilateral highway system will pass through Surat at its expected completion in December of 2006. At present the city is connected to the National Highway 8 through a 16 k.m. connector highway. National Highway 8 corridor is one of the most industrially developed area in the country and Surat is one of the most industrially active cities that connect to it. National highway 6 starts from Hazira and connects the city to other Dhule, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Kharagpur and Kolkata
Surat is very well connected with mumbai and ahmedabad by fast luxurious train.
The city is connected to the national railway system through the Western Railways connecting it to Mumbai and beyond to the south as well as New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and other cities to the north. The Surat Railway station is in the eastern-central part of the city and is very conveniently located near major hotels and businesses. There is also a connection to the Central Railways through the Udhana Junction and the Tapti line. There are numerous daily trains that travel to the north, south and east during all times of the day. The variety of passenger trains range from local trains that stop at all stations on the way, to super fast express trains (by Indian standards) like the August Kranti Rajdhani Express. In addition there are plenty of goods trains that move the goods produced by the city to the rest of the country and beyond, and bring supplies to the city.
One of the ironies that you can only find in India is that despite being the second largest city in the state and the ninth largest in the country, Surat does not have a working airport. There are plans to expand and reactivate the airstrip in Magdalla, about 15k.m. from the city center. The work has been going on for about 3 years now (November 2006) with no visible end date.
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusIndia, Surat had a population of 2,433,787. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Surat has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 66%. In Surat, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Because of presence of unauthorized residential buildings and shanty towns which bring difficulties in counting the residents of these areas, combined with the explosive growth in population (mostly through migration) it is estimated that as of 2006 about 3.9 million people [4] live within the Surat Urban Development Authority(SUDA) area. However, the SUDA also covers a 5k.m. surrounding area in addition to the official city limits and thus covers a lot of villages and towns that lie outside the Municipal area.
Culture
Surat is known throughout India for its unique Surti cuisine. Some special and unique dishes of Surat include Locho, Surti Undhiyu, Rasawala Khaman, Cold coco and Surti Ghari. Many of the popular types of food of the state of Gujarat originated in this region. Contrary to popular belief, Surti cuisine is not as sweet as the stereotypical Gujarati food, but rather quite on the spicier side.
The most popular eating spots are roadside standalones, called "laaris" or "rekdis". Come winter and Suratis will emerge at river Tapi's banks to eat Ponk. Ponk is a Roasted Millet variety that is available only in this part of the world.
Surat is also well known for its celebrations of Chandi Padvo usually which usually comes around October. This is the biggest full moon day of rthe Hindu calendar year. On this day, Surtis buy almost 100 tons of Ghari and other Surati delicacies, then head to Dumas where they have dinner/late night snack under full moon.
Most major Indian festivals such as Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated here with enthusiasm. The kite-flying festival of Makar Sankranti is especially popular in the city. Surtis are very fond of drinking though Gujarat is a dry state, and they leave no stone unturned for drinking. The favourable hangouts are Daman and Goa.
Education
Most of the schools in the area have Gujarati as the medium of instruction, and there are a number of English medium schools as well. St. Xaviers and Lourdes Convent are the two Catholic schools in Surat and are often viewed as elite schools though Sir J.J. English school which was once amongst the best has now degraded due to its poor management. Other private schools like the S.V. Rao New Model School continue to have success and often are recognized by the state and local governments. Regardless of medium of instruction, most schools are part of the Gujarat State Education Board. The Seventh Day Adventist school in Athwa Lines is part of the national ICSE board and Delhi Public school, Surat is affiliated to CBSE. There is a school in Surat called Lancers Army School. It is a good school to make children physically and mentally strong. It is affiliated to GBSE and CBSE.
Surat has a large concentration of colleges under the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in the Athwa Lines area on the banks of the Tapti river. It has a medical college and three engineering colleges, including the prestigious Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, some private colleges like Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET), and the C K Pithawala College of Engineering and Technology (CKPCET). SCET is one of the few institutions in the country to offer engineering degrees in Surat's main industry, Textiles. The MTB Arts and PT Science colleges are among the oldest in the state of Gujarat with PT Science being the only English Science college in the city. V.T. Choksi Sarvajanik College of Education is another well known educational institution.
Media
Gujarat Samachar, Divya Bhasker, Sandesh and Gujarat Mitra are the most read Surat dailies. Local editions of these newspapers are published in Gujarati. "LOKTEJ" was the first Hindi daily published from Surat.[citation needed]RAJASTHAN PATRIKA is now the top Hindi daily newspaper from Surat. The national dailies Indian Express and The Times of India are the most popular English newspapers. Most cable service providers have local television channels as well.
Surat was likely selected by the Volvo automobile manufacturer in 2006 as the secret location for a buried Volvo XC90 Sport Utility Vehicle. This exclusive limited edition XC90 V8 was built with a "pirates" theme for a joint promotion with Disney's movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," released in the US on July 7 2006. The corporation allegedly secured a 10.2 acre site on the outskirts of the city of Surat in order to bury the SUV. A massive commercial campaign resulted in a global multi-media treasure hunt as millions worldwide competed with one another to be the first to reach the treasure. Thousands of treasure seekers participating in The Hunt discovered this secret location of the treasure, and Volvo selected from these people seven finalists; 3 winners from the US, and one each from Japan, Great Britain and Australia. These finalists competed in a man-on-the-ground search for the treasure at the location in August 2006. It is believed that Surat was chosen as the location for this treasure because of its historical significance as the primary hub of the influential British East India Company, established as early as 1608. The East India Company was an ardent foe of the pirate, as the company's merchant ships were often targeted in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and other oceans by zealous pirates and privateers in search of their own treasures. Volvo spokesperson Helen Gore stated that the corporation actually considered burying the SUV near the The Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at Disneyland. "It is just a few miles up the 405 from Volvo’s North American headquarters, but this one fell under the category of 'way too obvious'.
Sports
Surat has many sports facilities, the majority of them dedicated to cricket. The Lalbhai Contractor Stadium and the Pithawala Cricket stadium have facilities for hosting cricket matches. In addition, Surat has an indoor stadium, used to host events like badminton & table tennis.
Places of Interest
Dutch Garden :- The ancient Dutch gardens, the Dutch cemetery and Makaipul, the ancient original port from where the ships sailed to other parts of the world are other attractions.
Old Fort :- The Old Fort was built by Muhammed Tughlak in the 14th century to fortify the defence against the Bhils.
Sardar Patel Museum :- About hundred years old this museum has a collection of over 10,000 specimens of arts and crafts.
Rangupavan :- It is an open air theatre with 18 meters by 10.5 meters stage and a capacity of around 4000 spectators. This is one of the biggest theatre in the country.
Dumas & Hajira :- Dumas 16 kms from Surat and Hajira 28 kms from Surat are well known health resorts on the creek of Arabian Sea. Hajira has two wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. The pleasant Hazira beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees.
Vansada National Park :- It is situated in Valsad district is a home to leopards, tigers, panthers and wild boars. The best time to visit is between October to March.
Beaches :- There are a number of beaches near Surat. Only 16 km away, Dumas is a popular resort with locals. Hajira is 28 km from the city and Ubhrat is 42 km out, while Tithal is 108kn away and only five km from Valsad on the Mumbai to Vadodara train line. Twenty-nine km south of Surat, Navsari has been a headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest days of their settlement in India. Udvada, only 10 km north of Vapi, the station for Daman, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. It is said that the fire was brought from Persia to Diu, on the opposite coast of the Gulf of Cambay, in 700 AD. Sanjan, in the extreme south of the state, is the small port where the Parsis first landed. A pillar marks the spot.
The city is situated on the left bank of the Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat indicates the dividing-line between the old city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs, but the city wall has almost disappeared. The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses. Three-quarters of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat, thus it has been called the "Diamond capital of the world".[citation needed] It is also the fastest growing city in the world. [U.N.Survey; Kabul, Afghanistan is growing faster according to Demographia.com]
History
Local traditions fix the establishment of the modern city in the last years of the fifteenth century, and in 1514 the Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa described it as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar and all parts of the world. There still is an irregular picturesque fortress on the banks of the river built in 1540. One particular village in the suburbs of Surat is Barbodhan Village, possibly named after the explorer Duarte Barbosa (it derives from "Bab-ul-Aden"—Doorway to Aden, Yemen—where it has strong cultural and trading links).
Surat eclipsed Cambay as the major port of western India, as Cambay's harbour had begun to silt up by the end of fifteenth century. Subsequently during the reigns of Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan it rose to be the chief commercial city of India. An Imperial mint was established at Surat during that time. As the major port on the western seaboard of that time, Surat also served as the sailing port for the Hajj to Mecca. At the end of the 16th century the Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade. In 1608, ships from the British East India Company started docking in Surat, which was established as a trade transit point. In 1612, the British Captain Best, and after him Captain Downton, destroyed the Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat following the Battle of Swally. The city was made the seat of a presidency under the British East India Company after the great success of the embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of emperor Jehangir. The Dutch also founded a factory.
In 1664 the Maratha leader Shivaji sacked and looted Surat. When Shivaji arrived at Surat he demanded tribute from the Mughal commander and the small army stationed with him for port security. The tribute was refused and so after Shivaji took the city, he put it to sack. Surat was under sack for nearly 3 weeks, in which the Maratha army looted all possible wealth from Mughal & Portuguese trading centers. All this loot was successfully transported to Maharashtra before the Mughal Empire at Delhi was alerted. This wealth later was used for development & strengthening the Maratha Empire.
The only exception to the looting was the British factory, a fortified warehouse-counting house-hostel, which was successfully defended by Sir George Oxenden. But the prosperity of the factory at Surat received a fatal blow when Bombay was ceded to the British as part of the dowry for Catherine of Braganza's wedding to Charles II in 1662. Shortly afterwards in 1668 another factory was established in Bombay(Mumbai) by the British East India Company. From that date Surat began to decline with the rise of British interests in Bombay, and the city was sacked again by Shivaji in 1670. By 1689 the seat of presidency was moved to Bombay by the British East India Company. The Surat population had reached an estimated 800,000 in its heyday, but by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to 80,000. Surat was again taken by the British in 1759, and the conquerors assumed the undivided government of the city in 1800. Since the introduction of British rule, the city and the surrounding district remained comparatively tranquil; and even during the Revolt of 1857(also known as the first struggle for India's independence) peace was not disturbed, owing in great measure to the loyalty of the leading Muslim families to the British and to the largely mercantile interests of the local population.
A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed a great number of buildings. Among the interesting monuments still surviving are the tombs of the English and Dutch merchants and their families, dating to the 17th century, especially those of the Oxenden brothers.
By the early 20th century, the population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat remained a center of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries, such as ship-building, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as zari). The chief trades were organized in guilds. The manufacturing and trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicities to the city, making Surat's culture unique even in modern times.
In 1992, violent riots took place between Hindus and Muslims, the first and worst of their kind in the modern history of Surat. In 1994, a combination of heavy rains and blocked drains led to water logging in the city. A number of dead street animals and public waste were not removed in time and a plague epidemic spread through the city. This brought the world's attention to the city as evinced by the sanctions on travel and goods exchange put up by a number of countries. The municipal commissioner during that time, S. R. Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the late 1990s to clean the city up after which it was recognized in many circles as the 'second-cleanest city in India'.
In the second week of August, 2006, a massive flood caused severe damage to the city of Surat. In less than three days, at least 120 people died. More than 4,000 animal carcasses were later hauled out of the mud. Two weeks after the floods, Surat’s diamond-polishing factories were practically empty of workers, who had fled fearing disease. An industry group estimated the losses at $60 million.
Geography
Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapti river (though the port has disappeared because of the damming of the river Tapti, the nearest port is now in Hazira which falls in the metropolitan area of Surat). The city is located at 21.17° N 72.83° E.[1] It has an average elevation of 13 metres (42 feet). The Surat district is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari and Dang (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Cambay. The climate is tropical and the monsoon is abundant (about 2500 mm a year).
Area: 112.27 km²
Climate
Winter Temperature: Max 31 °C, Min 12 °C
Summer Temperature: Max 42 °C, Min 24 °C
Rainfall (mid-June to mid-September): 931.9 mm
Lowest Recorded Temperature: 7 °C
Highest Recorded Temperature: 45 °C
Economy
Flyover cutting through Surat's textile district.Surat is at the heart of India's thriving diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 92% of the world's diamond pieces and earned India $8 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 and by the 70's Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though a majority of polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future.
Surat is now india's second cleanest city.[2]
Surat was ranked the No.1 city in India to earn, invest and live.[3]
Furthermore, Surat is an industrial hub for the production of synthetic fibers and man-made fabrics, contributing almost 28% of India's total synthetic fiber output and 40% of the nation's total man-made fabric production and computrised embroidery work. In addition it is home to several major processing facilities/manufacturing centers for Reliance Petrochemicals, Essar Steel, Larsen & Toubro, KRIBHCO, ONGC, Shell, and many others.
Government and Politics
The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for the city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties.
Transport
While the city has a local city bus system, the public transport needs of the city are met by privately operated auto rickshaws. The city has recently seen the completion of a large number of road engineering projects, particularly the elevated roads, or flyovers in the diamond and textile districts of the city. This has significantly cut down on the commuting time for many commuters travelling to the diamond and textile districts.
Surat has the highest No. of flyovers in Gujarat.
The Golden Quadrilateral highway system will pass through Surat at its expected completion in December of 2006. At present the city is connected to the National Highway 8 through a 16 k.m. connector highway. National Highway 8 corridor is one of the most industrially developed area in the country and Surat is one of the most industrially active cities that connect to it. National highway 6 starts from Hazira and connects the city to other Dhule, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Kharagpur and Kolkata
Surat is very well connected with mumbai and ahmedabad by fast luxurious train.
The city is connected to the national railway system through the Western Railways connecting it to Mumbai and beyond to the south as well as New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and other cities to the north. The Surat Railway station is in the eastern-central part of the city and is very conveniently located near major hotels and businesses. There is also a connection to the Central Railways through the Udhana Junction and the Tapti line. There are numerous daily trains that travel to the north, south and east during all times of the day. The variety of passenger trains range from local trains that stop at all stations on the way, to super fast express trains (by Indian standards) like the August Kranti Rajdhani Express. In addition there are plenty of goods trains that move the goods produced by the city to the rest of the country and beyond, and bring supplies to the city.
One of the ironies that you can only find in India is that despite being the second largest city in the state and the ninth largest in the country, Surat does not have a working airport. There are plans to expand and reactivate the airstrip in Magdalla, about 15k.m. from the city center. The work has been going on for about 3 years now (November 2006) with no visible end date.
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusIndia, Surat had a population of 2,433,787. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Surat has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 66%. In Surat, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Because of presence of unauthorized residential buildings and shanty towns which bring difficulties in counting the residents of these areas, combined with the explosive growth in population (mostly through migration) it is estimated that as of 2006 about 3.9 million people [4] live within the Surat Urban Development Authority(SUDA) area. However, the SUDA also covers a 5k.m. surrounding area in addition to the official city limits and thus covers a lot of villages and towns that lie outside the Municipal area.
Culture
Surat is known throughout India for its unique Surti cuisine. Some special and unique dishes of Surat include Locho, Surti Undhiyu, Rasawala Khaman, Cold coco and Surti Ghari. Many of the popular types of food of the state of Gujarat originated in this region. Contrary to popular belief, Surti cuisine is not as sweet as the stereotypical Gujarati food, but rather quite on the spicier side.
The most popular eating spots are roadside standalones, called "laaris" or "rekdis". Come winter and Suratis will emerge at river Tapi's banks to eat Ponk. Ponk is a Roasted Millet variety that is available only in this part of the world.
Surat is also well known for its celebrations of Chandi Padvo usually which usually comes around October. This is the biggest full moon day of rthe Hindu calendar year. On this day, Surtis buy almost 100 tons of Ghari and other Surati delicacies, then head to Dumas where they have dinner/late night snack under full moon.
Most major Indian festivals such as Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated here with enthusiasm. The kite-flying festival of Makar Sankranti is especially popular in the city. Surtis are very fond of drinking though Gujarat is a dry state, and they leave no stone unturned for drinking. The favourable hangouts are Daman and Goa.
Education
Most of the schools in the area have Gujarati as the medium of instruction, and there are a number of English medium schools as well. St. Xaviers and Lourdes Convent are the two Catholic schools in Surat and are often viewed as elite schools though Sir J.J. English school which was once amongst the best has now degraded due to its poor management. Other private schools like the S.V. Rao New Model School continue to have success and often are recognized by the state and local governments. Regardless of medium of instruction, most schools are part of the Gujarat State Education Board. The Seventh Day Adventist school in Athwa Lines is part of the national ICSE board and Delhi Public school, Surat is affiliated to CBSE. There is a school in Surat called Lancers Army School. It is a good school to make children physically and mentally strong. It is affiliated to GBSE and CBSE.
Surat has a large concentration of colleges under the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in the Athwa Lines area on the banks of the Tapti river. It has a medical college and three engineering colleges, including the prestigious Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, some private colleges like Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET), and the C K Pithawala College of Engineering and Technology (CKPCET). SCET is one of the few institutions in the country to offer engineering degrees in Surat's main industry, Textiles. The MTB Arts and PT Science colleges are among the oldest in the state of Gujarat with PT Science being the only English Science college in the city. V.T. Choksi Sarvajanik College of Education is another well known educational institution.
Media
Gujarat Samachar, Divya Bhasker, Sandesh and Gujarat Mitra are the most read Surat dailies. Local editions of these newspapers are published in Gujarati. "LOKTEJ" was the first Hindi daily published from Surat.[citation needed]RAJASTHAN PATRIKA is now the top Hindi daily newspaper from Surat. The national dailies Indian Express and The Times of India are the most popular English newspapers. Most cable service providers have local television channels as well.
Surat was likely selected by the Volvo automobile manufacturer in 2006 as the secret location for a buried Volvo XC90 Sport Utility Vehicle. This exclusive limited edition XC90 V8 was built with a "pirates" theme for a joint promotion with Disney's movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," released in the US on July 7 2006. The corporation allegedly secured a 10.2 acre site on the outskirts of the city of Surat in order to bury the SUV. A massive commercial campaign resulted in a global multi-media treasure hunt as millions worldwide competed with one another to be the first to reach the treasure. Thousands of treasure seekers participating in The Hunt discovered this secret location of the treasure, and Volvo selected from these people seven finalists; 3 winners from the US, and one each from Japan, Great Britain and Australia. These finalists competed in a man-on-the-ground search for the treasure at the location in August 2006. It is believed that Surat was chosen as the location for this treasure because of its historical significance as the primary hub of the influential British East India Company, established as early as 1608. The East India Company was an ardent foe of the pirate, as the company's merchant ships were often targeted in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and other oceans by zealous pirates and privateers in search of their own treasures. Volvo spokesperson Helen Gore stated that the corporation actually considered burying the SUV near the The Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at Disneyland. "It is just a few miles up the 405 from Volvo’s North American headquarters, but this one fell under the category of 'way too obvious'.
Sports
Surat has many sports facilities, the majority of them dedicated to cricket. The Lalbhai Contractor Stadium and the Pithawala Cricket stadium have facilities for hosting cricket matches. In addition, Surat has an indoor stadium, used to host events like badminton & table tennis.
Places of Interest
Dutch Garden :- The ancient Dutch gardens, the Dutch cemetery and Makaipul, the ancient original port from where the ships sailed to other parts of the world are other attractions.
Old Fort :- The Old Fort was built by Muhammed Tughlak in the 14th century to fortify the defence against the Bhils.
Sardar Patel Museum :- About hundred years old this museum has a collection of over 10,000 specimens of arts and crafts.
Rangupavan :- It is an open air theatre with 18 meters by 10.5 meters stage and a capacity of around 4000 spectators. This is one of the biggest theatre in the country.
Dumas & Hajira :- Dumas 16 kms from Surat and Hajira 28 kms from Surat are well known health resorts on the creek of Arabian Sea. Hajira has two wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. The pleasant Hazira beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees.
Vansada National Park :- It is situated in Valsad district is a home to leopards, tigers, panthers and wild boars. The best time to visit is between October to March.
Beaches :- There are a number of beaches near Surat. Only 16 km away, Dumas is a popular resort with locals. Hajira is 28 km from the city and Ubhrat is 42 km out, while Tithal is 108kn away and only five km from Valsad on the Mumbai to Vadodara train line. Twenty-nine km south of Surat, Navsari has been a headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest days of their settlement in India. Udvada, only 10 km north of Vapi, the station for Daman, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. It is said that the fire was brought from Persia to Diu, on the opposite coast of the Gulf of Cambay, in 700 AD. Sanjan, in the extreme south of the state, is the small port where the Parsis first landed. A pillar marks the spot.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Gujarat Vidyapith where students learn science with Gandhian software
(Educational and Research institutions in a state give strong foundation to its vision. It provides infrastructural solid support to ideas, which are nothing than figment of imagination unless provided backbone of institutionalization to get right form and shape to act in a society. Gujarat has plenty of such organizations, which are of national and international standing. This link will have such organizations with regular updates about them. You can send information about such organizations based in Gujarat: Yogesh Sharma)
Gandhi just did not criticise someone. He did not demolish an idea or theory without offering an alternative, a rational and viable alternative. That's what makes Gandhi different from others. Gandhi had his views for everything. That is what is called Gandhian philosophy.
When Gandhi opposed british rule, he provided answer to its education system. Against three Rs of British education system, he gave three H- an education system, which coordinates Head, Heart and hands. Not only theory, but practical aspect also.With this he set up Gujarat Vidyapith at what is now known as Ashram road in the heart of Ahmedabad city.
Here one can find Khadi clad students learning computer applications. Khadi is compulsory. General prayer and spinning of charkha, which symbolizes Gandhian philosophy are still part of daily life of every student and staff of Vidyapith. Though the building and other infrastructure of the institution is getting a modern facelift, in the heart of Vidyapith it is Gandhi only.
The Gujarat Vidyapith was founded by Mahatma Gandhi on 18th October 18 1920. Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university since 1963. It is funded by the U.G.C. (University Grants Commission) for higher education programs.
The main objective of the Gujarat Vidyapith is to conduct experiments in various fields of education with a view to develop the application of Gandhian thought.
It was started as Rashtriya Vidyapith (National Institute of University Education) during the Non-cooperative Movement. Mahatma Gandhi remained its life-long chancellor.
The Institute imparts higher education with an integrated system of education teaching from the Nursery to the Doctorate level. The integrated system of education is based on Gandhian principles of truth and non-violence, participation in productive work with a sense of dignity of labour, acceptance of equality of religions, priority for the need of villages dwellers in all curricula and use of mother-tongue as a medium of instructions.
Accordingly, the education system of Gujarat Vidyapith includes regular participation in community work, residential life, social service, community prayers, simple and self-reliant living, study tours and field studies, Hand spinning and training in Craft Work.
The program of education has been linked with the national needs of rural uplift with a view to promote education conductive to the grass - root levels of the society.
Stress is being laid on Vocational Training (Audyogic Shikshan) also in Vidyapith and only such occupations, which conducive to the nation are taught.
Majority of funds of Vidyapith and large number of its teachers are primarily employed in propagation of national education in villages. In laying down the priorities of education, the needs of the village-dwellers have principal consideration.
For the spiritual development of the pupils, knowledge of religion is imparted in consonance with truth and non-violence.
For more information log on to http://www.gujaratvidyapith.org/
Gandhi just did not criticise someone. He did not demolish an idea or theory without offering an alternative, a rational and viable alternative. That's what makes Gandhi different from others. Gandhi had his views for everything. That is what is called Gandhian philosophy.
When Gandhi opposed british rule, he provided answer to its education system. Against three Rs of British education system, he gave three H- an education system, which coordinates Head, Heart and hands. Not only theory, but practical aspect also.With this he set up Gujarat Vidyapith at what is now known as Ashram road in the heart of Ahmedabad city.
Here one can find Khadi clad students learning computer applications. Khadi is compulsory. General prayer and spinning of charkha, which symbolizes Gandhian philosophy are still part of daily life of every student and staff of Vidyapith. Though the building and other infrastructure of the institution is getting a modern facelift, in the heart of Vidyapith it is Gandhi only.
The Gujarat Vidyapith was founded by Mahatma Gandhi on 18th October 18 1920. Gujarat Vidyapith is a deemed university since 1963. It is funded by the U.G.C. (University Grants Commission) for higher education programs.
The main objective of the Gujarat Vidyapith is to conduct experiments in various fields of education with a view to develop the application of Gandhian thought.
It was started as Rashtriya Vidyapith (National Institute of University Education) during the Non-cooperative Movement. Mahatma Gandhi remained its life-long chancellor.
The Institute imparts higher education with an integrated system of education teaching from the Nursery to the Doctorate level. The integrated system of education is based on Gandhian principles of truth and non-violence, participation in productive work with a sense of dignity of labour, acceptance of equality of religions, priority for the need of villages dwellers in all curricula and use of mother-tongue as a medium of instructions.
Accordingly, the education system of Gujarat Vidyapith includes regular participation in community work, residential life, social service, community prayers, simple and self-reliant living, study tours and field studies, Hand spinning and training in Craft Work.
The program of education has been linked with the national needs of rural uplift with a view to promote education conductive to the grass - root levels of the society.
Stress is being laid on Vocational Training (Audyogic Shikshan) also in Vidyapith and only such occupations, which conducive to the nation are taught.
Majority of funds of Vidyapith and large number of its teachers are primarily employed in propagation of national education in villages. In laying down the priorities of education, the needs of the village-dwellers have principal consideration.
For the spiritual development of the pupils, knowledge of religion is imparted in consonance with truth and non-violence.
For more information log on to http://www.gujaratvidyapith.org/
World’s largest pumping station starts operations in Gujarat
The world’s largest water pumping station by volume’ started its operation by releasing 230 cubic meters of water per second (cumecs) into the parched Saurashtra region of the State on Tuesday. This would also provide drinking water to more than 4500 villages. It would also produce 30 MW electricity through the three hydro power plants.
This will increase to 410 cumecs after expansion of phases III and IV, with the total five-station system pumping 5,40,000 lakh litres of water per day into Saurashtra when completed. It will irrigate 5.4 lakh hectares of area in Saurashtra that constitutes about one-third of the total command area of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). In addition, 4,620 villages and towns in the region would get drinking water supply.
The feat of lifting 230 cubic meters of water per second to a height of 71 m against the steep gradient of the Saurashtra peninsula in five stages will be achieved using 16 high tension concrete and vertical motors, and a siphon system that has been patented in the US by manufacturers Kirloskar Brothers Limited.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the phase I and II of the Saurashtra system of the Narmada project at Kadu chainage of the Saurashtra Branch Canal (SBC) in Surendranagar district.
This will increase to 410 cumecs after expansion of phases III and IV, with the total five-station system pumping 5,40,000 lakh litres of water per day into Saurashtra when completed. It will irrigate 5.4 lakh hectares of area in Saurashtra that constitutes about one-third of the total command area of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). In addition, 4,620 villages and towns in the region would get drinking water supply.
The feat of lifting 230 cubic meters of water per second to a height of 71 m against the steep gradient of the Saurashtra peninsula in five stages will be achieved using 16 high tension concrete and vertical motors, and a siphon system that has been patented in the US by manufacturers Kirloskar Brothers Limited.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the phase I and II of the Saurashtra system of the Narmada project at Kadu chainage of the Saurashtra Branch Canal (SBC) in Surendranagar district.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Gujarat is once again no.1 in investment in the country
Gujarat is once again no.1 in investment in the country
Gujarat has retained its first position in industrial investment for the successive forth year this year. A report of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy says that Gujarat is at the top with investment of 2,76,365 crore according to Government Spokesman I K jadeja.
He said that Maharashtra is at the second place with 2,32,245 crore investment while Andhra Pradesh is at third position. Gujarat has maintained this position fro the fourth successive year, he said.
He said that Maharashtra is at the second place with 2,32,245 crore investment while Andhra Pradesh is at third position. Gujarat has maintained this position fro the fourth successive year, he said.
Gujarat no.1 in providing jobs
Gujarat Global News Network, Gandhinagar
Gujarat is the first in the country in creating maximum job opportunities and providing employment to the job seekers through the government employment exchange offices, according to a survey conducted by Director General of the Union Labour and Employment Ministry. Gujarat has retained top position for the fourth consecutive year.
Government spokesmen I K Jadeja and Saurabh Patel said that as per the report, out of the total of 1.73 lakh jobs made available through 947 employment exchanges across the country in 2005, Gujarat provided the highest number of jobs (over 92,000) through its 42 exchange offices.
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra ranked second and third in providing 15,300 and 15,000 jobs in their respective states. For the last four years, Gujarat has retained the first place by providing maximum employment ranging between 46 per cent and 54 per cent in the State.
The report includes only those jobs being provided through employment exchange offices. But Gujarat has also maintained its impressive momentum in providing employment to its people in education, police and health sectors, besides in private sector companies.
The spokesman said that in the year 2005-06, the government, in collaboration with the private sector, had organised as many as 441 mega job fairs across Gujarat, providing 99,333 jobs. Moreover, the government has been creating employment opportunities by offering vocational courses and training programmes in its technical institutes for airhostesses, ground staff, gas fitters, micro-irrigation technicians, call centres, marine technicians and motor driving.
Sardar Sarovar Project: a technological marvel of innovation
Sardar Sarovar Project: a technological marvel of innovation
Sardar Sarovar Project on river Narmada is not just one more big dam. It is a wonder of modern technology. This terminal dam on 1312-km long river Narmada, its water distribution network and its powerhouses show the vision of the planners and are an excellent example of innovation.
The project for irrigation water and hydel power is one of the greatest engineering projects in the country. If we talk about the Dam only, Narmada Dam with 163 M height is the third highest Dam in the country after Bhakara (226M) and Lakhwar (192M). In terms of volume of concrete used for the gravity dam it is the second largest in the world with aggregate volume of 6.82 mcm. The first one was the Grand Coolie Dam in USA. It is now replaced by ' Three sorges' dam of China.
The dam has spillway discharging capacity of over 30 lakh cusecs which is the third highest in the world after Gazemba in China and Takri in Brazil.
It is not only that the dam is unique, the canal system and its two powerhouses add many unique features to the Sardar Sarovar Project. It is one of the largest water resources development projects in India.
World's largest lined irrigation canal
The 532 km long Narmada main canal is the world's largest lined irrigation canal with a capacity of 40,000 cusecs of water at the head. The 40 branch canals spanning across 86,000km form the water distribution network.
The fact that the entire canal is lined is very important. It saves distribution loss of water and thus makes the channel quite efficient. It also prevents problem like water logging through seepage. This makes sure that maximum water reaches till the end. The main canal is designed with gentle slope of 1: 15,000 mt. It operates through gates over pool of water.
The Narmada main canal will cross major rivers of Gujarat such as Mahi, Sabarmati, Rupen, Khari, Saraswati, Banas etc. It will not only irrigate a command area of over 18.0lakh ha of land in Gujarat, it shall also discharge water into these rivers thus becoming the forerunner for the National Inter-River Garlanding scheme.
Another important component of the project which is very important for the inter-linking of rivers is carrying water through falls and lifts for the command areas of Saurashtra and Kutch. The Saurashtra branch canal with 14500 cusecs (425 cumec) capacity and Kutch branch canal with 77700 cusecs (220 cumec) capacity would be crossing the depression between main land in Gujarat and the Saurashtra and Kutch regions on the other side. In Saurashtra Branch Canal, the water would be lifted in five stages up to total head of 72m. Pumping stations at the five lift points are under implementation with a battery of 65 concrete volute pumps of 20 m3/s each (plus 22 vertcal turbinepumps of 5 cumecs) through a consortium of Indian and Italian collaborators. These pumping stations will be the largest in the country.
The line has a capacity of 40,000 cusecs of water.
Full supply level (FSL) at H.R.: 91.44m (300')
Length up to Gujarat-Rajasthan border:458.00km
Length in Rajasthan: 74.00km
Base width in head reach: 73.01m
Full supply depth (FSD) in head reach: 7.60m
Designed discharge capacity
a) In head reach: 1133 cumecs
(40,000 cusecs)
b) At Gujarat Rajasthan border:71 cumecs
(2500 cusecs)
The canal in its journey up to Rajasthan border will traverse through regions having diverse agro-climatic and soil characteristics and crosses numerous streams and major rivers. In all, about 600 structures of various type viz. cross drainage works, canal crossings, regulating and control structures etc, are proposed to be constructed along the main canal.
The Sabarmati and Mahi aqueducts are some of the largest structures in the world and architectural marvels in themselves.
Made to live 300 years
The construction of dam has many distinct features. Generally, dams have life of 100 years. This dam has life of 300 years. This is because of treatment of the catchments area. This reduces rate of siltation and as a result the life of dam increases.
The life of dam means that the time for which the dam stores water to maximum capacity. Because of siltation water-storing capacity gradually reduces and ultimately dam becomes useless. The only solution is dredging operations. However, this is not possible because of technical limitations. The only way is to reduce siltation in the catchment area.
This is done through afforestation in the catchment area. A study of the area through remote sensing in 1985-86 and 1994 showed that closed forest and open forest area had increased by 3,273 ha and 3001 ha, respectively. The degraded forest area had decreased considerably from 12,746ha to 7019ha.
Dam Dimensions
The dam is a 1210 m (3970 feet) long wall of concrete across the valley. It is designed to impound a reservoir with a full level of 139 m (455 feet) above sea level (asl). The middle section of the dam is planned to reach a height of 146.5 m (481 feet) asl. The bed of the river at the dam site is at 17 m (56 feet) asl so the planned height of the dam above the river bed is 129.5 m (425 feet).
Associated Infrastructure
The main canal leading from the reservoir is scheduled to be 460 km (286 miles) long, eventually reaching the state of Rajasthan. It is 250 m (820 feet) wide at its head near the dam and planned to be 100 m (328 feet) wide at the Rajasthan border. A network of secondary canals totalling 75,000 km (46,600 miles) in length is planned to deliver the irrigation water to farmers. Large electric-powered pumping stations will need to be built to deliver water to the Saurashtra and Kutch branches of the canal system. A large powerhouse containing turbines and related machinery is being built at the dam and a smaller one at the head of the canal. A weir is to be built at Garudeshwar, around 16 kilometres downstream of the dam, with a capacity to store six hours of the maximum flow through the Sardar Sarovar turbines. This water can be pumped back into the reservoir at times of low daily electricity demand and then released through the turbines again to generate electricity at times of peak demand.
Will stand straight even at 8 R
After the devastating earthquake of Kutch, the question of damage to big structures like dam has come in sharp focus. Almost 30 years before this earthquake, the planners of the Narmada Dam had thought of this problem. They studied seismic activity data of past several decades and found that earthquakes were maximum around 7 degree on the Richter Scale. The entire structure of the Sardar Sarovar project is to withstand shocks and tremors upto 8 degree on the richter scale. A fact not known to many. Sophisticated seismology instruments have been installed for monitoring earth's acitivites. Studies are being done regularly to monitor and find solutions of problems that may arise from time to time.
World's second largest single cable ropeway
The length of the dam is 1210mt. Naturally, the entire construction along the length is a challenging task. To transport concrete and other construction material a long ropeway of 1260mt. has been set up. A trolley attached to the ropeway looks like a bucket from the ground. You know how much material it can transport? Three truck loads in a single trip!
The entire ropeway is on a pair of straight cables. This was the longest straight single cable pair in the world until China built a longer cable in 2003.
Construction material for the dam is mixed through computer-controlled mechanism. This gives the exact quantity of different material to be mixed before the material is used in the construction.
Iced concrete
A special ice plant has been set up at the dam site! Ice has a lot to do with the construction of the dam. Concrete is basically lime, which on interaction with water produces heat. To prevent this reaction, ice flakes are added to concrete. It is ensured that the temperature of the concrete remains at 12C. Then only the construction process is allowed.
Two powerhouses to make the most of Narmada water
The project has two powerhouses. Riverbed powerhouse of 1200 MW and canal head powerhouse of 250 MW. The two powerhouses have been planned to maximize the use of water. In the Canal head powerhouse, water going to main canal is used for generating power.
River Bed Power House ( RBPH)
River Bed Power House has the largest installed capacity among pumped storage schemes in India. Size of power generating units is also largest of this type in the country. It has six units each of 200 MW. Five units have already been installed and the sixth is in final stage of installation. This powerhouse has been fully commissioned in June 2006.
This is underground power station on right bank of the river located about 165mt downstream of the dam. It has Francis type reversible turbine generators.
Canal Head Power House (CHPH)
Canal Head Powerhouse is a surface powerhouse to accommodate 5 units of conventional Kalpan Type generator each of 50 MW capacity. It is located at the toe of Vadgam Saddle dam, which will house the intake arrangement for power. This powerhouse has also been commissioned.
Innovative water distribution
The most important feature of the water supply is that it is volumetric instead of area approach. The system would be fully computerized to ensure equitable flow in all areas. This would guard against the most common problem of over use of water by initial command blocks, leaving less supplies to the areas down the canal.
The system would be fully computerized and remotely operated up to the level of 300 cusecs capacity. Another important feature is that the irrigation water in the command area of SSP would be delivered to farmers' groups and not to individual farmers. The groups will have to manage distribution within their block called village service area.
The remotely controlled system would make automatic adjustments for stroking of gates in the main canal and branches. The response time is extremely important for timely deliveries of water to remote areas of Kutch, North Gujarat and Saurashtra. In case of SSP, the response time will be less than 24 hours, which conventionally would be several days.
The farmers associations are also required to operate system on rotational delivery principles within the village areas. This would ensure that entire flow within village systems is distributed proportionately without any manual intervention. Thus farmers have not to do any gate operation and have only to regulate the hours per ha of individual farmers.
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