Bhiwandi

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Bhiwandi
Bhiwandi is located in Maharashtra
Bhiwandi
Bhiwandi
Bhiwandi is located in India
Bhiwandi
Bhiwandi
Coordinates: 19°17′48″N 73°03′47″E / 19.296664°N 73.063121°E / 19.296664; 73.063121Coordinates: 19°17′48″N 73°03′47″E / 19.296664°N 73.063121°E / 19.296664; 73.063121
Country India
StateMaharashtra
DistrictThane
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyBhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation
 • MayorPratibha Vilas Patil, Konark Vikas Aghadi
 • Municipal CommissionerDr. Pankaj Ashiya IAS
Elevation
24 m (79 ft)
Population
 (2011)[citation needed]
 • Total709,665
Language
 • OfficialMarathi
Time zoneIST
PIN
421 302, 421305, 421308
Telephone code02522
Vehicle registrationMH-04
Websitewww.bncmc.gov.in

Bhiwandi (About this soundpronunciation ) is a city in the Thane district of the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Mumbai and 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of the city of Thane. The city is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Bhiwandi is a commercial city and a major trade center that connects Mumbai and the rest of India through the Mumbai–Agra highway. It is known for its textile industry, though in recent years, economic downturn has forced the closure of a large portion of the sector.[1]

Bhiwandi lies in the Konkan coastal lowland, a region known geographically for its hills and streams. The city houses the tehsil headquarters of Bhiwandi, and it is administered by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation. According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation area was 709,665.[citation needed]

History[edit]

Bhiwandi was first inhabited by the Koli and Konkani peoples, who lived near the Konkan sea coast. In the early 16th century, Bhiwandi had a spice port on the Kamwadi River, now Bunder Mohalla. During the reign of the Moghul Empire, the city of Bhiwandi was as Islamabad. There is a mosque named Islamabad Masjid and Eidgah.

In the early 20th century, Bhiwandi was a small town inhabited mainly by Maharashtrians. Their most common occupations were in agriculture, fishing, and weaving. With the decline of the textile industry in Mumbai, Bhiwandi became attractive to textile companies due to its strong and consistent power and transportation infrastructure. With the introduction of electricity, power looms replaced hand looms, and in the 1930s, the city became a hub of the textile industry. The first textile loom was set up by Khan Saheb Samad Seth in 1927.

The rapid boom of the textile industry attracted migrants from Uttar Pradesh (notably the Azamgarh District), and the population increased dramatically. Although many people of Koli and Konkani descent remain in the city, they have their own customs and speak a different dialect of Marathi.

Business and employment[edit]

The city of Bhiwandi has the largest number of power looms and handlooms in the country.[2][3][4] The majority of the population is employed in the power loom sector.[5] The second-largest power loom, after the one in Surat, is located in Bhiwandi. Since 2012, the city's textile industry has been in decline, partly caused by the sudden enactment of new goods and services taxes.[6] Another concern facing textile producers is a lack of contact with buyers, leading many to sell primarily to middlemen, mostly from Gujrat, who charge significant markup prices.[7] Bhiwandi has also a red light area.[8][9]

Bhiwandi initially developed as an industrial hub for the textile industry, but more recently has hosted other industries and logistics sectors. Bhiwandi is among Asia's biggest warehousing hubs; its godownsare considered Asia's largest.[10] It is a major contributor to the logistic landscape of Mumbai and India due to its close proximity to the Nhava Seva port of Mumbai, India's financial capital. Many e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Reliance Industries, Snapdeal, and FedEx have branches in the city. The city is the next developed region for MMRDA, which has developed other regions such as the Bandra–Kurla Complex, Mumbai Metro, Monorail Project, and Eastern Freeway.[11]

Bhiwandi's economy is divided into three sectors: textiles, groceries, and service (supplying, logging, and food delivery). During the COVID-19 pandemic, small hotels faced significant challenges, and Crisfood – a food delivery supply chain network – gained coverage and business.[12]

Infrastructure[edit]

Bhiwandi's infrastructure is centered around the national highway which passes through it.

Bhiwandi has a large water treatment plant at Panjrapur with 455 MLD capacity, making it one of the largest water treatment plants in Asia.[13]

A city bus proposal was scheduled to be realised in Bhiwandi but was canceled due to the Auto Rickshaw strike. Bhiwandi has a central railway station at Anjur Phata. The train station has a link with the central railways and the local train of Mumbai as well. Bhiwandi Metro Project (Mumbai Metro line 5) is proposed with completion anticipated in 2025.[14]

Transportation[edit]

Roads[edit]

The NH3 highway passes through the city of Bhiwandi. Only auto-rickshaws are available in the city. Bhiwandi is well-connected by all the highways and it is among the largest hubs for logistics and warehouses. The pin code of Bhiwandi is 421308.

Railways[edit]

Bhiwandi has two railway stations: Bhiwandi Road railway station and Kharbao railway station, both of which are under Central Railway administration. Locals commute via passenger trains. The trains connect to central line railways at Kopar railway station, western line railways at Vasai Road Railway Station, and Harbor Line at Panvel railway station.

Airways[edit]

The nearest airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, 45 km (28 mi) from Bhiwandi.

Demographics[edit]

According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation area is 709,665

Religions in Bhiwandi-Nizampur
Religion Percent
Hindu
39.34%
Muslim
56.01%
Jain
2.66%
Buddhist
1.55%
Others
0.43%

Climate[edit]

Climate data for Bhiwandi
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.3
(97.3)
35.3
(95.5)
37.6
(99.7)
39.5
(103.1)
42.8
(109.0)
39.6
(103.3)
33.5
(92.3)
33.2
(91.8)
34.5
(94.1)
37.6
(99.7)
36.7
(98.1)
34.5
(94.1)
42.8
(109.0)
Average high °C (°F) 29.2
(84.6)
30.5
(86.9)
32.4
(90.3)
34.2
(93.6)
34.4
(93.9)
31.2
(88.2)
29.1
(84.4)
28.6
(83.5)
29.4
(84.9)
33.3
(91.9)
32.4
(90.3)
31.2
(88.2)
31.3
(88.3)
Average low °C (°F) 15.1
(59.2)
16.5
(61.7)
19.5
(67.1)
22.7
(72.9)
25.2
(77.4)
25.1
(77.2)
24.2
(75.6)
23.7
(74.7)
22.8
(73.0)
22.3
(72.1)
19.4
(66.9)
16.3
(61.3)
−1.1
(30.0)
Record low °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)
8.3
(46.9)
16.5
(61.7)
18.6
(65.5)
20.2
(68.4)
21.1
(70.0)
19.6
(67.3)
18.9
(66.0)
19.2
(66.6)
18.6
(65.5)
16.5
(61.7)
12.4
(54.3)
6.7
(44.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 3.6
(0.14)
1.0
(0.04)
1.3
(0.05)
2.0
(0.08)
21.3
(0.84)
502.4
(19.78)
1,015.7
(39.99)
584.2
(23.00)
336.3
(13.24)
95.3
(3.75)
12.9
(0.51)
2.0
(0.08)
2,578
(101.5)
Average rainy days 0 0 0 0 1 14 31 24 15 6 1 0 92
Mean monthly sunshine hours 269.4 259.3 272.9 286.4 295.6 143.3 73.2 71.2 157.5 234.5 245.6 254.2 2,563.1
Source: Government of Maharashtra

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Shantha, Sukanya (14 October 2019). "Bhiwandi's Textile Industry Is Struggling, and Political Apathy at Polltime Isn't Helping". The Wire. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Katakam, Anupama (28 February – 12 March 2004). "Victims of 'new economy'". Frontline. The Hindu. 21 (5).
  3. Subbu, Ramnath (8 August 2005). "Deluge takes heavy toll of industry". [The Hindu].
  4. "The City Of No Joy". The Times of India. 10 July 2006.
  5. "Redefining Industrial, Warehousing Spaces - Mahavir Complex". Mahavir Dev Group.
  6. "Small Businesses Worst Hit By GST, Demonetisation, Says Marico's Mariwala". BloombergQuint. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. Basu, B. "Crisis in Bhiwandi powerloom sector". Itj Indian Textile Journal.
  8. "NGO gives Bhiwandi sex workers hope for respectable living".
  9. "87% of sex workers in Bhiwandi want to quit".
  10. Bhatt, Shephali. "Inside Indian Ecommerce sector's favourite logistics hub: Bhiwandi" – via The Economic Times.
  11. "Amazon.in to open second warehouse in India". intoday.in.
  12. "From boom to bust: Bhiwandi's textile industry woes |". Citizen Matters. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  13. "BMC to upgrade Panjrapur water treatment plant". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  14. "Mumbai: Metro Line 5 Phase 1 deadline revised to 2024". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 12 December 2020.