Navi Mumbai was created with the purpose of rerouting the mass attraction to Mumbai which has led to burgeoning population problems that was growing out of control. The city was meticulously designed so that the infrastructure provides good connectivity, efficient power distribution, and proper sewage and drain water discharge. Now thanks to Chief Architect, Charles Correa, and Chief Planner, R.K. Jha, the city is better than most parts of Greater Mumbai.
Mumbai, by the turn of the millennium has become congested with traffic woes and uncontrolled population growth. The worst part of it was that due to its unconventional pattern of infrastructural development, the population density is skewed terribly. While some places have low population density, some of the other places have alarming population density, giving rise to poor living conditions. As Navi Mumbai is a planned city, the spatial openness allows population growth with proper accommodation. One of the largest planned township, it has about one-third of the density of Greater Mumbai. Thus, more and more people are attracted by the living conditions.
But the infrastructure is not the only reason that Navi Mumbai is becoming an attractive place for people from other parts of the country. The effective integration of the economic activities along with the robust infrastructure present here is one of the prominent reasons that various multinational companies and organisations are opening their offices here. With the rise of jobs in Navi Mumbai, the place has become a haven for working professionals. Commuting from office to home is a breeze for most of the working professionals living here, unlike in Mumbai where most of the time is spent on commuting and traffic jams. According to survey by CIDCO, about 67% of the Navi Mumbai’s population hold a job in the city itself and the average commuting time is not more than 38 minutes. It is unlike otther extended regions like Thane and Kalyan-Dombivili area, where the majority of the population works in Mumbai.
A Vantage Point View as Concerned with Economy and Jobs
No doubt, Navi Mumbai becoming a prominent satellite city is due to its proximity to the financial capital of India, Mumbai. The ease of communication to and from Mumbai has made the city a hotspot for a number of IT/ITeS companies, having all the essential ingredients like affordable office spaces, proper infrastructure and skilled human resource. A large number of prominent software companies are opening their office here and new start-ups are being started.
With the completion of the planned Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Navi Mumbai, the employability prospect of the area in the future is expected to grow twofold. As of now, most of the jobs are already being generated by the IT/ITeS companies located in various business and IT parks like Vashi Infotech Park, Airoli Infotech Park and Millennium Business Park. Since it is near Mumbai, a number of financial and insurance companies are also setting up their base here due to the lack of good office spaces there.
When it Comes to Living
As Navi Mumbai is becoming more and more a self-sustaining city, the lifestyle of the people living here has become comparable to Mumbai and it would not be presumptive to even say that it has become better than some parts of Mumbai.
All the nodes of the city are connected through the reliable bus network of both BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) and NMMT (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport). Panvel, the busiest railways station here, connects to all the major parts of Mumbai through the suburban railway network. The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport to be built in the Panvel region is also going to be one of the biggest catalysts for making the place a prominent IT and industrial hub in the future.
The metropolitan outlook of the city also makes it rank amongst the top liveable cities in India. It has also been ranked third among 476 cities surveyed for cleanliness as part of Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Most of the population (more than 95%) living here are well-educated middle income families. When it comes to convenience and leisure, a number of shopping centres, good educational institutes and advanced healthcare facilities are present in the city.
The Bottom Line
With a perfect mix of good living and plethora of job opportunities, Navi Mumbai is stealing the limelight away from Mumbai of being a dream city.