Ghaziabad
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (May 2008) |
Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad | |
|---|---|
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Damyanti Goel |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 968,521 |
Ghaziabad (Hindi: ग़ाज़ियाबाद, Urdu: غازی آباد, IPA: [ɣaːziːaːbaːd]) is an industrial city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located about 1.5 km east of the Hindon River at latitude 28° 40' north and longitude 77° 25' east. It is 19 km east of Delhi and 46 km southwest of Meerut. The city houses the headquarters of the Ghaziabad district. It was initially part of the Meerut district after independence, till the time when — due to some political intervention — Ghaziabad was separated and given a new district status.
The city gets its name from the founder Ghazi-ud-din, who called it Ghaziuddinnagar after himself. Later the name was shortened to Ghaziabad. It is a large industrial city well-connected by roads and railways. It has industries that manufacture railway coaches, diesel engines, bicycles, tapestries, glassware, pottery, paint and varnish, heavy chains, etc. Also It has ordinance factory (Muradnagar) & Bharat electronics ltd. for manufacturing defense products. Recently a number of malls and multiplexes have come up in the city and the roads are being improved by construction and widening of flyovers.
History
From the historical cultural, mythological and archaeological point of view Ghaziabad is a prosperous city. This has been proved from the research work and excavations done in the district. The excavation work carried out at the mound of Kaseri situated on the bank of river Hindon, 2 km north from Mohan Nagar shows that civilization was developed here in 2500 B.C.[2]
On the eastern border of the district is situated the village "KOT" which is associated with the famous emperor Samundra Gupta, who performed the Aswamedha yagya here after destroying the fort and "Kot Kuljam" (princes of the Kot dynasty).[2]
A fort standing in the city was attacked and sacked by Taimur in 1313.[3] Mughal King used to come here for hunting and pleasure trips. A Baage Ranap is a memorial of that period.
The modern city of Ghaziabad was founded in 1740 by the vizir Ghazi-un-ddin, the minister of Moghul Emperor Ahmadshah and Alamgir IInd. He named it after himself and called it Ghaziuddinnagar. He built a spacious sarai consisting of 120 rooms of masonry with pointed arches. As per records this city was constructed within the boundary of four giant doors and a huge inn (Sarai) of 120 rooms was built. These four doors were named Dasna Gate, Sihani Gate, Delhi Gate and Shahi Gate respectively. Only the gate, a few portions of the boundary wall and a massive pillar about fourteen feet in height remains now, the precincts now being inhabited. Later on Shahi gate was renamed as Bazar Gate and after independence it was renamed as Jawahar Gate. The other three gates carry the old name as it is. Before 1740 it was a some sort of picnic place of Mughal Emperors. There are small villages called Kaila, Bonjha, and Jatwara. His mausoleum still stands in the city but is in disrepair.
The Jat raja, Surajmal, was killed near the city by the Rohillas in 1763.
The city was the scene of fighting during the Indian Mutiny, 1857–58, revolt that began with Indian soldiers in the Bengal army of the British East India Company but developed into a widespread uprising against British rule in India. In an encounter between the freedom fighters and a small British force the former were defeated while trying to hold the Hindon. The first confrontation with British soldiers on the bank of Hindon River in 1857 while coming from Meerut. Graves of British Soldiers and Officers killed on 30th and 31st may, 1857 can be seen today at the Meerut Road Crossing near Hindon River.
In 1864 Train (Rail) was introduced to the city. First train was introduced between Aligarh & Gajeeudin city. There was a problem in printing railway ticket " Gajeeudin Nagar" due to the long name. To reduce the name, it was changed to Ghaziabad. After the opening the railway line the name of the place was shortened to Ghaziabad.[4]
Formation of the District
Before 14 November 1976 Ghaziabad was the Tehsil of District Meerut. The then chief minister Mr. N.D.Tiwari decalered Ghaziabad as a district on 14 November 1976, on the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India.
Ghaziabad, the headquarters of the district of the same name, lies on the Grand Trunk road about a mile east of the Hindon River in lat. 280 40' north and long. 770 25' east, 19 km east of Delhi and 46 km southwest of Meerut with which it is connected by a metalled road. Other roads lead north-west to Loni and Baghpat and east to Hapur and Garhmukteshwar. Buses run at frequent intervals from here to Delhi, Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahar, Moradabad, Lucknow and to other districts also. It is an important station on the Northern Railway where railway lines, from Delhi to Calcutta, Moradabad and Saharanpur meet, connecting it with many important cities of India.
As its boundary is adjacent to Delhi, it acts as the main entrance of Uttar Pradesh and so is informally known as the Gateway Of Uttar Pradesh.
Geography
Ghaziabad is situated about 2.5 km from the Hindon river. On the north it is bound by the district of Meerut, on the south by that of Bulandshahar and Gautambudh Nagar, on the south-west by Delhi and on the east by the district Jyotibaphule Nagar. As its boundary is adjacent to Delhi, it acts as the main entrance to Uttar Pradesh and hence is also called the Gateway of Uttar Pradesh.
Ganga, Yamuna and Hindon are the main rivers flowing through the district and they are filled with water throughout the year. Other than these there are some small rain-fed rivers, prominent among them is the Kali river. Apart from these rivers the Ganaga Canal flows through the district and irrigation work is carried out through different branches of the canal. The Ganga canal also caters to the drinking water needs of the people of Ghaziabad as well as Delhi.
Climate
As it is adjacent to Delhi, its temperature and rainfall are similar to that of Delhi. The dust storms in Rajasthan and snowfall in the Himalayas, Kumaon and Garhwal hills impact the weather regularly. The monsoon usually arrives at the end of the June or the first week of July and normally the rainy season lasts till October. Temperatures range from 10-20 degrees Celsius in winters and 30-40 degrees in summers.
Economy
Ghaziabad is primarily an industrial city with manufacturers in railway coaches, diesel engines, electroplating, bicycles, picture tubes, tapestries, glassware, pottery, vegetable oil, paint and varnish, heavy chains, automobile pistons and rings, steel pharmaceuticals, liquor, etc. It is one of the most industrialized cities in Uttar Pradesh. The new industry sector upcoming in Ghaziabad is of high tech plant growth boosters. Many companies like Shriram Pistons, Unichem, Dabur, International Tobeco, Bhushan Steels, Rathi Alloys, Crophealth Products Pvt. Ltd. and Samtel Color are giving it a new dimension.
There are a number of private hospitals and health-care centres in Ghaziabad that provide health care to the residents in nearby villages and towns such as Pilkhuwa, Hapur, and Dasna. There are a number of malls dotting the city. The Pacific and Shipra malls are amongst the largest in the National Capital Region. Ghaziabad is one of the largest railway junctions, handling more than 100 long distance trains every day, in addition to the numerous suburban trains to Delhi. It houses one of the largest and most modern Electric Locomotive Sheds.
Government and politics
There is Nagar Nigam in Ghaziabad. It was given the status of a municipal corporation on 31 August 1994 which was later on converted to Nagar Nigam in 2000. On 14 November 1976 Ghaziabad was declared as a district by the then Chief Minister N. D. Tiwari. Jal Nigam is the prime authority which deals with water supply and sewerage works in Ghaziabad. Ghaziabad was listed 6th most dynamic city in the world in 2005 by an American magazine.
Transport
Ghaziabad can be reached by air, road and rail. The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International airport which is about 45 km away. By road, Ghaziabad is well-connected on all sides to Delhi, NOIDA, Hapur, Modinagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Haridwar, etc. A large number of people commute to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Gurgaon every day for work.
There are bus terminals at Mohan Nagar, Lohia Nagar, Vasundhara and close to Meerut Road from where Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses serve cities all over the state.
Ghaziabad is a railway junction and several lines pass through the city. The main railway station is situated in the middle of the city. The city is well connected to Delhi and other neighbouring cities through Fast Moving Local Trains called EMU. Several trains connect Ghaziabad to Meerut, Aligarh, Delhi, New Delhi, Faridabad, Palwal, Mathura, Indore, Ujjain, Loni and others.
The Metro extends to Dilshad Garden station which is situated at the Apsara Border on the outskirts of the city. At present it serves the areas of Rajendra Nagar, Shalimar Garden. This line was extended to Anand Vihar and Vaishali.
Education
There are a number of private engineering colleges and management institutes in Ghaziabad. There are also a number of medical, dental colleges, and physiotherapy institutes like IME Sahibabad, ITS, IMS, KIET etc. Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College is number one college of Uttar Pradesh Technical University.With institutes like IMT Ghaziabad, amongst the top 5 private B-schools in India [5], Ghaziabad adds a new dimension to technical education in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
The city has mutiple schools affiliated to various education boards like ICSE, ISC, CBSE, Uttar Pradesh State Board.
Media
Ghaziabad is a part of the satellite area of Delhi therefore most of the newspapers, TV channels and radio channels are the same as for Delhi. Television channels are available through the cable TV network, City Cable being the largest operator.
See also
References
External links
- Ghaziabad Official Website
- Advanced Level Telecom Training Centre ALTTC
- Inderprastha Dental College & Hospital
Template:National Capital Territory of Delhi
