Dombivli
From Freepedia
Dombivli or Dombivali is a city in India with a population of about 15,00,000 (1,500,000) (1991 census). It is the first fully literate town in Maharashtra and the second in India. Dombivli is a small middle class town with a majority population of Hindus, but other faiths and beliefs peacefully co-exist.
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History
Dombivli is located about 50 km away from the financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay) in the Western state of Maharashtra. Thane, the district and Kalyan the taluka are just minutes away. Covering an area of 6 km², it has had remarkable growth in the last 20 years, increasing in size from a small town. The name "Concrete Jungle" describes the problem. Dombivli came into being as the Gajabandhan Village and the "Old Dombivli", which forms the West flank at present, is embraced by the river Ulhas. And quite rightly about a decade ago, one could still see the paddy fields in these areas. The East flank has been the golden arm of the Municipal Corporation with the major cut of the budget going towards its development. Plush colonies in the extension area of the town, Which has been under the jurisdiction of the Industrial Corporation (M.I.D.C), has been a real mother of all plans for the Municipal corporation. The name "Dombivli" probably came from a tribal group who lived nearby who were known as the "dombs".
Dombivli boasts a cosmopolitan population with Maharashtrians, Jains, Gujarathis, Kannadigas, Tamilians, Malayalee's and Punjabis—and a marginal population of Khojas (The Aga-Khan cult) too. Although there are some indications of the town for about 6 to 7 centuries, not much is really known of its history, apart from a huge open space which the Archealogical Survey of India declared as a pond used by the peshwas and the land adjacent to it happened to be a horse grazing and training site. A huge stone was unearthed by the Archealogical Department with the encryptions marking the evidence of the same.
Today, Dombivli is well known for rapid industrial growth with major dyes, paints, chemical, and heavy metal factories based in the industrial part of the town. Some of the well known ones are Gharda Chemicals, Vicco Labs, Llyod Steel, and Deepak Fertilizers. The 1980's saw Dombivli growing into a crowded and saturated city due to industrial development under the plan, which proved advantageous. Dombivli's approachability by road, rail and huge potential in land and manpower increased tremendously. The industries have been developed in two phases so far and new plans have been proposed.
Dombivli also has the honour of becoming the first fully "literate" town in the whole of Asia (till very recently, now a town in Kerala has taken over). Over a hundred schools offer primary and secondary education and over a dozen are affiliated to the University of Mumbai. A couple of the colleges also offer technical education and are affiliated to the Board of Technical Examination, Mumbai. Dombivli also hasn't been spared of the computer software boom. With numerous big and small private institutes offering diplomas in computer applications and short term courses, the town contributes to the ever demanding technical knowledge in the field of Information technology. One really needs to take a walk across the street and everything is available—from electronic items to match sticks and from fashion accessories to musical instruments, name it and you don't have to travel all the way to Mumbai for the same.
The town also boasts of a collection of art and art lovers, and artists too. The town has produced some of the finest of the artists in the country, be it literature, classical music, play writing, poetry, or the field of acting.
Demographics
Dombivli is home to eight colleges and a student population of 20,000. It boasts of many high rank holders every year in the Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary (School) Certificate exams. There are temples for all faiths, Jamatkhana for the Khoja Muslims, and also a few churches.
Most of the couples in Dombivli are professionals with a more "modern" lifestyle, often reflected in their one-child families and voracious appetite for consumer goods. Consumerism is at its peak here and hence, these families are often referred to as DISCOs (Double Income Single Child Only). About 67-68% of families in the city are classified as DISCOs.
The city's healthcare is some of the best in India. The town boasts about 1500 doctors for the population of 15,00,000, so the ratio of doctors per 1000 is comparable to any developed Western country.
It is also home to highly intellectual citizens such as software engineers, doctors and professionals from all walks of life.
Government
In 1984, Dombivali Municipal Council was merged that of neighboring Kalyan to form a new governing body, the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation.
