History of Navi Mumbai:

Navi Mumbai is arguably the world's largest planned city It was initially planned with a specific purpose: to decongest Mumbai and become an alternative haven for the multitudes that throng Mumbai from different parts of India. Today, Navi Mumbai is a close competitor to Mumbai in every respect.

Planned City :

The first post-independence development plan for Bombay, formulated by the Mayer-Modak Committee in 1948, suggested satellite towns. Ten years later in March 1958, the Study Group on Greater Bombay was set up under the chairmanship of Mr. S.G. Barve. In February 1959, the committee suggested the formation of a township on the mainland across the Thane Creek to decongest Bombay. One of its major recommendations was that a rail-cum-road bridge be built across the Thane Creek to connect peninsular Bombay with the mainland. The bridge accelerated development across the Creek, relieving pressure on the city's railways and roadways, and attracted industrial and residential concentrations eastward to the mainland.

The Barve Group's recommendations were accepted by the Government of Maharashtra in July 1964. A new committee chaired by Prof. D.R. Gadgil, then Director of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, in March 1965, was asked to form broad principles of regional planning. The Gadgil Committee strongly recommended of a new town across the harbour.

In March 1966, the Gadgil Committee recommended regional planning legislation and regional planning boards. In January 1967, the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966 was passed. July 1967 saw the constitution of Bombay Metropolitan and Regional Planning Board under the chairmanship of ICS officer L.G. Rajwade. The committee published the Draft Plan with recommendations to set up a new metro-centre or New Bombay (now called Navi Mumbai) across the creek. This proposal was accepted by the Bombay Municipal Corporation as a new twin city designed within the Bombay Metropolitan region to facilitate the decongestion of Mumbai.

CIDCO development :
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) was formed on 17 March 1971, under the Indian Companies Act, 1956.[citation needed] It was given the mandate of converting about 344 km�. of marshy land lying between village Dighe in Thane district and Kalundre village of Raigad district into a new city. It consisted of 150 km creek line of the total 720 km of the Konkan coast. The villagers under this area lived a calm life much different from the life in the neighbouring city of Mumbai (then called Bombay). Privately owned land covering 86 villages and measuring 15,954 hectares within the present limits of Navi Mumbai and further villages, measuring 2,870 hectares were acquired by the government of Maharashtra.

CIDCO carved out 14 nodes - small townships - of the land with a view to facilitate comprehensive development and to give it an identity of new city. These nodes are named Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, Vashi, Sanpada, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Kalamboli, Jui Kamothe, New Panvel, Ulwe, Pushpak and Dronagiri. CIDCO acquired 193.94 km� land of which 141.05 km� was private land, including about 22.92 km� salt-pan land and 52.89 km� government land. By the year 2000 CIDCO had developed about 117.60 km� of land. Of this land, 54.45 km� is saleable under various land uses. CIDCO has sold about 21.90 km� leaving a balance land for sale about 32.58 km� under various land uses.

CIDCO planned and constructed all the railway stations in Navi Mumbai and used the space for commercial purposes as well.

In 1973 the Thane Creek Road Bridge, Vashi Bridge, was opened to the public for residents of Vashi, Belapur and Nerul.[citation needed] The Sion-Panvel highway was built to reduce the time taken to travel from Sion to Panvel. Initially there was not much response to the new city. Major changes took place only after 1990, with the commissioning of the wholesale agricultural produce market at Vashi and the construction of a commuter railway line from Mankhurd to Vashi in May 1992. These developments caused a sudden growth in economic activities and population in Navi Mumbai.

By the end of the 1990s, the planning authority of Navi Mumbai initiated private participation in the developmental activity of Navi Mumbai.

Some of the old and more populated nodes are Airoli, Vashi, Nerul and Belapur. Some of the more recent node developments include Kharghar and New Panvel.

Recent developments include a 1.5 mile long Airoli Bridge over the Thane Creek between Airoli and Mulund - an eastern suburb of Mumbai city.