Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar (/ɡɑːndɪˈnɑːɡər/, Gujarati:  (listen)) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mumbai, the financial capital of India.

Gandhinagar lies on the west bank of the Sabarmati River, about 545 km (338 miles) north of Mumbai and 901 km (560 miles) southwest of Delhi. The Akshardham temple is located in Gandhinagar. There was a determination to make Gandhinagar a purely Indian enterprise, partly because the state of Gujarat was the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. For this reason, the planning was done by two Indian town planners: Prakash M Apte and H. K. Mewada, who had apprenticed with Le Corbusier in Chandigarh.

History

The city was planned by Chief Architect H.K. Mewada, a Cornell University graduate, and his assistant Prakash M Apte.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census of India, Gandhinagar had a population of 195,891. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Gandhinagar has an average literacy rate of 77.11%. Male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 73%. In Gandhinagar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Over 95% of the population of Gandhinagar are Hindus.

Geography

Gandhinagar has an average elevation of 81 metres (266 feet). The city sits on the banks of the Sabarmati River, in north-central-east Gujarat. The 20,543 km² area around Gandhinagar is defined by Gujarat capital territory. Gandhinagar spans an area of 326 km² (126 sq mi). The river frequently dries up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water. Gandhinagar is India’s tree capital With 54% green cover on its land area.

Governance and politics

On 1 May 1960, Gujarat was created out of the 17 northern districts of former State of Bombay. These districts were further subdivided later on. There are 33 administrative districts in the state. Gandhinagar is a politics hub for the state of Gujarat.

Congress won the first municipality election in 2011. Mahendrasinh Rana became the first mayor of the city. The current Member of the Lok Sabha for Gandhinagar is Amit Anil Chandra Shah from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Gandhinagar is also situated near the west command post of Indian Army and Indian Air force and also have a command centre in the city.

Gandhinagar has recently developed Gujarat State Emergency Disaster Management centre.