Ulhasnagar is a municipal town and
the headquarters of the Tahsil bearing the same name.
It is a railway station on the Bombay-Pune route of
the Central Railway. Ulhasnagar, a colony of migrants
in the aftermath of Partition, is 43 years old. Situated
58 Kms from Mumbai, the once-barren land has developed into
a rich town of Thane district. Originally, known as
Kalyan Military transit camp, Ulhasnagar was set up
especially to accommodate 6,000 soldiers and 30,000
others during World War II. There were 2,126 barracks
and about 1,173 housed personals. The majority of barracks
had large central halls with rooms attached to either
end. The camp had a deserted look at the end of the
war and served as a ready and ideal ground for Partition
victims. Sindhis, in particular, began life anew in
the new land. On August 8, 1949 the first and last Governor-General
of India, C. Rajagopalachari, laid the foundation stone.
The population of the town which was
80,861 as per the Census of 1961 and more than doubled
to 1,68,462 as per the Census of 1971. Right now it
is 4,72,943 as per Census of 2001. Included in the functional
category of industry, the town covers an area of 13
square kilometers and is divided into 285 blocks. It
is a centre for the production of rayon silk, dyes,
ready-made garments, electrical / electronic appliances
& confectionaries.
The total length of existing Roads
& Streets in the town measures 352 kilometers. The
town is served by underground & open-surface drainage,
night soil being disposed of by septic tank latrines.
The town gets a protected water supply through MIDC.
Sanctioned Water Quota at various tapping points is
112 MLD. Fire-fighting service is also available in
the town.
60 private hospitals with a total bed-strength
of 840 beds & 3 Government hospitals with total
bed-strength of 356 beds, 255 dispensaries / clinics,
100 RMP and a family planning centre cater to the curative
and preventive health needs of the town population.
Educational facilities are provided by 129 primary schools,
56 Secondary Schools, 9 Higher Secondary schools, 3
colleges and 2 Technical Colleges. Entertainment facilities
are provided by one stadium and nine cinema theatres
besides five auditorium-cum-drama halls. Nine Pubic
Libraries are located in the town.
Trade, Commerce & Industries
Rayon and chemical industries are located here along the banks of the Ulhas, above a small weir, making full use of the water available in the river throughout the year. Ulhasnagar, a refugee township of Sindhis that came into existence soon after the Partition of India in 1947, has grown into a large city with a population of 4,72,943 as per 2001 and is a hub of activity with considerable retailing and small-scale industrial functions.
The traditionally backward agricultural tracts and marshy lands are now reverberating with a growing industrial sector. The towns in this region display a developed stage of urbanization comparable to any other industrial townships in India. The proximity of Bombay has also lent an ultra-urban base to the towns of Thane, Dombivali, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, etc. |