UNDERSTANDING PUNE CITY - WordPress.com...Understanding Pune City | Insights NK 2 Situated 560m above the sea level on the Deccan Plateau on the right bank of Mutha river. It is on

Understanding Pune City | Insights NK 1

UNDERSTANDING PUNE CITY The City of Virtue

Geography:

Pune is the second largest city of Maharashtra and ninth most

populous city of India as per the latest census. Since Pune was the

centre of power of the Maratha Empire established by Shivaji Maharaj, it

has Marathi as its official language.


Situated 560m above the sea level on the Deccan Plateau on the right

bank of Mutha river. It is on the leeward side of the Sahyadri Mountain

range forming a barrier from the Arabian sea. It is a hilly city with its

highest hill i.e. Vetal Hill rising 800m above sea level.

Pune has a hot semi - arid climate bordering with wet and dry with

average temperatures ranging between 19-33°C.

Demographics:

Ninth populous city of India, roughly equal to the nation of Benin or the

US state of North Carolina. Its population growth rate over the decade

2001–2011 was 30.34%. Pune has a sex ratio of 910 females for every

1000 males, and a literacy rate of 87.19%.

India as a whole has a young population with a median age of just 24

years. In Pune, 62% of the population is under 30 with a larger-than-

average share of people in the 25-34 age group. The literacy rate in Pune

is 86%, with a higher literacy rate of 90% for men and 81% for women.

Finance:

The single largest hub for more than 250 German industries for last 6

decades, Pune is emerging as prominent location for IT and

manufacturing. The 8th largest metropolitan economy in India and

2nd largest in the state has industrial friendly environment and weather.

Pune has 6th highest per capita income in country and has a GDP of 48

billion USD.


Culture:

Pune is billed as the cultural capital of Maharashtra as it epitomizes

Marathi culture, which lays emphasis on education, arts and crafts, music,

and theatre.

“Puneri Pagdi” is a major symbol of Pune’s Culture, which is now

accepted worldwide. Pune culture reflects a blend of traditions with

modernity, along with hosting classical shows.

Even in the era of growing globalization, Pune has preserved its own

culture and passing it on to next generations.

All this can be well understood during the Ganapati Festival every year.

Government:

The city of Pune is managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The Corporation consists of 149 directly elected councillors, who are led

by the Mayor of Pune, a titular position mainly acting as an ambassador


and representative of the city. Actual executive power is vested in the

Municipal Commissioner, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service

who is appointed by the Government of Maharashtra.

Apart from the PMC, four other administrative bodies are active within the

Pune Metropolitan Area:

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), responsible for

Pimpri-Chinchwad and its surroundings.

Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB), responsible for Khadki.

Pune Cantonment Board (PCB), responsible for Pune Cantonment.

Dehu Road Cantonment Board, responsible for the Dehu Road area.


Infrastructural Development:

Pune has seen tremendous growth in Infrastructure field in the current

decade with world-class residential and commercial projects being set up

in and around the city which gave the city a global stature.

To quote a few:

Amanora Park Town

Magarpatta City

Trump Towers

Various projects near Koregaon Park, Kalyaninagar & Vimannagar

Also Sports Complexes like The MCA International Stadium at Mahalunge,

The Golf Course, The Race Course are famous.


Education:

If you are considering Pune as education hub on the basis on number of

engineering and medical colleges in the city and in the surrounding area,

then let me tell you are considering it so for the wrong reason. Savitribai

Phule Pune University (SPPU) and some other prestigious institutes -

private or government - in and around Pune offer wide range of courses

with some unique courses like Anthropology, Defence and

Strategy Studies, Political Science etc.

A strange but admirable thing in one of the best colleges in Pune: The

queue for admission to The Arts courses was longer than that of for

courses to Science stream and cut off for Arts stream was nearly equal to

that for Science stream.

The difference in the education schemes & methodologies can be

understood by looking at the following colleges:

Fergusson College


Indian Institute of Science Education and Research

National Defence Academy

Film & Television Institute of India

Industry:

The progress began with the setting up of Kirloskar Oil Engines, Tata

Motors and Bajaj Auto in the 1950s and 1960s. The Swedish Group

Sandvik Asia, Atlas Copco, Alfa Laval, SKF Bearings followed suit and were

amongst the earliest settlers on the erstwhile two-lane Bombay-Poona

Road.

Industrial activity grew gradually as more units were established,

including Finolex Cables, Forbes Marshall, the now defunct Garware

Nylons and Bajaj Tempo (now Force Motors), amongst others on the same

stretch. The road itself is now a wide four-lane boulevard with a series of

underpasses and fly-over bridges to ensure a smooth, unhindered drive

from the city centre to its industrial outskirts.

The proliferation of the auto industry gave a fillip to a host of auto

ancillaries to mushroom. The Pune region has a buzzing auto components


industry ranging from innumerable micro, small and medium scale units

to Bharat Forge, now the largest forgings company in the world.

Pune is known as "Oxford of the East" due to the presence of several

well-known educational institutions in the city. Since the 1950s and 1960s,

Pune has had a traditional old-economic base as most of the old industries

continue to grow. The city is known for its manufacturing and automobile

industries, as well as for research institutes of information technology

(IT), education, management and training, which attracts students, and

professionals from India, South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Pune is also one of the fastest growing cities in the Asia-Pacific region.

The ‘Mercer 2015 Quality of Living rankings’ evaluated local living

conditions in more than 440 cities around the world where Pune ranked

at 145, second in India after Hyderabad (138). It also highlights Pune

among evolving business centres and emerging nine cities around the

world with citation "Hosts IT and automotive companies".

Transportation:

Bus transport - In Pune the PMPML provides the service of public bus

transportation. The advantages of PMPML buses are that they cover large

area and provide service for most of the routes of the city, the old buses

are rapidly replaced with new buses with GPS and voice interaction

system, the bus stops are developed in a good way for the passenger,

BRTS are built for rapid service of buses.


Railways - Unlike other cities like Mumbai, the Indian Railways is not

much developed or covers large area. The local Railway route is connected

from Lonavala Junction to Pune Junction with some major station like

Akurdi, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Khadki, Shivajinagar etc.

Air Transport - The Pune International Airport is located at

Lohegaon which is almost 15 kms from Pune City, domestic flights are

available to major cities of India from Pune.

Auto Rickshaw - The most convenient public transport. There are

numerous of Autos available in all the areas of Pune at any time at

reasonable prices. (P.S. if you bargain good.)

Metro - The Project has been sanctioned and the construction has

already begun. You will be soon able to avail services of metro in Pune.

Cost of Living as compared to Metro Cities:

Restaurants – (5.60) %

Markets – (5.27) %

Transportation – 15.81 %

Utilities(Monthly) – (12.61) %

Sports & Leisure – (20.08) %


Childcare – (07.75) %

Clothing & Shoes – (06.26) %

Rent per Month – (62.62) %

Buy Apartment Price – (72.39) %

Salaries & Financing – 00.11 %

Cost of Living Index:

Pune: 27.94

Mumbai: 30.97

Must visit places:

Osho Ashram - Situated inside the Koregaon Park area and is known for

offering gala time to the guests. The Ashram is infact a 40 acre meditation

resort, where meditation, massages, workshops, theatres and other

events keep taking place. One can actually choose between spending time

in solitude and interacting with people visiting here from 100 countries. It

is a perfect place to relax in Pune.

Pataleshwar cave temple - Carved out of single basalt rock piece, this

cave temple is able to grab the attention of many visitors. The temple is

said to be built during the Rahtrakuta Era and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The Shiva Linga, massive pillars and Nandi Bull are the main attractions

of this temple.


Vaishali & Roopali – ‘Eat at Vaishali & have a Coffee at Roopali’

is what you would have heard here. If you are a travel enthusiast, you

eventually know that an ideal day sightseeing tour begins with a heavy

breakfast. And, while you are in Pune, having breakfast at Vaishali and a

cup of coffee at Roopali can give your day a kick start. Several travellers

come here to enjoy the morning delicacies, so you have a good

opportunity to interact with them and learn about their ways and reasons

of exploring Pune. Enjoy authentic Maharashtrian and South Indian

breakfast here.

Observe the old houses - At Old Pune city, you have the opportunity

to spend time checking out old houses, which by the way can be an

absolutely delightful experience. According to people who have paid a visit

to this place, there is always something new.

Shop for bakery items - You have to shop in Pune, not for souvenirs

but for some sinfully tasty bakery items! Situated on MG Road, Budhani

Chips and Kayani Bakery sell some of the best bakery makes that you

cannot afford to miss out on.

Bike ride to Lavasa - Lavasa, which is situated about 57kms from Pune

makes an excellent place for a bike ride adventure. The journey between

Pune and Lavasa is simply exotic; the winding path fringed one side with

mountain and other with dense forest; roads that are just enough wide

for a two – way traffic to move and the view that is somehow indescribable

should not be missed. This is probably one bike trip in Pune that will

remain etched in your memory.


Foods:

Sizzlers at Yana’s.

Misal at Bedekar.

Maharashtrian Thali at Durvankur or Sukanta.

Pithla Bhakri at Sinhagad.

South Indian Cuisine at Vaishali.

Sandwiches at Marz-O-Rin.

Vada Pav at Garden Vada Pav.

Biryani at Aba Cha Dhaba.

Sea Food at Nisarg.

Shrewsbury Biscuits at Kayani Bakery.

Cup Cakes & Pastries at Love, Sugar, Dough.

Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale for its Pedhas and Bhakarwadis.

Sujata Mastani for Milkshakes with a dollop of ice cream and dried fruits.

Kalyan Bhel one of the loved chat corners.

Haunted Places: (Add-on)

Shaniwarwada - The fort is said to be haunted with the spirit of Narayan

Rao Peshwa, the young prince who was murdered at the young age of

13! People have reported to have heard sounds of crying for help on full

moon nights. Entry in the fort is restricted after 6.30 pm, but if you still

want to hear it to believe it, venture later at your own risk!

Choice Hostel - One of the most expensive boys hostel in Pune, the

Choice Hostel on Karve Road ranks amongst the most haunted places in

Pune. Many students have come across the ghost of a lady in red sari


roaming about in the corridors! Due to the spirit of the lady, students have

often reported of feeling suffocated and a high level of restlessness!

Noises of sobbing and anklet tones coming out of nowhere send shivers

down the spine of the students every night!

Victory Theatre - Unexplained noises have continuously been reported

in Victory Theater located on Thimayya road in Pune making them feel

the chills! If locals are to be believed one can hear noises of seats are

banged and scary giggles breaking the silence. There have even been

instances of the pin drop silence being shattered by terrific screams

making a person shiver like never before!

Haunted House in Residency Club - A worn out building near

residency club is touted to be possessed by a spirit of an old lady making

it an extremely eerie place to venture. Many a times during late night

hour’s extremely loud evil laughter and screams have stemmed from this

bungalow. The black spirit of the old lady is said to keep an eye on

trespasser.

Chandannagar - The place is said to be haunted by the spirit/ghost of

small baby girl. Locals say that it is the spirit of a small girl who was

expired during the construction of the house in the area almost a decade

back. As the clock ticks 12 at midnight, the girl appears in a white frock

holding a small doll and screaming around!

So, gather all your wits and head to these haunted places in Pune for a

real life hair raising experience!


Concept & Compilation by:

Insights NK (Nitin Gupta & Karan Chandwani) Launched on Friday, 17th March 2017 at Pune

Contributors: Amruta Khadilkar Darshana Jain Himani Phase Shrey Shah Vrudhi Jain Source: www.google.com www.wikipedia.com www.quora.com Newspapers published in the city

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UNDERSTANDING PUNE CITY - WordPress.com...Understanding Pune City | Insights NK 2 Situated 560m above the sea level on the Deccan Plateau on the right bank of Mutha river. It is on