Nagpur

Nagpur ) is the winter capital and the third largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and largest city of central India. It has one of the highest literacy rate of 91.92% among all the urban agglomerations in India and one of the proposed Smart Cities from Maharashtra.

Nagpur is the seat of the annual winter session of the Maharashtra state assembly, "Vidhan Sabha". It is a major commercial and political centre of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In addition, the city derives political importance from being the headquarters for the Hindu nationalist organisation RSS and an important location for the Dalit Buddhist movement.

Nagpur also known for Deekshabhoomi, the largest hollow stupa among all Buddhist stupas in the world. Here Dr. B. R. Ambedkar along with nearly 500,000 followers converted to Buddhism. This was one of the first mass religious conversions in the history of India.

According to a survey by ABP News-Ipsos, Nagpur has been identified as the best city in India by topping the liveability, greenery, public transport, and health care indices. The city has been adjudged as the 20th cleanest city in India and the top mover in the western zone as per Swachh Sarvekshan 2016.

It is famous for the Nagpur Orange and is known as the "Orange City" for being a major trade centre of oranges cultivated in the region.

The city was founded in 1703 by the Gonds King Bakht Buland Shah and later became a part of the Maratha Empire under the royal Bhonsale dynasty. The British East India Company took over Nagpur in the 19th century and made it the capital of the Central Provinces and Berar. After the first reorganisation of states, the city lost its status as the capital. Following the informal "Nagpur Pact" between political leaders, it was made the second capital of Maharashtra.

Nagpur is also called the "Tiger Capital of India" as it connects many tiger reserves in India to the world. It is among the important cities for the information technology sector in Maharashtra. Nagpur is located in the centre of the country with the Zero Mile marker indicating the geographical centre of India.

History

Also see: Nagpur state

Etymology

One of the earlier names of Nagpur was "Fanindrapura". It derives its origin from the 'Fana' or hood of a cobra. In fact, Nagpur's first newspaper was named 'Fanindramani', which means a jewel that is believed to be suspended over a cobra's hood. It is this jewel that lights up the darkness, hence the name of the newspaper. The river Nag flows through the city. B. R. Ambedkar claimed that both the city and the river are named after "Nag people". The word "pur" means "city" in many Indian languages. During British rule, the name of the city was spelt and pronounced as "Nagpore".

Early and medieval history

In the 18th century, this city was created by leader of Gond tribes named Bhakt Buland (Raja Buland Shah) in the first half of the century. Human existence around present-day Nagpur can be traced back 3000 years to the 8th century BCE. Mehir burial sites at Drugdhamna (near the Mhada colony) indicate that the megalithic culture existed around Nagpur and is still followed. The first reference to the name "Nagpur" is found in a 10th-century copper-plate inscription discovered at Devali in the neighbouring Wardha district. The inscription is a record of grant of a village situated in the visaya (district) of Nagpura-Nandivardhana during the time of the Rastrakuta king Krsna III in the Saka year 862 (940 CE). Towards the end of the 3rd century, King Vindhyasakti is known to have ruled the Nagpur region. In the 4th century, the Vakataka Dynasty ruled over the Nagpur region and surrounding areas and had good relations with the Gupta Empire. The Vakataka king Prithvisena I moved his capital to Nagardhan (ancient name Nandivardhana), 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Nagpur. After the Vakatakas, the region came under the rule of the Hindu kingdoms of the Badami Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, and finally the Yadavas. In 1296, Allauddin Khilji invaded the Yadava Kingdom after capturing Deogiri, after which the Tughlaq Dynasty came to power in 1317. In the 17th century, the Mughal Empire conquered the region. However, regional administration was carried out by the Gond kingdom of Deogarh-Nagpur in the Chhindwara district of the modern-day state of Madhya Pradesh.

Modern history

The next Raja (king) of Deogarh was Chand Sultan, who resided principally in the country below the hills, fixing his capital at Nagpur, which he turned into a walled town. On Chand Sultan's death in 1739, Wali Shah, an illegitimate son of Bakht Buland, usurped the throne and Chand Sultan's widow invoked the aid of the Maratha leader Raghoji Bhonsale of Berar in the interest of her sons Akbar Shah and Burhan Shah. The usurper was put to death and the rightful heirs placed on the throne. After 1743, a series of Maratha rulers came to power, starting with Raghoji Bhonsale, who conquered the territories of Deogarh, Chanda and Chhattisgarh by 1751.

Nagpur was burnt substantially in 1765 and again partially in 1811 by marauding Pindaris. However, the development of city of Nagpur continued. In 1803 Raghoji II Bhonsale joined the Peshwa against the British in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, but the British prevailed. After Raghoji II's death in 1816, his son Parsaji was deposed and murdered by Mudhoji II Bhonsale. Despite the fact that he had entered into a treaty with the British in the same year, Mudhoji joined the Peshwa in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1817 against the British but suffered a defeat at Sitabuldi in present-day Nagpur city. The fierce battle was a turning point as it laid the foundations of the downfall of the Bhonsales and paved the way for the British acquisition of Nagpur city. Mudhoji was deposed after a temporary restoration to the throne, after which the British placed Raghoji III Bhonsale, the grandchild of Raghoji II, on the throne. During the rule of Raghoji III(which lasted till 1840), the region was administered by a British resident. In 1853, the British took control of Nagpur after Raghoji III died without leaving an heir.

From 1853 to 1861, the Nagpur Province (which consisted of the present Nagpur region, Chhindwara, and Chhattisgarh) became part of the Central Provinces and Berar and came under the administration of a commissioner under the British central government, with Nagpur as its capital. Berar was added in 1903. The advent of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIP) in 1867 spurred its development as a trade centre. Tata group started the country's first textile mill at Nagpur, formally known as Central India Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. The company was popularly known as "Empress Mills" as it was inaugurated on 1 January 1877, the day queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.

The non-co-operation movement was launched in the Nagpur session of 1920. The city witnessed a Hindu–Muslim riot in 1923 which had profound impact on K. B. Hedgewar, who in 1925 founded the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organisation in Nagpur with an idea of creating a Hindu nation. After the 1927 Nagpur riots RSS gained further popularity in Nagpur and the organisation grew nationwide.

After Indian independence

After Indian Independence in 1947, Central Provinces and Berar became a province of India and in 1950 became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, again with Nagpur as its capital. When the Indian states were re-organised along the linguistic lines in 1956, Nagpur and Berar regions were transferred to Bombay state, which in 1960 was split between the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. At a formal public ceremony on 14 October 1956 in Nagpur B. R. Ambedkar with his supporters converted to Buddhism starting Dalit Buddhist movement which is still active. In 1994, the city witnessed its most violent day in modern times in form of the Gowari stampede deaths.

Nagpur completed 300 years of establishment in the year 2002. A big celebration was organised to mark the event.

Geography

Topography

Nagpur is located at the exact centre of the Indian peninsula. The city has the Zero Mile Stone locating the geographical centre of India, which was used by the British to measure all distances within the Indian subcontinent.

The city lies on the Deccan plateau of the Indian Peninsula and has a mean altitude of 310.5 meters above sea level. The underlying rock strata are covered with alluvial deposits resulting from the flood plain of the Kanhan River. In some places these give rise to granular sandy soil. In low-lying areas, which are poorly drained, the soil is alluvial clay with poor permeability characteristics. In the eastern part of the city, crystalline metamorphic rocks such as gneiss, schist and granites are found, while in the northern part yellowish sand stones and clays of the lower Gondwana formations are found. Nagpur city is dotted with natural and artificial lakes. The largest lake is Ambazari Lake. Other natural lakes include Gorewada Lake and Telangkhedi lake. Sonegaon and Gandhisagar Lakes are artificial, created by the city's historical rulers. Nag river, Pilli Nadi, and nallas form the natural drainage pattern for the city. Nagpur is known for its greenery and was adjudged the cleanest and second greenest in India after Chandigarh in 2010.

Tourism

• Ramtek is a small town situated at a distance of approximately 42 km. to the north east of Nagpur City. This town is very famous because it is believed to be associated with Lord Rama. There is a hill situated near Ramtek, known as Ramgiri Hill. The Hill houses a historical temple of Lord Rama, which is said to be more than 600 years old. This places is also known for an ancient Jain Temple. It is believed that prolific Sanskrit poet Kalidasa wrote his epic Meghdootam in Ramtek. Besides, Sri Ram Temple and Kalidas Memorial, there is Ram Ramsagar Lake. Khindsi near Ramtek is also a famous lake.
• Nagardhan is situated 38 km northeast of Nagpur and 9 km south of Ramtek. It is an old town founded by a Suryavanshi King. Main attraction of Nagardhan is the Nagardhan Fort, supposed to be built by Raja Raghuji Bhonsle, a maratha king of the Bhonsale dynasty. The square shaped palace inside the fort has an outer rampart with bastions and had an inner wall surrounding the buildings.
• BAPS Swaminarayan temple is situated in the east zone of the city. This mandir was built in five years and inaugurated by the blessings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 7 October 2013.
• Seminary Hill lies at a distance of 6 km west of the old city. The hillock gets its name from the Seminary of St. Charles which is built at its top. The main attraction is its spectacular view of the whole city of Nagpur. The climb up the hillock is an easy task and can even be attempted by people who do not take part in trekking on a regular basis. The areas surrounding Seminary Hill are also worth paying a visit to, for example The Japanese garden and The Grotto of Mother Mary which are both calm, serene places that the city is identified by.

• Sitabuldi Fort: The speciality of the Sitabuldi Fort is the historical lineage of the place. This fort of Maharashtra was put up as early as 1757, in the pre-independence era. The person who established the fort was British by birth. The year of establishment of this well-reputed fort of Nagpur is the same as the year in which the very crucial battle of Plassey was fought. From the pre-independent era, the Sitabuldi Fort has been one of the major tourist spots of Nagpur. For the protection of the fort, a trough has been created around it. A memorial is located inside the fort, which commemorates the dedication of the soldiers who lost their lives during the war between the British and the Marathas.
• Deekshabhoomi: This sculpture is known for its beautiful design and architecture. Deekshabhoomi, the biggest "stupa" in Asia, is a sacred monument of Buddhism at the place where B. R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with about 380,000 followers on October 14, 1956. Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism is still a guidance for the masses in India. Deekshabhoomi makes Nagpur a location regarded as a pilgrimage centre of Buddhism in India. Thousands of pilgrims visit Deekshabhoomi every year, especially on Ashok Vijaya Dashmi and the 14th of October.
• Mahalaxmi Devasthan is a temple constructed more than a hundred years ago, at Badkas Chowk, Mahal Nagpur. Its principal deity is the goddess Mahalaxmi. The temple was granted by Raja Bahadur Janojirao Bhonsle.
• Shukrawari Lake is located near Raman Science Centre. The lake, which is said to have existed for more than 275 years, was established as a source of water supply by Chand Sultan, then ruler of Nagpur. He created the water body in the form of streams being diverted to the Nag River, which was connected to the water reservoir and named it as 'Jumma Talab'.

• Zero Mile-Stone of India: At the centre of Nagpur city "Zero Mile Stone of India" is located from where the distance of all the cities of India is calculated.
• Maharajbagh zoo The charm of the Maharaj Baug and Zoo of Nagpur lies in the fact that it has a historical lineage, unlike many other places of its kind in India. It was established by the rulers who used to belong to the Bhonsle dynasty. There is a fascinating garden, which is called the Maharaj Baug. The name of this garden suggests the historical background of the place. It is converted into a botanical garden housing a zoo, containing some rare species of birds and animals. The zoo comes under the Central Zoo Authority of India.
• Raman Science Centre was developed to promote a scientific attitude, portray the growth of science and technology and their applications in industry and human welfare, and hold science exhibits. The centre is named after famous Nobel Prize winner Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman.
• Futala Lake was built by the Bhonsle kings of Nagpur, and is known for its coloured fountains. In the evenings the place is illuminated with halogen lights. The lake is surrounded on three sides by forest and a landscaped Chowpatty on one side.
• Ambazari Lake is situated near the western border of Nagpur. One of the 11 lakes in Nagpur, it is the largest. Nag River of Nagpur originates from this lake. Its beauty is complemented by a well-kept Ambazari Garden nearby. Created in 1958, it covers an area of approximately 20 acres (8.1 ha). There is a musical fountain and a replica of a dinosaur, which are of much interest to the children who visit. People can take part in a variety of activities like boating and riding in the toy train. One of the most preferred games of the place is the Swinging Columbus Boat.
• Maa Umiya Dham Temple is the grand temple of Hindu Goddess Maa Umiya,the Kuldevi of Kadva Patidar Community constructed on a gigantic scale at Kapsi,Bhandara Road,Nagpur.

• Khekranala Reservoir is a renowned tourist spot and home to a beautiful dam, which is positioned at the fringe of the verdant woodlands known as Khapra Range Forest, 54 km from Nagpur.
• Balaji Temple: One of the reasons for the popularity of the Balaji Mandir at Nagpur is the picturesque surrounding of this religious place. It is located at the Seminary Hills, one of the most important places of interest in the city of Nagpur. The soothing natural beauty of the place adds to the tranquility of the temple area.

• Aadasa: This small village is the site of the ancient Ganesh temple, which houses a statue of the deity, believed to have been self-evolved. It is one of the eight Ashta-Vinayaks in Vidarbha.
• Paradsinga: This is the place where Vaidehi Sati Anusuya Mata Mandir is located. The temple and dharmashala has beautiful landscaping and consist of playgrounds for kids.
• Dragon Palace Temple: This temple, inaugurated in 1999, has received international and national awards for its structural design. Many delegates from Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, United States and the United Kingdom visit the temple, which is considered a landmark of Indo-Japanese friendship. Representatives of 14 countries, and a record number of 5 lacs people, participated in its grand inaugural function. Dragon Palace Temple is visited by 17 million people annually.
• Narrow Gauge Rail Museum located at Kamptee Road is managed by South East Central Railway Division of Indian Railways. The museum gives information on narrow gauge system and displays different types of steam locomotives, diesel locomotive, royal carriage, models, tools, gauges, communication systems etc. It also has a large play area for children & lush green lawns for adults to relax. A toy train takes the visitors on a joy ride on entire periphery of the museum.

Apart from these areas, the city is dotted with greenery and has many parks and gardens for leisure activities like Kasturchand Park, Biodiversity Park in Rajbhavan and many more.

Wildlife tourism

Tiger tourism is witnessing a good growth in the city. Some famous national parks surrounding Nagpur include:

• Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
• Pench National Park
• Nagzira-Navegaon Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
• Melghat Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
• Bor Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
• Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary

Culture

Cultural events and literature

The city contains people from other Indian states as well as people belonging to the world's major faiths, and yet is known for staying calm during communal conflicts in India. Nagpur plays host to cultural events throughout the year. Cultural and literary societies in Nagpur include Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (for development of Marathi), Vidarbha Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion and spreading Hindi) and Vidarbha Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (for promoting Hindi). Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the conference on Marathi Literature were held twice in Nagpur city. Nagpur is the head office of Aadim Samvidhan Sanrakshan Samiti(working for the rights of scheduled tribes)

The South Central Cultural Centre also sponsors cultural events in Nagpur city, such as the Orange City Craft Mela and Folk Dance Festival, Vidarbha which is noted for its numerous folk-dances. Newspapers are published from Nagpur in Marathi, English and Hindi. In addition, the Government of Maharashtra organises a week-long Kalidas Festival, a series of music and dance performances, by national level artists. Nagpur Municipal Corporation in partnership with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organises Nagpur Mohotsav at Yeshwant Stadium, in which many distinguish artists participate.

The Nagpur Central Museum (est. 1863) maintains collections are mainly for Vidarbha region. Three brothers Ghulam Ali (Kotwal), Mohammad Saaduddin (Subedar) and Mohammad Saladuddin (Minister and Kotwal) from Jhajjar are remembered as great scholars of Urdu and Persian during the reign of Maharaja Senasaheb Subha Chhatrapati Raghuji Bapusaheb Bhonsle III. They founded 'Jhajjar Bagh' at Hansapuri (Now Mominpura). In this location, they built their residence 'Aina-e Mahal', a well and a Masjid (now Masjid Ahle Hadith). 'Jhajjar Bagh' also known as 'Subedar ka Bada' was located where nowadays Mohammad Ali Road at Mominpura, Jamia Masjid, Mohammad Ali Sarai and Furqania Madrasa are located.

The state government has approved a new safari park of international standards besides Gorewada Lake. In 2013 NMC erected the gigantic Namantar Shahid Smarak in memory of Namantar Andolan martyrs.

Religious places and festivals

Deekshabhoomi, the largest hollow stupa or the largest dome shaped monument and an important place of the Buddhist movement, is located in Nagpur. Every year on the day of Vijayadashami, i.e. Dussehra, followers of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar visit Deekshabhoomi to mark the conversion ceremony of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and his followers in Nagpur into Buddhism that took place on 14 October 1956. It has been given 'A' grade tourist place status by Maharashtra Government in March 2016. 14 April, which is the birthdate of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, is celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti. Jainism has a good presence in nagpur. There are nearly 30 jain temples. The old ones are SENGAN jain temple ladpura, parwarpura jain temple, kirana oli jain temple, juna oli jain temple. In west nagpur LAXMINAGAR Jain temple is more famous. The main idol is SHANTINATH bhagwan. The maanstambh ,bahubali idol and small ratn idols are worth to watch. The paryushan is celebrated widely in jain temples. Paryushan activities are managed by young groups like JIYO GROUP.

The most famous temple in Nagpur is Tekdi Ganesh Mandir, and is said to be one of the Swayambhu ("self-manifested") temples in the city.

Sri Poddareshwar Ram Mandir and Shri Mahalaxmi Devi temple of Koradi are important Hindu temples.

Religious events are observed in the city throughout the year. Ram Navami is celebrated in Nagpur with shobha yatra with a procession of floats depicting events from the Ramayana. Processions are also held on important festivals of other religions such as Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din, Vijayadashami, Eid E Milad, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Durga puja, Ganesh Chaturthi and Moharram. Like the rest of India, Nagpurkars celebrate major Hindu festivals like Diwali, Holi and Dussera with enthusiasm. Celebrations lasting for several days are held on Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja festivals in virtually every small locality in the city.

The city also contains a sizeable Muslim population, and famous places of worship for Muslims include the Jama Masjid-Mominpura and Bohri Jamatkhana-Itwari. The most famous shrine (dargah) of Hazrat Baba Tajuddin is at TajAbad. Annual Urs is celebrated in great enthusiasm and unity on 26th of Muharram.

The St. Francis De Sales Cathedral is located in Sadar as well as the All Saints Cathedral church. There are many south Indian temples in Nagpur like Sarveshwara Devalayam, where all south Indian festivals are celebrated like Sitarama Kalyanam, Radha Kalyanam Dhanurmasa celebration with Andal Kalyanam, Balaji temple in seminary hills where every year Bramhotsavam to lord Balaji and lord Kartikeya is celebrated here. There are 2 Ayyapa temples, one at Ayyapa Nagar and the other at Harihara Nagar, Raghvendraswami Mutt, Murugananda Swami Temple at Mohan Nagar, Nimishamba Devi temple Subramanyiam devastanam at Sitabuldi and many more such south Indian temples are here in Nagpur as there is quite a good populations of south Indians in Nagpur.

Marbat Festival is a unique festival for Nagpur and is organised every year a day after the bullock festival of 'Pola'. The tradition of taking out the Marbat processions of 'kali' (black) and 'pivli' (yellow) Marbats (idols), started in 1880 in the eastern part of the city. A number of 'badgyas'(mascots), representing contemporary symbols of evil, comprise another feature of the annual processions. This festival dates back to the 19th century when the Bhonsla dynasty ruled.

There is a Parsi Zoroastrian Agiary (Dar-e-Meher) in Nagpur, where the Parsi New Year is celebrated by the Parsi community in Nagpur.

Arts and crafts

The tradition of painting in Nagpur was patronised by the royal house of the Bhonsales as well as common people. Illustrated manuscripts of the Bhagavat, Jnaaneshwari, Shakuntala, Geetaetc and the folk patachitras related to some festivals are available besides murals. The community of artists was called chitaris (painters), and this community has today turned to sculpting. Textile was once an important industry in Nagpur. Good quality cotton was produced in abundant quantities thanks to a suitable soil and climate. With the introduction of the railways, cotton sales and goods transport flourished. Besides cotton textiles, silk and wool weaving was also practised in the district. Silk sarees and Pagota, Patka, Dhoti, borders etc. were woven with the silk thread.

Cuisine

The Vidharbha region has its own distinctive cuisine known as the Varhadi cuisine or Saoji cuisine. Saoji or Savji cuisine was the main cuisine of the Savji community. This traditional food is famous for its spicy taste. The special spices used in the gravy include black pepper, dry coriander, bay leaves, grey cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and ample use of poppy seeds (khus-khus). Non-vegetarian food especially chicken and mutton are commonly eaten in Saoji joints at Nagpur. There are numerous Savji bhojanalays in Nagpur which are so popular in Maharashtra that the renowned Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor once featured Savji mutton on one of his TV shows and the recipe is listed on his website. Nagpur is also famous for its oranges, which have some typical qualities have recently begun to attract international attention. Numerous beverages are made out of the oranges and the Orange Burfi is a very famous preparation.

Nagpur is also famous for Tarri Poha and has many food joints, each having their own way of preparing and serving it. The most famous food joint serving Tarri Poha is Rupam Pohewala who has a makeshift arrangement in a footpath beside Kasturchand Park in Kingsway. Samosas are also famous in Nagpur and is available at many restaurants and food joints, among which Priti Corner and Samosawala near Shankar Nagar is very famous among the youth population. Another famous food Patodi & Kadhi, which is served by Patodiwala's joint, near the collectors office, beside district court is loved by many people in Nagpur and is famous among the office goers.

Nagpur also has a prominent "Dhaba" culture due to the various important highways crossing through the city. Most of these Dhabas are situated on the city outskirts along the highway and are mostly open 24/7. The Dhabas cater to all the demographics from families to young professionals to students to truck drivers. The food served is mostly spicy veg and non-veg preparations along with alcohol. One more thing that the orange city is famous for is "Orange Barfi" from Haldiram Sweets,Haldiram is Nagpur's most famous sweets store. Haldiram's sweets and namkeens are extensively gifted on all festival occasions such as Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan and Ganesh festival.

Transport

Rail

Railways started in Nagpur way back in 1867 when portion of Bombay-Bhusaval-Nagpur line was opened for traffic and train service from Nagpur to Calcutta was started in 1881. Today, a total of 260 trains stop at Nagpur railway station. These include passenger, express, mail, Duronto, Rajdhani, Garib Rath trains. Of these 65 are daily trains and 26 terminate/originate from Nagpur. Almost 1.6 lakh passengers board/leave Nagpur Railway Station Nagpur Railway station, one of the oldest and busiest Stations of Nagpur was inaugurated in its present from on Jan 15th 1925 by the then Governor Sir Frank. Apart from the main station, other railway stations in the city include Ajni, Itwari, Kalamna and Godhani. Nagpur-Ajni rail route which is just 3 km long, is the shortest train run in Indian Railways primarily meant for crew to travel from Nagpur station to the workshop at Ajni.

The city is the Divisional Headquarters for the Central Railway and South East Central Railway Zone of Indian Railways. Nagpur is a city with two divisional headquarters, a rare distinction it shares with Lucknow, which has headquarters for two different divisions in Northern Railway zone and North Eastern Railway zone.

Nagpur Metro Rail

The Nagpur Metro Rail project is announced by the state government of Maharashtra for the city with the expenses of 4,400 Cr and 3,800 Cr Rupees for its two phases of 25 km (from Sitabuldi to MIHAN and Butibori via Airport) and 20 km (Sitabuldi to Automotive Square in Kamptee) respectively.

The site inspection has already begun in March 2012 with the initiatives from Nagpur Improvement Trust. The project will be executed by a new company called Nagpur Metro Rail Co Ltd (NMRCL) formed under the Nagpur Improvement Trust. In July 2015, the project has been approved by Government of Maharashtra and has been given "In Principle" nod by MoUD of Government of India. The Bhoomipujan for Metro rail work has been performed on 21 August 2014 at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Road

Nagpur is a major junction for roadways as India's two major national highways, Kanyakumari-Varanasi (National Highway 7) and Hajira-Kolkata (National Highway 6) pass through the city. One more highway number 69 connects Nagpur to Obaidullaganj near Bhopal. Nagpur is at the junction of two Asian Highways namely AH43 Agra to Matara, Sri Lanka and AH46 connecting Kharagpur, India to Dhule, India.

The new state highway, Nagpur–Aurangabad–Mumbai express highway, built on the national highway basis is also sanctioned by the state and central government. This highway significantly reduces the distance travelled by NH 6 and NH 3 between two cities. Theis new proposed Mumbai Nagpur Expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai will be 800 km and projected to be cost ₹30,000 crore (US$4.5 billion).

In 2009, NHAI has announced the extension of existing NH 204 to Nagpur via Kolhapur-Sangli- Solapur-Tuljapur-Latur-Nanded-Yavatmal-Wardha and connect it to the NH-7 at Butibori near Nagpur. The entire NH 204 highway has been included in the national highway mega projects for upgradation to 4-lane.

One more national highway NH-26 B Savner-Chhindwara-Narsinghpur has connected with NH 69 at Savner near Nagpur providing another optional connectivity with Northern part of India.

Maharashtra State road transport Corporation (MSRTC) runs cheaper transport service for intercity, interstate, intrastate travel. It has two bus stations in Nagpur: Nagpur Bus Sthanak (CBS-1) at Ganeshpeth and MorBhawan (CBS-2) at Jhansi Rani Square, Sitabuldi. It operates 1600 daily services from CBS-1 to long and short distances within state and to places in other surrounding states. It also operates 750 daily services from CBS-2 to short distances within Vidarbha.

Nagpur Mahanagar Parivahan Limited (NMPL) is the company formed with elected municipal corporators on board that caters to the city public transport. It has contracted Vansh Nimay Infraprojects (VNIL) to run city buses. It has a fleet of 470 Low-floor StarBuses that serve around 2.5Lakh citizens daily in the urban, suburban, metro areas. Of the total fleet 88 are low floor MiniBuses, and 382 are low floor 50 seater StarBuses as shown in the picture below. 240 buses are acquired under JNNURM and 230 are acquired under purchase-run-transfer basis by VNIL. A "Green Bus" project featuring India's first ethanol-powered buses was established in August 2014. recently state government of maharashtra has started ethanol buses in nagpur which runs on ethanol

Air transport

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (IATA: NAG, ICAO: VANP) is operated by Mihan India Private Limited (MIPL) and owned by Airports Authority of India

Nagpur's Air Traffic Control (ATC) is the busiest in India, with more than 300 flights flying over the city every day in 2004. In October 2005, Nagpur's Sonegaon Airport was declared an international airport and was renamed Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. The Central government has plans to upgrade the airport by investing ₹1,500 crore (US$220 million). For the upgradation of airport the MADC Board has approved the final tender documents and will invite tender soon.

Nagpur is well connected by daily direct flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Indore, Raipur and Hyderabad operated by Air India, Jet Airways, JetKonnect, IndiGo, GoAir and TruJet. Air Arabia operates a 4 times a week to and fro flight between Nagpur and Sharjah and Qatar Airways operates a direct flight to Doha.

The Nagpur Airport has received Special Achievement Award 2012-2013 from Airports Authority of India. Nagpur became the first airport in India to commission the INDRA system and also has ADS-B system. No other airport in the country had commissioned INDRA yet.

Nagpur airport became the first airport in the country to receive an ISO 27000 certificate. In fact, Nagpur is not only the first in India but also the first in world to be certified for Air navigation service provider (ANSP). There are seven airports in the world which have ISO 27000, but none of them have it for ANSP.

Nagpur is currently witnessing an economic boom as the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) is under development. MIHAN will be used for handling heavy cargo coming from south east Asia and the Middle East. The project will include ₹10,000 crore (US$1.5 billion) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Information Technology (IT) companies.

Government of India has identified Nagpur airport as one of the safe airports for diverted flights and emergency landing. In fact, many flights have used the airport during emergencies. It was because all international and domestic airlines had already been informed by the government to go to Nagpur during emergencies. Availability of excellent fire fighting equipment, air traffic control equipment and latest radar, in addition to being in city with good hospitals and hotels made the airport a good choice during emergencies.

Smart City Project

The Maharashtra government has appointed Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as the implementation partner to convert Orange City Nagpur into the country’s first large scale, integrated, smart city. The state government has also decided to develop the city complete with five hubs, from textile centres to defence sector