The formation of CIDCO - the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd., was a necessity and Navi Mumbai- the land of comforts and luxuries - is its invention. Navi Mumbai (erstwhile: New Bombay) is a satellite twin of the city of Mumbai, India. ...

In the decade of 1951-61 population of Mumbai rose by 40 % and in the corresponding decade it shot up by 43.80 %. The rapid growth rate of population made possible by the increasing industrial and commercial importance of the city, resulted in a fast deterioration in the quality of life for the majority of people living in the city. Development inputs could not keep pace with the rapidly growing population, industry, trade and commerce. Besides, there were physical limitations to the growth of the city built on long and narrow peninsula, which had very few connections with the mainland. Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई ) (pronounced in Marathi, and in English), formerly known as Bombay is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is the most populous Indian city with a 2005 estimated population of about 18 million. ...

On realising the emerging problem, in 1958 the then Government of Bombay appointed a study group under the Chairmanship of S.G. Barve, Secretary of the Public Works Department, to consider the problems of traffic congestion, deficiency of open spaces and play fields, shortage of housing and over-concentration of industry in the metropolitan and suburban areas of the city, and to recommend specific measures to deal with these.

The Barve Group submitted its report in February, 1959. 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 Group felt that the bridge would accelerate development across the Creek, relieve pressure on the city's railways and roadways, and draw away industrial and residential concentrations eastward to the mainland. The Group hoped that the eastward development would be orderly and would take place in a planned manner. Thane Creek is the estuary of the Ulhas river, opening into Bombay Harbour. ...

The Government of Maharashtra accepted the Barve Group recommendation. To examine metropolitan problems in a regional context the government appointed another committee chaired by Prof. D.R. Gadgil, then Director of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune in March, 1965. The committee was asked to formulate broad principles of regional planning for the metropolitan regions of Bombay. Panvel and Pune and make recommendations for the establishment of Metropolitan Authorities for preparation and execution of such plans.

The Gadgil committee submitted its report in March, 1966 and recommended creation of regional Planning Boards for notified regions starting with, such boards for the Bombay and Pune regions. To establish such boards it also recommended passage of a Regional Planning Act. The Gadgil committee made a number of other recommendations. Important among them were:

• A planned decentralisation of industrial growth in Bombay region.
• The development of the mainland area as multi-nucleared settlement.

These multi-nulceated settlements, each of the size of 250,000 population, were proposed as a series of nodes strung out along mass transit axes, self-contained in respect of schools and shopping and other essential services and separated from each other by grean spaces.

The government passed Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 and brought it into force in January 1967. Subsequently the Bombay Metropolitan Region was notified and regional planning board constituted in June 1967 under the chairmanship of an ICS officer L.G. Rajwade. The draft regional plan of the board was finalised in January 1970. It proposed the development of a city across the harbour, on the mainland to the east, as a counter-magnate to the office concentration taking place at the southern tip of Bombay. This alternative growth pole was to siphon off the over-concentration of jobs and population and re-allocate these on the mainland.

The board recommended that the new metro-centre or Navi Mumbai as it is now called, be developed to accommodate a population of 21 lacs. The recommendation was accepted by the government of Maharashtra. Accordingly, the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited was incorporated on 17th March 1970 under the Indian Companies Act, 1956. By February 1970 the government notified for acquisition of privately owned land covering 86 villages and admeasuring 159.54 km². within the present limits of Navi Mumbai. Land belonging to further 9 villages, admeasuring 28.70 km². was additionally designated in August, 1973 for inclusion in the project area. In March, 1971 CIDCO was designated the New Town Development Authority for the project. In October, 1971 CIDCO undertook to prepare and publish a Development Plan as required by the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966. Navi Mumbai (erstwhile: New Bombay) is a satellite twin of the city of Mumbai, India. ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

The corporation started functioning as a company fully owned by the State Government with initial subscribed capital of Rs. 3.95 crores from the government. It was entrusted with developing necessary social and physical infrastructure and was also entitled to recover all cost of development from sale of land and constructed properties.

The growth of Navi Mumbai was aimed at decongesting Mumbai in respect of both population and commercial activities by shifting industries, market and office activities making the new city sustainable physically, economically and environmentally. The new city projected to accommodate 2 million people and 7,50,000 jobs in the three decades of 1970's 1980's and 1990's. The impact of Navi Mumbai on the growth of Mumbai was reflected in 1980's. The 1991 Census recorded a 10 % decrease in population growth rate for Greater Mumbai, compared to the previous decade. For the island city (a part of Greater Mumbai) growth in the decade of 1980s was negative for the first time. The reason for this phenomenon can partly be attributed to the growth of extended suburbs, and partly to Navi Mumbai which provided an alternative path to growth.

The organisation

The corporation is controlled by its highest body of management - the board of directors - appointed by the state government and day-today management is looked after by the Vice Chairman and Managing Director supported with the team consisting of joint managing directors, chief administrator (New Towns), heads of various departments, personnel from various technical and non-technical disciplines including officers, engineers and subordinate staff. The Corporation, as a company, is managed as per the provisions contained in the Companies Act as well as the Memorandum of Articles of Association of the Corporation and the decisions are made through democratic process like head of the departments meetings, committee meetings, board meetings and general meetings. The annual reports on working and affairs of the company with audit reports are being regularly laid before the Houses of the state legislature. Considering the exigencies of business to be transacted the Board of Directors of CIDCO meet at least once in a month.

Objectives of CIDCO

CIDCO was given a mandate to undertake all development works and recoup cost of development from the sale proceeds of land and constructed property. Based on the mandate CIDCO set following broad objectives for itself.

1. To prevent population influx into Mumbai diverting it to the new town by providing them another urban alternative which will allure the citizens wishing to relocate to a city with peace and comfort.
2. To absorb immigrants from other states and promote efficient and rational distribution of industries by preparing a ground for them who otherwise could have opted, for Mumbai.
3. To provide basic civic amenities to all to elevate standards of living of all social and economic strata.
4. To offer healthy environment and energizing atmosphere in order to utilize human resources at their fullest potentials.

Course of action

In order to achieve the goal CIDCO started the following activities:

• Developing land and providing the required physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, drainage and sewerage system, drinking water system, street lights etc.
• Building enough stock of houses supported by social infrastructure like community centres, markets, parks, education institutes, playgrounds etc.
• Promoting commercial activities, warehousing, transportation and decentralisation of government administration.
• Involving agencies in the development of public transport, rail, road and other prospective modes as well as telecommunication.