Gandhinagar
Gandhinagar is the state capital of Gujarat, India. It is located at the bank of river Sabarmati. With 205 sq km area Gandhinagar is just 25 km away from Ahmadabad, the commercial hub of Gujarat. The city is among the few planned city of India. The other planned city of India are New Delhi, Chandigarh, NOIDA (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority), Punckula, Mohali, Bhubaneswar, Dispur, and Navi Mumbai. All state administrative head offices are located in Gandhinagar.
History
After Independence, the territories in India were divided based on linguistic lines. The erstwhile Bombay state was bifurcated into two states, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Gujarat and Maharashtra came into being on 1st May, 1960. Initially, Ahmadabad - a commercial hub of Gujarat was chosen as the state capital and it was proposed that a new capital should be constructed along the line of other new state capitals, particularly Chandigarh. The two Indian architect, H.K. Mewada, and Prakash M. Apte, who worked as apprentice for the Chandigarh city, designed the new state capital. It was named after Mahatma Gandhi. The foundation stone was laid on 1965 and in 1971 the capital was shifted from Ahmadabad to Gandhinagar.
Climate
Similar to most parts of India, Gandhinagar has three main seasons, summer, winter, and monsoon. The climate on average is dry through the year except during monsoon season. The summer, which lasts from March -June is very hot with maximum temperature reaching to 42-43 0C. The maximum temperature ranges between 36 - 42 0C and minimum temperature fluctuates between 19-27 0C during summer season.
The winter season that range from mid-October to mid-February is pleasant with average maximum and minimum temperature being 29 0C and 14 0C respectively. The southwest monsoon brings humid climate through mid-June to mid-September. The average annual rainfall is 803.44 mm (32 inches).
Demographics
The city population is around 195,891 according to 2001 census. Male and female comprises 53% and 47% respectively of the total population. The literacy rate is around 78% with male being 83% and female being 73% literate. 11% of the total population is under age 6.
Geography
Gandhinagar lies at the bank of river Sabarmati at 23.22 0 N 72.68 0 E with an average elevation of 265 feet (81 meter). Gandhinagar is made of 30 sectors with total area of 53 sq km. The city is well organized and is structured into grids. The grid is made of blocks and streets, similar to US avenues and streets. The streets (roads) are made fo Letters (K, KH, G, GH, CH, CHH & JA) and numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7). The letter roads runs parallel across the city and are perpendicular to the number roads. The square or block formed is known as sector and the intersection of the streets (roads) is given the name using the combination of letter and number like GH1, GH2, CH3, JA1, KH6 etc.
Transportation