SURAT :The city of diamond & Silk

Surat is a city located on the western part of India in the state of Gujarat. It is one of the most dynamic city of India with one of the fastest growth rate due to immigration from various part of Gujarat and other states of India.

Surat is the 8th largest city of India in terms of population and largest in non-capital cities. As per city mayor’s foundation report, Surat is the 4th fastest growing city globally. The city has a very vibrant economy. It is hub to the diamond and textile industry. According to an estimate, Surat accounts for 90% of the world’s total rough diamond cutting and polishing. In textiles, Surat contributes 40 per cent of the nation’s total manmade fabric production, 28 per cent of the nation’s total manmade fiber production. With the decadal growth of over 55%-60% since last four decades, Surat is one of the cleanest city of India. It has the most vibrant present and an equally varied heritage of the past. It is the city where the British first land in India. The Dutch and the Portuguese also established there business centers in Surat, the remnants of which are still preserved in the modern day Surat. In past this was a glorious port with ships of more than 84 countries anchored in its harbour at any time.

Still today, Surat continues the same tradition as people from all around the country flock in for business and jobs. Surat has practically zero percent unemployment rate and jobs are easier to get here due to very fast development of various industries in and around Surat City.

History of surat

Surat - the modern port city of today boasts of a great historical and cultural heritage. The history of Surat takes us back to the epic age of Mahabharata and Ramayana. According to mythological beliefs, Lord Krishna stopped in the city while his journey from Mathura to Dwarka.

Surat of today has earned the reputation of an important industrial hub and commercial center of the country. A glimpse on the history of Surat will prove that the city has always been a great trading center. 

The great explorer Hiuen Tsang referred the Surat City as Sowrata and described it as a business town on the shore of Arabian Sea near Gujarat. The Brahmin Pundits of the thirteenth century called the city as 'Suryapur'. 

Surat reached the highest point of prosperity during the sixteenth century. The Surat Port was considered important by the European traders. The British and the Portuguese waged battles against each other to gain supreme control over the trading route. The French and the Dutch also arrived in the city with merchandising objectives. 

The great Maratha warrior Shivaji attacked the city several times to usurp its wealth. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the British gained overall control over the city. Since then, the city witnessed plenty of movements and agitations against the English atrocities. It has contributed a lot to the freedom movement of the country. Surat reorganized itself after the independence and soon emerged as one of the significant cities in India.

Geography of surat

Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapi river. Damming of the Tapi caused the original port facilities to close; the nearest port is now in the Magadalla and Hazira area of Surat Metropolitan Region. The city is located at 21°10′N 72°50′E. It has an average elevation of 13 meters. The Surat district is surrounded by the Bharuch, Narmada, Navsari, to the west is the Gulf of Cambay and the surrounding districts. The climate is tropical and monsoon rainfall is abundant (about 2,500 mm a year). According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-III, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes).

Climate of Surat – Geography of Surat

Surat has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw), moderated strongly by the Sea to the Gulf of Cambay. The summer begins in early March and lasts until June. April and May are the hottest months, the average maximum temperature being 37 °C (99 °F). Monsoon begins in late June and the city receives about 1,200 millimetres (47 in) of rain by the end of September, with the average maximum being 32 °C (90 °F) during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures until late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average mean temperatures of around 23 °C (73 °F), and negligible rain.

Since the 20th century, Surat has experienced some 20 floods. In 1968, most parts of the city were flooded and in 1994 a flood caused a country-wide plague outbreak, Surat being the epicenter. In 1998, 30 percent of Surat had gone under water due to flooding in Tapti river following release of water from Ukai dam located 90 km from Surat and in Aug, 2006 more than 95 per cent of the city was under Tapti river waters, killing more than 120 people, stranding tens of thousands in their homes without food or electricity and closing businesses and schools for weeks.

Economy of surat

Economy of surat district in Gujrat in concentrated in the diamond processing, textiles and chemical and petrochemical industries. Surat contributes 18 percent to the total man made fiber exports and 40 percent of man made fabric manufacture in India. Surat has been very flourishing in attracting a sizeable amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in different sectors like oil, energy, and petroleum. The district captured a share of 15.24 percent of the total fruit production in Gujarat by becoming the major producer of papaya and second largest producer of banana in the State. Surat is the biggest producer of Okra (Lady Finger) in Gujarat with a share of 19 percent of the overall production. The district contributes 10.39 percent to the total production of spices in Gujarat as it is the largest producer of turmeric
 and second largest producer of ginger and chilly in the State. 

Surat is the second largest producer of lignite in Gujarat. Mineral-based industries in Surat are Roofing Tiles Factory, Stone Ware Pipes, Drainage Pipe Industry, Lignite-based Thermal Power Station, and Glass Factory. There are around six hundred and five medium and large scale industries based in Surat district. The majority of the medium and large scale industries are concentrated in Choryasi taluka (West Surat) with 230 units followed by Mangrol (North Surat) and Mandvi taluka (Central Surat) with 131 and 116 units respectively. There are more than 41,300 small scale industries (SSI) running in Surat district. Some of the most important industries under SSIs in Surat are textiles, diamond processing, jhari (Silver) making, chemicals dying and printing, and. engineering and related activities ( manufacturing machineries and equipments). Maximum numbers of SSI units (24,000 Units) are associated to textile industry in the district followed by repairing and service industry with more than 11,000 units. Most of the small scale industries are to be found at talukas such as Choryasi (Western Surat), Mangrol (Northern Surat), Olpad (Northern Surat), Mandvi (Central Surat) and Palsana (Southern Surat). 

The upgraded Surat airport is predicted to recommend direct air connectivity with main destinations in India and abroad. This is likely to improve commercial activities in the city as well as in the district, leading to a surge in the demand in hospitality sector, which is principally driven by corporate tourism. Emergence of a petrochemical complex, gems and jewelry Park and the centrally promoted Surat SEZ are expected to further fuel the industrial and economic augmentation of the city. The expansion plans of Hazira port is envisaged in two phases. The first phase envisions the development of port infrastructure to handle Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports, and the second phase would offer port facilities for handling dry bulk and containerised cargo. The port facility would help in attracting sizeable investments in the times ahead. 

Diamond sprucing

Surat may be a major hub of diamond cutting and spruce. the primary diamond workshops in Gujarat appeared in Surat and Navsari within the late Fifties. the most important folks operating during this business is folks from Saurashtra region of Gujarat. thanks to Diamond demand within the Yankee market from the first Nineteen Seventies to the mid-1980s (with solely a quick recession in 1979) Surat’s diamond business grew enormously. Currently, most of the diamond sprucing workshop is running in Varachha space of Surat by principally the Patel community folks.

Textiles

Since it’s glorious for manufacturing textiles, together with silk, Surat is thought because of the textile hub of the state or the Silk town of an Asian country. it’s terribly celebrated for its cotton mills and Surat Zari Craft. Surat is that the biggest center of MMF (man-made fiber) in an Asian country. it’s complete of 381 coloring and printing mills and forty-one,100 powerloom units. There are over 100 thousand units and mills in total. 

The annual turnover is around five billion rupees. There are over 800 artifact wholesalers in Surat. it’s the most important manufacturer of garments in the Asian country, and Surti dress material is often found in any state of an Asian country. Surat produces nine million meters of cloth annually, that accounts for an hour of the overall polyester artifact production in the Asian country. currently, the town is that specializes in increasing the exports of its textile.

Transport

Built in 1860, Surat train depot falls underneath the executive management of Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways. In early 2016, the Asian country Railway business and touristry Corporation rated the power the simplest massive station in India supported cleanliness.

The Sitilink or Surat BRTS may be a bus mass rapid transit system within the town. it’s operated by Surat Municipal Corporation and as of August 2017, had a network of 245 buses connecting major localities.

Surat International aerodrome placed in Magdalla, eleven kilometers (7 mi) southwest of Surat. it’s the second busiest aerodrome in Gujarat in terms of each craft movements and rider traffic. Currently, airlines comparable to Air Asian country, Alliance Air, AirAsia Asian country, SpiceJet, IndiGo Airlines, Air Odisha, Ventura AirConnect give flight services from the Surat to numerous cities across Asian country. Air Asian country specific is about to start flying on Surat Sharjah route terribly before long. except for the most town, Surat aerodrome conjointly caters to numerous localities of south Gujarat together with Navsari, Bardoli, Valsad, Bharuch, Ankleshwar.

SMC workplace at Surat

It hierarchic seven out of twenty-one cities for best body practices in the Asian country in 2014. It scored 3.5 on ten compared to the national average of 3.3. it’s the sole town in an Asian country to disclose municipal budgets on a weekly basis.

Science Center

Science Centre, Surat may be a multi-facility complicated designed by the Surat Municipal Corporation in 2009, the primary of its kind in the western Asian country. The complicated homes a science center, museum, Associate in Nursing gallery, Associate in Nursing area, Associate in Nursing amphitheater and a planetarium.

Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor bowl

With a capaciousness of 6800, Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor bowl is that the initial of its kind within the Western Region of an Asian country. The bowl oft organizes national and international indoor games comparable to volleyball, table game, gymnastics, handball, boxing, wrestling, badminton, basketball, and tennis. 

It’s a central arena of size 68m x 31m, rooms for participants and team officers, and alternative essential facilities together with snack bars. this is often conjointly a convenient venue for organizing cultural programs, music concerts, drama, fashion shows, seminars, and conferences and lots of a lot of.

Lalbhai Contractor Cricket bowl

Lalbhai contractor cricket bowl contains a capability of quite 7000 and hosted many Ranji, Irani and Duleep Trophy matches. The bowl conjointly is a primary destination for native budding cricketers and enthusiasts. The bowl has hosted many profit matches for international cricketers additionally.

Public safety

Surat began the ‘Safe town Project’ in 2011 aimed toward keeping the town safe victimization police work cameras. The project was headed by Sanjay Srivastava (IPS) United Nations agency was then the Joint-Commissioner of Surat Police. The 280-square-foot video wall claimed to be the most important police work screen within the country, is being put in at the room of commissioner Mr. Rakesh Asthana (IPS). this can facilitate the police read the complete town pass through 10,000 CCTV cameras across the town. 

Surat police have determined to put in 5,000 CCTV cameras at sensitive points across the town. While 1,000 cameras are going to be night-sight cameras, 4,000 others are going to be straightforward CCTV cameras. This has been put in on UPPP base with the assistance of the city’s businessmen, city’s social persons, Surat Municipal Corporation and Surat town Police.

Demographics of Surat

According to the 2011 Asian country census, the population of Surat is four,462,002. Surat has a mean accomplishment rate of eighty-nine, more than the national average of 69.5%: male accomplishment is ninety-three, and feminine accomplishment is eighty-four.

Males represent fifty-three of the population and females forty-seventh. In Surat, thirteen of the population is underneath half-dozen years mature.

Education

Universities:- 
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat one amongst thirty-one National Institute of Technology in Bharat that are recognized as Institute of National Importance by Government of India, is placed on Athwa-Dumas road. Most of the regional faculties are related to Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) (named when the good writer Veer Narmad). faculties are related to SNDT, Gujarat Technological University, and alternative universities.

VNSGU-Veer Narmad South Gujarat University has headquarters within the Surat Metropolitan Region. Auro University has conjointly begun to give education in Surat. IIIT-Surat started in 2017.

Get in surat

By Bus

By train

By plane

By car

By boat

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