Pimpri-Chinchwad, also known as PCMC, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city is about 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of the historic city of Pune, at an altitude of 590 m (1,940 ft) above sea level. It is the fifth largest city in Maharashtra and the eighteenth largest city in India and the sixteenth largest satellite city in the world by population. The city is located 135 km (84 mi) southeast from the state's capital Mumbai. It is one of the most rapidly developing suburban areas in India and has emerged as the third fastest growing city in the country. It is well known for its automotive, IT and manufacturing industry.
History The first reference to Pune region is found in two copper plates dated to 758 and 768 AD, issued by Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I. The plates are called "Puny Vishaya" and "Punaka Vishaya" respectively. The plates mention areas around Pune such as Theur, Uruli, Khed, Dapodi, and also Bhosari, now part of the city. Chinchwad is noted for the shrine of Morya Gosavi, a prominent saint of the Ganapatya denomination of Hinduism that worships Lord Ganesha as the Supreme Being or its metaphysical concept of Brahman. Various sources place Moraya Gosavi between the 13th and 17th centuries CE. The inscription on the temple records that its construction began in 1658 CE.
British Raj and partition of India Before the independence of India, Pimpri and Chinchwad were small independent rural settlements on the outskirts of Pune along the Pavana River.
Chapekar brothers
Chinchwad is the birthplace of the Chapekar brothers: Damodar Hari (1870–1898), Balkrishna Hari (1873–1899) and Vasudeo Hari, who assassinated W. C. Rand, a British civil service officer and the chairman of the Special Plague Committee of Poona (Pune), on 22 June 1897.
Pimpri Camp Following the partition of India, the Government of India constructed 1,609 residences and laid out around 300 plots on 203 acres of land in the Pimpri area. This area came to be known as Pimpri Camp is one of the 31 refugee camps in Bombay State (present day Maharashtra) set up during the period.
Pimpri-Chinchwad after independence
After Indian independence from the British in 1947. In 1955, Hindustan Antibiotics was set up in Pimpri with the cooperation of WHO and UNICEF with the social objective of providing affordable drugs throughout India. It was inaugurated by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 10 March 1954. Production began in 1955. The establishment of Hindustan Antibiotics in 1954 marked the beginning of industrial development in the Chinchwad, Bhosari, and Pimpri areas. Following which in 1962 MIDC acquired large chunks of land in and around Pimpri-Chinchwad area and provided the necessary infrastructure for new businesses to set up operations. This facilitated the industrial growth of the present day Pimpri Chinchwad city as the industrial town with presence of many national and international automobile industries. The presence of industries provided job opportunities which attracted a large workforce from Maharashtra as well as other states of the country. The in-migration along with the natural growth of population has led to the rapid growth of the city in the last four decades.
Geography
The area within the city limits is widely considered as 'flat' given the altitude varying between 530 and 570 m above sea level. The city is situated approximately at 18° 37' north latitude and 73° 48' east longitude bordering limits of Pune Municipal Corporation on the north and northwest. The historic centre is 15 km from each end. Three rivers Pavana, Mula and Indrayani flow through this area. The rivers originates from the Western Ghats. The base rock found throughout the city is Deccan trap basalt. Building stone is the only commercially important mineral found in the area. In 1970s, due to increased industrialisation on Mumbai–Pune Highway, many villages around the highway were merged to form Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. The earliest villages which were absorbed were Pimpri, Chinchwad, Dapodi, Bhosari etc.
Climate
The city experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are February to May with maximum temperatures above 35 °C and reaching up to 42 °C on hotter days. The city receives most of its 722 mm of rainfall in the monsoon months of June to September. The temperature in the winter months of October to January ranges from 12 °C (min) to 30 °C (max), with night temperatures often falling below 10 °C. Pimpri-Chinchwad has a tropical wet and dry (type Aw) climate, with the characteristics of a hot semi-arid climate (type BSh) climate with average temperatures ranging between 20 and 28 °C (68 and 82 °F). Typical summer months are from mid-March to mid-June, with maximum temperatures sometimes reaching 42 °C (108 °F). The warmest month in Pimpri-Chinchwad is May. The city often has heavy dusty winds in May, with humidity remaining high. Even during the hottest months, the nights are usually cool due to Pune's high altitude. The highest temperature recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on 30 April 1897. The monsoon lasts from June to October, with moderate rainfall and temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). Most of the 722 mm (28.43 in) of annual rainfall in the city falls between June and September, and July is the wettest month of the year. Hailstorms are not unheard of. For most of December and January the daytime temperature hovers around 26 °C (79 °F) while night temperatures are below 9 °C (48 °F), often dropping to 5 to 6 °C (41 to 43 °F). The lowest temperature recorded was 1.7 °C (35 °F) on 17 January 1935.
Cityscape
Demographics
As of the 2011 Census of India, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area had a population of 1,729,692. The sex ratio was 833 females per 1000 males. About 13% of the population was under seven years of age with a sex ratio of 875 females per 1000 males. Around 8% of the city's population lives in slums. Pimpri-Chinchwad has an average literacy rate of 89.22% (92.41% males; 85.37% females), higher than the national average of 74.04%. The main language spoken in the city is Marathi. There is a significant Sindhi population in Pimpri, which dates to the partition of India in 1947. The neighbourhood has considerable Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu speaking population.
Religion
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