Nagpur: Here’s concrete proof that Nagpur, once considered a sleepy town; is growing by leaps and bounds.

As the Survey of India has .once again begun mapping the city after 1983, it has found that Nagpur has grown by more than 200 per cent over the period. What’s more surprising? Realty players as well as surveyors say a major chunk of growth has taken place after the year 2000.

However, at the same time, the city’s population growth has been quite moderate. The official population was around 10 lakh during 1983-84. It doubled in another decade while today the official tally stands at 26 lakh. Unofficial estimates peg it at 30 lakh.
There was a time when Nagpur could be accommodated in a single square, equivalent to 80 sq km, on the map sheet. Now the city has spread into more than a couple of squares which makes it to around 200 sq km.

Survey of India, which is the country’s oldest government department, maps the area from time to time. These maps are considered to be precise and are used for civilian and military purposes, among others. Nagpur’s new map, which is getting final touches, will be ready within a couple of months. The latest Nagpur map for 2007-08, shows an expansion of around 5 to 20 km in each corner, apart from that in other areas.

There has been maximum expansion in areas towards Wardha Road starting from Chhatrapati Nagar bridge to as far as Hudkeshwar Buzruk, almost 20 km away. Manewada locality which earlier appeared in the outskirts of the city, is now very much within Nagpur. In the north it has spread from the Mental Hospital to as far as Godhni, roughly seven kilometres away. From the Nag river, it stretches upto Kapsi and Teka to Nari.

This kind of mapping is done not regarding the municipal limits. In fact, only the latitudes and longitudes are considered and whatever development takes place in the area is reported in the map, said a source.

For years, the city remained almost stagnant. However, there was a substantial growth alter 2000, leading to a quantum jump. Even during the initial years of 1990s, the city had not registered any major growth, said an official in the Survey of India.

Sunil Duddaiwar of Himalaya Builders says, “It all started after integrated road development project (IRDP), was initiated. This was the period when maximum infrastructure was created in the city, leading to a development in all four corners. Moreover, a number of premier schools also came up at the outskirts of the city leading to further growth. Plans about the cargo hub and SEZ, also have a major role in the city’s growth,” he said.

As the Survey of India has once again begun mapping the city after 1983, it has found that Nagpur has grown by more than 200% over the period