About Thane

Thane is a city in Maharashtra. It’s the administrative headquarters of a district called Thane, and resides in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The Thane creek, at the head of which the city lies, also characterizes its location. The creek starts at the Ulhas River and culminates in the Arabian Sea. The city has a part of its area on the mainland across the Thane creek, while the rest of it is located on the Salsette Island.
Thane is regarded as Mumbai’s elder sister, as a part of the Thane district, from Mulund to Sion, is given to Mumbai for the latter’s future development. It’s also popularly known as the Lake City, because it features as many as 35 lakes within its precincts. The Masunda Talao, also called Talao Pali, is among the most beautiful lakes in the city. Besides being a tourist attraction, the lakes are a source of water for both Thane and Mumbai.
Historically, Thane is a very important city. On 16 April 1854, it was the destination station for India’s first ever train, which had started its brief journey at Boribunder, today called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, located in Mumbai. This ushered in the Railway Age in Asia.

Stats And Facts

The population of Thane, as per the provisional reports of Census India 2011, is 18,18,872. The urban/metropolitan population, on the other hand, is 1,84,14,288
The sex ratio in the city, according to the same reports, is 882 per 1000 males. The child sex ratio, on the other hand, is 900 per 1000 boys. Both these figures are below the national average
The average literacy rate in Thane is quite impressive, at 91.36%
Originally, Thane was called Sristhanaka, which translates as the place where Lord Ganpati resides
Until the year 1739, when Marathas captured it, Thane was an important trading center
The Thane creek, a river stream flowing from Ulhas River to the Arabian Sea, splits the city into two parts, which are connected by a rail bridge and two road bridges
Thane is home to the Upvan Arts Festival, held at the picturesque 15-acre Upvan Lake area. Over 200 artists from across different fields get a platform to showcase their work and talent

Manufacturing Sector

Thane has a large industrial base, with a significant part of the city acting as a home to both big and small industries
The industrial areas in the city mostly host engineering, electrical, chemical, and textile industries
Some of the prominent industrial areas are Wagle estate; Thane-Belapur road, or Trans Thane Creek; and Ghodbunder road
The manufacturing sector still contributes about 40% of the total income earned by the Thane Municipal Corporation
The major companies that have manufacturing units in Thane are Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Glaxo, Cadbury’s, Nicholas Parimal, Clariant, and Vidyut Metallica

Connectivity

The nearest airport to Thane is in Mumbai, called the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The distance is about 36 km, which is a drive that will anywhere from 45 to 75 min, depending on the traffic
Thane is well connected with other major cities in India, as it’s a train station for many of the trains leaving Mumbai for other cities in different states. It’s also a major railway station of Mumbai Suburban Railway, and is well connected with the neighboring suburbs through the Central and Trans-Harbor Line Suburban railway network
Thane is well connected to the entire suburban network by road. For example, it connects to Borivali through the 6-laned Ghodbunder road. Thane connects to the southern cities via NH 4, which runs from Mumbai to Chennai, connecting Pune and Bangalore on the way
Bus service is available within the city, thanks to the several local, public players in operation, including Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT)

Thane Civic Administration

Thane is one among the 15 tehsils in the Thane district. It’s also one of the 5 sub-divisions in the district, formed for administrative purposes
The Collector, who is an IAS officer, heads the entire Thane district, and is therefore responsible for the city as well
The municipal body in Thane is called Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). The area under TMC has 65 electoral wards. The corporation has 130 elected representatives plus 5 nominated representatives
The corporation also has 9 administrative wards called Prabhag Samittees

Thane Infrastructure

The infrastructure in Thane has been up to the mark, generally, but there is a lot of scope for development, considering that the population in the region is continuously increasing.

Road, rail, and air transport infrastructure is, of course, excellent. The expressways and the railway networks link the city to other major cities across India. As the vehicular population is rising at a rapid pace, city is planning development projects in terms of flyovers, bridges, and road widening.

When it comes to power, the city has just enough power capacity to meet the needs of its residents. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is, therefore, taking measures to achieve self-sufficiency in power. For example, TMC has made it mandatory for all buildings to install a solar water heating system.

All in all, there is a need for a sea of change in infrastructure development in Thane, and that aspect is being reflected in the measures taken by the TMC and the state government.