Faridabad (Hindi:[fəɾiːdɑːbɑːd]) is the most populous city near NCT of Delhi in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of Delhi National Capital Region.[9] It is one of the major satellite cities around Delhi and is located 284 kilometres south of the state capital, Chandigarh. The river Yamuna forms the eastern district boundary with Uttar Pradesh. The Government of India included it in the second list of Smart Cities Mission on 24 May 2016.[10] As per the 2021 Delhi Regional Plan, Faridabad is a part of the Central National Capital Region or Delhi metropolitan area.[11]
The newly developed residential and industrial part of Faridabad (Sec. 66 to 89) between the Agra Canal and the Yamuna River is commonly referred to as Greater Faridabad (also known as Neharpar). The area is being developed as a self-sustained sub-city with wide roads, tall buildings, malls, educational institutions, and health and commercial centers. Sectors 66 to 74 are Industrial Sectors, while Sectors 75 to 89 are Residential Sectors.[12]
Faridabad is a major industrial hub of Haryana.[9] 50% of the income tax collected in Haryana is from Faridabad and Gurgaon.[13] Faridabad is famous for henna production from the agricultural sector, while tractors, motorcycles, switch gears, refrigerators, shoes, tyres and garments constitute its primary industrial products.
The city was founded in 1607 by Sheikh Farīd, treasurer to the Mughal emperor Jahangir, to protect the Grand Trunk Road between Delhi and Agra, and lies in the cultural region of Braj and Mewat.[16] In Independent India, Faridabad was initially a part of Gurgaon district which was later made an independent district on 15 August 1979.
Nearby Tilpat (then "Tilprastha") was one of the five villages demanded by Pandavas to avert a disastrous war.[17][18]
Faridabad has a borderline hot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh) just short of a dry winter humid subtropical climate (Cwa). The city features the three typical Indian seasons – The "hot" or pre-monsoon season lasts from late March to mid-July and is typified by sweltering and arid conditions that begin very dry but later turn humid. The "wet" or monsoon season is sweltering and often dangerously humid with frequent but erratic heavy rainfall. Following the retreat of the monsoon is the "cool" or winter season with warm and sunny weather producing by far the most comfortable conditions.[citation needed]
As of the 2011 census official report, Faridabad Municipal Corporation had 290,675 households and a population of 1,414,050. 187,639 (13.27%) were under the age of 7. Faridabad had a sex ratio of 874 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 83.83% for those 7 years and above. Scheduled Castes made up 133,395 (10.57%) of the population respectively.[24]
Faridabad has a judiciary system headquartered at District Court in Sector 12 which came into existence on 8 December 1980 with Shri A.P. Chaudhary as first District & Sessions Judge, Faridabad. The District Court has its Bar association with more than 2000 lawyers as its members[29]
Economy
The Faridabad Small Industries Association claims that Faridabad and Gurgaon districts account for almost 56% of the income tax collected in Haryana.[9] Faridabad has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.[30] It has started growing as another technology hub in Haryana nurturing startups and innovation.[31]
Faridabad is the largest exporter of henna (Mehandi) in India. According to the Faridabad Henna Manufacturing Association, the sale of henna from Faridabad is worth an estimated ₹250 crore (US$29 million)–₹300 crore (US$35 million) annually.[32]
Many directorates of different union government ministries are headquartered in Faridabad including Central Ground Water Board, Department of Plant Quarantine and Central Insecticide Lab,[33] and Union Government Offices from Haryana including the Commissioner of Central Excise within Department of Revenue, Government of India, Department of Explosives, and Department of Labour. Institute such as National Council for Cement and Building Materials, a research and development institute under the ministry of commerce, and industry has its head office in Faridabad.[34]
The Apex Central Training Institute of the Department of Revenue, Government of India, National Academy of Customs Excise & Narcotics is located at Sector 29. The National Power Training Institute, an autonomous body under Ministry of Power, Government of India has a corporate office in Faridabad.[35] The city also hosts the National Institute of Financial Management, which serves as training academy for accounting and financial services.[36]
NHPC Corporate Office, Faridabad
Also headquartered here is NHPC Limited
which is a Central PSU under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, and the largest hydropower Company in India.
An office of Geological Survey of India is also located in the NIT-5 area of the city.
Faridabad is the industrial capital of Haryana. As of 2013, out of a total of 11,665 registered working factories in Haryana, 2,499 were in Faridabad which was followed by Gurgaon with 2,116 factories. According to a study, the growth of Faridabad has been declining in the last 2 decades, the share of Faridabad in investment is less than 1% and 93% of investment is in the paper industry. The industrial contribution of Faridabad to Haryana's revenue was declined from 29% to 22% in 2012–13.[37]
Faridabad is well connected with Delhi through Delhi Faridabad Skyway (Main Badarpur Flyover). Upcoming DND-Faridabad-KMP expressway [51][52][53][54][55]
It is also connected to cities of Gurugram through Faridabad Gurugram Road (SH137) and Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar of Uttar Pradesh through Upcoming Bridge near Manjhawali in Faridabad and Jewar in Noida and Ghaziabad through F.N.G road.
Airways
Faridabad is served by Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, which is around 35 km from Faridabad.[47] The airport is the busiest airport in India and provides domestic and international air connectivity.[56]
There are numerous educational institutions in Faridabad that offer higher education courses. These colleges provide courses in different field like science, medicine, arts, commerce, engineering, MCA, etc. Some of the colleges that offer graduate and undergraduate courses include:
There are many private and government hospitals in Faridabad.[57][58] The city also has one Government Medical College Hospital named
Employees State Insurance Corporation Medical College, Faridabad.[59] The city had another private medical college Gold field medical college situated in Village Chainsa, Ballabgarh which got defunct in 2016 due to financial constraints and later bought by Haryana government and planned to restart in 2020 by the name of "Atal Bihari Vajpayee government medical College".[60] Other hospitals include:
The Nahar Singh Stadium, which has approximately 25,000 seats, has hosted 8 international cricket matches[61] and a league cricket match between Mumbai Heroes and Bhojpuri Dabbang of Celebrity Cricket League.[citation needed] However, owing to the poor condition of the grounds, international competitions have not been held there since 2017.[61][62] In 2019, a $10.15 million (115 Crore) Haryana government project began to renovate the stadium and grounds. International matches are expected to resume in the facility by the early 2020.[61]
Groundwater and land subsidence
A study published in Nature scientific report[63] reports that land is sinking in Faridabad due to groundwater overpumping.
Badkhal Lake was located in Badkhal village, 8 km from Delhi Border. The lake fringed by Aravalli hills was a man-made embankment which has now dried up.[64] The lake complex, spread over 40 acres, had come up in 1969.[65] In June 2015, Haryana government decided to revive the Badkhal lake here to once again attract tourists.[66]
Surajkund Tourist Complex and International Crafts Fair
Situated at a distance of around 8 km from South Delhi. It is a 10th-century water reservoir which believed to be built by Tomar king Surajpal.[67][68] Place is known for its annual fair "Surajkund International Crafts Mela".[69] 2015 edition of fair was visited by 1.2 million visitors including 160,000 foreigners with more than 20 countries participating in fair.[70] The Suraj Kund Lake.[71] D2i.in. Retrieved on 2012-01-10. here is surrounded by rock cut steps.[72]
2016 edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela was the 30th edition and People's Republic of China will be participating in the fair.[73] Participation of the China will be the part of agreement signed between India and China in 2014 to celebrate year 2016 as "Year of China in India".[74]
In 2021, the international crafts fair or Surajkund Mela, as it commonly called scheduled from 1 to 15 February was cancelled for the first time in 34 years amid COVID-19 fears.[75]
The Anagpur Dam is located close to the Anagpur village (also called Arangpur) in Faridabad district, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from Surajkund.[citation needed] This unique Indian hydraulic engineering structure was built during the reign of King Anangpal of the Tomar dynasty in the 8th century. It is approachable by road from Delhi from the Delhi – Mathura road. The ruins of the fortifications found in Anangpur village establish by an inference that it was built by Anangpal as part of the Lal Kot that was developed as the first city of Delhi in the 8th century.[76][77][78]
Raja Nahar Singh palace is located in Ballabhgarh. Now Haryana Tourism manages the palace as heritage property. The palace is now a motel-cum-restaurant.
Baba Farid's Tomb
The tomb is located in old Faridabad. Baba Farid was a popular Sufi Sant. The tomb contains 2 gigantic doors and the graves of Baba Farid and his son.[1]
Archaeologists discovered cave paintings and tools from the Paleolithic period in the Mangar Bani hill forest, which is on the outskirts of Faridabad. The cave paintings are estimated to be one lac years old. These are believed to be the largest in the Indian subcontinent and possibly the world's oldest.[79][80]
Recreation
Faridabad and various shopping malls including SRS Mall in Sector 12, Crown Interiors Mall in Sarai Khawaja Village, Crown Plaza in Sector 15 A, Parasnath Mall along with several others. The city has a good network of parks in each sector with some of the major parks like Town Park in Sector 12 which also accommodates one of the Largest Flag of India. Omaxe World Street is the recent addition to the malls of Greater Faridabad.
Faridabad has been selected as one of the 100 Smart Cities in India.[83] A live talk show on making Faridabad 'a smart city' was organised at Municipal Corporation's Auditorium.[when?][84][85]Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) is setting up a solar power plant at the site of a defunct thermal power plant in Faridabad. The power generator plans to set up the plant over 151.78 acres near Bata Chowk in the district that generated coal based energy in the past.[86]
^"Haryanvi". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Sharma, Y.D (2001). Delhi and its Neighbourhood. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. pp. 100–161. Archived from the original on 26 April 2003. Retrieved 5 September 2009. Page 100:Suraj Kund lies about 3 km south-east of Tughlaqabad in district Gurgaon—The reservoir is believed to have been constructed in the tenth century by King Surjapal of Tomar dynasty, whose existence is based on Bardic tradition. Page 101: About 2 km south-west of Surajkund, close to the village of Anagpur (also called Arangpur) is a dam ascribed to Anagpal of the Tomar Dynasty, who is also credited with building the Lal Kot{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Peck, Lucy (2005). Delhi – A thousand years of Building. New Delhi: Roli Books Pvt Ltd. p. 29. ISBN81-7436-354-8. Archived from the original on 12 March 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2009. One of the two significant structures in the area, the dam lies about 1 km to the north of the Anangpur village. A path from the main village street will lead you into flat pastureland. Head for the small rocky hill ahead of you and climb over it. On the other side is another flat area, rather thickly covered in thorn trees. It is worth finding a way through them to the dam that straddles the gap between the two nearby hills. The dam is an impressive edifice 50 m wide and 7 m high built from accurately hewn quartzite blocks.---There is a passage for the egress of water at the level of the ground on the dammed side. The flat land across which you have walked is caused by centuries of silt deposits in the lake that once existed behind this dam. The land around has been very heavily quarried recently, so further archaeological finds are unlikely.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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