The concept of a planned city was understood to be only Chandigarh. But now Navi Mumbai is perhaps the world's largest planned city. The government was desperately looking for some alternative to decongest Mumbai and the new city became a haven for the multitudes that throng Mumbai from different parts of India. After the initial hiccups, this Navi, meaning New, Mumbai has now become close competitor to Mumbai in practically every respect.

Stretching all the way from Airoli to Uran, it has become the hub for several specific industries, especially IT, education and printing technology. Check out all the sprawling presses set up by the city’s largest newspapers, all clustered together in Mahape and Airoli. The state government has also setup software parks to cater to the growing demands of this sector. The beautiful Palm Beach Road and D Y Patil stadium have become the pride of the city. With hospitals, hotels, IT parks, shopping malls, Navi Mumbai today is a bustling city, with a rapidly expanding population and growing infrastructural development to match.

Not a bad record – expensive real estate and a stadium that has seen the beginning of IPL, once famously described by top international cricketers as among “the best in the world”.