Ludhiana

This article is about the municipality in Punjab, India. For its namesake district, see Ludhiana district.
Ludhiana
ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ
Metropolitan City

Gurudwara Sri Dukhniwaran Sahib, Clock Tower, Gurudwara Shri Manji Sahib Alamgir, Lodhi Fort, Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum, Shri Krishna Mandir and Guru Nanak Dev Bhavan.
Ludhiana
Coordinates: 30°55′N 75°51′E / 30.91°N 75.85°ECoordinates: 30°55′N 75°51′E / 30.91°N 75.85°E
Country India India
State Punjab
District Ludhiana
Named for Sikander Lodi
Government
  Type Mayor–Council
  Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria (SAD)
  Commissioner G.K.Singh Dhaliwal,IAS[1]
Area
  Total 310 km2 (120 sq mi)
Elevation 262 m (860 ft)
Population (2011)
  Total 1,618,879
  Rank 22nd
  Density 9,752/km2 (25,260/sq mi)
Demonym Ludhianvi
Languages
  Official Punjabi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN Multiple 141001-141011
Telephone code0161 91-161-XXX XXXX
Vehicle registration PB 10
Website ludhiana.nic.in/

Ludhiana (Punjabi: ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ) is a city and a municipal corporation in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab, and is the largest city, north of New Delhi. It is the largest city in the state, with an estimated population of 1,618,879 as per Census 2011.The population increases substantially during the harvesting season due to the migration of labourers from the eastern states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Delhi. It has an area of about 310 km². The city stands on the Sutlej River's old bank, 13 km south of its present course. It is a major industrial centre of northern India, and was referred to as India's Manchester by the BBC.[2]

Ludhiana is located 98 km west from state capital Chandigarh on NH 95 and is centrally located on National Highway 1 from Indian capital New Delhi to Amritsar, and is well connected to New Delhi by road, frequent train service and by air.

Ludhiana is one of the top cities of india. This city is well known for its expensive and luxury cars and bikes. Almost every top brand like lamborghini , bugatti , Aston martin , rolls Royce , Bentley etc of cars and harley Davidson , ducati , indian , hyosung bikes are owned by ludhianvis.

Medium high range Brands are basic need of high class people here like,audi,BMW,Mercedes,porsche,so does land rover. One survey happened in 2010,2011,2012 says that ludhiana has 10-15% more luxury cars than NEW DELHI and Mumbai according to population.

Geography

Ludhiana is located at 30°54′N 75°51′E / 30.9°N 75.85°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 244 metres (798 ft). Ludhiana City, to its residents, consists of the Old City and the New City (or the residential and official quarters of the Colonial British encampment, traditionally known as Civil Lines; this is as opposed to the Army Lines, which are no longer extant as the British Cantonment was abandoned in 1845).

The land dips steeply to the north and the west where, before 1785, the river Sutlej ran.

The Old Fort was at the banks of the Sutlej (and now houses the College of Textile Engineering). Legend has it that an underground tunnel connects it to the Fort in Phillaur – although why this should be is debatable, as the Sutlej was the traditional dividing line between the principalities, often occupied by enemy forces (see History section).

The ground is of yellow sandstone and granite, forming small hillocks, plateaus and dips.

The tree of largest natural extraction was the kikar, or Acacia indica, but has been supplanted by the eucalyptus, transplanted from rural Australia in the late 1960s by the government of Chief Minister Pratap Singh Kairon.

Gulmohars and jacarandas were planted by the British along the avenues of Civil Lines, as were other flowering trees, while the Old City contains almost no vegetation or parks, except for a few isolated pipal trees, holy to the Hindus, as it is supposed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.

Climate

Ludhiana features a humid subtropical under the Köppen climate classification, with three defined seasons; summer, monsoon and winter. Ludhiana on average sees roughly 730 millimetres (29 in) of precipitation annually.

Ludhiana has one of the worst air pollution problems in India, with particulate matter being over six times the World Health Organization recommended standard.[4][5] Industrial water pollution is also of significant concern in portions of Ludhiana, notably along the Budha Dariya.[6]

Climate data for Ludhiana (1971–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.0
(84.2)
33.3
(91.9)
41.1
(106)
46.1
(115)
48.3
(118.9)
47.9
(118.2)
47.8
(118)
44.4
(111.9)
41.7
(107.1)
40.0
(104)
35.8
(96.4)
29.4
(84.9)
48.3
(118.9)
Average high °C (°F) 18.9
(66)
21.0
(69.8)
26.0
(78.8)
34.6
(94.3)
38.8
(101.8)
39.6
(103.3)
34.9
(94.8)
32.9
(91.2)
33.4
(92.1)
32.0
(89.6)
26.4
(79.5)
20.7
(69.3)
29.9
(85.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.8
(55)
14.8
(58.6)
19.4
(66.9)
26.7
(80.1)
31.1
(88)
33.0
(91.4)
30.5
(86.9)
28.8
(83.8)
28.5
(83.3)
24.9
(76.8)
19.0
(66.2)
14.1
(57.4)
23.6
(74.5)
Average low °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)
8.5
(47.3)
12.8
(55)
18.8
(65.8)
23.3
(73.9)
26.2
(79.2)
26.1
(79)
24.8
(76.6)
23.4
(74.1)
17.7
(63.9)
11.6
(52.9)
7.4
(45.3)
17.3
(63.1)
Record low °C (°F) −2.2
(28)
−1.1
(30)
1.4
(34.5)
7.1
(44.8)
11.7
(53.1)
18.0
(64.4)
17.4
(63.3)
18.0
(64.4)
15.2
(59.4)
9.4
(48.9)
0.3
(32.5)
−1.1
(30)
−2.2
(28)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 21
(0.83)
39
(1.54)
31
(1.22)
20
(0.79)
20
(0.79)
60
(2.36)
229
(9.02)
189
(7.44)
85
(3.35)
5
(0.2)
13
(0.51)
21
(0.83)
733
(28.86)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 2.8 3.6 4.5 1.9 2.3 4.7 11.6 9.6 4.5 0.5 1.4 2.1 49.5
Average relative humidity (%) 74 66 62 44 39 49 71 76 68 61 68 74 63
Source #1: NOAA[7]
Source #2: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[8]

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Ludhiana had a population of 1,618,879. The literacy rate was 82.50 per cent.[9]

Commerce

Feroze Gandhi Market, Ludhiana

The World Bank ranked Ludhiana as the city in India with the best business environment in 2009 and 2013.[10]

The riches are brought mostly by small-scale industrial units,[11] which produce industrial goods, machine parts, auto parts, household appliances, hosiery, apparel, and garments. Ludhiana is Asia's largest hub for bicycle manufacturing and produces more than 50% of India's bicycle consumption of more than 10 million each year. Ludhiana produces 60% of India's tractor parts and a large portion of auto and two-wheeler parts. Many parts used in German cars like BMW and Mercedes are exclusively produced in Ludhiana to satisfy the world requirement. It is one of the largest manufacturer of sewing machines. Hand tools and precision industrial equipment is another speciality. The apparel industry Ludhiana is famous all over India for its woolen sweaters and cotton T-shirts; most of the top Indian woolen apparel brands are based in Ludhiana.

Ludhiana is also home to the Ludhiana Stock Exchange Association.

Education

Agriculture

Ludhiana is home to the largest agricultural university in Asia and one of the largest in the world, Punjab Agricultural University.[12] The College of Veterinary Sciences at PAU had been recently upgraded to the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU).

Medical

The entrance of the old building of Christian Medical College, Ludhiana

Christian Medical College, Ludhiana was the first medical school for women in Asia was founded by Dame Edith Mary Brown in 1894.

Engineering

Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Gulzar Group of Institutes, Bhutta College of Engineering,Guru Arjan Dev Polytechnic College Ludhiana and Ludhiana College of Engineering & Technology are main colleges offering quality education in engineering. Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College is a very old and renowned institution offering best available facilities and education for engineering students. Research & development centre for bicycle and sewing machine.[13] There are other institutes catering to local and surrounding areas such as Institute of Banking Services (IBS).

Management

Ludhiana has many MANAGEMENT Colleges providing courses such as Bachelor's of Business Administration (BBA) , Hospitality and Management (HM), Airlines Tourism and Hospitality management (ATHM) , Bachelors of Computer Applications (BCA) , and Bachelors of Commerce. (B.Com)

There are few good colleges providing these Courses both part time as well as full time . Such as the Punjab College of Technical Education. (PCTE) , Synetic Business School (SBS) Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Sri Aurobindo College of Commerce and Management (SACCM) and also Government college for boys and Government college for girls, Khalsa College and Arya college are also good colleges to study as a part time student.

For Foreign students Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE) , Synetic Business School (SBS) and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) are good colleges to apply and study.

Transportation

Ludhiana is well connected by air and rail as Ludhiana railway station is on main Delhi-Amritsar route and is an important railway junction with lines going to Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Dhuri and Delhi. The city is very well connected with daily or weekly trains to most places in India including the major cities of Jammu, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Pathankot, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. For administrative reasons the station is under Ferozepur Railway Division.The railway line between Ludhiana and Chandigarh opened in 2013. The government has even passed a dedicated freight track between Ludhiana and Kolkata.

A DMU Train in Ludhiana

Airport

Ludhiana is connected by air with Delhi. Air India and Kingfisher fly daily between New Delhi and Ludhiana Airport.[14] The government is looking at purchasing another 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land to construct the new international airport.. Ludhiana's status as a large industrial hub is cited as a reason for another international airport in Punjab after Amritsar.

Moving around inside the city is done mostly by mini-buses, auto-rickshaws, and pedal rickshaws, loosely licensed by the Municipal Corporation.

Ludhiana Metro

The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Delhi for construction of a Ludhiana Metro. This light transit system will serve about 25 years to Ludhiana. There will be two corridors in Ludhiana Metro. This two corridors of metro will give releif to many roads to some extent.

City Transportation

Ludhiana is connected with other cities of Punjab and also with other states by Bus service. Several major National Highways, NH1, NH95, NH11, NH20 pass through the city. The transportation services are provided by state owned Punjab Roadways and private bus operators.

Auto Rickshaw

The Auto Rickshaw is a three-wheel drive vehicle, which is one way to travel in the city. These Auto Rickshaws have the capacity to hold three to six passengers. It can be hired individually or on a sharing basis.

Rickshaw

Cycle rickshaws are widely used in Ludhiana.The Rickshaw or tricycle is pulled by a person and is a relatively cheap way of travelling, but has become pricey after the autos were being scrapped.

Taxi

Radio taxis are also easily available. It is also the most used means of transport by the people of Ludhiana. Ola Cabs launched in the city on 7 October 2014.[15]

Attractions

Markets and Shopping malls

For shopping, Markets such as Chaura Bazaar, Ghumar Mandi, Jawahar Nagar Camp and Mall Road are good places to buy from.

Malls such as Westend Mall, MBD Mall , Silver Arc and Pavilion mall are good attractions as big malls .

Flames Mall, Ansal Plaza , SRS Mall and Govardhan City Center are also some good medium sized malls.

Parks and Recreation

Ludhiana is a mixture of Urban and Rural living. The city is surrounded by farming land on every side but inside the city there are very many parks that still exist for relaxation, walking and picnics.

Parks Such as Leisure Valley, Rose garden and PAU are very good places to walk and spend time.

Kabaddi

Guru Nanak Stadium is known for the Kabaddi matches along with athletic games. Ludhiana has great passion for the Punjabi game Kabaddi. Two-time Kabaddi world cup's finals are played in Guru Nanak Stadium Ludhiana.[16] The Stadium often hosts high-profile Kabbadi matches.


Skating

A skating rink for speed skating and roller hockey is there in Ludhiana in Leisure Valley, Sarabha Nagar. Many skaters like Surya Kaplish and Saurabh Sharma, and Harshveer Singh Sekhon has made Ludhiana proud by winning many medals at state level tournaments and representing India in internationals respectively.[17][18][19]

Kila Raipur Sports Festival

Kila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as Rural Olympics,[20] is held annually in Kila Raipur (near Ludhiana), in Punjab, India. Competition is held for major Punjabi rural sports, include cart-race, rope pulling. Gill Sports Festival

People

Name Occupation
Sukhdev Thapar Freedom Fighter[21]
Kartar Singh Sarabha Freedom Fighter
Bhai Randhir Singh Freedom Fighter
Dharmendra Actor
Sahir Ludhianvi Lyricist
Divya Dutta Actress
Sunil Mittal Indian Telecom Mogul, Philanthropist
Brijmohan Lall Munjal Industrialist, Founder of Hero Group
Rajinder Gupta Industrialist, Chairman of TridentGroup
Trishneet Arora Ethical Hacker, Author
Keshub Mahindra Industrialist, Chairman of Mahindra Group
Shubha Phutela Actress
Dakssh Ajit Singh Actor
Abhinav Shukla Actor
Sudarshan Agarwal Politician
Shilpi Sharma Actress
Juhi Chawla Actress
Gulzar Singh Sandhu Writer
Naina Dhaliwal Indian Model
Inderjit Hasanpuri Song Writer
Ram Singh Social Reformer
Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi One of founders of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam
Talish Pakistani Actor
Raj Khosla Director
Baldev Raj Chopra Producer and director
Kuldeep Manak Singer
Inderjit Nikku Singer
Ravinder Grewal Singer
Amar Singh Chamkila Singer
Diljit Dosanjh Singer
Surinder Shinda Singer
Karnail Gill Singer
Gippy Grewal Singer
Ishmeet Singh Singer
Lal Chand Yamla Jatt Singer
Pankaj Kapoor Actor
Hardev Dilgir Writer

References

  1. "Not An Easy Task For New MC Commissioner". Time of India. 29 December 2014.
  2. "India's Manchester". BBC. 28 February 2006.
  3. "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Ludhiana". fallingrain.com.
  4. Majeed, Shariq (26 March 2014). "Ludhiana worries over its PM". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
  5. Preet, Jatinder (16 October 2011). "Ludhiana fourth most polluted city in the world". The Sunday Guardian (Delhi, India). Archived from the original on 12 April 2014.
  6. "How air and water pollution plagues Indian cities". Hindustan Times. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014.
  7. "Ludhiana Climate Normals 1971-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  8. "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures up to 2010" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  9. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  10. "Doing Business in India 2009". World Bank. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  11. Entrepreneurship in India's small-scale industries. Richard P. Taub, Doris L. Taub
  12. Ludhiana Colleges. Mapsofindia.com. Retrieved on 16 June 2014.
  13. http://www.bsrdindia.org/
  14. New Delhi to Ludhiana Flights, Cheap Air Tickets from New Delhi to Ludhiana: MakeMyTrip India. Makemytrip.com. Retrieved on 16 June 2014.
  15. "Ola Cabs launch in Ludhiana and Amritsar".
  16. "Kabaddi World Cup: India all the way". The Tribune – Sports Page. 21 November 2011.
  17. Ludhiana’s Harshveer Sekhon wins medals at National Open Roller Skating Championship - YesPunjab
  18. Hindustan Times e-Paper. Paper.hindustantimes.com. Retrieved on 16 June 2014.
  19. "Racy start to Kila Raipur Rural Olympics". The Tribune – Ludhiana Tribune. 4 February 2011.
  20. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhdev_Thapar

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ludhiana.