• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • REVIEWS
    • TRAILERS
  • BUSINESS
  • CELEBRITIES
  • HOLLYWOOD
  • REGIONAL
  • TV
  • MUSIC
  • TOP LISTS

Bollywood Presents

Exotic locations where popular Bollywood movies were shot

You are here: Home / Film & Media Business / Surat: Once Plague Ridden, Its One of the Cleanest & Fastest Growing Cities

Surat: Once Plague Ridden, Its One of the Cleanest & Fastest Growing Cities

August 24, 2015 by BollywoodPresents Team

Surat: Cleanest & Fastest Growing Cities in IndiaOnce considered to be one of the filthiest cities in India, not only is Surat today one of the cleanest cities in India, but also one of the fastest growing cities in India. Most surveys/polls in fact consider it to be one of the best cities in India to live in.

In 1994, when the city was hit by plague, just the mere mention of Surat was enough to scare people from visiting that place, the city saw an exodus of frightened inhabitants leaving the city in hordes, and there was hysterical media coverage all over the world.

Fast forward couple of decades and Surat has turned out to be not only is one of the cleanest cities in India, but also a place that would give most urban cities in India a run for the money, when it comes to infrastructure and development.

Just take a drive from Mumbai to Surat, and you’ll be impressed with the quality of the roads. The four and a half hour drive (around 320 kms) is smooth and once you enter Surat, you’re going to rub your eyes in disbelief looking at the development, especially if you’ve not been to Surat for a long time.

Strong Entrepreneurial Spirit & Culture

Even the world acknowledges the diamond city’s rapid growth & transformation. A recent survey conducted by ‘The City Mayors Foundation’, an international think tank on urban affairs, had ranked Surat as the fourth fastest developing city in the world (not India).

Diamond, textile, embroidery are some of the industries attracting big investments and in turn helping development of the city. With virtually no Law and order problem, the city offers improved quality of living.

So what is it about Surat that works in its favour?

Top businessmen believe that the absence of a political environment has helped the economic growth and development of surat the most.

Here, people are business oriented (they have inherited this culture of trade) and hard working; its very common to hear stories of how people came to this city in just one pair of clothes and have went on to build businesses worth hundreds & thousands of crores of rupees.

The older generation have the experience and the contacts, and with their children getting educated in foreign universities and having knowledge of cutting edge technologies, family businesses are poised for bigger growths.

That’s also the reason why compared to other cities, its the non-conventional business sectors like like diamonds, embroidery (art silk and zari) that have contributed to the growth of the city.

Strong local governance (and state governance) coupled with the right infrastructure, has resulted in almost zero unemployment, despite heavy migration and population growth in last couple of decades.

You can expect the people hear to be practical. They’re punctual, especially when it comes to business meetings (so don’t keep them waiting for meetings). At the same time they also love to enjoy the good things and also love some spare time to socialize & gossip (especially in the afternoons), but then most of them can afford to do so as most of them are the bosses themselves.

Great Opportunity for Entertainment Industry

Being one of the fastest growing cities, and home to a thriving business community, Surat is also a market that people associated with the entertainment industry are waiting to tap into.

Catalogues, ad films & corporate films, high-end weddings are some of the segments that offer good opportunities. There’s good demand for celebrities as well, to endorse new projects.

There are many who are already working to get a pie of the lucrative wedding business. From event managers, set designers, fashion photographers, to caterers, all are visiting Surat to meet potential clients.

Great Infrastructure & Cleanliness

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) today has one of the best water-treatment plants and one of the best solid waste-disposal systems in the country.

If you live in one of the metros of India, you’ll surely be left spellbound seeing the city’s wide roads & flyovers, the way buildings have comes up (with lots of open spaces & wide interior roads) several gardens, cleanliness, and more.

Do you know that shop keepers, street vendors and restaurant owners fear the SMC sanitation workers more than the policeman in Surat? The SMC’s sanitation workers are really strict when it comes to cleanliness. If there’s filth around a paan shop, the owner will be slapped a big fine and in worst case even asked to close shop. If you’re caught throwing a cigarette, be prepared to cough up a fine.

SMC also has a hugely effective road-cleaning project, where SMC workers, armed with brooms, water and scrubbers clean up all the major roads every night.

Well, I guess that’s what is the need of the hour in every city in India.

Besides, the numerous new roads and flyovers ensure motorists have a smooth ride, and one rarely finds traffic snarls (so common in other parts of India). Of the several state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities in Surat, you’ll find several swimming pools of global standard.

Booming Businesses Set to Grow Further

Surat has a huge diamond polishing business (almost half of the world’s diamond-polishing industry is based here) and is also known as India’s diamond capital. It will even grow bigger as the diamond bourse in BKC Mumbai is planning to shift to Surat.

The growth in the diamond, textile and other businesses, along with the focus on infrastructure, has sent the land prices soaring, and real estate is not really cheap here. Although it seems as if most of the real estate owners are inverstors & NRI’s as most of the buildings seem to be vacant.

But its definitely great to see attractively designed cluster of buildings with wide roads, footpaths & gardens.

One of the Best Cities in India

Whenever a study gets as to which are the best cities in India to live in, based on several parameters like “mobility, water supply network, cleanliness, public amenities, pollution control, greenery, safety, and easy processes of getting work done at the corporation”, Surat’s name definitely comes up at the top in the list.

Probably the only thing that surat needs is a good airport! The current airport has limited capacity and doesn’t have night landing or morning take-off facilities.I’m sure the authorities have that in mind.

The SMC’s Rs 150 crore Tapti riverfront project is to develop the banks of the Tapti on the lines of “London-on-Thames”. So in the coming years, you can expect to see walkways, gardens, roads and small commercial hubs on the banks of the river.

Historically, although surat was already a big city when the Britishers were here, its growth was stopped by the rise of Mumbai (Bombay then) but that happened only for a short period. After all, business acumen is built into a Surti’s (native of Surat) genetic code and today Surat is home to several booming businesses.

It’s also a city of diversity, people seem to be more tolerant (historically peaceful), its easy to find non-vegetarian meals considering that majority are vegetarians (they also seen to love food as there are several eating outlets/joints), and its a place where people basically want to focus on enjoying the good things of life.

The only reason why a lot of people have not made the move to Surat yet is because its still a place where you need to be a part of a business. You won’t find good white collar job opportunities here yet and the services industry is not big, compared to other big cities in India.

However, Surat is definitely an interesting city and if you’re from any other big city in India, you definitely would wish that your city offered some of the amenities /facilities that this city offers to its people.

For someone, who’s lived in the metro cities like Mumbai, Surat comes like a breath of fresh air. I hope other cities in India take a cue from Surat and implement some of their practices (especially the cleanliness part and the construction-to-open-space ratio).

However, one thing is for sure! Surat’s transformation into a top-class city is because of the perceptible change of Surtis towards cleanliness; for them cleanliness now is a strict habit and not just awareness.



Related Posts:

  • Bollywood in Poland, Country with Medieval Hot Spots &…
  • Shabana Azmi: One of the finest actors of Indian cinema

Filed Under: Film & Media Business

RELATED POSTS

Yash Chopra Switzerland

Is Switzerland No Longer the Preferred Destination for Bollywood?

You may not have been to Switzerland yet, but if you have seen most of Yash Chopra’s movies, you would know what it looks like. Bollywood’s relationship with Switzerland has always been as enduring as those on-screen romances depicted in Bollywood movies. But just like the movies, there seems to be a twist in the […]

rangoon

Saif Ali Khan compares Mumbai, London and LA, his three favourite cities in the world

Saif Ali Khan is a proud Mumbaikar, after all he grew up here and also belongs to Bollywood. When he is not working, he usually spends time at home or steps out for a meal at one of his favourite restaurants in Mumbai or plays a game of tennis at the Bandra Gym. But Saif […]

kangana ranaut

Karan Patel asks Kangana why her sister is taking care of her business: Isn’t that Nepotism?

TV actor Karan Patel, without naming any star, calls Kangana Ranaut a hypocrite as she lets her sister manage her production house while she continues to talk about nepotism in Bollywood. Karan Patel feels, after Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, many actors who are nowhere related to Sushant have been trying to exploit the situation. In […]

Stupid dialogue in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil says “Mohd. Rafi gaate nahi rote the”, fans angry

Karan Johar was greatly relieved when his movie ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ was allowed a smooth release (the movie’s release date hung in balance because the movie had a Pakistani actor). However, it seems Karan Johar will have to deal with another controversy; this time the filmmakers were trying to have fun at the expense […]

Macau in Bollywood & Indian Films

Macau (along with Las Vegas) is a place known for its gambling scene, and several Indian films with themes around gambling have been shot here in Macau. An important sequence in the movie ‘Housefull’ was shot at the Venetian Casino in Macau (good to know that Indian filmmakers are not ready to take the beaten […]

Bollywood Babes Go Topless: Competition Making Them Feel Insecure?

We are seeing a trend where more and more Bollywood actresses are going Top-less. Is the fierce competition in the industry making them feel insecure? Lets find out more here. Although some of them might say that they are doing it for a cause, or they want to try out something different in their photo-shoots, […]

Top multi-designer fashion stores & boutiques in India for buying designer outfits

Top multi-designer fashion stores in India for buying designer clothing/outfits. The Fashion Industry in India has grown manifold in the last few years. Buyers are showing preference for designer outfits, and look for that cool quotient when it comes to design, style or fabric. With so many exciting/upcoming designers, designer brands, Indians are spoilt-for-choices when […]

Edinburgh, Capital City of Scotland

Virtual reality app lets you visit 16th century Edinburgh

Virtual reality (VR) lets you take a peek into Edinburgh’s historic past. Edinburgh 1544 is the first digital reconstruction of the Scottish capital in the early sixteenth century. Researchers from the University of St Andrews in the UK have developed a virtual reality app that lets visitors explore Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh and its surrounding […]

Bollywood in Hong Kong – The Pearl of the Orient

Bollywood in Hong Kong

Govinda

Govinda, the king of comedy who ruled the 90s

Govinda, who gave several super-hit films in the 90s, is trying hard to establish his second innings in Bollywood. He has done a few films recently, but those haven’t made much of an impact to his career yet. We just hope that he gets a good script/role as he is too talented to be kept […]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yogesh Somaiya says

    August 29, 2014 at 10:50 am

    Lot of people say that proximity to Mumbai has helped surat but I feel that proximity to mumbai has never helped surat in any way. Due to proximity to mumbai, in fact, Surat had to struggle for Domestic Airport. The Traditional Diamond Businesses which originated and grew in surat shifted their main offices to Mumbai due to lack of export infrastructure (say Airport), the same goes for textile business. Surat is the highest revenue earner for Western Railway but due to proximity to Mumbai it has never got the status of a full fledged railway division.

Primary Sidebar

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

RECENT POSTS

Tamannaah Bhatia

Tamannaah Bhatia: Lifestyle, Business and Net Worth

Tamannaah Bhatia is a well-known Indian actress who has made a name for herself in the film … [Read More...] about Tamannaah Bhatia: Lifestyle, Business and Net Worth

Saudi Arabia Tourism

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Dunki’ is Bollywood’s first movie to be shot in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is keen to reduce its dependency on oil and has been promoting tourism, including film … [Read More...] about Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Dunki’ is Bollywood’s first movie to be shot in Saudi Arabia

Shah Rukh Khan on business

Filming Destinations of SRK’s ‘Pathaan’ Spans Europe to the Middle East

Shah Rukh Khan's film Pathaan was filmed at several filming locations in Europe, Russia, Dubai, and … [Read More...] about Filming Destinations of SRK’s ‘Pathaan’ Spans Europe to the Middle East

music cities

Top music schools / colleges in the world

Top music schools / colleges in the world to learn music performance under expert musicians, to … [Read More...] about Top music schools / colleges in the world

Bollywood in Poland, Country with Medieval Hot Spots & Energetic Cities

Poland is located in the heart of Europe and is well known for its history, which is reflected in … [Read More...] about Bollywood in Poland, Country with Medieval Hot Spots & Energetic Cities

movie trailers

Top Forthcoming Bollywood Movies (& Trailers): Upcoming Entertainers for 2021

Want to know when the next entertainer of your favorite star is going to be released? Want to plan … [Read More...] about Top Forthcoming Bollywood Movies (& Trailers): Upcoming Entertainers for 2021

National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC)

Social Impact of Bollywood on Indian culture

Movies are one of the most influential tools of communication and society does learn a few things or … [Read More...] about Social Impact of Bollywood on Indian culture

bollywood rapes

Representation of women in Bollywood Films

Women in Bollywood films have been subject to stereotypes and objectification, and appeared in … [Read More...] about Representation of women in Bollywood Films

Music Scene in Saudi Arabia

How's the music Scene in Saudi Arabia. Is it really frowned upon? Read more here. Young musicians in … [Read More...] about Music Scene in Saudi Arabia

Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi: One of the finest actors of Indian cinema

Shabana Azmi, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) of Pune, made her film … [Read More...] about Shabana Azmi: One of the finest actors of Indian cinema

Amazon Fashion

Useful Read

  • Who coined the term ‘Bollywood’?
  • Dadasaheb Phalke (Father of Indian Cinema)
  • Evolution of Hindi Films
  • Social Impact of Bollywood on Indian culture

Footer

Upcoming Bollywood Movies

  • Love Aaj Kal Movie
  • Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele Movie
  • Hawayein Movie
  • Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Movie
  • The Hundred Bucks Movie
  • BHOOT: Part One – The Haunted Ship Movie
  • Haunted Hills Movie
  • 'O' Pushpa I Hate Tears Movie
  • Guns Of Banaras Movie
  • Thappad Movie

Bollywood Movie Reviews

  • Malang Review
  • Jawaani Jaaneman Review
  • Panga Review
  • Street Dancer 3D Review
  • Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior Review
  • Chhapaak Review
  • Good Newwz Review

Top Celebs

  • Ajay Devgn
  • Kajol
  • Saif Ali Khan
  • Shraddha Kapoor
  • Varun Dhawan
  • Deepika Padukone
  • Kangana Ranaut
  • Tabu
  • Aditya Roy Kapur
  • Disha Patani
  • Rajinikanth

About Us

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in