Guwahati (Assamese: গুৱাহাটী, previously spelled Gauhati) is a metropolitian city in easternIndia, with a population of 818,809 (2001 census). It is the largest city in the North-EastRegion of India and the second metropolitian in Eastern India after Kolkata. It is also considered as one of the largest cities of eastern India. It is said to be the "Gateway" of theNorth-east Region. Dispur, the capital of the Indian state of Assam, is located within the city. Guwahati is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India; during the past few decades it has experienced expansion and also a steep rise in population. According to a survey done by a UK media outlet, Guwahati is among the 100 fastest growing cities of the world, and is the 5th fastest growing among Indian cities.
The city is situated between the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west, and the town of Narengi to the east. The city is gradually being expanded as North Guwahati to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the city's local government, administers an area of 216 km², while the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, the planning and development administers an area of 340 km².Guwahati is a major commercial and educational center of North-East India and is home to world class institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. The city is also a major center for cultural activities and sports in the North Eastern region and for the administrative and political activities of Assam. The city is also an important hub for transportation in the North East Region.
Guwahati's 'urban form' is somewhat like a starfish. With a core in the central areas, the city has tentacles extending in the form of growth corridors towards south, east and west. In the past few decades, southern Guwahati areas such as Ganeshguri, Beltola, Panjabari, Jatia, Kahilipara etc. began forming a southern sub-center surrounding the capital complex at Dispur, principally depending on the GS Road corridor. the area which is near about 5 km from dispur i.e. panjabari area is really very beautiful.it is place of full natural beauty and climatic condition are somehow similar to Meghalaya.Shankardev Kalakshetra is one of popular tourist spot in this area.
The core area consists of the old city with Pan Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Fansi Bazaar and Uzan Bazaar, each one facilitating unique urban activities. While Paltan Bazaar is the hub for transportation and hotels, Pan Bazaar is centered around educational, administrative, cultural activities, offices and restaurants. Fansi Bazaar is the hub for retail and wholesale commercial activities, and Ujan Bazaar mainly contains administrative, retail and residential areas. With these bustling areas, the city core is a busy and lively part of the Guwahati. Ulubari, Lachit Nagar, Chandmari and Zoo Road (R.G. Baruah Road), which have a mix of retail-commercial and residential areas, can be considered an additional part of the core.
Among the city corridors, the most important is the corridor formed along the Guwahati-Shillong (GS) Road towards the south (almost 15 km from the city-center). The GS Road corridor is an important commercial area with retail, wholesale and offices developed along the main road, and it is also a densely-built residential area in the inner parts. The capital complex of Assam at Dispur is situated in this corridor. This corridor has facilitated the growth of a southern city sub-center at Ganeshguri, along with other residential areas to the south developed during the past few decades.
The corridor extending towards the west (around 30 km from the city-center) contains a rail-road linking not only Guwahati but also other parts of the North Eastern Region east of Guwahati to western Assam and the rest of India. The corridor links residential and historically important areas such as Nilachal Hill (Kamakhya),Pandu, and Maligaon (headquarters of Northeast Frontier Railways) before it separates into two - one towards North Guwahati and the other continuing west towards LGB International Airport via the University of Gauhati (Jalukbari). There are also many river ports/jetties along this corridor.The third major corridor extends towards the east (around 15 km from the city-center) linking Noonmati (Guwahati Oil Refinery - IOC Ltd.) and Narengi, and has facilitated residential growth along it.
Highway NH 37, which encircles the city's southern parts and links the southern corridor in Nomile to the western corridor in Jalukbari is currently supporting rapid development. Similarly, the VIP Road linking Zoo Road with the eastern corridor and recently completed Hengerabari-Narengi Road are also supporting massive residential development to the east.
In brief, the major components of Guwahati's urban structure are:
- The core or the 'city center' with Pan Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Fansi Bazaar and Ujan Bazaar
- The extended core with Chandmari, Zoo Road and Ulubari
- The north-southeast Guwahati-Shillong (GS) Road Corridor
- The southern sub-center of Ganeshguri
- The western corridor towards Kamakhya, Jalukbari and LGBI Airport and
- The eastern corridor towards Noonmati and Narengi
But the city is having notable changes in its morphology with rapid expansion. The Khanapara road is being converted into 4 lanes and it will be extended up to a place called Changsari in near future. Various projects are undertaken on the outskirts like the water park in Rani, which has brought those far flung areas under city reach by continuous visit by tourists. Also, two five star hotels are on the verge of being set up, arising hopes that by a decade or so, the city will be twice its size now.
