Karjat

Closed Canal Leads to Water Woes in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:42:00 +0000

A few days ago we had a welcome break from the soaring temperatures in Karjat, with the summer temperature outdoors doing more than 40 degrees celcius, the passing shower was a short respite from the heat.

But thats not all the woes we have had to complain about, the plan on expanding and cementing the canal undertaken by the government for the last two summers has caused far more pain to not only the villagers, farm owners and the eco system as well.

Tata Power dam in Bhivpuri, sends the water used for electricity generation either into the river or the canal, this water is used by the local farmers to have an extra reliable crop of rice. Reliable, because its not dependent on the rain, that sometimes lasts longer and can ruin the crop instead of being beneficial.

So in short over the last two years we have had no extra rice growing, we have had a tremendous increase in brick kilns, unfortunately without chimneys so the smoke, which is extremely harmful for health hovering around us, they also use tremendous amounts of water to mold the bricks.

The lack of canal water had made the entire water table go down, in areas from Sangli, Takve, Kadav have all been drastically affected. Currently Takve village has only functioning borewell which has the entire village qued up.

We have lost over 40 trees in the last two years due to the lack of water, currently we get around 200 liters of water every 6 hours to survive till the rains. But a rainbow of hope floats above us as we see the big dark clouds marching in.

Yesterdays cloud burst above us, provided much needed water to help our plants and trees survive. Lets hope we have a few more till the arrival of the monsoons.

With the rains, comes the end of the brick making, the plants and trees rejuvinate, the birds begin to mate, the water table replenishes and our lovely Karjat, turns green again. Heres to another lovely monsoon season in Green Karjat!

Karjat King ~ A Treat for the Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Vegetarian restaurants seem to be a trend in Karjat, here comes another that proclaims itself as the king, Karjat King!

After sampling their dishes three times, I think its safe for us to put a review up. Although we have eaten at the restaurant only once, the other times we took a parcel. The best part about the restaurant is that they, serve Mushrooms.Their Mushroom Tikka Masala, is quite yummy and so are the other dishes they offer. Compared to Raj Cottage and Royal Garden, Karjat King's quality of food and taste are better, since its a new restaurant I guess this is the only way it can make a name for itself.The time we ate over there or even taking a parcel, service is a little bit off and the coffee cups were not as clean as you would want them to be :( That was a little bit on the downside. The other downside there were so many dishes on the breakfast menu that were not available, dosas, sandwiches, the only thing that was available was the medu vada and idli sambar.Apart from that the dishes were nice and new, theres no ambiance, seating is fairly simple but the food cost is not really cheap or too expensive. Part of the menu is placed below for you to judge, its approximately the same cost as Raj Cottage and a bit more expensive as compared to Royal Garden. The restaurant is located at the corner of the Karjat to Khopoli road.

BSNL's Internet Service in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:44:00 +0000

When we moved from Mumbai to Karjat we were very apprehensive about the Internet services in Karjat, since we use to have problems with Tata Indicom's service in Mumbai, we expected the worse, especially being a rural area.

But our country is full of surprises, since BSNL was a major ISP here and with a few relatives who live in Goa recommending BSNL connections we decided to try them out. We first purchased a CDMA datacard with national roaming that we still use. The card has been used in Pune, Goa, the sad part is that it doesn't work in Mumbai, but works all around India for a cost of Rs 550 a month plus taxes, our total volume of usage has been over 16 GB of data transfer.

No other ISP offers you an unlimited data card plan for so cheap, with speeds of around 8 - 12 KB on an average. With the help of BSNL we managed to get a landline since the cable was around 150 meters away, we hired a JCB got the cable put in and our connection in such a short span of time it was fantastic. We are now on a 512KB unlimited plan and its uptime is around 95% which is way better than what we had in the city.

Mr. Singh and Mr. Jhangham from BSNL Karjat were extremely helpful while we were getting our connection. Today Mr. Singh is in Mumbai while Mr. Jhangham still helps, if you need to get an Internet connection in Karjat, don't look any further, your solution is BSNL.

5% downtime isn't too much,it seems sometimes locals who provide phone services tend to cut the cable so as to help kill the more affordable solution. So in case your are laying a broadband cable it has to be around 3 feet deep to avoid this from happening.

We would sincerely like to thank BSNL Karjat for providing us with this wonderful service, allowing us to survive in the midst of nature! Thank you everyone at BSNL for the hard-work that goes into providing your services in Karjat.

To make it easier we have uploaded all the forms required for a new telephone & Internet connection, yopu have to get a landline to apply for Internet.

Download BSNLs New Internet Connection Forms

Bsnl Karjat Contact Numbers:

Customer Care - 221399/222599
Customer Care Karjat Urban - 221499
Customer Care Karjat Rural - 221000

Animal Shelter Opening in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:06:00 +0000

An Animal Shelter is slated to open in Karjat near Takve village, which is around 12 kms from Karjat. Started by The Terra Anima Trust for Animals, the shelter supports injured, abandoned, destitute and chronically handicapped animals. It will be open 24x7 and will provide medical help to injured animals.

Roxanne Davur, is a Master Trainer in Animal Welfare, Govt. of India and has worked in the Nilgiris for the past 15 years and has moved back to Karjat. She aims to spread awareness, encourage careers, education and empathy in Animal Welfare.

The shelter will have a resident vet much needed in Karjat with the lack of veterinarians and the amount of farm animals, livestock and stray dogs.

This will be one of the closest Shelters to Mumbai and the first to open in Karjat. There use to be a dog breeding farm but that has shifted to Pen. More on the animal shelter soon!

Buying Property in Karjat?

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:53:00 +0000

The demand for property in Karjat has pushed the land prices up by phenomenal amounts, today the prices are anywhere from 25 Lakhs an acre to over a Crore an Acre depending on the location of the property.

That is not a small sum of money anymore, only the rich can afford to have a huge farm house with acres of land, while the upper middle class look out for plots.

A builder buys a couple of acres, then divides them into plots and sell them for a handsome profit. Lets take a look at some pointers that you need to be aware of before buying your dream home in Karjat.

Most builders advertise their properties with pictures taken during the rainy season. The main reason why that happens, is because it displays the fact that there is no shortage of water. But thats far from true, many parts of Karjat face a severe water shortage, these places are located after the page river, namely Kashele.

An important point is to see if the builder guarantees a 24/7 bore-well with water during summer time or a river that flows even during summer this would be the most important factor.

Is the land you are buying agricultural or non agricultural. Was the land a previous paddy or rice field, if it was then you need to get trucks of mud to elevate the land or be prepared for flooding during the rainy season, your house construction should also be elevated.

If you need to dig a bore-well, remember that wells cannot be re-bored or are nearly cost the same as boring a new well. Remember to go down at least two to three hundred feet if you strike water in the first hundred feet to avoid problems in the future.

Would you like to stay connected while you are in Karjat, BSNL provides some fantastic internet services with special discounted costs in the rural areas, find out where the BSNL towers are for basic connectivity and where their centers are for broadband connectivity, broadband exists all the way to Takve as of now.

Hope you find this post informative and helpful when you buy your second home in Karjat!

Karjat's Saturday Market

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:34:00 +0000

Every Saturday, Karjat hosts a vegetable market just after crossing the bridge on the left hand side located opposite the colourful marriage hall. The chance of getting a good deal here not only attracts truck loads of people from the villages, but also farm owners and urban dwellers who come to Karjat for a relaxing weekend.The produce is grown by farmers between Karjat and Pune and Nashik as well. They slowly come in the morning and sell their vegetables till sunset, but by evening most of the leafy vegetables are sold out.
While some vendors bring in their tempos full of goods, others come with sacks full of produce to sell through the day. With the amount they bring in you can imagine the amount of people flocking to buy their supplies.

Add to that the amount of vendors required to sell their wares and you have a full fledged bazaar on Saturday. The price of course is less than the usual market price, and the price in the bazaar itself varies from vendor to vendor so do check a couple of vendors prior to purchase.
We bought quite a few vegetables including some that are not to be found on a daily basis in Karjat, like Zucchini and Sweet Corn.
Apart from vegetables, you have a Gola Wala or Kulfi Wala helping the crowd keep cool. Its not usually to find vendors selling masalas and spices in the market as well.
Everywhere you find people who love the camera, here were two vegetable sellers who wanted us to take a picture of them :)
Seeing the popularity of the Bazaar, more vendors are beginning to put their wares on display. Like the steel vendor below, who seems to be bargaining with a customer. A good time to visit the bazaar would be around noon when all the vegetables are just brought in and you have a lot of variety, or in the evening if your looking for discounts on the usual veggies.

Lucky's Korner

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:39:00 +0000

Just before the Neral phata there are a string of restaurants that one comes across, one of the well known restaurants is Lucky's Korner. Aptly named for its location Lucky's churns out some interesting dishes from various kinds of cuisines, not limited to Indian, Moghlai, Chinese and Sea Food.

Prior to getting to the food talk, the restaurant has a car park with steps leading to the middle, you can choose to sit either on the left or the right, both sides overlook a lawn dotted with geese or chicken for entertainment. They also have two, not so well maintained fish tanks but nice open space with limiting ambiance inside.

The steps and path leading to the restaurant are dotted with plants and lotus pots. Lucky's Korner not only has a huge menu list, it offers friendly service with good quality food.

The Tandoori Chicken is what I call real value for money here, priced at Rs 180 for a full chicken its good quantity and quality in a single package. We also got a change to try Lucky's outdoor catering recently and enjoyed the Bombil Rawa Masala Fry, Prawn Curry seemed a little thin but tasty.

Over all the food is good, so is the vegetarian food, the only down side is they do not offer beer or alcohol which would compliment the wide range of appetizers they have to offer.

Lucky's Korner Contact No's:
9921841414
9881764964
9273127314

TMC's Low Cost Housing Project

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:44:00 +0000

We had spoken about Tanaji Malusare City in an earlier post, with regards to their ambitious skywalk. But overall have not spoken about TMC Karjat in whole about the concept of the project and what exactly it is.

TMC is situated in Karjat approximately 2 Kilometers away from the railway station. But ofcourse they plan the TMC skywalk to touch the station which will basically be a big boon to daily travellers.

The Tanaji Malusare City comes under a low cost housing scheme that offers, five types of house namely a 216 sq. ft (1 Room Kitchen), a 304 sq.ft. (1 Room Kitchen), a 439 sq. ft (1 BHK), a 540 sq. ft ( 2 BHK) and a 684 sq. ft ( 3 BHK). The cost of the housing starts from Rs 3,00,000.

There will be a total of 15,000 flats spread over 100 acres including a School, Hospital, a 3 lakh sq.ft mall, multiplex, community hall, piped cooking gas, children’s playground and retail outlets strategically placed around the city.

Take a look at this video where you can get to see the master plan of the city, the location and the inside of a flat in TMC.

The plans of the flats are displayed below:

TMC 2 BHK Flat Plan:

TMC 1 BHK Flat Plan:

TMC 1 RK Flat Plan:

The entire site plan can also seen below, unfortunately its not a high resolution image, stay tuned for more updates on TMC!

Back to the Basics of Ganesh Visarjan

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:46:00 +0000

Festivals bring families/communities together as everybody participates in the traditional customs and rituals. This was quite evident during Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated in remote villages of Karjat. It was a contradicting picture as compared to the hyped up scene in Mumbai, and turned out to be more enjoyable, less noisy and the excitement was palpable.

Every house in the village get their own Ganapati, generally for five days, decorate the idol, conduct puja and on the sixth day immerse it along with goddess Gauri.

On the immersion day the men in the village carry Ganesh idols, which are placed on a wooden stool, on their heads. While the women follow them carrying idols of Gauri on their heads.

It was interesting to see the way each idol of Gauri was decorated. Some draped saris around the clay statue, donned her with jewelery like nose ring, necklace, mangalsutra, flowers and leaves, while some were carrying photos of Gauri and placed it on colorful baskets.

Singing bhajans they all marched towards Pench river that flows through Karjat. One of the villagers also mentioned that the idols were only made of clay and not any harmful material that can pollute the river.

Another village was already performing the last rites of immersion while others peacefully waited for their turn.

Idols of Gauri placed on the banks of river Pench to perform the remaining rituals. There were similar type of flowers in each of these baskets, apparently the local boys get them from the jungle a day prior to Gauri.

A married woman doing puja of Gauri, considered to be goddess of prosperity and wealth.

After the puja is done women remove the jewelery and prepare for Gauri visarjan.

While on the other side men perform the last rites in front of Ganesh by lighting candles, singing bhajans/hymns, break a coconut and preparing for immersion.

It was much easier to stand close to the river banks to take pictures as compared to Mumbai, where it would be impossible to get close to the sea during immersion.

People carried their idols in the river and went as far as they could to immerse it and prayed for Ganesh to return next year. Some kids were just enjoying diving in and going for a swim.

While the women bid adieu to Goddess Gouri, only immersing the idol and picking out the flowers.

Also part of festivities were young boys who helped with the immersion.

At the end of it prasad in the form of poha, sugar, coconut mixed with banana was distributed among all the devotees. Most of the villages in Karjat follow this, except a few bigger ones who install speakers and an entire music system to start the procession, more like Mumbai style.

But a simple ceremony, nevertheless that reflects the essence of a community festival. Bringing people together as one was much preferred as compared to Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai.

Magical Monsoons in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:19:00 +0000

Karjat during the monsoons is as colorful as these leaves. Covered with variety of flora and fauna, Karjat transforms into a lively, energizing zone.

The plants come to life, flowers bloom in all its glory, birds build their nest and give life to new ones, frogs rejoice in the rains and the waterfalls begin to flow in full swing.

Since monsoon is the best season to visit Karjat, its a favorite weekend getaway for many city dwellers. Here's a glimpse of magical monsoons in Karjat and what you might be missing on. Drops of rain settle on the branches of the casuarina tree.
There are fruit trees in Karjat, guava, chickoo, papaya, and many more. The one below is the pretty flower of the guava tree.
There is so much water flowing, even the plants growing in the wild have lovely flowers.
Trumpet creepers blossom only during the monsoons, the orange flowers add colour to the green landscape.
Summer dries up the teak trees, and the rain gives new life to them.

A common sight in this season are the mushrooms, growing under the trees, on grass, and in all shapes and sizes.
The morning dew that collects on the plants makes a pretty picture.
The open fields are covered in carpet of green surrounded by dense forest and cloud-covered peaks, its a beautiful view. Even the herd of buffaloes enjoy grazing in these fields. Even rafting is possible in Karjat during the monsoons, on the Ulhas river. Below photo shows a group of school children waiting to go rafting. Its the mating season for birds, amphibians, animals, reptiles, insects etc. A huge frog found his mate after several calls. If you are a nature lover then its the ideal time to visit Karjat. There is no end to the amount of diversity you will witness here, all you need to do is observe.

Dada's Grill: Pizzas, Pastas and Curries

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:54:00 +0000

Although there are a variety of places to eat in and around Karjat, sometimes the need arises to have a cuisine that is not spicy, like most of the food served in this region. Dada's Grill, which is located in Takve village on the Karjat-Murbad road while going to Kashele, offers a welcoming treat for the taste buds.
The à la Carte is something that can be really tantalizing, Dada's Grill in Karjat churns out some of the best pastas that can be compared to few restaurants in Mumbai. The food is overpriced (since its main clientèle includes weekend hoppers from Mumbai, Pune, etc.), and besides, the menu does not hold the real price as its outdated, so be warned.

They also serve Indian food, we would recommend Chicken Masala, that serves as a delightful starter, as compared to the expensive Garlic Cheese bread which is made out of bread slices. The Biryanis and Butter Chicken too are sumptuous with decent quantity.
For the vegetarians, Veg Kadai and Paneer Mutter is a good bet, it cost anywhere between Rs 75 to Rs 100. A Veg Pasta costs between Rs 195 to Rs 225, while a Chicken Biryani will set you back by around Rs 240. They do serve Pizzas as per the menu but they generally never have them.
Beer is also served at the restaurant for Rs 140, a big bottle of Kingfisher Mild, it use to be Rs 120 until the manager started charging us Rs 140.

Dada's Grill overlooks a well-maintained lawn that's surrounded by trees and vegetable patches, the only downside to it is the low roofing, making the place extremely hot during summers. The aesthetics and ambiance of this place is soothing and makes Dada's Grill a fun place to dine at.
They also offer rooms for Rs 3300 per day inclusive of all meals, which is served via a buffet system. Although it may sound steep the cost is competitive to other hotels and resorts in Karjat.
Whats even better is that it has only a couple of rooms, a swimming pool and 16 acres of land for you to get lost in.
Dada's Grill claims to offer home delivery as well, but we have not managed to get a single one. The best thing to do if you want a parcel is place an order and collect it after a little while and yes, the manager also charges you for the containers.

Dada's Grill Contact:
9823429987

Dada's Grill Location:

Hailstorm Strikes Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:54:00 +0000

Bringing a brief respite from the scorching heat, the rain gods put up a surprising show few days ago on April 30th in Karjat. A short spell of heavy rainfall was accompanied by an unexpected hail storm, which lasted for around 5 minutes, while the rain continued for a couple of hours. This probably would be the first time that hail stones, which were small, round-shaped ice, were falling from the overcast skies in Karjat.

It seemed like it was building up over the past few days, with loud thundering and lightning splitting the night sky. On Friday the weather was hot and humid until afternoon, when it started to drizzle, cold drops of rain falling initially, and then suddenly hail struck to surprise us all.

Since that day the weather is back to being hot and sunny. But it was a much-needed change, as it washed up all the trees and plants, making it look more green and vibrant. A glimpse of what it looks like during the monsoons. Maybe we'll have early rains this time!

Karjat's Waste Management Woes

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:39:00 +0000

If you have visited Karjat in recent times, you would have noticed that just beyond the city on the other side of the bridge leading to the villages, there is an over-sized dump yard that runs around 100 meters along the side of the road.

Just how Mumbai has a massive garbage problem, Karjat even though much smaller in size seems to be facing the same problem. The smaller size should help the local bodies more effectively manage this problem.

The recent enforcement of the ban on plastic bags in Karjat is a step forward, but thin plastic bags are still available in some shops. Whats worse is due to the amount of garbage collected the authorities choose to set the dump on fire, sending arsenic fumes into the air, creating a Deonar like scenario in Karjat.

Naina from Prakash Nursery, located diagonally opposite the Garbage Dump, said, "We would request help from anybody who can help convince the officials to do something about the dump. Not only do we have to put up with the stench and smoke, but every monsoon the rain water brings the garbage into our properties creating a huge mess."

In recent times some private parties have started taking part of the garbage and using it for vermi-compost and selling it as fertilizer to farm house owners across Karjat. The other sad part is the reckless dumping of garbage in the river on the road to Karjat station.

You can get to see a wonderful sunset with the reflection of the colours on the river, and then a small load carrier would stop and empty its load of waste onto the banks of the river. A small amount of garbage is visible in the picture, but in reality its much more.

It would be nice if the locals could be taught about waste management and if all the farm owners learn to dispose of their garbage in their own compounds.

Jain Temple in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:25:00 +0000

On the Mahavir Peth road leading to Karjat station, close to the rickshaw stand is a beautifully made Jain temple. Catering to a small Jain community present in the area the temple is the only Jain Mandir in Karjat.

Like most of the Jain shrines, this one too is carved out of white marble. The entrance bears intricate carvings of figures symbolising Jain faith. The flight of stairs leading to the main temple is embellished with colorful stones and white marble.

To the left of the steps is the puja area and on the right are idols of deities.

As I entered the main temple, the peaceful environment envelops you, and fills you with reverence and admiration of the place. The main deity of this temple is Lord Neminath, whose idol was adorned with flowers and jewelery, a custom followed by Jains.

The pillars had colorful carvings of various figures, the dome-shaped ceiling was well designed and the floor shone with the glow of marble. There were very few people offering prayers, and the pujari was busy cleaning the main worship area, he of course stopped me from taking pictures of the idol.

Swastika carved on the wooden door.

There is also an upper level, the main deity being Lord Shantinath. After offering my prayers, I made an exit and was glad to have visited this peaceful shrine in the narrow lane of a busy road.

Baba Dairy in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Baba Dairy has become a must stop for us on our way to Karjat. Situated few kms before chowk in Vavarle village, the dairy churns out some mouth-watering food and milk products.

Baba Dairy has come up recently in the past 6-7 months, and since its away from Karjat city you get a good view of the mountain range from there.
Each time we visit the place we find ourselves sipping on the delicious thick lassi (Rs 15) or gobbling up the delectable paneer parathas. The Paneer parathas are stuffed with Paneer mixed with Coriander and Chilli, making the filling inside greenish in colour. The soft Paneer is made at the dairy itself and it literally melts in the mouth, and its served with Curd and Pickle. All it comes for just Rs 35.

We have tried all the sweets available there and can vouch for the Malai Sandwiches, Chum Chum, Milk Cake and Rabadi, which is my favorite. The thick Rabadi is rich, heavy and definitely affordable. Priced at Rs 10 for 50 grams we end up bringing it back to Bombay to have it as a dessert after meals. If you want to binge and don't mind eating rich Indian sweets, then try out rabdi with milk cake, its a delicious combination. All the Baba Dairy products are priced at a very reasonable rate, that's why we like to eat there often. The other sweets like Malai Sandwich etc. cost Rs 10 per piece. The Pedas are unique, they are milkier than any other Pedas we have consumed, its kind of an acquired taste and you may not like it instantly. This was the fourth time we had visited Baba Dairy, and we were really keen to visit the huge tabela (cow shed) behind the eating area and shop. So we asked the manager there, and with a friendly smile he gave us permission to stroll through the premises that holds buffaloes and prepares these delicious sweets from fresh milk.

The bovines were huge as you can see, all of them had tags on their ears and they occupied two sheds, placed in a row. There were other rooms as well, in some the workers were sleeping while in others they were making sweets.
Next time you go to Karjat, make sure you drop by to have some fresh lassi and paneer parathas!

Tanaji Malusare City to have a Skywalk

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:53:00 +0000

Tanaji Malusare city, the mammoth low-cost housing project coming up in Karjat, will have a motorised skywalk connecting all the facilities in the township and to Karjat station. The planned skywalk would be the first coming up in this fast-developing rural area.

The skywalk will be approximately 2 km long and cost Rs 18 crores. Pravin Banavalikar, CEO, TMC, said, "It will curve around the settlement and connect all the main utilities, including schools, recreation centres, play centres and hospitals to it. As it is motorised (has a moving floor, like the ones at airports and tube stations abroad), the 60,000 residents will have to access it through a paid swipe card. However, the finer modalities have not been worked out yet."

Tanaji Malusare city, tagged as India's largest social housing project, will be spread across 100 acres in Shirse and Akurle villages of Karjat. It will consist of as many as 15,000 homes for about 60,000 people.

MMRDA to Improve Karjat Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:30:00 +0000

The uneven roads are a common sight in Karjat especially during the monsoons.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has finally decided to improve the roads in four council areas including Karjat, Raigad, Kulgaon-Badlapur and Ambarnath. MMRDA will spend around Rs 30.49 crore on construction and improvement of 15 major roads.

Four roads in Karjat, three in Kulgaon-Badalapur municipal council area and six in Raigad will get a face-lift. According to the proposal, MMRDA will provide nearly 90% of funds for road development.

The spokesperson of MMRDA was quoted as saying that their aim was to make internal roads motorable through out the year. "There are many internal roads in these council areas which are not motorable, especially during and after monsoon. Many a time, state transport buses are not able to reach far-off areas since these roads are not motorable enough."

Star Gazing Near Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:18:00 +0000

We all know the skies around Karjat are clear, the clean air makes it a fabulous place for star gazers. But wouldn't it be even better to watch the stars and learn about the constellations and their movements.

Thanks to a group known as the Khagol Mandal, a group of sky observers that have been conducting observation programs for over 20 years at Vangani. The group has also been educating teachers for nearly 25 years, hoping the information will be handed down to the school children.

If you are up for an all night sky gazing adventure, this is what your crash course in Astronomy is like:

1) 6.00 pm - 6.30 pm - Registration for the program
2) 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm - Introduction to telescopes
3) 7.30 pm - 8.30 pm - First session about the evening sky.
4) 8.30 pm - 9.00 pm - Observations through telescopes
5) 9.00 pm - 10.00pm - DINNER BREAK
6) 10.00pm - 11.30pm - Second session about the Sky
7) 11.30pm - 12.00 - Observations through telescopes
8) 12.00 - 12.30am - First Tea Break
9) 12.30am - 2.30 am - Slide Show, Quiz, Question Answer session
10) 2.30am - 3.00 am - Second Tea Break
11) 3.00am - 4.30 am - Third session about the sky
12) 4.30am - 5.00 am - Observations through telescopes

Any one from the age of 10 to 65 can attend this session, the cost is approximately Rs 100 and for members its much lesser.

Things to Carry!

Khagol Mandal provides you with two cups of tea, so you need to carry a mug, your own dinner, a mat to sit on the open ground, warm clothes and gloves, a water bottle as well as a small torch covered with red paper.

How to Get There?

Its a 7 minute walk from Vangani station, you can take a train at 4pm from CST, please refer to the Karjat Train Time Table and be there before 6pm. Ask the locals for "Tarangan Marg" and it shouldn't be a problem.

When does it happen?

The program is usually arranged on a Saturday Night nearest to New Moon Day as the stars are visible more clearly with less moon light. The schedule is generally put up on the Khagol Mandal website, or you can also try contacting them on the email address provided there.

Low Cost Housing Coming Up in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:53:00 +0000

As Bombay can't hold more people, the lack of space and development has forced builders to look for greener pastures. Karjat seems to be the choicest location for builders, with the MMRDA's big plans for the city.

One firm, Matheran Realty, is focusing on creating ultra low-cost housing in Karjat. Situated just 90km east of Mumbai, its a viable option for many people especially when it comes to the price factor. Their project named Tanaji Malusare City, is India’s first social housing project, is spread across 100 acres. They intend to build 15,000 flats with prices starting at a little over Rs 2 lakhs for a 19 square-metre apartment.

Milind Mhaiskar, metropolitan commissioner, said, "There is a huge requirement for low cost accomodation and a desire among people for affordable houses. People do not seem to mind even if they are far from Mumbai city. We are confident of good response to projects in Vasai, Karjat, Kalyan, and Thane."

Real estate in Karjat is a big business, if you have recently visited Karjat you would see hoardings and billboards all along the road advertising property sales and farm house sales. But Karjat is not only catering to the low cost flat owners. Corporations like the Big Studio are also seeing Karjat as a viable option.

With development slowly catching up in Karjat one can only wonder, how long will Karjat be a green getaway for nature lovers in Mumbai.

Maritime Academy Opens in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:36:00 +0000

A HongKong-based shipping company, Anglo Eastern is slated to open a maritime academy in Karjat. They recently acquired an existing nautical college thats spread across 53 acres site, including hostel capacity for 240 students.

On our recent visit to Karjat we came across a massive structure before Sandshi village, the entrance seemed as if it was enclosing a palace, that's what I was told on asking a person at the gate. He said it was a palace and now its taken over by someone. A palace in Karjat, sounds unbelievable!
On doing research I got know that its actually a Maritime academy opened by Anglo Eastern. The academy commences its operations in August this year with first intake of cadets straight out of high school.

Anglo Eastern also has a training center in Mumbai, and together with the academy in Karjat it will be the largest and well-equipped training establishment in India.

River Touch Resorts

noreply@blogger.com (Bhavika) — Tue, 05 May 2009 08:57:00 +0000

ature lovers now have an affordable option to stay in Karjat. River Touch Resorts, built on the banks of River Pej amidst lush surroundings, offers a good break from the maddening crowd of the city at a decent cost.

Located around 10 kms from Karjat railway station in Mandvane village, River Touch is partially air-conditioned, with a total of 10 rooms, bungalows, cottages and dormitory.

Some of the facilities include:

- Group picnic facilities
- Adventure sports
- Health club
- Garden parties by the river bank
- Swimming pool
- Poolside parties and rain dance

Families can also sit by the banks of the river Pej and relax, eat or just have fun.

Tariff:
A room is available from Rs 3000 onwards which includes meals, games, swimming and rain dance. If not overnight then a day picnic cost comes to Rs 500 per person including all of the below.

Reservation Contact of RiverTouch Resorts:

Off Tata Road, Village Mandavane,
Taluka Karjat, District Raigad,
Tel: 9320027779/9850675159
Mumbai Office Tel : 022-24329632/9821037779/9320037779
Email: shaileshchangle@yahoo.co.in

Location of River Touch Resorts:

Meher Bakery: Karjat's Oven Fresh Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Well there is no major bread manufacturer that supplies bread in Karjat, not because they don't have the reach but perhaps due to this little bakery that floods Karjat with not only bread, but a range of edibles like Nankaties, Khari Bisucits, Toasts, Pastries, samosas etc.

Not only does this generate work for the locals but also provides an interesting variety to the tourists who come on the weekends. Meher Bakery has an outlet that sells the produce of the bakery in the city, just before you cross the bridge next to the rickshaw stand, around 10 meters towards the station.
While the produce is made Tiware a couple of kilometers away from Kadav. The outlet here is adorned with a lot of portrait's of people and gods and also has a video camera, perhaps to keep track of the person at the cash counter.

You do not need to go to the bakery itself to find the soft bread as its available in most of the shops in every major village like Kashele, Kadav etc. In Kadav village, Sachin Pan Shop is the one that keeps the most products of Meher and in general as well.

We recommend you try the chocolate nankaties and the special toast, both make a wonderful tea time snack. Meher has opened up a new outlet opposite the police station ground in Karjat where you can get veg pizzas, rolls and sandwiches apart from a range of dairy sweets and cakes. Their products are very economically priced and are definitely tasty :)

Banks in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Bank of India, Mahavir Peth ~ 222056/222256
Bank of India, B.D.O Khalapur ~ 229542/229543
Bank of India, Kadav Branch ~ 226236
Bank of Maharashtra, Kashele ~ 224010
Raigad District Bank, Bazar Road ~ 222052
U.C.O. Bank, Station Road ~ 222050
U.C.O. Bank, Vaijanath, Humgaon ~ 225022
State Bank of India, Karjat ~ 220414/220415

Architects & Interior Designers in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:53:00 +0000

Sanjay Jarpude ~ 9423375971
Ketan Musale & Associates ~ 9323283589
Dhananjay Medhi/Darshan Medhi ~ 9373811943/02148222139

Auto Mechanic in Karjat

noreply@blogger.com (Clyde) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:53:00 +0000

Gulab Auto (Dahivali) ~ 9850139294/9373682299