Powai, Mumbai

Overview

Powai, is a north-eastern suburb of Mumbai and is a posh locality situated on the banks of Powai Lake. The suburb was once a central village and a picnic spot, which has grown exponentially in recent years to become one of the most upmarket business and residential hubs. The suburb has one of the city's most cosmopolitan and modernized culture.  The presence of Kensington SEZ, which houses several IT and ITeS companies, has made the suburb attractive for several people. There are also other factors that have made Powai a good rental destination in Mumbai. The Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares linking the western and eastern suburbs, passes through Powai. Powai is served by Mumbai's only airport, located at a distance of 5 km and by the Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg railway stations on the Central line. The Sakinaka Metro station is 2.5 km away. The place has a vibrant nightlife, and shoots for several Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies. Administratively, it is a part of the Kurla tehsil and much of the area falls within the boundaries of the S-ward, the largest ward in Mumbai. Perhaps the best-known landmark of Powai is the Powai Lake, a 120-year-old lake that was originally used to supply water to the city of Mumbai, and is today used as an industrial sewage outlet. Another prominent landmark that most outsiders associate Powai with is the IIT Bombay, located to the east of the lake.

Connectivity

Powai is well connected to all the prime suburbs of Mumbai. Road is the main transportation here. Some of the important roads that connect the suburb include Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) and LBS (Lal Bahadur Shastri) Marg. The Eastern Express Highway (EEH), which connects the eastern suburbs, passes close to Powai. The Eastern Freeway which was open to public in 2013 and 2014 gave a fillip to the connectivity of the suburb with South Mumbai.

Powai does not have local trains, monorail or a metro rail service. The closest suburban railway stations are Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli railway stations. The nearest planned metro stations are in Jagruti Nagar, Marol and Saki Naka. However, the Mumbai International Airport is just about 5 km away from Powai. However, Kanjurmarg railway station is the nearest Central line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) station in the east of it which is located at a distance of 3.5 km via Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road.

Powai has regular BEST and A/C bus services within the locality as well as other parts of Mumbai. Auto-rickshaws are other common mode of transport within the suburb.

Upcoming/planned infrastructure

Larsen & Toubro, the country’s largest engineering firm, has received green nod for expansion of its Powai residential and IT tower projects in Mumbai. The company had received environment clearance (EC) for construction of three wings of IT towers. Pre-construction work has started.

BMC to commission Powai to Veravali water tunnel arm and Powai to Ghatkopar this year. It is expected to improve the water supply in Andheri, Versova, Juhu, Bandra, Santacruz, Ville Parle, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Powai areas.

In recent budget, Rs 10cr allotted to medical and dental colleges for collaborations with foreign universities, and to start faculty and student exchange programmes, to strengthen telemedicine centres, create digital classrooms and libraries.

Infrastructural Development (Social & Physical)

Powai has numerous schools and colleges to provide for the pre primary, primary, secondary and higher secondary education requirements of residents. The Kendriya Vidyalaya-IIT Powai, The Hiranandani Foundation School (HFS),  S. M. Shetty High School and Junior College, Gopal Sharma Memorial School, Bombay Scottish School, and Japanese School of Mumbai. The Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, colloquially referred to as IITB or IIT Bombay, is spread over an area of 550 acres to the east of the Powai Lake.

The suburb has a fully developed civic and social infrastructure. It has several malls, a dance academy, mega stores and hospitals. The presence of Powai Lake, the environment and the quality of air act in favour of the suburb.

It has several business and commercial establishments such as Deloitte, CRISIL and Bayer. IIT-Bombay and National Institute of Industrial Engineering are present in Powai. L&T too has a manufacturing plant in the suburb. Kensington SEZ is a prominent IT/ITeS SEZ in the area, which houses several multinational companies.