PLACES

URAN

Uran (Uran peta; 18°'60 N, 72°55' E; p. 8,672, RS. Bombay, 7 m.) a municipal town in the south-east of Karanja or Uran island and the headquarters of Uran peta lies about. eight miles south-east of Bombay and ten south-west of Panvel.

The population of the town according to the census of 1951 was 8,672. Of this, the agricultural classes number 784 and the non-agricultural 7,888. Of the latter, 2,645 persons were engaged in production other than cultivation; 1,509 in commerce; 640 in transport and 3,094 in other services and miscellaneous sources.

Municipality

Uran is a municipal town with an area of.8 square miles where municipality was established in the year 1867. The total number of municipal councillors is 15; two seats being reserved for women. There are three municipal committees, viz., (i) the managing committee, (ii) the dispensary committee, and (iii) the school committee. These committees look after the municipal work in the respective fields.

The income of the municipality for the year 1959-60 excluding the extraordinary and debt heads amounted to Rs. 1,11,997; the rates and taxes being Rs. 63,413; revenue derived from municipal property and powers apart from taxes Rs. 9,783; grants and con-tributions Rs. 34,032; and miscellaneous Rs. 4,769. The expenditure for the same year amounted to Rs. 96,191; general administration and collection charges being Rs. 23,410; public safety Rs. 8,298; public instruction Rs. 12,556; contribution Rs. 1,318 and miscellaneous Rs. 5,448.

The town is supplied with piped water from the municipal water works, viz., the Aziz Water Works built in 1941 at a cost of about Rs. 60,000. The cost was met with from the amount received by way of private donations. The storm water and the waste water in the town is carried away through surface drains.

The primary schools in the town are run by the Zilla Parishad the municipality paying its annual contribution based on the rental value. The General Education Society runs a high school at Uran to which the municipality pays an annual grant of Rs. 250. The Gopalkrsna Granthalaya, Uran, which is recognised as a peta granthalaya receives an annual grant of Rs. 100 from the municipality. The Desouza Charitable Dispensary at Uran is a Government-aided dispensary. In 1948 the town was visited by plague when the municipality spent nearly Rs. 7,000 to fight the epidemic.

The total road length within the municipal limits is seven miles six furlongs, of which seven miles four furlongs are metalled and two furlongs concrete.

There are two cremation places for Hindus managed by the municipality and the burial grounds for Muslims and Christians are managed privately.

Uran has a large customs-house and a liquor shed now occupied by the Marine department at Mora, the chief port, three miles to the north. Uran has a dispensary, a meat market, a church, about ten temples, and a mosque. The Pascoa De Souza charitable dispensary was, in 1859, endowed by Mr. De Souza with Rs. 11,000, a house and furniture, Government providing the establishment, and the municipality giving a yearly contribution Rs. 125. It is in charge of the Medical Officer of the Municipality. There is a private maternity home.

The meat market is a corrugated iron building, raised in 1872-73 at a cost of Rs. 2,200. Near the market is the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Purification, of which details have been given under Uran island. The Hindu temples are, Sahgamesvar Mahadev's, built of stone by the famous Sarsubhedar Ramaji Mahadev (1760-1772), two temples of Vithoba, and temples of Vyankates and Balaji, three temples of Maruti, Ganapati, Laksminarayan, and of Dronagiri and Sitaladevi. The mosque, known as. the Jama Masjid, was built in 1750 by Musalmans of Uran, and enjoys a yearly Government allowance. The large pond was dug and surrounded by stone walls at the private expense of Manuel De Souza, who was Mamlatdar of Salsette about 1830. While digging the pond an inscribed stone was found. It was built into the wall, and, from the belief that all old land grant stones were by Bhim Raja, has given it the name of the Bhimala pond.

Objects.

Historically Uran comes into the picture when the English under Colonel Keeting resolved to support Raghoba capture the place towards the end of 1774. [Grant Duff: Marathas, Vol. II, 27.]

On the site of the modern town of Uran there was formerly a fort, said to have been built by the Portuguese. The remains of four corners of the fort are still visible, and there are traces of the old wall which joined the towers [The four ruined towers were near the mahalkari's office, among the fisher-men's huts near the Panvel road, nearthe old ruined Portuguese Church of St. Francis on the Panvel road, and close to the markets.]. The wall was fourteen feet wide, and is said to have been fifteen or twenty feet high. The northern and southern walls were 300 yards long, and the eastern and western 200 yards. The fort walls are said to have been broken down by Mr. De Souza, and the materials used in building the Bhimla pond.

Of the more recent buildings at Uran, the important are the municipal building and the fish market. Uran has a table-salt factory known as the 'Solar-Table Salt'. Another big manufacturing concern, the "Grindwell Abrasives Ltd." the only one of its kind in India is situated at Mora.

Bhiwandiwalla Garden.-The garden is situated near Bhimala water reservoir. The trustees of the estates of K. B. H. M. Bhiwandiwalla look after the maintenance and management of the garden. The cost of maintenance and management which -amounts to Rs. 25,000 is taken as a loan from the Bhiwandiwalla trust. The garden is divided into three sections, for the convenience of maintenance: (1) Uranvadi-6 acres and 2 gunthas. (2) Navabhat-7 acres and 24 gunthas. (3) Kolhapur-Ambevadi- the largest part covers an area of nearly 20 acres. The garden contains more than a thousand mango trees, hundreds of areca-nut, cocoanut and papai trees and a few ornamental plants, trees and creepers.

The garden is open to the public from 6-30 a.m. to 6-30 p.m. throughout the year. The K. B. H. M. Bhiwandiwalla trust maintains one bungalow which can be reserved by the public with previous intimation to the authorities of the trust. The garden is a popular holiday resort. One shade admeasuring 70' x 40' with marble flooring and fitted with electric lights and fans is also maintained for holiday-makers.

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