[chocoguy4u]

Hi,
Try searching a house in Chembur. Lower Parel is approximately 15 km by road from Chembur. Whereas from Kandivali/ Borivali, Lower Parel is at least 25-30 km. Also comparatively there is lesser traffic on the eastern express highway when compared to the western express highway. Also Chembur is not as densely populated as much as Kandivali/ Borivali is.

[Adi_k]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Any idea what will be your office timings? Will you be staying with family/office colleagues?

If your office starts a bit late (post 10 am) then travelling by trains is somewhat better - by better I mean you will find a place to stand peacefully. Do not even think about getting a place to sit. WIll you be driving your own car or commuting via company car? Santacruz, Khar, Bandra, Parle (W) will all be costly. However you can check out Santacruz (E).

I will be moving in with family and hence the requirement for 2 BHK. Office timings ideally 9 am to 6 pm which means I will hit the roads during peak office hours.

Originally Posted by chocoguy4u

Hi,
Try searching a house in Chembur. Lower Parel is approximately 15 km by road from Chembur. Whereas from Kandivali/ Borivali, Lower Parel is at least 25-30 km. Also comparatively there is lesser traffic on the eastern express highway when compared to the western express highway. Also Chembur is not as densely populated as much as Kandivali/ Borivali is.

Thanks chocoguy4u. I will check Chembur.

[chocoguy4u]

Originally Posted by Adi_k

I will be moving in with family and hence the requirement for 2 BHK. Office timings ideally 9 am to 6 pm which means I will hit the roads during peak office hours.



Thanks chocoguy4u. I will check Chembur.

You are welcome. Forgot to mention, try Tilak Nagar in Chembur. Many new buildings have come up in the recent few years. And also the rent is cheaper when compared to other areas.

[amtak]

Just a random thought; how about the rentals at Wadala? should be relatively lower than most western suburbs?

[Adi_k]

Most of them are upwards 30K. I will check wadala though. Thats a good option. Thanks!

[dar3dev|l]

Originally Posted by Adi_k

Hello Folks, I will be relocating to Mumbai somewhere in August. My office will be Lower Parel. I am confused if I should rent a place in New Mumbai (Nerul, palm beach road) or Mumbai suburbs (Goregaon, Kandivali, Borivali, Mulund). My budget is 25k and I will need a 2 BHK.

Hi Adi,

2BHK on rent in western surburbs (Goregaon - Borivali) will fit your budget depending on the locality you choose.

I have my office in Lower Parel and live in Kandivali (West) and drive to-fro. Usually in the morning if I leave before 8, I reach in 45 mins. If after 8, anywhere between 1-1.15 Hrs. In the evening I leave at 5-5.30 and reach home in 1.15 Hrs. If after 5.30 it takes 2 - 2.30 Hours.

It would actually help you if you choose a place near the WE Highway which is in the East of Western Suburbs and the rent is comparatively lower than the West, plus saves almost 20-30 mins of your travel time !

Feel free to PM me incase you need any help !

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hello Everyone,
My date of relocation has been finalised as the 1st of November 2010. A small change in the plan is the location of the client office from where I will need to work most of the time. It is at Turbhe. The complete address is:

D 26, TTC Industrial Area,
Sanpada, Turbhe.
Navi Mumbai 400 703

Hi Devdath, saw your post just today. So first up "Welcome to the Maximum City".

I shifted to Mumbai and have been staying at Belapur, Navi Mumbai for the last three years. As has been said before in this thread, Mumbai will be a bit much (well a bit too much at times ) for outsiders initially, but stay here for some time and the city will grow on you. Even though I am from Delhi - I now feel the same level of attachment for Mumbai as I do for Delhi - my home for 23yrs!!

Coming to your queries, enough has already been said, but my 2cents.

It is a fortunate turn of events that your office is located in Navi Mumbai as opposed to Powai. It will make things much easier ( and cheaper ) for you in terms of stay, travel and commute.

As your office is in Navi Mumbai, the logical and sane choice would be to stay in Navi Mumbai.
1. You can easily get accommodation (1BHK) within your budget in Navi Mumbai and at good places / societies.
2. Commuting in your own car, to and from most places in Navi Mumbai to Turbhe will not take you more than 30-35mins, owing largely to the Palm Beach Road and the Sion-Panvel Road which provide very good and seamless connectivity to most parts of Navi Mumbai.

Since, I stay at Belapur Sec 11 which is very close to the Belapur Station (abt 200 mts out) I will recommend that you too stay at Belapur. Belapur and Belapur Station are very well connected by road and several trains start from Belapur (which is a big boon) for other destinations on the harbour, trans-harbour and main lines. Also getting rickshaws / ST Buses to and from the station is very easy as compared to Kharghar.

Also, unless if you have a very real and certain need for a larger house, do reconsider taking a 1BHK. Having come from Delhi and lived all my life in big govt bungalows, I too thought very much like you. But for one bachelor / married couple, a 1BHK is more than enough. A 1BHK in my society goes for abt 7-8k.

If you do decide to stay in Belapur do get in touch with me since I know a few close house brokers who can make things much easier for you, especially in terms of the advance you have to pay up (I paid a 4 month advance+1month brkg+1month advance) - PM whenever you feel the need for the same!!

Originally Posted by Adi_k

Hello Folks, I will be relocating to Mumbai somewhere in August. My office will be Lower Parel. I am confused if I should rent a place in New Mumbai (Nerul, palm beach road) or Mumbai suburbs (Goregaon, Kandivali, Borivali, Mulund). My budget is 25k and I will need a 2 BHK.

Hi Adi.

As I have mentioned in my post above, I am staying in Belapur, which is further south down the road from Nerul. Further, I work at Lower Parel and travel to and from my office (abt 32kms) on my bullet. Nowadays, it is raining - so I have to resort to using the trains , which is not pleasant. I guess what I am trying to say is that, given a choice if you are working in Lower Parel, the best option will be to stay somewhere along the Western or if that does not work out, then to stay along the Main Line.

Hope it helps.

[nilanjanm]

All the best in your shift to Mumbai. Much has been said on the commute, rentals etc etc., so I will skip that.

In Maharashtra, octroi & road-tax form a serious percentage of your on-road price. Hence when a car from another State/UT (implying lower costs on both) rumbles into the state and catches the glad-eye of a Cop (traffic/non-traffic, duty/off-duty!), be sure to have all documents inspected and pay to be let off. Been there, done that with my DL number plates!

Yes, the "Sir, I am driving through Maharashtra on my way to Goa/Bangalore/Tirumala, and breaking journey for a couple of days" story will always help, be sure to show multiple ID's that prove it (DL, Pan Card, old visiting cards, electricity bill (kidding!), etc). WRT toll-receipts, you can always say "I chucked them, who keeps them anyways"! There are days when a sharp/seasoned Cop will see right through!

If your car was registered, say in KA (or any non-MH state/UT), more than 18 months ago - you're home free - if the cop knows you know this rule, he will not push his point. The rule states that a car more than 18 months old can be brought into the state legally and does not count as evasion of duty. Octroi is another story but then the chance of you being hailed at an Octroi post are low (but not negative). Any non-Octroi paid asset being brought into Maharashtra is liable for Octroi - even if it is that old pair of running shoes and the junk MP3 player. (I'm serious about this one!)

Bear in mind that in general, MH Cops don't like non-MH people, so be polite and start and end sentences with Sir/Saheb. May help on most days. Don't argue. By the time I had MH plates, I had also picked up basic Marathi - that ALWAYS helped.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Hi Devdath, saw your post just today. So first up "Welcome to the Maximum City".

Hi Narain,
Thank you for your detailed post and initiative.
However, my Bombay relocation has been cancelled which is why I did not make it to Bombay and am still at B'lore, happily.
Of course, the thread is a warehouse of information to anyone who is relocating to Bombay and hence, continues to be a useful one.

[Adi_k]

Thanks dar3dev. I am not sure if I will be able to start at 5.30 pm but 6.00 pm is definitely possible, will keep this in mind.

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Hi Adi.

As I have mentioned in my post above, I am staying in Belapur, which is further south down the road from Nerul. Further, I work at Lower Parel and travel to and from my office (abt 32kms) on my bullet. Nowadays, it is raining - so I have to resort to using the trains , which is not pleasant. I guess what I am trying to say is that, given a choice if you are working in Lower Parel, the best option will be to stay somewhere along the Western or if that does not work out, then to stay along the Main Line.

Hope it helps.

Definitely this helps Thanks, will keep this in mind. How much time does it take to reach Lower Parel by train and where do you change the trains?

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by Adi_k

Definitely this helps Thanks, will keep this in mind. How much time does it take to reach Lower Parel by train and where do you change the trains?

Welcome Adi!

As you may be aware Mumbai has three major train lines. The western - running along the west, the Central (locally referred to sometimes as the Main Line) running along the Centre and between the Western and Harbour Lines and the Harbour Line, which runs along the Eastern seaboard of Mumbai crosses the thane creek and then goes all the way to Panvel.

Reason for stating the above is because, by virtue of the geography of these lines, the Harbour Line (where I live) and the Western Line (where I work) are at opposite ends. Getting from any one station on the Harbour to any one station on the Western is much tougher, then say, if I were just staying somewhere along the Western Line!!

I will elaborate a little more, if you bear with me!

In the mornings, I catch the 7,50 am train which starts at Belapur. Get off at Wadala at abt 8,40/8,50 and then catch a taxi to my office at Lower Parel (Cost: Rs. 60-70) and reach office by 9,05/9,10.

In the evenings, I walk to Currey Road Station (on the Main/Central Line), catch a train to Kurla, change platforms, and catch the 6,31 train for Belapur.

The morning commute is far more relaxed, easy and fairly quick. The evening commute is far more hectic and I can't follow the same route back which I take in the morning, simply because there are no taxis available in the evenings to take you from Lower Parel to Wadala!!

This route unfortunately takes you through one of the most busy Stations in Mumbai - namely Kurla, for that matter, as you will find out (if you travel by trains) all stations which allow you to change/switch lines are the busiest, and boy are they busy!!

By road, again, I travel from Belapur along the Palm Beach till Vashi and then either through the Mankhurd Link Road or through Chembur (depending on traffic). However, again, either way, this route again takes you through one of the junctions famous for traffic jams - "The Priyadarshini Circle" - it is the converging point for traffic from the northern surburbs, like thane, mulund and all the traffic from the east till chembur and navi mumbai.

In non- rainy season I take my bullet, which makes sure that I cover the distance is about 60/65mins and if you get your timings right, while coming and leaving Lower Parel, the drive is far far far more recommended over the trains ANY DAY.

Not to put you off, but Lower Parel, as I have found out is not a great palce to work, though you have office and high end residences coming up by the thousands over here. IMHO it is poorly connected, by road and by train (even if you are travelling on the Western Line) and like so many other places in Mumbai, severely lacking in infrastructure.

It was for all these points above, I suggested that you rent a place in the western surburbs.

Hope above helps.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by nilanjanm

Bear in mind that in general, MH Cops don't like non-MH people, so be polite and start and end sentences with Sir/Saheb. May help on most days. Don't argue. By the time I had MH plates, I had also picked up basic Marathi - that ALWAYS helped.

I don't know if you can draw such generalized conclusions, but I do know after driving for 12 years in MH that if the cops did pull you up, they have a valid reason for the same. Though we may not notice it (because we are not well-versed with the law), I have NEVER been pulled over by a traffic cop without some or the other violation.

Being polite should be second nature (rather first nature if you could say that), not just because you want to escape without paying the penalty, but because you must appreciate the cop has a job to do, whether you like it or not.

[Guite]

I found Maharashtrians to be very polite, so I agree with honeybee's post above. Once a traffic police stopped be at the base of Sion flyover, looking at my ML number plate asked me whether it is from Malaysia. I played along and nodded yes, and he let me go. probably he was just curious.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by Adi_k

I will be moving in with family and hence the requirement for 2 BHK. Office timings ideally 9 am to 6 pm which means I will hit the roads during peak office hours.



Thanks chocoguy4u. I will check Chembur.

Originally Posted by amtak

Just a random thought; how about the rentals at Wadala? should be relatively lower than most western suburbs?

Sion and Matunga - Mahim maybe could do fine as well.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I don't know if you can draw such generalized conclusions, but I do know after driving for 12 years in MH that if the cops did pull you up, they have a valid reason for the same. Though we may not notice it (because we are not well-versed with the law), I have NEVER been pulled over by a traffic cop without some or the other violation.

Being polite should be second nature (rather first nature if you could say that), not just because you want to escape without paying the penalty, but because you must appreciate the cop has a job to do, whether you like it or not.

True. Cops in MH are usually stern but seldom rude. Every time I have been pulled over it has been for some mistake/violation on my part. The only exception to this is when bikers get routinely asked for paperwork at junctions. I don't bike but if I did that would really annoy me!

Your second point is also worth appreciating. Traffic police have probably the worst job ever in Mumbai, probably sharing grief with bus conductors and postmen. And most of them do their job, so treating them with contempt as a go-in strategy is not cool!