Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai

Bombay was the first British Indian possession, which came as a part of the royal dowry in 1661 to King Charles II of England on his marriage to the Portuguese princess, Infanta Catherine de Braganza. Ironically enough, Bombay also set the stage for the birth of the country's historic freedom movement, as well as for some of its major landmarks, including Gandhiji's 1942 call to the British to "Quit India". It was in Bombay that the Indian National Congress was born in 1885. It led the country's struggle for political independence and indirectly to the liquidation of the British Empire. The name "Bombay" was changed to "Mumbai" by the Corporation Resolution No.512 dated August 12, 1996, Maharashtra Act, XXV of 1996 During the period between the rise and fall of the British Empire, Bombay gradually developed into a town, a city and a metropolis of world renown. Today, the Brihanmumbai Mahanagarpalika covers an area of 480.24 sq.kms with a population of 1,19,14,378 as per the census of 2001. The metropolis accounts major portion of India's international trade and government revenue, from being one of the foremost centers of education, science and technological research and advancement It is also pertinent to note that Mumbai's all-round growth owed a lot to the early development of the system of local government under British rule.