MORADABAD THE BRASS CITY OF INDIA

Dhruv Saxena heads to Moradabad in the Hyundai Alcazar to take a closer look at what has earned it the “Brass City of India” title Pictures Gurdeep Bhalla

- Dhruv Saxena

Here’s a big number for you – Rs 10,000 crore. That’s more than a billion dollars! Rs 10,000 crore is the approximate value of Moradabad’s metalwork industry annually, primarily brassware and reason enough for it to be labelled “The Brass City of India”. Some sources state that this figure swelled to over Rs 15,000 crore by the end of last year. According to estimates, exports account for 60 per cent of that figure, while the rest comes from the domestic market.

A little over 160km from New Delhi along NH9, the journey takes close to three hours owing to generally heavy traffic along the route that connects the national capital with tourist hotspots in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand. While it’s mostly smooth sailing until Hapur save for slow-moving toll plazas despite the widespread use of FasTags, under construction patches and fewer lanes slow things down considerably. Several flyovers along the way remain incomplete with sugarcane laden tractor trolleys and unruly traffic ever-present in strong numbers to make matters worse. The Alcazar’s generous ground clearance made negotiating tarmac bereft bits that much easier while the integrated air purifier kept the toxic air outside at bay. Mercifully, owing to the highway’s popularity there are plenty of options if one wishes to stop for a quick coffee or a bite to eat and to take a break from the trials and tribulations associated with driving in India.