These are five different towns with the same name, located in five different states in India. The first one described here is located in Maharashtra, the second in Gujarat, the third in Bihar, the fourth in Orissa and the fifth in Madhya Pradesh.
Maharashtra
Location
Tarapur is an industrial town located some 45 km north of Virar, on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Division (Mumbai Suburban Railway). Tarapur can be reached from Boisar, the nearest railway station. It is 20 km off National Highway NH-8.
Atomic Power Stations
Tarapur houses 320 MW Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) based nuclear power station, the first in Asia and a recent Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) based nuclear power station with 1080 MW capacity. This PHWR based power station is not only the largest nuclear power reactor in the country but also the largest power unit in India. It was built seven months ahead of schedule, at a cost much lower than the original estimate.
Tarapur Atomic Power Station (320 MW) (T. A. P. S.) was constructed by the American companies Bechtel and GE. The recent one (1080 MW) was constructed by L & T and Gammon India. Both these power stations are operated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. The personnel operating the power plant live in a residential complex called T. A. P. S. colony. This residential complex is a fifteen minute drive from Boisar, the nearest railway station. The residential complex was also constructed by Bechtel to house both Indian and American employees. Because, it was the home to American engineers and technicians, the residential complex had a very American small-town look, with neat sidewalks, spacious houses, a club with tennis courts and swimming pool, a commissary etc. While the original American residents have long gone, the colony continues to thrive. However, the new residential colony for the 1080 MW power station can be said as simply beautiful, no words to describe it!
Industrial Estate
Tarapur also houses a huge industrial estate (Maharashtra Industrial Development Coporation, Tarapur Industrial Estate), which includes bulk drug manufacturing units, specialty chemical manufacturing units, steel plants and a few textile plants.
Prominent Industries
Some of the prominent industrial units are Lupin (world's largest manufacturer of anti-TB drug rifampicin), Tata Steel, Jindal Steel, Aarti Drugs (anti-HIV drugs indinavir and nevirapine), Strides Arcolab, Camlin, S. D. Fine Chemicals, Siyaram, Dicitex Decor, Sarex, Vasudhara Dairy (Amul icecreams), Vadilal Dairy, Viraj, Lavino Kapur, Ganesh Benzoplast (virtual monopoly in food preservative sodium benzoate), Mukat and Galaxy Surfactants.
Gas Fired Power Station
Tarapur Industrial Estate has proposed a gas fired power station at Tarapur Industrial Area. In order to retain existing industry in the state and attract new ones, MIDC has decided to explore the concept of group captive power plant (GCPP) as proposed in the Electricity Act of 2003. Subsequently MIDC appointed PriceWaterhouse Coopers as consultant to study the concept of GCPPs. (reference: http://www.midcindia.org/news/displayNews.php?articleId=52 )
Planning and Layout
Unlike other industrial estates, this industrial estate has a pleasant look due to the roads crossing at right angles and lots of small gardens adjacent to the boundary walls of the industrial units. The ___location near Mumbai Port/Mumbai Harbour (MbPT) and JNPT as well as proximity to Trans Thane Creek (TTC) MIDC, Vapi GIDC add a great value to this industrial estate. It is located precisely on the most important rail-route i.e., Mumbai to Delhi and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, a part of the golden quadrilateral prjoject.
Environment
The first "Common Effluent Treatment Plant" (CETP) in Maharashtra came up at Tarapur. (reference: http://mpcb.mah.nic.in/images/pdf/achivementsofmpcb.pdf)
Residential
It is a nice residential ___location too due to excellent schools, hospitals, multiplex, shopping complexes, hotels and restaurants, its proximity and good connectivity to Mumbai through road and rail.
Hotels
Contessa, Shilpa, Shivanand, Sarovar, Blue Diamond are a few good places.
Public Transport
Rented cars/taxis, state transport buses (Maharashtra State Transport Corporation) and auto rickshaws are the general mode of transport.
Gujarat
Location
Tarapur is located in Gujarat.
Special Personalities
More information is available on www.tarapur.org.
Bihar
Location
Tarapur is a small town in district Munger of the Indian state Bihar. Many famous people were born there.
Special Personalities
The well known former minister late Mrs. Sumitra Devi was the daugher of this place from villege Maheshpur. The famous Dr. Singeshwar Prasad Singh,who was the Pracharak of Vedas, was also of Maheshpur. The former HOD of Art department of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; Late Dr. Brahmdeo Madhur was also the son of Maheshpur.
Orissa
Location
Tarapur is located in Orissa.
Tourist Attraction
Three stupas (edicts), put up by Emperor Asoka after he converted to Buddhism, have been discovered at Tarapur recently.
Madhya Pradesh
Location
Tarapur is located in Madhya Pradesh.
Tourist Attraction
It is one of the best known centres for very unusual and attractive bandhanis. Different techniques like direct dyeing and printing, resist dyeing and resist printing, rogan printing and screen printing are practised in this region for printing on fabrics.