Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, [ʋəɖaːɭa]) is a locality in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network. Overview Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions like Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Institute of Chemical Technology (erstwhile UDCT)), Vidyalankar Institute of Technology (VIT), South Indians' Welfare Society College (SIWS), St.Joseph's High School, and Auxilium Convent High School located near one another. SNDT Women's University, Dr. Ambedkar Commerce & Law College also has a campus in Wadala West. The local college of Wadala is SIWS near the Wadala station. The largest bus depot in Mumbai, BEST's Wadala depot, is located here. The Ackworth Leprosy Hospital was established during British rule, and part of its complex is now given to an AIDS awareness organisation as well. The world's first methane generation plant was set up in the Ackworth hospital complex. History Prehistoric Wadala village lay on one of the Seven Islands of Bombay that were joined to form the modern day Mumbai. The island was previously called by different names: Parel, Matunga, Dharavi or Sion. 19th century The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion scheme of 1899-1900 was the first planned suburban scheme in Bombay. The Bombay City Improvement Trust which was set after a bill was passed in the British parliament, formulated this plan in order to relieve congestion in the centre of the town, following the plague epidemics of the 1890s. According to the survey plan, 85,000 people were to be accommodated in the developments in Wadala. The plans regulated constructions with emphasis on proper sanitation. Buildings were to be three storeys high, and were to have open spaces between them. The land-use was planned to be a mix of residential, commercial and institutional constructions. Parks and gardens were planned, and the streets were well laid out. of land was procured and leased to the Government for selling. For the first time housing cooperatives were formed to take advantage of newly developed land. The Parsi (Zoroastrian) and Hindu colonies in Dadar-Wadala were developed in this way. 20th century In 1915 the Port Trust Railway opened the Wadala Ballard Pier railway line. Petrol and kerosene installations also came up in Wadala. The Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (formerly the Victoria Jubilee Technological Institute) moved to its present campus at Wadala in 1923. The Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly the University Department of Chemical Technology) was established in Wadala