Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry
The Chamber was founded in 1836 by seven Britishers and three Parsees “to encourage a friendly feeling and unanimity among commercial men on all subjects involving the common good, to promote and protect the general mercantile interests of this [Bombay] Presidency, to collect and classify information on all matters of general mercantile interest, to obtain the removal … of all acknowledged grievances...” In those days there was an entrance fee of Rs 150 and a monthly subscription of Rs 20. Other objects and duties included simplification and facilitation of business practices, communication with public authorities on all matters of mercantile interest and to carry out arbitration of disputes among members. The role of the Chamber in the development of the city and the region is of particular significance. It was largely responsible for the first railway built in India-The Bombay-Thana railway completed in 1853. The Chamber has been represented on the Port Trust and intimately connected with it since its inauguration in 1873. The Chamber initiated a scheme for collecting port statistics and in 1860 and was placed in sole charge of all returns concerning external trade of the Bombay Port, such as import-export manifests and daily arrival returns. The Chamber was also instrumental in obtaining Government sanction for the construction of wind and current charts of Indian seas.