Delhi tops in a Confederation of Indian Industry ranking of Indian cities. It is followed by Greater Mumbai, Chan- digarh, Coimbatore and Bangalore.

The next five slots go to Chennai, Ludhiana, Pune, Hyderabad and Kochi.

The CII study, conducted independently by Indicus Analytics, bases its ranking on seven parameters, including communications, private finance, road transport, professional education, hotel infrastructure and economic growth.

Dhanbad, Jabalpur and Jamshedpur brought up the rear. None of the eastern cities figures in the top 10. Kolkata ranks 11, though it posted the highest growth in the 1990s. Patna ranks lowest (32) among state capitals while Ahmedabad is on the 16th rung.

The study shows communications and hotel infrastructure as Delhi's strengths. However, its growth is slowing. Transport and education are also weak areas.

Most cities have weak transport facilities. Of the top 10, Greater Mumbai, Coimbatore, Chennai and Kochi face an acute problem here.

Private finance is the strength for cities like Greater Mumbai, Chandigarh, Chennai and Ludhiana. Under private finance, the study looks at the number of accounts per capita, credit per capita and the credit-deposit ratio.