Bokaro Steel City

Bokaro Steel City
बोकारो स्टील सिटी (Hindi)
Planned city
Bokaro Steel City

Location in Jharkhand, India

Coordinates: 23°40′N 86°09′E / 23.67°N 86.15°E / 23.67; 86.15Coordinates: 23°40′N 86°09′E / 23.67°N 86.15°E / 23.67; 86.15
Country  India
State Jharkhand
District Bokaro
Founded by Steel Authority of India
Government
  Type Corporate
  Body Steel Authority of India
Area
  Total 183 km2 (71 sq mi)
Elevation 210 m (690 ft)
Population (2011)
  Total 414,820(CITY)/564,319(UA)
  Rank 4th in Jharkhand
Languages
  Official Hindi, English
  Other important odia, Santali, Bengali
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 827 0xx
Telephone code 91-06542
Vehicle registration JH-09-?
Website www.bokaro.nic.in

Bokaro Steel City ( pronunciation ) is a major industrial centre and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the headquarters of Bokaro district (one of the most industrialised zones in India) and home to the largest steel plant in India and several other large, medium and small industries. Current Integrated Steel Plant of Bokaro was supposed to be setup at Purulia City but due to past politics of West Bengal Government, plan was shifted. Several Companies like TATA had faced the same issue in past.

Bokaro Steel City is the headquarters of the Bokaro District as well as Koylanchal range (Bokaro, Dhanbad and Giridih). It is one of the three headquarters of the Police IG zone, apart from Ranchi and Dumka, covering seven districts — Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Giridih, Koderma, Chatra, Bokaro, and Ramgarh.[1]

History

Formerly there was a village named Maraphari deep in the jungles of Chota Nagpur. The closest village cluster was Chas. Purulia was the closest town and the area was ruled by the Maharaja of Kashipur. Folklore has it that this area came under Mughal rule by the conquests of Veer Man Singh. The region was named ManBhoom after him.(VeerBhoom and SinghBhoom are the neighbouring regions are also named after him.)

This remote place came into prominence when Jawaharlal Nehru planned to build the first swadeshi steel plant with the help of the Soviets. The proximity to coal, iron ore, manganese, and other raw materials had helped in the selection of this place. The steel plant was incorporated as a limited company on 24 January 1964. It was later merged with SAIL and came to be known as Bokaro Steel Limited (BSL). The late 1960s and early 1970s saw heavy construction of the steel plant as well as the township. The first blast furnace started on 2 October 1972.

The Sector III and Camps I and II were the first to come in the township followed by sectors II, IX, IV and so on. The first private school was St. Xavier's School which the Jesuits from Hazaribagh built on invitation from the BSL management. In the 1980s the township developed rapidly with new sectors, schools, parks, zoos and other public amenities. Township development ceased with the completion of IV/F and IV/G. In all, Bokaro Steel City consists of 10 sectors (Sector I to XII where sectors VII and X do not exist). Each sector is then further divided into sub-sectors A, B, C and so on.

The late 1990s saw sprucing up of the City Park and creation of islands, new schools and the success of Bokaro's students in all-India level competition exams, especially IITs. During this period Bokaro also emerged as the eastern hub for academics. Bokaro has a cosmopolitan culture as the population consists of people from all parts of India.

Geography

Bokaro is in the eastern part of India at 23°17′N 86°05′E / 23.29°N 86.09°E / 23.29; 86.09[2]

It is in picturesque surroundings on the southern bank of river Damodar with Garga, one of its tributaries meandering along the southern and eastern outskirts of the city. On the north, the city is flanked by the high ranges of the Parasnath Hills and on the south, just beyond the river Garga, it is enveloped by the Satanpur hillocks.

Two cooling ponds have been built for use in steel making. A dam on river Garga was built to supply water to the township as well as the steel plant, but due to ever increasing demand Tenughat dam is supplementing it.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census, under the urban agglomeration of Bokaro Steel City, it is the 86th largest urban agglomeration and fourth largest city in Jharkhand.[3]

As per 2011 Census of India, Bokaro Steel City Urban Agglomeration had a population of 564,319, of which males were 299,232 and females 264,185.[4] Bokaro Steel City Urban Agglomeration is composed of Bokaro Steel City (Census Town), Chas (Nagar Parishad) and Bandhgora (CT).[5]

As per the 2011 Census of India Bokaro Steel City (Census Town) had a population of 414,820, of which 219,646 were males and 195,174 females. Scheduled Castes numbered 44,861 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 41,272.[6]

In 2001, Bokaro Steel City (CT) had a population of 394,173 of which males were 213,044 and females 181,829. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Total number of literates in Bokaro Steel City were 289,296, with males numbering 173,639 and females 115,657.[7]

Literacy

As per 2011 census the total number of literates in Bokaro Steel City UA was 420,736 (84.87% of total population) out of which 242,827 (92.27% of males) were males and 177,909 (76.50% of females) were females.[4]

As per 2011 census the number of literates in Bokaro Steel City (CT) was 303,783 out of which 174,522 were males and 129,261 were females.[6]

Economy

The city gets its name from the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) which lies at the core of its economy. It's well aided by the new steel mill Electrosteel Castings Limited and power plants like Bokaro Power Supply Corporation Private Limited, a joint venture of Damodar Valley Corporation and BSL.

Being an industrial area, agriculture has taken a backseat — except small amounts of paddy grown on the fringes of the city by the villagers.

Bokaro steel plant

Steel Authority India Limited

The economy of the Steel City is heavily depended on the steel plant which is the primary source of income for the employees. After the 2001 downturn, steel prices hardened due to a huge rise in consumption by China and India. This resulted in large profits by SAIL which crossed a record Rs 60 billion (USD 1.3 Bn)[8] by the end of FY06. It has maintained its profitability since then with a slight dip to Rs 49 billion (USD 1 Bn)[9] in 2011 due to unfavorable economic conditions of 2011.

Electrosteel Castings Limited

A Kolkata-based water pipe manufacturer acquired 2,500 acres (10 km2) of land 18 km from the city and has erected its 2.2 MTPA steel plant. The company has invested close to Rs 80 Bn (USD 1.6 Bn) on this project which was operational from 2010.[10][11] It is near Asanbani village under Sabra Panchayat.

Bokaro Power Supply Co Pvt. Ltd.

Bokaro Power Supply Co Pvt. Ltd. (BPSCL) came into being on 18 September 2001 under Companies Act 1956 as a part of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) Business Reconstruction and Restructuring Plan and with intent to strengthen its core business activity (i.e., steel manufacturing). SAIL has assigned its entire business as a going concern pertaining to the capacity of steam generation 660 T/hr. of BSL by the deed of transfer and assignment of business. BPSCL becomes a joint venture of SAIL and Domodar Valley Corporation (DVC) on acquisition of shares by DVC. DVC and SAIL agreed to participate in the equity share of BPSCL in 50:50 ratio.

ONGC, Bokaro Steel City

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

Since 2007, ONGC has been working on its coal bed methane project to exploit the abundant reserves in the Damodar Basin (Jharkhand and West Bengal). The corporate office of the Bokaro and Jharia blocks of this project is in Bokaro Steel City near Naya More. Though the project is under development and is yet to start its production, it is soon going to do so as the company has gone into a Joint Venture along with an Australian giant. The major sites in Jharia block lies in Parbatpur near Electrosteel Castings Limited (around 24 km from City Centre) whereas in Bokaro block it lies in the Gomia region.

BoJCL

Bokaro Jaypee Cement Limited

Bokaro Jaypee Cement Limited Dalmia cement (BOJCL), the second joint venture between the Jaypee group and SAIL with management control vested in the company, is incorporated to set up a 2.1 MTPA capacity cement plant at Bokaro Steel City.[12] At present it is Dalmia Cement. A bus is used to carry personnel from city area to Plant with Dalmia logo on it. The bus can be spotted in Sector 4F near Surya Mandir when not in use.

BIADA

The primary economy is supplemented by BIADA governing four districts — Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih and Koderma — in the Balidih area of Bokaro beside NH-23. It has a wide manufacturing environment with more than 170 square km and constitutes more than 500 S.S.I and large manufacturing enterprises. It manufactures industrial components for small and medium scale industries.

Upcoming projects

Markets

Classic and IDBI, City Centre
Harshvardhan Plaza

The primary economy is supported by the services sector. The city market at the center of the city in Sector 4 has shops selling computer hardware and has computer training institutes, making Bokaro a hub of computer studies for the region. The old Chas bazaar remains a cheap wholesale market, and dundi baag is one of the biggest vegetable markets in the region. Besides these, each sector has its own small shopping center catering to the day-to-day needs of the people.

Malls and multiplexes

The Bokaro administration has taken a step to turn Bokaro into a shopping hub for the region. An anti-encroachment drive has been launched in the steel city to make way for malls and multiplexes. The BSL administration has prepared a blueprint to develop shopping destinations and multiple-screen theatres.

Places of interest

Bokaro Steel Plant main gate
Garga Dam
Jaggannath mandir Bokaro
Ram mandir Bokaro
Ayyappa Temple
City park Bokaro

Education

Besides the steel plant, Bokaro is known for what its students have achieved over the years. Today students from all over the state and elsewhere come to the city to make a difference to their professional lives. The city has provided myriads IITians, doctors, and civil servants (IAS, IPS, IFS officers) to the country. Many IIT top rankers came from the city.

The city has a plethora of excellent schools affiliated to the ICSE or CBSE boards providing education till under graduate level. Some of these schools are Delhi Public School, Bokaro, The Pentecostal Assembly School, Bokaro, Holy Cross School, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, St. Xavier's School, Bokaro Public School, GGPS, Bokaro, Sardar Patel Public School and Mar Gregorios Memorial Higher Secondary School. There are English medium public school run by trusts and missions. They are supplemented by central government administered Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bokaro Steel Limited administered Bokaro Ispat Vidyalayas, Adarsh Vidya Mandir and Jharkhand state administered schools too.

In the years after the 1990s, it saw Bokaroites getting top ranks in IIT JEE,AFMC,CBSE Medical, AIIMS, IAS and other major entrance examinations of India. Success story is still continuing in India and abroad. The city has a very large expatriate population in Africa US, UAE, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Most of these people graduated from schools in the city in the eighties and nineties, before moving to some other city, and finally out of the country.

Although education till under-graduate level is one of the best in India, graduate and post-graduate level education provided by the government colleges are of shoddy quality.

Sports and culture

Sports

Stadia

Mohan Kumar Mangalam Stadium

Culture

Bokaro Sangeet Kala Academy in Sector 4 (beside YMCA) offers learning opportunities in fine art, especially classical music. The students get opportunities to showcase their talent and training.

Kala Kendra in Sector 2 is a center for Arts and Culture.

Festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, Holi, Eid and Chhath Puja are celebrated across the township.

Kali Bari the temple for Goddess Kali, promotes arts and provides training in classical dances like Kathak.

Languages spoken

Health services

Bokaro General Hospital

The township has a 910-bed Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) with specialised units like Critical Care Unit, Intensive Coronary Care Unit, Haemodialysis Unit, Nuclear Medicine Laboratory, etc. The Child Care Unit of BGH has been recognised as a Baby Friendly Hospital by UNICEF. The Blood Bank of BGH has been given the status of Regional Training Centre by Government of India. It is the only blood bank in the state of Jharkhand, which gives training to blood bank officers and technicians in Jharkhand.

To take care of the employees working in the plant, an Occupational Health Services Centre has been provided within the plant premises. Bokaro General Hospital is recognised by the Indian Medical Council for imparting training to housemen and interns and also by the Nursing Council of India for training of Student Nurses. Bokaro General Hospital has the distinction of being the only one in Jharkhand being recognised by the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi as a centre for imparting post-graduate training to candidates appearing for the Diplomat of National Board examinations. The medical team has around 200 skilled doctors and over 1000 paramedic staff.

Apart from that there are some multispecialty hospitals like K.M. Memorial Hospital & Research Centre Pvt Ltd at Bye Pass Road, Chas, Bokaro providing quality affordable health care.

Transportation

Bokaro Steel City station
Airport
Rail

Bokaro steel city is connected with important parts of the country like Kolkata, Durg, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Chennai, Jabalpur, Surat, Hyderabad, Alappuzha, Bilaspur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Amritsar, Raipur, Gorakhpur, Patna, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi etc. by rail. Bokaro Steel City is the main station 12 km from the city centre. It is under the administration of the Adra division of South Eastern Railway zone, of Indian Railways. All mail/express trains including Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, Garib Rath and Jan Shatabdi Express stop here. Other stations in the city limits are Radhagaon, Tupkadih, Chas, Ispatnagar, Chandrapura

Road

Bokaro lies on the junction of NH-32 and NH-23. NH-32 passes through Chas whereas NH-23 passes through the main city.

Naya More is the main bus terminal. The bus stand is divided into platforms for private buses. A Government Bus Terminal is just adjacent to the main bus terminal. Besides Naya More there are two more bus terminals, Basanti More in Sector-9 and Dharamshala more in Chas. Regular Volvo bus services from the city centre and Naya More are available.

Private cars and taxi facilities are available everywhere in the city. Other transport is trekkers, autos, rickshaws and mini buses. The city boasts of one of the most well maintained roads in the whole state as maintenance is under the authority of the Steel Plant.

Air

Bokaro Airport is used only by private aircraft of SAIL and visiting dignitaries. Bokaro Steel Limited has expressed its readiness to allow the use of its airport for the purpose.

New Airport

Bokaro will soon figure on the country's air map as the Airports Authority of India(AAI) will set up a new airport there. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by AAI and the Jharkhand government for establishing airport in Bokaro in the presence of AAI chairman and Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda.

The new airport would have the capacity to allow commercial airliners such as Airbus A320 to land and take off which was not possible from the present airport.[27]

Hospitality

Hotel Hans Regency

There are a number of hotels in Bokaro since it is an important industrial belt in India. Bokaro hotels offer very good service to guests. They have state-of-the-art facilities to make the guests comfortable and enable them to enjoy their trip. Bokaro Hotel provides hospitality service to all SAIL officials and other distinguished guest to the city. The state government own and operates circuit houses and guest houses in the city. Bokaro hotels serve the tourists without giving them any chance to complain. The hotels in the city range from luxury to budget to cheap hotels, according to the visitor preferences. The hotel facilities are of excellent quality and the staff of the hotel excels in their hospitality.

[[

St. Xavier's School, Bokaro

]]

Notable People of Bokaro

[28][29]

See also

References

  1. Jharkhand Police Organisation Chart
  2. "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Airport BOKARO". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  3. "View population details". Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Provisional population totals, Census of India 2011" (PDF). Urban Agglomeration – Cities having population 1 lakh and above. Government of India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  5. "Provisional population totals, Census of India 2011" (PDF). Constituents of Urban Agglomerations haing population above 1 lakh and above, Census 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 "2011 Census C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". Jharkhand – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  7. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  8. "SAIL". MoneyControl. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  9. http://www.moneycontrol.com/financials/steelauthorityindia/profit-loss/SAI#SAI
  10. "Electrosteel in cash chase for Bokaro unit". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  11. "Electrosteel-Bokaro". The Economic Times. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  12. "The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Cement unit gets going in Bokaro". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  13. "PM inaugurates the modernization of Bokaro Steel Plant". Moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. ArcelorMittal explores other Jharkhand sites for steel plant in Bokaro Archived 26 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. "ArMittal hunts for new J'khand site in Bokaro". The Financial Express. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  16. Tata Hunting place for its steel plant in Bokaro
  17. Our Bureau (19 March 2010). "POSCO-SAIL new greenfield Plant". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  18. "Monnet Steel & Power". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  19. Navtan Kumar, ET Bureau 17 September 2010, 03.07am IST (17 September 2010). "Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  20. BMW Steel Unit In Bokaro Archived 16 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. DVC-SAIL joint venture to set up 500-MW power plant Archived 8 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  22. "Steel cousins to host twin software technology parks". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  23. "Glitz Cinema". Business Standard. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  24. AV mall
  25. Wikimapia: Bokaro in Wikimapia
  26. "Bokaro Attractions | Bokaro Place of interest". Travel.sulekha.com. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  27. "New Airport in Bokaro". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

External links

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