TRANSPORT
AND COMMUNICATION
Road Transport
1.
India has one of the largest
road networks in the world with a total length of 33.1 lakh km
2.
It is second largest in the
world about 85 per cent of passenger and 70
3.
Per cent of freight traffic are
carried by roads every year.
Road
1.
Road transport is relatively suitable
for shorter distance travel.
2.
Sher Shah Suri built the Shahi
(Royal) road to strengthen and consolidate his empire from the Indus Valley to
the Sonar Valley in Bengal.
3.
This road was renamed the Grand
Trunk (GT) road during the British period, connecting Calcutta and Peshawar.
4.
At present, it extends from
Amritsar to Kolkata.
5.
It is bifurcated into 2
segments: (a) National Highway (NH)-1 from Delhi to Amritsar
(a)
NH- 2 from Delhi to Kolkata.
6.
The first serious attempt was
made in 1943 when ‘Nagpur Plan’ was drawn.
7.
This plan could not be
implemented due to lack of coordination among the princely states and British
India.
8.
After Independence, twenty-year
road plan (1961) was introduced to improve the conditions of roads in India.
National Highways
1.
The main roads which are
constructed and maintained by the Central Government are known as the National
Highways.
2.
These roads are meant for
inter-state transport and movement of defence men and material in strategic
areas.
3.
The length of the National
Highways has increased from 19,700 km in 1951 to 65,769 km in 2005
4.
The National Highways
constitute only two per cent of the total road length but carry 40 per cent of
the road traffic.
5.
The National Highways Authority
of India (NHAI) was operationalised in 1995.
6.
It is an autonomous body under
the Ministry of Surface Transport.
7.
National Highways Development
Projects
8.
NHAI has taken up some major
projects in the country under different phases
Golden
Quadrilateral
·
It comprises construction of
5,846 km long 4/6 lane, high density traffic corridor,
·
To connect India’s four big
metro cities of Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai Kolkata.
·
With the construction of Golden
Quadrilateral, the time-distance and cost of movement among the mega cities of
India will be considerably minimised.
North-South and East-West Corridors
·
North-South corridor aims at
connecting Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir with Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu
(including Kochchi-Salem Spur) with 4,076kmlong road.
Other Roads
1.
Other roads include Border
Roads and International Highways.
2.
The Border Road Organisation
(BRO) was established in May 1960
3.
For accelerating economic
development and strengthening defence preparedness
4.
Through rapid and coordinated
improvement of strategically important roads
5.
Along the northern and
north-eastern boundary of the Country
6.
It is a premier multifaceted
construction agency.
7.
It has constructed roads in
high altitude mountainous terrain joining Chandigarh with Manali (Himachal
Pradesh) and Leh (Ladakh).
8.
This road runs at an average
altitude of 4,270 metres above the mean sea level.
Rail Transport
1.
Indian railways network is one
of the longest in the world.
2.
Mahatma Gandhi said, the Indian
railways “brought people of diverse cultures together to contribute to India’s
freedom struggle.”
3.
Indian Railway was introduced in
1853, when a line was constructed from Bombay to Thane covering a distance of
34 km.
4.
Indian Railways is the largest
government undertaking in the country.
5.
In India, the railway system
has been divided into sixteen zones.
Railway Zone
Headquarters
Central Mumbai CST
Eastern Kolkata
East Central Hajipur
East Coast Bhubaneswar
Northern New
Delhi
North
Central Allahabad
North
Eastern Gorakhpur
North East
Frontier Maligaon (Guwahati)
North
Western Jaipur
Southern Chennai
South
Central Secunderabad
South
Eastern Kolkata
South East
Central Bilaspur
South
Western Hubli
Western Mumbai
(Church Gate)
West
Central Jabalpur
Konkan Railway
1.
One of the important
achievements of Indian Railways has been the construction of Konkan Railway in
1998.
2.
It is 760 km long rail route
connecting Roha in Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka.
3.
Asia’s largest tunnel which is
nearly 6.5km long, also lies on this route.
4.
The states of Maharashtra, Goa
and Karnataka are partners in this undertaking.
The famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race
(VALLANKALI) is also held in the backwaters.
Oceanic Routes
1.
India has a vast coastline of
approximate 7,517 km, including islands
2.
Twelve major and 185 minor
ports provide infrastructural support to these routes.
3.
Approximately 95 per cent of
India’s foreign trade by volume and 70 per cent by value moves through ocean
routes.
4.
Air Transportation
5.
Air transport in India made a
beginning in 1911 when airmail operation commenced over a little distance of 10
km between Allahabad and Naini.
6.
But its real development took
place in post-Independent period
7.
The Airport Authority of India
is responsible for providing safe, efficient air traffic and aeronautical
communication services in the Indian Air Space
8.
The authority manages 126
airports including 11 international, 86 domestic and 29 civil enclaves at
defence air fields.
Air India
1.
Air India provides
International Air Services for both passengers and cargo traffic
2.
In 2005, it carried 12.2
million passengers and 4.8 lakh metric tonnes of cargo.
3.
About 52 per cent of the total
air traffic was handled only at Mumbai and Delhi airports.
4.
Pawan Hans is the helicopter
service operating in hilly areas and is widely used by tourists in
north-eastern sector.
Oil and Gas Pipelines
1.
Pipelines are the most
convenient and efficient mode of transporting liquids and gases over long
distances
2.
Even solids can also be
transported by pipelines after converting them into slurry.
3.
It was incorporated in 1959 as
a company. Asia’s first cross country pipeline covering a distance of 1,157 km
4.
Constructed by OIL from
Naharkatiya oilfield in Assam to Barauni refinery in Bihar.
5.
It was further extended up to
Kanpur in 1966
6.
Another extensive network of
pipelines has been constructed in the western region of India of which
Ankleshwar-Koyali
7.
Mumbai High Koyali and
Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur (HVJ) are most important
8.
Recently, a 1256 km long
pipeline connecting Salaya (Gujarat) with Mathura (U.P.) has been constructed
9.
It supplies crude oil from
Gujarat to Punjab (Jalandhar) via Mathura.
10.
OIL is in the process of
constructing of 660 km long pipeline from Numaligarh to Siliguri.
Mass Communication System
1.
Radio broadcasting started in
India in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay.
2.
Since then, it gained immense
popularity and changed the sociocultural life of people.
3.
Government took this
opportunity and brought this popular mode of communication under its control in
1930
4.
Under the Indian Broadcasting
System.
5.
It was changed to All India
Radio in 1936 and to Akashwani in 1957
6.
All India Radio broadcasts a
variety of programmes related to information, education and entertainment
7.
Special news bulletins are also
broadcast at specific occasions like session of parliament and state
legislatures.
Television (T.V.)
1.
Television broadcasting has
emerged as the most effective audio-visual medium
2.
For disseminating information
and educating masses.
3.
Initially, the T.V. services
were limited
4.
Only to the National Capital
where it began in 1959.
5.
After 1972, several other
centres became operational
6.
In 1976, TV was delinked from
All India Radio (AIR)
7.
Got a separate identity as
Doordarshan (DD).
8.
After INSAT-IA (National
Television-DD1) became operational,
9.
Common National Programmes
(CNP)
Satellite Communication
1.
Satellites are mode of
communication in themselves as well as they regulate the use of other means of
communication.
2.
However, use of satellite in
getting a continuous and synoptic view of larger area
3.
Has made satellite communication
very vital for the country due to the economic and strategic reasons.
4.
Satellite images can be used
for the weather forecast, monitoring of natural calamities, surveillance of
border areas, etc.
5.
Satellite system in India can
be grouped into two
6.
Indian National Satellite
System (INSAT)
7.
Indian Remote Sensing Satellite
System (IRS)
8.
The INSAT, which was
established in 1983,
9.
Is a multipurpose satellite
system for telecommunication
10.
Meteorological observation and
for various other data and programmes
11.
The IRS satellite system became
operational
12.
With the launching of IRS-IA in
March 1988 from Vaikanour in Russia.
13.
India has also developed her
own Launching Vehicle PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).
14.
These satellites collect data
in several spectral bands and transmit them to the ground stations for various
uses.
15.
The National Remote Sensing
Agency (NRSA) at Hyderabad provides facilities for acquisition of data and its
processing.
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