Godavarikhani

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Godavarikhani is a town in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh in the southern part of India. It is basically an industrial area with a high population. It is surrounded by other mining areas like Srirampur, Ramakrishnapur etc. Its located on the banks of Godavari river and thats how it gets its name Godavari + Khani (means mines).

This town is popular for its coal mines ('khani' means mines), controlled mostly by Singareni Colliers Company Limited (SCCL).The main source of income for most of the inhabitants is the wage provided by SCCL. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?=work">work</a> in the mines at times, involve pain-staking efforts. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?page=risk">risk</a> involved can be illustrated by the rate of deaths and injuries in these mines. SCCL takes care of its employees by providing accommodation, water, electricity, <a href="http://www.indiancinemafans.com/board/upload/health">health</a> facilities, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?page=insurance">insurance</a> and also by creating awareness on safety.

The mined and refined coal is mostly consumed by the National Thermal Power Station (NTPC, Ramagundam). NTPC is a 2800 MW power plant and is around 4 km from the bus-stand of Godavarikhani. The power generated is not only used in the town, but also in the neighbouring states. Of late, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?page=children">children</a> of SCCL employees are accessing the advanced education and recreation facilities in NTPC.

It is similar to most other towns in Andhra Pradesh when it comes to the life-style. Most of the residents are middle-class, who have migrated from the nearby villages a few years ago. Most of the employees are illiterate or barely literate, but rigorous efforts are being taken to improve the literacy rate. The presence of an ever increasing number of schools and colleges is a good indicator of the same. An engineering <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?=college">college</a> has also been set up a few years back. At the same time, there are also a number of liquor shops which have been attracting the employees and the youth, alike.

One of the biggest assets of the place is the Godavari River, the second largest river in India. In fact, it splits the Karimnagar district and Adilabad district.

The main source of transportation is auto-rickshaws and the two-wheelers. It is very convenient to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?page=travel">travel</a> to the nearby places in the APSRTC buses which start at the bus-stand, located in the centre of the city. Also, the railway station in Ramagundam is just about 8 km away. Most of the super fast expresses have a halt in Ramagundam.

But the employees are uneducated due to the mass culture.Large number of bars and restaurents have been given the permission. Those bars are always gaining the customers as singareni employees and the youth.There are somany bars and wine shops also. Godavari river is the asset of Godavarikhani, and it is one of the biggest rivers in Andhrapradesh.

The future of the town is controversial as the predicted amounts of coal available in the area would be mined out within a few years. It could either be converted to a commercial area or a dilapidated place.

Godavarikhani is surrounded by four opencast projects. These are open coal digging places having sophisticated machinery. Open casts have not only reduced the safety concerns but have also proved to be interesting places of visit.