Bhilai

Bhilai
—  c grade city(population)  —
Bhilai Location of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh and India
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Chhattisgarh
District(s)	Durg
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 293 metres (961 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 490 0xx • Telephone • +91-788 • Vehicle • CG-07
Website	www.bhilai.co.in

Bhilai or Bhilai Nagar is a city in Durg district of Chhattisgarh state, India with a population of 753,837 (2001 census)^[1]. The city is located 25 km west of the capital Raipur on the main Howrah–Mumbai rail line, and National Highway 6. Bhilai is famous for Bhilai Steel Plant which is the largest of its kind in India. Along with its sister city Durg, Bhilai was listed among the fastest growing cities in the world, in terms of the growing population.^[2]

Geography

Bhilai is located at ^[3]. It has an average elevation of 293 m (961 ft). The city is part of a greater urban agglomeration, centered around Bhilai.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census^[1] Bhilai Nagar had a population of 753,837. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bhilai Nagar has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 79% and female literacy of 65%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

History

• Feb 2, 1955 - Located in the Indian state of Chattisgarh, Bhilai is a major travel destination of central India. With the help of Russian Government the second Indian Steel plant was grown from the date 2nd Feb 1955. At that time, Bhilai was an unknown remote village. But now a new, modern city has been developed there surrounding the steel plant. Bhilai has emerged as an excellent educational centre, contributing to the educational needs in all technological fields.

• Apr 24, 1956 - Teejan Bai was born in April 24, 1956, in village Ganiyari, 14 km north of Bhilai.

• Sep 1959 - Almost 500 Indian firms are being supplied with pig iron and steel from Bhilai. In September 1959, Bhilai pig iron and steel were exported for the first time.

• Jan 1964 - The USSR trained a total of 426 engineers and 387 operators for Bhilai.

• Oct 21, 1967 - The Soviet Union will import 200; 000 tons of steel from India next year as a $2-million "rescue measure" to arrest the sagging production of the Sovletbuilt Bhilai steel plant d Madhya State. M. Chenna Reddy , Minister o! Steel, Mines and Metal.

• 1971 - Founded in 1971, affiliated to CBSE, Senior Secondary School, Sector X, is a co- educational institution run by Bhilai Steel Plant, providing education from Secondary to Senior Secondary level (Class IX to XII; Science & Humanities streams at Senior Secondary level).

• 1977 - The Chattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh (CMSS) was established in 1977. The immediate challenge before the new union was a proposal by the PSU management to mechanise some parts of the mining operation.

• 1978 - BHILAI EDUCATION TRUST, constituted in year 1978, duly registered as a Public Trust, at the initative involvement and support of BHILAI STEEL PLANT and consists of Trustees representing Plant, Indistrialist, Businessmen and Prominent Citizens of Bhilai.

• Aug 1985 - The Delhi Public School at Bhilai was established in August, 1985.

• January 7, 1986 - GAS PIPE BLAST INJURES 46 AT INDIA STEEL Plant at Bhilai. A leaking gas pipe exploded Monday at India's biggest steel mill, injuring 46 workers at the Soviet-built plant in Madhya Pradesh state.

• Jul 1986 - Bhilai Institute of Technology was established in July, 1986.

• Sep 1989 - According to CBI case, the Jains had sponsored a foreign trip for Mr Jakhar's wife Mrs Rameshwari Devi and her friend Ms Kulwant Kaur Sidhu in September 1989. The duo had travelled to London, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Geneva, Dubai and back to Delhi at a cost of Rs 89920 that was allegedly borne by Bhilai Engineering Corporation (BEC), a company owned by the Jains.

• May 3, 1991 - There was a search conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI for short) in the residential and business premises of one Shri SK Jain (the assessee in these appeals) managing director of M/s Bhilai Engineering Corpn., Bhilai. The hawala operators came up with the names of Surendra Kumar Jain and Jainendra Kumar Jain, identifying them as the 'kingpins' behind the operation. This led to a raid on the Jains on May 3, 1991 and the seizure of Rs 58 lakh in hard cash, Rs 10 lakh worth of Indira Vikas Patras and $20000.

• Sep 27, 1991 - Guha Niyogi was killed, allegedly by a hired assasin on September 27, 1991, as he lay asleep in his house in Bhilai. He was killed a fortnight after he'd submitted a memorandum to then President R Venkataraman, signed by 50000 workers , alleging threat to him and other union leaders by a few industrialists in Bhilai.

• Jul 2, 1992 - It said police clamped an indefinite curfew in Bhilai, a major steel township in central Madhya Pradesh state, after they fired on 3000 workers belonging to the leftist Chhatisgarh Mukti Morcha group.

• Nov 24, 1998 - After the hawala scam had been unearthed, Patwa called a press conference to reveal that Digvijay Singh had gifted away over 4,37000 sqft of land in Bhilai to BL Jain whose name had figured among the list of main accused in the scam.

• Dec 17, 1998 - Purchase of railway tracks (C) 1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD. RDATE:171298 Rail tracks ordered for purchase from the Steel Authority of India (Bhilai Steel Plant)during the current year is 3,71247 million tonnes which is maximum as compared to purchase from other agencies. The purchase order from M/S British Steel Track Products, United Kingdom is 42000 million tonnes.

• Dec 23, 1998 - The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee presenting the PM's Trophy for Best Integrated Steel Plant to Bhilai Steel Plant in New Delhi on December 23, 1998.

• Aug 2, 1999 - CALCUTTA, AUG 1: Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is likely to bear the brunt of the anti-dumping duty imposed by the US on imports of steel from seven countries, including India.

• Nov 1, 2000 - The Bhilai/Durg agglomeration is the largest in the state (923559).Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000.

• Jan 5, 2001 - M2 PRESSWIRE-5 January 2001-Indian Government: Bhilai Steel Plant spends Rs.220 crore to modernise rail mill.

• Mar 2001 - Both the joint venture companies NTPC SAIL Power Company Pvt Ltd (NSPCL) and Bhilai Electric Supply Company Pvt Ltd (BESCL) established in March 2001.

• Oct 2001 - Mr BK Singh, who was Managing Director of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) before joining the SAIL board as Director -Technical, was given charge of BSP in October 2001.

• Mar 2002 - Bhilai has remained the highest exporter of the SAIL collective in 2002-03 by exporting 4.80 lakh tonnes of products worth Rs 530 crores. The total exports from the remaining plants and units of SAIL was at 3.70 lakh tonnes.

• Dec 2002 - In December 2002, the Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) placed an order for the delivery of a turnkey rail straightener with a consortium headed by SMS Meer GmbH. This rail straightener is intended for the Bhilai Works (BSP) in Bhilai,

India.

• Feb 24, 2005 - Amit Sana from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh or Abhijit Sawant from Mumbai? The grand finale was on Thursday night on Sony TV.

Economy

The economy of the town is centred around the massive Bhilai Steel Plant, one of the largest integrated steel plants in the world. Apart from this, Bhilai is also home to Bhilai Refractories Plant (BRP)^[4], another public sector organization.

In recent years Bhilai has witnessed a handsome rise in commercial enterprise. Several retail outlets, financial companies, and restaurant chains have established new units here. This has been accompanied by a rise in several new residential townships built by private and public builders.

Transport

Durg Railway Station connects the city to the rest of the country. It has five other small railway stations Bhilai Nagar, Bhilai Power house, Bhilai Junction (Bhilai 3), Charoda and Kumhari. Of these station, only Bhilai Power House has stoppage for Express Trains and few SuperFast Trains. All other stations are largely a stop only for local trains. Raipur Airport is the nearest air link which is 45 km away.

Within the city, commuters depend mostly on their own vehicles and hired autorickshaws, which can only be hired from auto stands. The diesel run three-wheelers (called Tempos in local lingo) ply on the Great Eastern Highway and a central road called the Central Avenue which runs parallel to the highway.

Administration

The steel city is called Bhilainagar which is a planned township, divided into 11 sectors. Bhilai is one of the most planned cities of India, falling in top 3 of the most planned cities list. Bhilai Nagar has a municipal corporation.The lush green central avenue starting from the Bhilai Steel plant to Jawahar Lal Nehru Main Hospital divides this planned city into two halves.

Education

Bhilai is known for its pre-graduate education aimed at preparation for entrance examinations for Engineering. A town which was literally created from a small village, Bhilai Steel Plant had to create an education system for the children of employees it attracted from all over India. Starting in late 1950s, the first Higher Secondary School was opened in Sector 1 (and it is still there), followed by Bhilai Vidyalaya Sec 2 and Higher Secondary School in Sector 7. In those early days the Sector 7 School supported instruction in both English (through Cambridge Board) and in Hindi. Recognizing that most of the employees were going to be engineers or in some or the technical field, the Plant Management went out to attract the best teachers from all over the country. The first education officer was Mr. B. N. Singh. The first batch of Principals included Maj. R. S. Mishra, Mr. R. N. Verma, Mr. Y. M. Sahaya, Mr. B. D. Sharma, Mr. G. P. Sharma, and Mr. L. R. Puranick. Since the very early days the students from these schools routinely appeared in the state and national Merit list and enrolled in IIT's and medical schools.

With the increasing population over last 50 years, the populace as well as the education system has become somewhat diversified. Many Business and English coaching classes have flourished in this small town.

Bhilai is also famous for its Schools. Delhi Public School,Risali sector Bhilai, D.A.V. Public School (ACC Jamul), Senior Secondary School (S.S.S) Sector 10, Bhilai Nair Samajam school sector-8, S.S.S Sector 4, S.S.S Sector 6, S.S.S Sector 7, Bhilai Vidyalaya, Mar Gregorious Memorial Senior Secondary School, Krishna Public School, Shri Shankara Vidyalaya, St. Xavier's High School, Angle Valley School Hudco etc. all boast of illustrious alumni. A high percentage of students qualify for the illustrious IITs from these schools.

YUGCHETNA PUBLIC SCHOOL
JUNWANI , KHAMARIA ROAD [BHILAI]
[CG]

Engineer's Place

Swami Vivekanand Technical University is the first Technical Education University established in Bhilai. Bhilai and Durg Region is famous of its Engineering Colleges. There are many engineering college in and around Bhilai with top 5 in Bhilai itself. The most coveted engineering college of Chhattisgarh's science students, with other top 4 namely RCET, Chattrapati Shivaji Institute Of Technology and MPCCET are in Bhilai. A large number of students rush to Bhilai for enrollment into these colleges.

Culture

The major population is of localities of the state "Chhattisgarhi". The local dialect is Chhattisgarhi which is very similar to Hindi.

All major festivals are celebrated in a scale similar to their region of origin. Like the Durga Puja celebrations of Bhilai are in tune with that in Bengal. Same can be said about Maharashtra's Ganesh Chaturthi, Andhra's Ugadi, Tamil Nadu's Pongal, Muslim's Id, Jagganath Puri's Rath Yatra. The population of sikh's in the region is remarkable and the sikh festivals like the Guru Nanak Dev ji's Guruparab, Guru Gobind Singh's Guruparab, Baisakhi (The Birth of Khalsa), Shaheedi Gurparab of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Teg Bahadur is celebrated with a great passion by all the people irrespective of their religion. Bhilai also boasts of high levels of linguistic and religious unity which has been the hallmark of its culture since its inception.

The main reason obviously lies in the fact that before the establishment of Bhilai Steel Plant (with collaboration from Russian Counterparts), it was almost nothing but an agricultural area with small villages like AmdiGaon (now AmdiNagar-HUDCO) and many others. But the setting up BSP made a cale all over India to make a rush and henceforth bring the multi-ethnicity with them.

Places of Interest

The Maitri Bagh-Zoo and a park established by the Bhilai Steel Plant. Right next to Maitri bagh are two huge man-made water lakes. One is used to supply water to the township. The other is used for the Steel Plant's applications. Right across Maitri Bagh is Bhilai Water Works, a facility used to provide clean water to the Bhilai Township.

Civic Center - Started as a shopping center consisting of two rows of shops & stores arranged in L shape, initially it had TATA (textiles) on one end and BATA(shoes) on other hand. This was the only hub for lots of social activities, entertainment and shopping for long time before Bhilai expanded beyond its boundaries when shopping complex like Gangotri & Akash Ganga started in Supela in late 80's . Lots of changes happened after that in Civic Center and nearby area. The L shape Civic Center had children's garden with Toy-Train which used to be open on every 14th November on Children's Day. The Toy-Train is no more there and garden is decorated to teach traffic-sign and signals to children. There was also a dome Supermarket which is now used for art-exhibitions. In East of the Civic-Center, there is open place with stage which is known as 'Open-Air-Theatre' and used for various cultural activities including musical nights. Right next to Civic Center is Kala Mandir theater used for various purposes. Initially it was a movie theater known as Chitra Mandir. For long time this was the only air-conditioned movie theater in the area for entertainment of Bhilaians. But in nineties with television & cable TV popularity, demand and use of this theater reduced and management decided to close the movie theater. The theater then converted to multipurpose community center and named as Kala Mandir. South of Kala Mandir is a huge field used for Ramleela and Dashehara festivals. In this field there used to be a high rock stage which was constructed to Welcome Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962. New Civic Center started its operation in 80's which is a major IT hub in Bhilai. This is new commercial complex and also have movie theater - Geet Talkies.

Deobaloda - It is situated about 3 km from Bhilai and is famous for an ancient Shiv Mandir.

Tandula - It is 60 km away from the district of Durg. It is famous for Dam on the river Tandula. It is an exciting picnic spot. One can stay here in the rest house of the irrigation department of the government of India.

Dhamdha - It is situated on the Durg-Bemetara road 35 km from the district of Durg. It is famous for Prachin Kila (Old Palace) & Mandir. Lodge and hotel facility are there for the staying of tourist.

Dongargarh - It is situated about 100 km west of Bhilai and is the site for the most famous temple in the region. The Bambleshwari temple is visible from the railway line and is on the top of mountain. Devotees routinely climb the mountain which can take up to an 1 hr chanting mantra and singing praises of Maa Bambleshwari. The view from the top of the hill makes all the hard work worthwhile. There are gift stores and a restaurant on the top of the hill just below the stairs that lead to the final climb to the temple. There is also a cable car for devotees who would rather not climb. Jai Bambleshwari!

Balod - It is situated at 58 km.from the district of Durg. It is famous for Prachin Kila (Oldest Palace), Mandir (Temples) & Sati Chabutra.

Siyadevi - It is around 20 km. (80 K.m from Durg city) from balod (Must See Place). This place is famous for Sita Maiya's temple, situated in the heart of greenery of natural jungle. You can find a natural and very beautiful waterfall between (July- Feb).

Nagpura - It is situated at 280km. from the district of Durg. It is famous for Jain Temples & Pasharwanath Tirth.

Kharkhara - It is 95 km. away from the district of Durg by road. It is famous for Dam on the river Kharkhara. The total length of the dam is 1128 m.

Hajra Falls - It is 100 km from Bhilai, crossing Dongargarh near Darekasa Railway station in Howrah Mumbai rail route. Situated amongst dense forests, hills and tunnels, this spectacular 150 feet (46 m) high falls is a visual delight for tourists. Place to stay : The Forest bungalow.

Barnawapara - An animal sanctuary famous for Wild Buffalo, Leopard, Common Langur, Cheetal deer etc..

Sports

Each sector has a community hall, schools, health centers and market. For sports, there are two major stadiums Pant stadium in Sector 1 and Jayanti Stadium in Indra Place. Many indoor stadiums are also there for handball, and badminton.

References

LKO

External links

• Website of Bhilai