Bokaro Steel City

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

Location in Jharkhand, India

Coordinates: 23°40′N 86°09′E / 23.67°N 86.15°ECoordinates: 23°40′N 86°09′E / 23.67°N 86.15°E
Country  India
State Jharkhand
District Bokaro
Area
  Total 183 km2 (71 sq mi)
Elevation 210 m (690 ft)
Population (2011)
  Total 564,319
  Rank 4th in Jharkhand
Languages
  Official Hindi, English, Santali, Khortha, Bhojpuri Bengali, Urdu
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 4th largest city in the State of Jharkhand, in India. It is the district headquarters of Bokaro which is one of the most industrialised zone in India and also home to the largest steel plant in India and several other large, medium and small industries.

Bokaro Steel City is the headquarters of the Bokaro District as well as Koylanchal range (Bokaro, Dhanbad and Giridih). It is also 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 Man Singh. The region was named ManBhoom after him (VeerBhoom and SinghBhoom are the neighbouring regions also named after him, Veer Man Singh).

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, and 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 came in the form of 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, specially 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 located in the eastern part of India at 23°17′N 86°05′E / 23.29°N 86.09°E[2]

It is located 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 has been 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 2011 India census, under the urban agglomeration of Bokaro Steel City had a population of 564,319[3] making it the 86th largest Urban agglomeration and fourth largest city in Jharkhand . Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bokaro Steel City has an average literacy rate of 84.87%, higher than the national average of 74%, with male literacy of 93% and female literacy of 79%.

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 back seat and is nothing worth mentioning 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)[4] by the end of FY' 06. It has maintained its profitability since then with a slight dip to Rs 49 billion (USD 1 Bn)[5] 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 started its erection of its 2.2 MTPA steel plant. The company has invested close to Rs 80 Bn (USD 1.6 Bn) on this project which is operational from 2010.[6][7] It is located near at 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 become 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 Methane reserves in the Damodar Basin (Jharkhand and West Bengal). The corporate office of the Bokaro and Jharia blocks of this project is situated in Bokaro Steel City near Naya More. Though the project is still under development and is yet to start its production but 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.[8]

BIADA

The primary economy is supplemented by BIADA governing four districts Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih and Koderma situated in Balidih area of Bokaro beside NH-23. It has a wide manufacturing environment having more than 170 square k.m and constitutes more than 500 S.S.I and large manufacturing enterprises. It manufactures a lot of 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 situated 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 still 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 also known for what the students from the city 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 also 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. 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 and Jharkhand state administered schools too.

Also there are many ITI institutes affiliated to NCVT and two Ministry of Communications and Information Technology branch by name Infotech Education Center at Sec4 and Sultan Nagar Chas for one year Diploma Course in Computer and Electronics. In the years after 1990's, 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 also boasts of very large expatriate population in 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

Stadiums

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 also 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.

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 Hospital like K.M.Memorial Hospital & Research Centre Pvt Ltd located at Bye Pass Road, Chas, Bokaro providing Quality Health Care service at affordable cost.

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 of the city situated 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 within the city limit 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.[23]

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 its guests. They have all the 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 preferences of the people arriving in the city. The hotel facilities are of excellent quality and the staff of the hotel excels in their hospitality. Hotels in Bokaro provide untiring service to their guests and are the most credible places to put up with. People from all over India arrive in Bokaro for various purposes, ranging from business to leisure. Bokaro is one of the largest producers of steel in India. There are a number of hotels in this steel city. It is an important business center and people from all over the India visit this city. Hence, the hotels in Bokaro are plenty in number and all of them provide good quality service to the boarders. There is a huge number of economy hotels, luxury hotels and budget hotels in Bokaro.

References

  1. Jharkhand Police Organisation Chart
  2. "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Airport BOKARO". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  3. Bokaro Census 2001
  4. "SAIL". MoneyControl. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  5. http://www.moneycontrol.com/financials/steelauthorityindia/profit-loss/SAI#SAI
  6. "Electrosteel in cash chase for Bokaro unit". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  7. "Electrosteel-Bokaro". The Economic Times. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  8. "The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Cement unit gets going in Bokaro". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  9. "PM inaugurates the modernization of Bokaro Steel Plant". Moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  10. ArcelorMittal explores other Jharkhand sites for steel plant in Bokaro
  11. "ArMittal hunts for new J'khand site in Bokaro". The Financial Express. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  12. Tata Hunting place for its steel plant in Bokaro
  13. Our Bureau (19 March 2010). "POSCO-SAIL new greenfield Plant". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. "Monnet Steel & Power". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  15. Navtan Kumar, ET Bureau 17 September 2010, 03.07am IST (17 September 2010). "Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  16. BMW Steel Unit In Bokaro
  17. DVC-SAIL joint venture to set up 500-MW power plant
  18. "Steel cousins to host twin software technology parks". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  19. "Glitz Cinema". Business Standard. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  20. AV mall
  21. Wikimapia: Bokaro in Wikimapia
  22. "Bokaro Attractions | Bokaro Place of interest". Travel.sulekha.com. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  23. "New Airport in Bokaro". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bokaro Steel City.
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