Talcher

Talcher तालचेर ତାଲଚେର
Urban agglomeration/Coal City
Country	India
State	Odisha
District	Angul
Population (2011)
• Total	40,841
Languages
• Official	Oriya
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	759100
Telephone code	06760
Vehicle registration	OD-35
Nearest city	Cuttack, Bhubaneswar
Literacy	75%
Lok Sabha constituency	Dhenkanal

Talcher also named as Coal City of Odisha is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Angul district in the Indian state of Odisha. Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country. The City is Surrounded by huge coalfield MCL(Mahanadi Coalfields Limited and has two Mega Power plants plants like NTPC ,TTPS.

Front view of Talcher palace

Main entrance of Talcher palace

History

During the British Raj Talcher was the capital of Talcher State, one of the princely states of the Eastern States Agency.^[1]

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Talcher had a population of 40,841 as per 2011. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Talcher has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 62%. In Talcher, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Talcher is known for its coal reserves. It has numbers of underground and open-cast mines. Dera colliery is the oldest mine here. The coalfields are managed by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL). The establishment of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), Heavy Water Plant and the Collieries (MCL) have enhanced the importance of the place.

Politics

Current MLA from Talcher Assembly Constituency is Brajokishore Pradhan of BJD, who won the seat in State elections in 2009. Previous MLAs from this seat were Mahesh Sahoo who won this seat as BJP candidate in 1994, Brundaban Behera who won this seat as an independent candidate in 1990 and also representing JNP in 1980 and 1977, and Bhajaman Behera of INC in 1985. Talcher is part of Dhenkanal (Lok Sabha constituency).

Landmarks

Talcher Palace, also known as the Samrat Sadan Palace is a lavish heritage property built around the 14th century. The main attraction of this palace is an imposing wheel-shaped stone structure that lies right above the main entrance. Talcher Palace is the official residence of Raja Rajendra Chandra Deb of Talcher who lives there along with his wife Rani Saheb Pushpa Devi and their two sons Yuvraj Vijayendra Chandra Deb and Pattayet Shailendra Chandra Deb. Talcher Palace is a popular tourist destination for visitors coming to Talcher. Talcher Autonomous College and numerous colleges are located here. Rengali Dam is another tourist spot located on the outskirts of Talcher.

Transport

As Talcher is a commercial and industrial centre of Odisha, it has a developed transportation network. It is well connected with the capital Bhubaneswar, cuttack and other part of Odisha

Rail

Talcher Railway Station is on the in the East Coat Railway Zone headquartered at Bhubaneswar.Important train routes are Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Visakhapatnam make it helpful for citizens to commute to other parts of nation. Talcher-Puri is well connected for the people who wants to travel from Talcher to Puri and Vice versa.

Road

Centrally located in the state of odisha it has well connectivity to other major cities.NH 23 connects to northern towns of Talcher & Rourkela and connecting NH 42 to Banarpal of Angul District . Besides other major state highways have access to other important places.

Local transport

The city is well connected to the other towns of the state. Local transport include mini buses that ply to nearby suburbs, autorickshaws & taxis.

References