Status of transport and communication in India

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

Transport and communication plays an important role in the development of our country towards the goal “Developed India”. Hence efficient handling is necessary to equip the infrastructural base for speedy growth and development. Transport system helps for the easy movement of men and materials from one place to another It is an important link between the areas of production and consumption. Therefore transport system can be considered ‘arteries and veins' of National development.

A transport system involves origin, destination, route and the carrier. ‘Origin' is the point where the traffic originates, 'destination' is the point where it terminates, 'route’ is the surface on which movement takes place, and the 'carrier' is the vehicle that moves the passenger or cargo.

Communication network carries information from one place to another physically like postal service or through wires like telegraph and telephone, or through air like radio and television. Both transport and communication systems play a vital role in the upgradation of sustained economic growth of the country.

Modes of transport

Roadways, Railways, Waterways and Airways are the important means used for mobility of men and materials. Pipe lines are used for the transportation of liquid and gas.

Roadways

Roadways is an effective and increasing roadway transportation for the past few decades, as they are able to connect most of the remote villages. This has enhanced the development of village industries by marketing the finished prodcts and also serves as feeders for railways.

Advantages of the roadways

• Roadways are easier to construct and maintain

• Roads can negotiate high gradients and sharp turns which railways cannot do.

• Roads allow more halts and provide service at the door-step.

• Quick transportation of perishable goods is possible only through roads.

• They are very essential during the time of war and at the time of natural calamities.

• Roadways reach the very heart of the village.

• Industrialisation of rural areas is made possible only through the growth of road transport.

• Road transport offers employment opportunities.

• Roadways link backward areas, mountaneous terrain and coastal areas.

• Roadways help to the movement of men and materials for defence purposes.

Classification of roads

Village Roads

Village roads link the different villages with main roads. Village panchayats maintain these roads. District authorities also help in laying the village roads. ucca roads are laid thereby facilitating smooth transport system.

District Roads

District roads link the different villages with district head quarters. They maintained by the municipalities.

State Highways

These roads connect the connect the state capitals with other important cities of the state. The state governments maintain these roads. These roads are considered to be the main arteries of passenger and freight transport. Chennai Coimbatore State Highway is an example.

National Highways

National highways connect the important cities and capitals of the country. They are constructed and maintained by the central government.

Border Roads

The central government has set up the “Border Roads Development Doard" which maintains the existing roads and builds new one and surface : them. These roads help in accelerating the economic development in border areas. (e.g.) The Northern and North Eastern hilly states have been made more accessible through the development of these roads,

International highways

Some of the National Highways of India have been linked with important roads of neighbouring countries as per the agreement made with the ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission on Asia and Pacific). The construction and maintenance are financed by the World Bank. (e.g.) The major arterial road joining capital of neighbouring country is the “International highway of India and Lahore in Pakistan”.

In order to meet the requirements of fast traffic 'Express way National High ways' have been planned. 4 to 6 lane National highways of 14,846 kms distance are proposed to be constructed.

Express Way National Highways are grouped as follows

1. The Golden Quadrilateral connecting four metropolitan cities. Delhi - Kolkata - Chennai - Mumbai and Delhi (2846 kms).

2. North - South and East - West corridors (7300 kms) which will connect Srinagar to Kanyakumar and Silchar to Saurashtra respectively.

3. National highway of 363 km length will connect major ports.

This task involves a heavy expenditure and measures have been taken by the Government to speed up the project.

‘National High Ways Act' has been amended to enable the government to levy fee on certain sections of the National High Ways.

This amendment enables the private sector to undertake the construction, maintains and operation of roads under “Build, Operate and Transfer basis” (BOT).

Railways

Indian railway system is the largest in Asia and the fourth largest in the world.

There are at present sixteen railway zones under Indian railways. It forms the lifeline of the country and it is one of the best developed transport networks catering to the needs of bulk movement of traffic - both freight and passenger. The first railway line was laid between Thane and Mumbai in 1853. It was introduced by the British mainly for the economic exploitation. After the Independence, the government paid special attention towards the development of railways.

The pattern of Indian railway network has been influenced by geographical, politcal and economic factors.

Railway network is dense in the North Indian Plains'. It is highly linked to the level of agricultural and industrial development. 'Delhi' is the focal points from where railway lines radiate in all directions. Railway network is dense in the Peninsular region also. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have a denser rail network than other parts. Trunk routes connect Mumbai with Chennai, Chennai with Delhi and Chennai with Hyderabad.

Railway network is sparse in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas. The rugged terrain, topography of hills and valleys, backward economy and sparse population are the factors responsible for the sparse rail network in this region. Only few railway lines are found in railway lines are found in western Rajasthan and due to its and tract. Bihar plains. The rail network between Eastern Coastal Plains and Western Coastal Plains has a distinct contrast. A long trunk route runs all along the East Coast. Whereas it has not been developed along west coast due to the western ghats, Which lie very close to the coast, ‘Konkan Railway' has been built between Mumbai and Mangalore along the West Coast.

Significance of Railways

Railways have contributed a lot for the development of agriculture and industries. Railways have strengthened our national integration. The hinterlands ore also well connected by railways. So they are responsible for enormous growth of trade. Iron and steel industry solely depends upon the railways as they transport raw materials and finished goods of the industry from one place to another.)

(Railways provide employment to a huge number of people in the country. The “Railway Mail Service' adds value to the service of railways.

After the Independence, some steps have been taken for the further improvement of Indian railways. 'Steam engines’ have been replaced by more powerful diesel or electric engines. The number of tracks on important routes have been increased. ‘Computerised reservation system has also been introduced and on line booking saves time for commuters. Railways have introduced long distance super-fast trains.ce:g. Redshank Express, Shatabdi, Janshatabdi trains, etc. Chair car with provision of good food are another special facilities offered by the railways. “Super fast trains' like Rajdhani connecting major metros is a boon to the people of India. ‘Container Corporation of India' has introduced container services which provide door to door service for goods and commodities. Metro railway track system (MRTS) are being planned in major metropolitan cities of India like Chennai and Kolkatta.

The ‘Interactive telephone enquiry system provides upto date information about reservation availability, current status, waiting list,

Reservation against cancellation (RAC) tickets and trains and arrivals and department trains. The major improvement in railways are the facility for booking tickets through internet and and payment of tickets through credit card facilities.

Waterways

Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. It may be divided as "Inland waterways" and "ocean transport".

Inland waterways

Inland water transport is carried on through internal waterways like river, canals and lakes. Some of them are

- River Ganga is nagivable upto Varanasi.

- River Hooghly helps in connecting the major ports of Kolkata within hinterland.

- Number of canals re constructed on as Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna in peninsular India.

- Kurnool - Cuddapah canal is Andhrapradesh.

Factors affecting the development of inland waterways

- The rivers and canals should have regular flow of sufficient water.

- The presence of waterfalls and cataracts in the course of river hinders the development of water ways.

- Silting of the river bed always create problems for navigation.

Ocean transport

India has a long coastlines (including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadeep islands). Twelve major ports and 181 medium and minor ports are located on this coast line. The major ports are managed and controlled by "Port Trust' under the Central Government. State Governments control medium and minor ports. More than 70% of sea-borne trade is handled by major ports in India.The major ports located on the west coast are Kandla Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva near Mumbai), Murmagao (Go), Mangalore and Cochin.

Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata/ Haldia and Paradip are the major ports located on the East coast of India. The important intermediate ports are Kakinada, Machulipantam, Cuddalore, Nagapatnam on the east coast, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Allenne Bhavnagar and Porbandhar on the west coast.

India is the second largest ship - owning country in Asia and ranks sixteenth in the world. India has major ship building yards. They can any Hindustan Shipyard at Vishakhapatnam, Garden Reach workshops Kolkata, Mazagaon Dock at Mumbai and Cochin Shipyard.

Government of India has issued guide lines for private investment in the port sector. Indian government has awarded a licence to the port of Singapore Authority for the development of a container terminal on BOT basis for a 30 year period. Indian Ports Act 1908, and Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 have been made flexible to allow private investment in ports.

Air Transport

Airways is the fastest and costliest means of transport which carry passengers, freight and mail. They connect local, regional, national and international cities. Air transport is necessary in North eastern parts of the country because of strategic reasons and difficult terrain. Helicopters de becoming popular in our mountainous border area. In 1953 air transport was nationalised Civil Aviation controls and supervises the activities of the air and gives guidelines for the safe operations of the craft.

Now a days there are two air services in operation. They are Air M and Indian Airlines.

Air India provides International air services. Indian airlines caters to domestic needs linking major cities and towns of India.

There are two types of airports such as international and domes airports, International airports handle air traffic between India to the rest of the world. There are around 13 international airports and 63 domestic airports in India. Domestic airports handle air traffic within the country and to neighbouring countries. Airports are managed by the ‘Airport Authority of India’.

Besides this Government services, Pawanhans helicopters Ltd., provides helicopter services Private airlines such as Air Sahara, Air Deccan, Jet Airways Fisher Airlines, etc. provide domestic air services in India.

Airways of India has come to occupy a place of increasing importance in the transportation system of the country.

Major international air routes are

- Delhi - Rome - Frankfurt

- Mumbai - London - New York

- Delhi – Moscow

- Kolkata - Tokyo

- Kolkatta - Perth

Pipelines

Pipelines are used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural products and natural gas from oil fields to the refineries, factories and big thermal power plants. Pipe lines are more reliable and considerably safer mode of transportation. The possibility of pilferage or product less on pipelines is almost negligible. The basic limitations of pipelines is that they are capital intensive mode of transportation.

There are some important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.

- Pipeline from upper Assam oil fields to Kanpur via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad.

- Gas pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in U.P. via Bijapur in M.P. is another pipe line connects Mumbai High (in the sea) with Mumbai and Mumbai with pune.

Communication

"The means through which we exchange our ideas and send information is called the means of communication”. They are two types (1) Personal communication (2) Mass communication network.

Personal communication includes postal service, telegram, telephone, Internet, e-mail, fax etc.

Mass communication network plays a vital role in creating awareness about national policies policies and programmes by providing information education. Mass communication can be divided into two categories:

1. Print Media (Books, journals, magazines, newspapers etc.)

2. Elertronic media (Radio, television, tele communication, mobile telephone, e-mail, e-commerce, teleprinters and cables)

Bharath Sanchar Nigam Ltd. looks after the telecommunication services in India. STD and ISD telephone services are now available. Private companies have been given licences to start cellular mobile telephone services. In recent limes, a number of other value added services like voice mail, audio text, e-mail, radio etc. are in operation in India.

Postal Service

Three fourth of Indian population live in villages which has been connected by mail service. The postal department of India has introduced "Air Mail Service”, "Railway Mail service” and “Speed Post" to facilitate faster deivery of mails.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

All India Radio was was constituted in 1936. It is also known as Akashwani. Now AIR has 208 stations and 327 transmitting centers. These stations and transmitting centers provide services to 99% of the population and covers 90 % areas of our country. Private broadcasters have set up FM Radio Stations. All India Radio broadcasts a variety of programmes to related to information, education, agriculture and entertainment.

Computers have a wide range of uses and play an important role society in the field of education, banking, and business transactions at the global level. The world has been shrunk since the introduction of internet.

Satellite is the latest means of communication, which has brought revolution in the communication system in India and the world. Satellite systems in India can be grouped into two on the basis of two satellites namely “Indian National Satellite" (INSAT) and "Indian Remote sensing Satellite” (IRS). These satellites collect data in several spectral band and transmit them to ground stations for various uses. The communicator and remote sensing satellites INSAT and IRS have revolutionized India's communication system, metrological studies and natural resource management. The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) at Hydrabad provides facilities for acquisition of data and its processing. There is no doubt that India to irrefutably arrived as a space power in the world.

Our need of the hour is to connect the far-flung regions together to strengthen the “national economy" and "unity”. Thus transport network and communication enhance economic development of our country on hand and nationa integration through mutual understanding on the other hand.

Status of transport and communication in Tamil Nadu

1. Road Transport in Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu is one of the industrially developed states in India with a strong and committed human resources. Availability of natural resources coupled with human resources has made possible for establishment of various industrial units in the state over the last 50 years. These industries are well connected through roads and railways. Tamil Nadu has a wide network of roads in which nearly 82000km come under the category of surfaced roads. These roads also help farmers in the villages to take their agricultural produce to the local as well as national market.

2. Railway Transport in Tamil Nadu: Various economic and trade centers in Tamil Nadu are well connected through a dense network of railways. Railway network in Tamil Nadu has a total length of 3937kms. The railway network helps to transport a significant quantity of goods produced in the states. Chennai is the headquarters of the Southern Railways. Suburban railways in cities and towns carry large numberof passengers from one place to the other. Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is newly planned multi crore suburban railway project. This project once fully operational has the potential to contribute significantly to the economic development of the state.

3. Maritime and Air Transport in Tamil Nadu: Chennai is a major international harbour located in the east coast of India and contributes significantly to India's foreign trade. Intermediate ports at Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Tuticorin are the main links of maritime transport in Tamil Nadu. Air Ports at Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli Caters the needs of air transport.

4. Communication in Tamil Nadu: Communication in Tamil Nadu is well connected through posts and telegraph offices and also through a wide network of telecommunication centers. Tamil Nadu has 25 post offices for every one lakh population. Government has taken steps to make communication easy and affordable. Communication network in Tamil Nadu is designed even to handle the aftermath of natural disasters suvli as Tsunami efficiently. Transport and communication networks help not only in the economic development of the state but also to minimize the affect of natural disasters.