We use many items in our daily life.

From
Unit IV toothpaste to our bed tea, milk, clothes, soaps,
Chapter 7 food items, etc., are required every day. All these
can be purchased from the market. Have you
ever thought as to how these items are brought
from the site of production? All the production
is meant for consumption. From the fields and
factory, the produce is brought to the place from
where consumers purchase it. It is the
transportation of these items from the site of
their production to the market which make
them available to the consumer.
We not only use material things, like fruits,
vegetables, books, clothes, etc., but also use
TRANSPORT AND ideas, views and messages in our daily life. Do
you know we exchange our views, ideas and
COMMUNICATION messages from one place to another or one
individual to another while communicating with
the help of various means?
The use of transport and communication
depends upon our need to move things from
place of their availability to the place of their
use. Human beings use various methods to
move goods, commodities, ideas from one place
to another.
The following diagram shows the major
means of transportation.

Trr anspor
Land T ansportt
The pathways and unmetalled roads have been
used for transportation in India since ancient
times. With the economic and technological
development, metalled roads and railways were
developed to move large volume of goods and

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people from one place to another. Ropeways, the princely states and British India. After
cableways and pipelines were devised to cater Independence, twenty-year road plan (1961) was
to the demands of transporting specific goods introduced to improve the conditions of roads in
under special circumstances. India. However, roads continue to concentrate in
and around urban centres. Rural and remote
Road Transport areas had the least connectivity by road.
For the purpose of construction and
India has one of the second largest road networks maintenance, roads are classified as National
in the world with a total length of about 62.16 Highways (NH), State Highways(SH), Major
lakh km (morth.nic.in, Annual Report 2020-21). District Roads and Rural Roads.

Rain-soaked : Nomads go about their routine during an early morning

downpour in Srinagar. Traffic on the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu and 434- A view of traffic flow in Delhi
km Srinagar-Leh National Highways is suspended as upper reaches of
J&K saw heavy snowfall while rain lashed the plains.

Fig. 7.1

About 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent National Highways

of freight traffic are carried by roads every year.
The main roads which are constructed and
Road transport is relatively suitable for shorter
maintained by the Central Government are
distance travel.
known as the National Highways. These roads
are meant for inter -state transport and
movement of defence men and material in
Sher Shah Suri built the Shahi (Royal) road to strategic areas. These also connect the state
strengthen and consolidate his empire from the capitals, major cities, important ports, railway
Indus Valley to the Sonar Valley in Bengal. This junctions, etc. The length of the National
road was renamed the Grand Trunk (GT) road Highways has increased from 19,700 km in
during the British period, connecting Calcutta and 1951 to 1,36,440 km in 2020. The National
Peshawar. At present, it extends from Amritsar Highways constitute only about 2 per cent of
to Kolkata. the total road length but carry 40 per cent of
the road traffic.
Collect information about National Highway number (old and
The National Highways Authority of India
new) from the website morth.nic.in/national-highway-details. (NHAI) was operationalised in 1995. It is an
autonomous body under the Ministry of
Road transport in modern sense was very Surface Transport. It is entrusted with the
limited in India before World War-II. The first responsibility of development, maintenance
serious attempt was made in 1943 when ‘Nagpur and operation of National Highways. This is also
Plan’ was drawn. This plan could not be the apex body to improve the quality of the roads
implemented due to lack of coordination among designated as National Highways.

76 India : People and Economy

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 Table 7.1 : India Road Network 2020
Serial No. Road Category Length in Km

1. National Highways 136440

2. State Highways 176818
3. Other Roads 5902539
Total 6215797
Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Annual Report 2020-21. For latest data see website morth.nic.in

Rural Roads
National Highways These roads are vital for providing links in the
Development Projects rural areas. About 80 per cent of the total road
length in India are categorised as rural roads.
NHAI has taken up some major projects in
There is regional variation in the density of rural
the country under different phases :
road because these are influenced by the nature
Golden Quadrilateral : It comprises of the terrain.
construction of 5,846-km long 4/6 lane, high
density traffic corridor, to connect India’s four
big metro cities of Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-
Kolkata. With the construction of Golden
Quadrilateral, the time, distance and cost
of movement among the mega cities of India
will be considerably minimised.
North-South and East-West Corridors :
North-South corridor aims at connecting
Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir with
Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu (including
Kochchi-Salem Spur) with 4,076-km long
road. The East-West Corridor has been planned
to connect Silchar in Assam with the port town
Fig. 7.2 : Road constructed under the Pradhan
of Porbandar in Gujarat with 3,640-km of Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna
road length.

Why are the rural roads’ density very low

State Highways in hilly, plateau and forested areas? Why
These are constructed and maintained by state does the quality of rural roads deteriorate
governments. They join the state capitals with away from the urban centres?
district headquarters and other important
towns. These roads are connected to the
Other Roads
National Highways. These constitute 4 per cent
of total road length in the country. Other roads include Border Roads and
International Highways. The Border Road
District Roads Organisation (BRO) was established in May
These roads are the connecting link between 1960 for accelerating economic development
District Headquarters and the other important and strengthening defence preparedness
nodes in the district. They account for 14 per through rapid and coordinated improvement
cent of the total road length of the country. of strategically important roads along the

Transport and Communication 77

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northern and north-eastern boundary of the Apart from the construction and
country. It is a premier multifaceted maintenance of roads in strategically sensitive
construction agency. It has constructed roads areas, the BRO also undertakes snow clearance
in high altitude mountainous terrain joining in high altitude areas. The international
Chandigarh with Manali (Himachal Pradesh) highways are meant to promote the harmonious
and Leh (Ladakh). This road runs at an relationship with the neighbouring countries
average altitude of 4,270 metres above the by providing effective links with India. (Fig. 7.4
mean sea level. and 7.5)

The World’s longest Highway

tunnel — Atal Tunnel (9.02 Km)
has been built by Border Road
Organisation. This tunnel connects
Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley
throughout the year. Earlier the
valley was cut off for about 6 months
each year owing to heavy snowfall.
The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern
specifications in the Pir Panjal
range of Himalayas at an altitude
of 3000 metres from the Mean Sea
Level (MSL).
Source: http://www.bro.gov.in/
pagefimg.asp?imid=144, And PIB
Delhi 03 October 2020
Fig. 7.3 : Khardung La Pass in Jammu & Kashmir

Delhi-Lahore Bus

Fig. 7.5 : Aman Setu between Srinagar and

Fig. 7.4 : A Bus from Lahore to Delhi at Wagah Border Muzaffarabad

78 India : People and Economy

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 Table 7.2 : Indian Railways:
Railway Zones and Headquarters
Why have Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the South and
Railway Zone Headquarters
Delhi, Kanpur and Patna in north India have emerged
as important nodes?
Central Mumbai CST

Eastern Kolkata

East Central Hajipur

Bharatmala is a proposed umbrella scheme for: East Coast Bhubaneswar
(i) Development of State roads along coastal Northern New Delhi
border areas, including connectivity of non- North Central Allahabad
major ports;
North Eastern Gorakhpur
(ii) Backward areas religious and tourist places
North East Frontier Maligaon (Guwahati)
connectivity programme;
(iii) Setubharatam Pariyojana, which is for the North Western Jaipur

consruction of about 1500 major bridges and Southern Chennai

200 rail over bridges rail under bridges; District South Central Secunderabad
Headquarters connectivity Scheme for the
South Eastern Kolkata
development of about 9000 km newly declared
South East Central Bilaspur
National Highways.
The programme is targeted for completion by 2022. South Western Hubli
Source: Economic Survey 2015-16 pp.146. Western Mumbai (Church Gate)
West Central Jabalpur
Rail Transport
Indian Railways, network is one of the longest
in the world. It facilitates the movement of both
freight and passengers and contributes to the
growth of the economy. Mahatma Gandhi said,
the Indian railways “...brought people of On the basis of the width of track of the Indian
diverse cultures together to contribute to Railways, three categories have been made:
India’s freedom struggle”.
Broad gauge: The distance between rails in
Indian Railway was introduced in 1853,
broad gauge is 1.676 metre. The total length of
when a line was constructed from Bombay to
broad gauge lines was 63950 km (2019-20).
Thane covering a distance of 34 km.
Indian Railways is the largest government Metre gauge: The distance between rails
undertaking in the country. The length of Indian is one metre. Its total length was 2402 km
Railways network was 67,956 km (Railway (2019-20).
yearbook 2019-20). Its very large size puts a Narrow gauge: The distance between the rails
lot of pressure on a centralised railway in this case is 0.762 metre or 0.610 metre. The
management system. Thus, in India, the railway total length of narrow guage was 1604 km
system has been divided into 16 zones. (2019-20). It is generally confined to hilly areas.

Transport and Communication 79

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 Indian Railways has launched extensive Areas around towns, raw material
programme to convert the metre and narrow producing areas and of plantations and other
gauges to broad gauge. Moreover, steam commercial crops, hill stations and cantonment
engines have been replaced by diesel and towns were well-connected by railways from the
electric engines. This step has increased the British colonial era. These were mostly
speed, as well as, the haulage capacity. developed for the exploitation of resources. After
The replacement of steam engines run by the Independence of the country, railway routes
coal has also improved the environment of the have been extended to other areas too. The most
stations. significant development has been the
Metro rail has revolutionlised the urban development of Konkan Railway along the
transport system in India. Replacement of diesel western coast providing a direct link between
buses by CNG-run vehicles along with the Mumbai and Mangaluru.
introduction of metro is a welcome step towards Railway continues to remain the main means
controlling the air pollution in urban centres. of transport for the masses. Railway network is
relatively less dense in the hill states, north eastern
Which cities of India have Metro Rail Facility? Collect states, central parts of India and Rajasthan.
information about it and discuss in the classroom.
Water Transport

Konkan Railway Waterways is an important mode of transport

for both passenger and cargo traffic in India. It
One of the important achievements of the is the cheapest means of transport and is most
Indian Railways has been the construction suitable for carrying heavy and bulky material.
of Konkan Railway in 1998. It is 760-km It is a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly mode of
long rail route connecting Roha in transport. The water transport is of two types–
Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka. (a) inland waterways, and (b) oceanic waterways.
It is considered an engineering marvel. It
crosses 146 rivers, streams, nearly 2000 Inland Waterways
bridges and 91 tunnels. Asia’s largest
tunnel which is nearly 6.5 km long, also It was the chief mode of transport before the
lies on this route. The states of advent of railways. It, however, faced tough
Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are competition from road and railway transport.
partners in this undertaking. Moreover, diversion of river water for irrigation
purposes made them non-navigable in large

Fig. 7.6 : River navigation in the North-east

80 India : People and Economy

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parts of their courses. India has 14,500 km of For the development, maintenance and
navigable waterways, contributing about 1% regulation of national waterways in the country,
to the country’s transportation. It comprises the Inland Waterways Authority was set up in
rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc. At 1986. The following waterways have been
present, 5,685 km of major rivers are navigable declared as the National Waterways by the
by mechanised flat bottom vessels. Government (Table 7.3).

Fig. 7.7 : Natinal Waterway No.3

Table 7.3:1 National Waterways of India

Waterways Stretch Specification

NW 1 Allahabad-Haldia It is one of the most important waterways in

stretch (1,620 km) India, which is navigable by mechanical boats
up to Patna and by ordinary boats up to
Haridwar. It is divided into three parts for
developmental purposes– (i) Haldia-Farakka (560
km), (ii) Farakka-Patna (460 km), (iii) Patna-
Allahabad (600 km).
NW 2 Sadiya-Dhubri stretch Brahmaputra is navigable by steamers up to
(891 km) Dibrugarh (1,384 km) which is shared by India
and Bangladesh
NW 3 Kottapuram-Kollam It includes 168 km of west coast canal along
stretch (205 km) with Champakara canal (14 km) and
Udyogmandal canal (23 km).
NW 4 Specified streches of Godavari and Krishna rivers along with Kakinada
Puducherry stretch of canals (1078 km)
NW 5 Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta channels
of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East Coast canals (588km).

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 The Inland Waterways Authority has also In addition, Pawan Hans Limited mainly
identified 10 other inland waterways, which provides helicopter services to petroleum sector
could be upgraded. The backwaters (Kadal) of and for tourism.
Kerala has special significance in Inland
Waterway. Apart from providing cheap means Oil and Gas Pipelines
of transport, they are also attracting a large Pipelines are the most convenient and efficient
number of tourists in Kerala. The famous Nehru mode of transporting liquids and gases over
Trophy Boat Race (VALLAMKALI) is also held long distances. Even solids can also be
in the backwaters. transported by pipelines after converting them
into slurry. Oil India Limited (OIL) under the
Oceanic Routes
administrative set up of the Ministry of
India has a vast coastline of approximate 7,517 Petroleum and Natural Gas is engaged in the
km, including islands. Twelve major and 185 exploration, production and transportation of
minor ports provide infrastructural support to crude oil and natural gas. It was incorporated
these routes. Oceanic routes play an important in 1959 as a company. Asia’s first cross country
role in the transport sector of India’s economy. pipeline covering a distance of 1,157 km was
Approximately 95 per cent of India’s foreign constructed by OIL from Naharkatiya oilfield
trade by volume and 70 per cent by value moves in Assam to Barauni refinery in Bihar. It was
through ocean routes. Apart from international further extended up to Kanpur in 1966. GAIL
trade, these are also used for the purpose of (India) Ltd. was set up in 1984 as a public
transportation between the islands and the rest sector undertaking to transport, process and
of the country. market natural gas for its economic use. The
first 1,700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur -
Air Transportation
Jagdishpur (HVJ) cross country gas pipeline,
Air transport is the fastest means of movement constructed by GAIL (India), linked Mumbai
from one place to the other. It has reduced High and Bassein gas fields with various
distances by minimising the travel time. It is fertiliser, power and industrial complexes in
essential for a vast country like India, where western and northern India. This artery
distances are large and the terrain and climatic provided impetus to Indian gas market
conditions are diverse. development. Overall, India’s gas infrastructure
Air transport in India made a beginning
has expanded over ten times from 1,700 km to
in 1911 when airmail operation commenced
18,500 km of cross-country pipelines and is
over a little distance of 10 km between
expected to soon reach over 34,000 km as Gas
Allahabad and Naini. But its real development
Grid by linking all the gas sources and
took place in post-Independent period. The
consuming markets across the country
Airport Authority of India is responsible for
including North Eastern States.
providing safe, efficient air traffic and
aeronautical communication services in the Communication Networks
Indian Air Space. The authority manages 125
Human beings have evolved different methods
airports.
of communication over time. In earlier times,
Pawan Hans is the helicopter service
the messages were delivered by beating the
operating in hilly areas and is widely used by
drum or hollow tree trunks, giving indications
tourists in north-eastern sector.

82 India : People and Economy

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through smoke or fire or with the help of fast enables us with the basic facilities of direct
runners. Horses, camels, dogs, birds and other communication.
animals were also used to send messages.
Initially, the means of communication were also Mass Communication System
the means of transportation. Invention of post-
office, telegraph, printing press, telephone, Radio
satellite, etc has made the communication much Radio broadcasting started in India in 1923 by
faster and easier. Development in the field of the Radio Club of Bombay. Since then, it gained
science and technology has significantly immense popularity and changed the socio-
contributed in bringing about revolution in the cultural life of people. Within no time, it made a
field of communication. place in every household of the country.
People use different modes of Government took this opportunity and brought
communication to convey the messages. On the this popular mode of communication under its
basis of scale and quality, the mode of control in 1930 under the Indian Broadcasting
communication can be divided into following System. It was changed to All India Radio in
categories : 1936 and to Akashwani in 1957.
All India Radio broadcasts a variety of
programmes related to information, education
and entertainment. Special news bulletins are
also broadcast at specific occasions like session
of parliament and state legislatures.
Television (T.V.)
Television broadcasting has emerged as the
most effective audio-visual medium for
disseminating information and educating
masses. Initially, the T.V. services were limited
only to the National Capital where it began in
1959. After 1972, several other centres became
operational. In 1976, TV was delinked from All
India Radio (AIR) and got a separate identity
Personal Communication System as Doordarshan (DD). After INSAT-IA (National
Television-DD1) became operational, Common
Among all the personal communication system
National Programmes (CNP) were started for the
internet is the most effective and advanced one.
entire network and its services were extended
It is widely used in urban areas. It enables the
to the backward and remote rural areas.
user to establish direct contact through e-mail
to get access to the world of knowledge and Satellite Communication
information. It is increasingly used for e-
commerce and carrying out money Satellites are mode of communication in
transactions. The internet is like a huge central themselves as well as they regulate the use of
warehouse of data, with detailed information other means of communication. However, use
on various items. The network through internet of satellite in getting a continuous and synoptic
and e-mail provides an efficient access to view of larger area has made satellite
information at a comparatively low cost. It communication very vital for the country due

Transport and Communication 83

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to the economic and strategic reasons. Satellite The IRS satellite system became
images can be used for the weather forecast, operational with the launching of IRS-IA in
monitoring of natural calamities, surveillance March 1988 from Vaikanour in Russia. India
of border areas, etc. has also developed her own Launching Vehicle
On the basis of configuration and purposes, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). These
satellite system in India can be grouped into two: satellites collect data in several spectral bands
Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) and and transmit them to the ground stations for
Indian Remote Sensing Satellite System (IRS). various uses. The National Remote Sensing
The INSAT, which was established in 1983,is a Centre (NRSC) at Hyderabad provides facilities
multi-purpose satellite system for for acquisition of data and its processing. These
telecommunication, meteorological observation are very useful in the management of natural
and for various other data and programmes. resources.

EXERCISES
1. Choose the right answers of the following from the given options.
(i) In how many zones has the Indian Railways system been divided?
(a) 9 (c) 16
(b) 12 (d) 14
(ii) On which river and between which two places does the National Water
Way No. 1 lie?
(a) The Brahmaputra, Sadiya-Dhubri
(b) The Ganga, Haldia-Allahabad
(c) West Coast Canal, Kottapuram to Kollam
(iii) In which of the following year, the first radio programme was broadcast?
(a) 1911 (c) 1927
(b) 1936 (d) 1923
2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
(i) Which activity does transportation convey? Name three major modes of
transportation.
(ii) Discuss advantages and disadvantages of pipeline transportation.
(iii) What do you mean by ‘communication’?

84 India : People and Economy

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3. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.
(i) Which are the chief means of transportation in India? Discuss the factors
affecting their development.
(ii) Give a detailed account of the development of railways in India and
highlight their importance.
(iii) Describe the role of roads in the economic development of India.

Project
Find out the facilities that Indian Railways provide to the passengers.

Transport and Communication 85

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