Bokaro Steel City

Bokaro Steel City (pronunciation ) is one of the planned cities of India, a major industrial centre and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the administrative headquarters of Bokaro district.

Bokaro Steel City
Planned City / Urban Agglomeration
City
Bokaro Steel City
Location in Jharkhand, India
Bokaro Steel City
Bokaro Steel City (India)
Coordinates: 23.67°N 86.15°E / 23.67; 86.15
Country India
StateJharkhand
DistrictBokaro
Founded bySteel Authority of India
Named forSteel Manufacturing Sector/Gas Exploration
Government
 • TypeCorporate
 • BodySteel Authority of India
Area
Includes the sub urban area of Chas Municipal Corporation and Balidih Industrial Area.
 • Total183 km2 (71 sq mi)
Area rank4rd in state
Elevation
210 m (690 ft)
Population
 • Total563,417[1]
 • Rank4th in state
Demonym(s)Bokaroite
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
827 001
Telephone code(+91)- 06542
Vehicle registrationJH 09
Websitewww.bokaro.nic.in

The city stands at an elevation of 210 metres (690 feet) above sea level and has an urban area of 183 square kilometres (71 square miles). Bounded on the east by Dhanbad and Purulia, on the west by Ramgarh and Hazaribagh, on the north by Giridih and on the south by Ranchi. It is accessible through National Highway NH 143 & NH-18.

Overview

Each sector has shopping centres, playgrounds, schools, recreational areas and health centres. The entire city is planned with avenues and residential areas as well as commercial areas. Bokaro was one of the first planned cities in the state of Jharkhand.[2]

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.[3]

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 Manbhum after him (Birbhum and Singhbhum are the neighbouring regions also named after him, Veer Man Singh). [4]

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). [5] 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.

Geography

Bokaro is located in the eastern part of India at 23.29°N 86.09°E / 23.29; 86.09[6]

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

According to the 2011 Census of India, Bokaro Steel City is the 86th largest urban agglomeration in India, and the 4th largest city in Jharkhand.[7]

As per 2011 Census of India, Bokaro Steel City Urban Agglomeration had a total population of 563,417, of which males were 299,232 and females 264,185.[1] Bokaro Steel City Urban Agglomeration is composed of Bokaro Steel City (Census Town), Chas (Nagar Nigam) and Bandhgora (CT).[8]

Bokaro Steel City has an effective literacy rate (7+ population) of 84.87%, with male literacy of 92.27% and female literacy of 76.50%.[8]

Education and literacy

As of 2011 Census [9], 73% of the population was literate: 174,522 males and 129,261 females.

The city has amongst the best schools in Eastern India which have attracted students from neighbouring states to study in the City. St. Xavier's School at Sector 1 was the first school in Bokaro Steel City. Other notable school are DAV Public School, DPS Bokaro, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Holy Cross School, Guru Govind Singh Public School, Ayappa School, The Pentecostal Assembly School. The city has also evolved as a centre for Engineering and Medical Entrance coaching with institutes such as FIIT-JEE, Akash Institute etc. having an established presence in the city. The city has now become an educational hub in the country, specially in the east zone.[10]

In addition to private schools, Bokaro Ispat Vidyalayas are a set of schools in the town of Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand, India run by Education Department of Bokaro Steel Limited.[1] In every sector (total 10 sector in Bokaro) minimal one middle and one high school were established. Earlier these school were affiliated to Bihar Vidalaya pariksha samati and Bihar intermediate education council. Later all of them are affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education. They offers education from classes 1 to Class XII.

The city had lacked in higher education after higher secondary grade. As a result, for graduation most students either study outside the state at renowned universities in India and abroad. Presently, there are few college's in the city such as Women's College, City College, Imam-ul-Haque Law College, and Guru Govind Engineering and Management College.

Economy

The city has presence of Steel Authority of India Ltd., Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Vedanta amongst others.

  • Steel Authority of India Limited - The economy of the city is primarily depended on the integrated steel plant established by Steel Authority of India . The Bokaro Steel Plant was established with the collaboration of Soviet Union when the First Prime Minister of India Jawahar lal Nehru desired to establish a Steel Plant in the region. Bokaro Steel Plant expansion[11] to extend its capacity from 7.5 Metric Tonnes before 2011.
  • Vedanta Electrosteel Castings Limited - A Kolkata-based water pipe manufacturer acquired 2,500 acres (10 square kilometres) of land 18 kilometres (11 miles) from the city and has erected its 2.2 MTPA steel plant. The company has invested close to Rs 80 Bn (US$1.6 Bn) on this project which was operational from 2010.[12][13]
  • ONGC Bokaro operates the Bokaro Coal Bed Methane (CBM) block BK-CBM-2001/1 with 80 per cent stake while the remaining 20 per cent is with Indian Oil Corp (IOC). It plans to invest ₨ 8.23 billion from 2017 to 2018 to achieve a peak production of 0.9 million standard cubic meters per day.[14]
ONGC, Bokaro Steel City
  • SAIL-POSCO JV Steel Plant: Steel minister Sri Virbhadra Singh has announced another new steel plant for Bokaro as part of a joint venture with Posco and SAIL by using FINEX technologies for high quality steel. The capacity of the plant will be 1.5 mt, establish in BSP periphery of 500 acres (2.0 km2).[15][16][17]

Markets

The primary economy is supported by the services sector. The city market situated at the center of the city in Sector 4 . 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.

The advent of malls has brought in modern retail in to the city. The Bokaro Mall-cum-multiplex has three Screens of PVR Cinemas, Big Bazaar, Reliance Retail, Pizza Hut Restaurants, Food Court, Club with facilities of sauna bath & steam bath, gym, entertainment zone, gaming zone and swimming pool.

Places of interest
Bokaro Steel Plant main gate
Garga Dam
Jaggannath mandir Bokaro
Ram mandir Bokaro
Ayyappa Temple
City park Bokaro
  • Bokaro Steel Plant – Bokaro Steel Plant(23.671136°N 86.104531°E / 23.671136; 86.104531)[20] is country’s first Swadeshi Steel Plant, with an output capacity of more than five million tonnes of steel. Construction of the steel plant began in 1968, and the first blast furnace was inaugurated in 1972. [21] Currently it houses five blast furnaces with a total capacity to produce 5.8 MT of liquid steel.[22] The company has about 30000 employees on its rolls as of 2005. BSL is well known for its flat products and in the recent times it has become the major producer of flat products in India. It also has a power plant, now being run by Bokaro power Supply Company Ltd., a 50–50 joint venture between SAIL and DVC.
  • Garga Dam is located around 12 km from the city centre, Near to railway station on the NH-23. It is a picnic spot for the citizens of Bokaro. The green surroundings and variety of aquatic habitat residing in and around Garga Dam lures school excursions and biological expeditions to the area The dam is constructed for the use of the steel plants as well as for a water supply for the people.
  • Parasnath Hills – Parasnath Hills are a range of hills located in Giridih district of Jharkhand. The highest peak is 1350 metres. In Jainism, the Parasnath hills are referred to as Shri Sammet Shikhar Teerth (Shikharji). They are one of the two most prominent Jain pilgrimage centres, the other being Shetrunjaya, located in Gujarat state of Western India. The hill is named after Parasnath, the 23rd Tirthankara. Twenty of the twenty-four Jain Tirthankaras attained salvation on this hill. According to some, nine Tirthakaras attained salvation on this hill.
  • Rajrappa is a tourist place and is known for the 'Chinnamasta Temple' which is situated on the bank of the confluence of the rivers Bhairavi and Damodar. The temple is nestled amidst dense greenery eight kilometres from the Colony. The place gets its name from the temple which is known as 'Rajrappa Mandir'. Rajrappa is 60 km from the Bokaro Steel City.
  • City Centre, Bokaro is the main shopping district of the city. The difference between the market and most other major markets in Indian cities is in the ample parking space, and the wide approach and market roads. The centre has all major Indian banks, shops for clothing, electronics, and food joints. There are two cinemas – Jeetendra and Pali Plaza. The latest comers to the market are coaching institutes, small clinics, and hospitals.
  • Jagannath Temple, located in Sector IV, is a newly built temple. The temple is a replica of the famous temple in Puri, Orissa. King of Puri himself inaugurated the temple. The rath yatra is celebrated in the Jangannath Temple by the Oriya community residing in Bokaro.[23]
  • Aaiyappa Mandir is located in Sector V near Bokaro Club. It holds a significant importance in the cultural and religious domain of the people from Southern India (especially Kerala) residing in Bokaro.
  • Ram Mandir, located in the Sector I/C, is the oldest temple in Bokaro Steel City. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Rama, though there are several other smaller mandirs as well encircling the main one, which are dedicated to other gods and goddesses. The most prominent ones among them are that of Lord Shiva, Maa Durga and Bajrang Bali. The temple has gone a major modification and renovation in the past couple of years. The Ram Mandir market which is known to be the oldest market of Bokaro has really grown a lot in the recent few years.
  • Kali Bari, located in Sector VIII, is one of the oldest temples of the city. As the name suggests, the temple is dedicated to one of the incarnations of Shakti, Goddess Kali. The temple is based on Bengali architecture and is well known for its traditional Bengali rituals and traditions. The Durga Puja celebrations at Kali Bari attracts a lot of devotees. Besides the religious activities it is also a major socialising place for the Bengalis of the city. The temple organises an annual painting and music competition which is attended by hundreds of students from the schools of the city.
  • City Park – Bokaro has a City Park with an artificial lake and three artificial islands. These islands were designed in Japanese style. The park used to have some animals but they were transferred to the Jawaharlal Botanical Garden in the early 1990s. There is a small guest house that is used to host parties for visiting dignitaries. The park hosts an annual Basant Mela (Spring Fiesta) in early February.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park is the biggest zoological garden in Jharkhand, was built in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It has animals and birds from different parts of the world, with the big cats being the biggest attractions. The zoo came into limelight after multiple breedings of white tigers, royal Bengal tigers, and the Asiatic lion. The cubs were sent to zoos in India and abroad, since the available resources were not good enough to cater to the needs of so many big cats. Boating is allowed in the artificial lake created within the park. There is a kids corner near the bear cage and adjacent to it is a small dam.

Connectivity

Air

The nearest commercial airport is at Ranchi, named Birsa Munda Airport, at a distance of 120 km.

Bokaro Airport is an unserviced airport with no scheduled commercial flights. However, the Government of India has planned to connect Bokaro to the regional hub of Patna and an international airport in Kolkata through the UDAN regional airport development scheme, opening the airport up could see commercial flights by 2019.[24]

SpiceJet airline has been awarded under the second phase of the UDAN Scheme to cater unserved market of Bokaro.SpiceJet starts direct flight between Kolkata and Lilabari under UDAN scheme[25]

Railway

Bokaro Steel City railway station lies at the edge of the Jharia Coalfield and serves the residents of Bokaro and the surrounding mining-industrial area. It is a A-category railway station, with amenities including escalators,[26] A.C waiting rooms, a food court, charging points, a foot over-bridge, and computerised ticket reservation counters.[27] The railway station is operated by the South Eastern Railway of the Indian Railways, and provides connectivity to neighbouring states and major metropolitan areas such as Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

Road

Dhanbad-Bokaro-Ranchi-Jamshedpur Mega Industrial Corridor Expressway was completed till Bokaro in 2018 and Bokaro-Dhanbad 6-laning is going to be completed in 2020.[28] Bokaro Bus Stand is a private bus stand and land acquisition is being done in Sector-12 for new bus stand. National Highway-18 (old NH-32) and National Highway-23 which is a 4-laned till Purulia.

Distance of Bokaro from key neighbouring cities
Major CityDistance (in km)
Ranchi110
Dhanbad45
Giridih110
Jamshedpur135
Patna370
Kolkata310
Asansol102
Purulia60
Hazaribagh130

Sports

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. Kali Bari the temple for Goddess Kali, promotes arts and provides training in classical dances like Kathak.

Languages spoken Khortha, Santhali, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Murmu, Kurmali, Magadhi, Magahi, Maithili, English and Bhojpuri.

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.


Notable people


References
  1. "Provisional population totals, Census of India 2011" (PDF). Urban Agglomeration – Cities having population 1 lakh and above. Government of India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. "Bokaro". jharkhand.org. 22 August 2016.
  3. "Organization Chart | Department of Police, State Government of Jharkhand, India". www.jhpolice.gov.in. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. "Bokaro History".
  5. "About Bokaro Steel Plant".
  6. "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Airport BOKARO". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  7. "View population details". Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  8. "Provisional population totals, Census of India 2011" (PDF). Constituents of Urban Agglomerations haing population above 1 lakh and above, Census 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. "C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA) - JHARKHAND".
  10. "नावाडीह को बनेगा एजुकेशनल हब". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi).
  11. "PM inaugurates the modernization of Bokaro Steel Plant". Moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  12. "Electrosteel in cash chase for Bokaro unit". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 July 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  13. "Electrosteel-Bokaro". The Economic Times. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. "ONGC, partners to invest Rs 823 crore for gas in Bokaro block". The Economic Times.
  15. Our Bureau (19 March 2010). "POSCO-SAIL new greenfield Plant". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  16. "POSCO could be junior partner in SAIL joint venture project". www.dailypioneer.com.
  17. "SAIL, Posco to set up Rs 6,000-cr plant in Bokaro". The Financial Express. 29 May 2015.
  18. "BPCL to set up two mega projects in Bokaro". The Economic Times. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  19. "Dalmia Cement fully acquires Bokaro Jaypee Cement plant". Business Standard India. 4 December 2014.
  20. Wikimapia: Bokaro in Wikimapia
  21. "Britannica - Bokaro".
  22. "BOKARO STEEL PLANT - PRODUCT BASKET".
  23. "Jagannath Temple 2020, #3 top things to do in bokaro steel city, jharkhand, reviews, best time to visit, photo gallery | HelloTravel India". www.hellotravel.com.
  24. A.S.R.P. MUKESH (7 August 2013). "UDAN for steel city". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  25. "SpiceJet starts direct flight between Kolkata and Lilabari under UDAN scheme". The Economic Times. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  26. "Moving stairs at Bokaro station". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  27. Shashank Shekhar (17 August 2016). "Bokaro eyes model station tag". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  28. Pioneer, The. "Ranchi-Dhanbad-Jamshedpur Expressway on the anvil". The Pioneer. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  29. Swetank (9 August 2016). "Senapati Cricket Stadium". mapio.net. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
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