Chakradharpur

Chakradharpur
—  town  —
Chakradharpur Location of Chakradharpur in Jharkhand and India
Coordinates	22°42′N 85°38′E / 22.7°N 85.63°E / 22.7; 85.63Coordinates: 22°42′N 85°38′E / 22.7°N 85.63°E / 22.7; 85.63
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
District(s)	West Singhbhum
Population	169,004 (2001[update])
Sex ratio	1000:983 ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 833102 • Telephone • +916587 • Vehicle • JH06

Chakradharpur (Hindi: चक्रधरपुर, Urdu: چکردھرپور) is a city and a municipality in West Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is located on the Chota Nagpur Plateau 62 Kilometers west of Jamshedpur, 115 Kilometers south of Ranchi, 101 Kilometers east of Rourkela and 24 Kilometers north of Chaibasa (which is its Administrative District Capital). The town serves the mineral rich areas of Jharkhand and Orissa, as well as the cement, steel and limestone industries in the region.Earlier this area was a part of Gajapati Empire of Orissa^{[citation needed]} .The major languages spoken in this area are Hindi, Oriya, Kurmali, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali & Tribal language "Ho".

Major inhabitants of the town are Railway employees. It has a large share of area covered with Railway establishments, primarily employee quarters. It has scenic views and secluded landscapes in the periphery.

In Indian Independence perspective, Chakradharpur had been the place for freedom fighters like Raja ARJUN Singh Deo, Jagabandhu Pattanayak( Jaggu Dewan), Pandit Gopabandhu Dash, Pundit Godabarish Mishra, Rahim Bux and Fakeer Chand supporting Gandhi ji for his non-Cooperation movement and Khilafat Movement by Maulana Mazharul Haque against British Raj in 1920.

This is one of the Railway subdivisions generating huge profits in goods freight sector^{[citation needed]}. It is also known as CKP named after its Railway Station code. It is the divisional headquarter of Chakradharpur Railway Division in South Eastern Railway Zone (India) with a huge historical touch of tribal area of Chotanagpur.

Chakradharpur is close to boundaries of two neighboring states Orissa and West Bengal. It is enriched with huge amount of natural resources like rivers, mountain valleys, and forest reserves.

Geography

Chakradharpur is located at 22°42′N 85°38′E / 22.7°N 85.63°E / 22.7; 85.63.^[1] It has an average elevation of 227 metres (744 ft). Covered by mountains on most sides, and the river Sanjay running in the South-Western periphery. Chakradharpur is believed to be a quasi hill station in the mid 1900's^{[citation needed]} and still sports an equally enticing weather.

Demographics

In the 2001 India census,^[2] Chakradharpur had a population of 169,004. Males constitute 50.4% of the population and females 49.6%. Chakradharpur has an average literacy rate of 49%, lower than the national average of 59%. Many Bengali, Oriya peoples reside here along with the native inhabitants. There is also a good number of Telugu, Gujrati and Marwari population.

Residential sections

The Chakradharpur sub division can be divided into three residential sections.
Village Panchayat
There are many villages under the Chakradharpur Village Panchayat, some of the famous villages are: Toklo, Dukri, Duriyam, Bharniya, Patadih, Janta, Nalita, Heselkuti, Kaida,Kudahatu, Kimirda, Gunja, Sarjamhatu, Roladih, Bagmara, Unchibita, Ramda, Tikarchampi, Jharjhara, hoyohatu, Bindasarjom, Jaipur, Banalata, Jodo, Boddar, Dalki, Ponasi,Godamdipa, Pulkani, Jamtuti, Simidiri, Hathiya, Setahaka, Etor, Kolchokra, Kera, Kansara, Dantibegna, Laudiya, Padampur, Jamid,Silphori, Chainpur, Chelabera, Chirubera, Jantalbera, Gopinathpur, Kendo, Chandri, Simidiri, Baipai, Itihasa, Asantalia, chandri, Borda, etc. There are many more villages under the Chakradharpur subdivision. All these villages are well connected by asphalt road to the town, constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. These villages are sorrounded by the tributaries of the Sanjay and Binjay rivers. All the most of the villages are having a good electric facility. All the villages are having Govt. primary schools. The Kera and Kansara villages are famous for the temples os Kera and Kansara Mata respectively.
Municipality Area
The municipality area is divided into wards. Starting with the Purani Basti, the oldest area of Chakradharpur, the King's Castle is present here. The Kings of Singh Dynasty used to reside here during the British Era, this area witnessed the wars with the Britishers. The Main market is located on both sides of the National Highway (NH-75E). almost everything is available in the Chakradharpur market, starting from regular green vegetables to the showrooms of two-wheelers. Most of the business institutions are located in the Market area, including, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of Boroda, Bharat Capital, Narnolia Securities, Bajaj Allianz, etc. The religious institutions includes a church near the HP Petrol Pump, The Mosques on the Rajbari Road and ward - 10, The Santoshi Temple in Tambaku Patti, The Shitala Temple near Toklo Road, The Shirdi Sai Temple, The Town Kali Temple, The Rani Sati Mandir in Chandmari area, etc. The Next coming to the Southern side where many new colonies are setup. Maximum number of personal houses and apartments are located here and many constructions goes on every time, with the Gayatri Apartment, being the first residential apartment of Chakradharpur, located beside the NH-75E. Many other apartments constructed thereafter. The Potka, Pump road, Nagendranagar, chiranji block, Lokenathnagar, Bengali Tola, Retired Colony, Banglatand, etc, are some of the colonies in the South of the Howrah-Mumbai main railway track. The business institutions includes the Andhra Bank, The Life Insurance Corporation of India, etc. The religious institutions includes The Roman Catholic and Protestants Church in Potka, The Mosques in Potka and Banglatand. The Temples in Retired Colony, Balti Karkhana area, Potka, The Satsangh Kendra in Lokenathnagar, The Gurudwara near Railway Crossing, etc.
Railway Colony
The Railway Colony covers the major part of Chakradharpur, located in the North-Eastern side of the NH-75E. The Railway Colony was established during the British Era, it is a well planned township with proper sanitation and electric facility. The Chakradharpur division being the highest earning division in the entire Indian Railways, the colony is well decorated and maintained. All the Railway establishments are present here. There are about eight thousand staff quarters. The entire colony is further divided into different colonies such as the East Colony, R.E.Colony, Driver's Colony, Doubling Colony, Loco Colony, Accounts Colony, Etwari Bazar, etc. The religious institution includes the mosque in Loco Colony, The Kali Temples in R.E.Colony, Etwari Bazar and Account's Colony, The Durga Mandir of Bengali Association, The Lord Balaji and Satya Sai Mandir of Andhra Association, The Hanuman Mandir of Station and Panch More, The Radha-Krishna Temple of Station and Panch More, The Chakradharpur branches of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Shri Aurobindo Society and Shri Ramakrishna Mission, etc. The Railway Station, all the Railway Divisional Offices, Running Room, Railway Schools, Kendriya Vidalaya and all the Railway Hospitals, Main Post Office, BSNL Office, all the RPF Barraks, etc. are in the Railway colony.

The Balaji Temple built with assistance from Tirumala Tirupati Devasathanam (TTD) by a group of Railway employees and social workers. It celebrated its SILVER JUBILEE in 2009.The Current team of peoples who are responsible for the maintenance of temple includes M.K Rao, V. Subramanyam, Gauri Shanker, Murli, Pedda, Sonu etc. The Bengalee Association was established in 1919, till then mainly it observes the Durga, Lakshmi and Kali Pujas, idol-makers from Kumartoli-Kolkata used to come and prepare the idols, recently in the year 2009 the permanent Idol of Goddess Durga (Mahisasur-Mardini) has been placed, with the help of the local/neighboring residents, which is made up of one single white marble stone of 6 ft height. Till then Pujas are performed throughout the year and special celebrations are organized during the Occasions like Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, Basanti Puja, etc. Mr. S.K.Sen, a retired Railway employee, is the present secretary of the Bengalee Association.

There are two institutes, the South-East Institute and the South-West Institute, from the British time, which were used as theaters and recreation clubs by the Britishers. These are now used for marriage and other parties and cultural programs. There are facilities like Auditorium, Indoor Badminton Court, Tennis Court, Gym, Volley ball Court, and Basketball Court, Library etc., in the South-West Institute. Just beside the South-West Institute, located is the Chess Academy run by SERSA/CKP (South Eastern Railway Sports Association, Chakradharpur). Chakradharpur is amongst a very rare place to have Chess Academy in India, as it was a child from Chakradharpur who won the Under-16 International Chess Championship, held in Spain, Chess has become a very popular game in this area. There is a stadium, named 'Iqbal Singh Sindhu Stadium' run by SERSA/CKP, the most prestigious occasion here is the Annual Steel Express Football Tounament, in which teams like Mohamadan Sporting Club Kolkata, Goa, etc. take part. Apart from these there is one newly constructed 'Kalyan Mandap', which has a very big auditorium and can easily accommodate more than thousand people for any kind of cultural meet and marriage party. There is an Officer's Club where the VIP parties are organized and the VVIP guests from outside are rested. It has a nice garden, party hall and luxurious rooms, along with an auditorium and swimming-pool.

Education

The town is well known for its educational institutions. The primary education purpose is served by many of the private and government schools.

The most popular schools are:

Carmel High School
S.E.Railway English Medium Higher Secondary School
Sharda High School, Barda Baidih
Koncept Public School, Laudiya
Indira Gandhi Siksha Niketan
Kendriya Vidyalaya, RE colony(Central School)
S.E.Railway Intermediate College(Earlier:S.E.Rly. Mixed High School)
Bangla Medium (Girls) School
Utkalmani Vidhya mandir
SPG Mission School,Potka
Urdu Town High School
Urdu Town Primary School
Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir
St. Xavier's English Medium High School, Potka
Mahatma Gandhi Hindi Medium High School
Marwari School
Roladih High School, Roladih
Madhusudhan Mahto Public School, Asantaliya
Madhusudhan Mahto High School, Asantaliya

Nirmala English medium school
Adarsh Middle school Deogaon
Gurukul Ashram Deogaon—A unique night school for oriya student
The intermediate study needs are primarily fulfilled by:

RITE ITI,
Jawahar Lal Nehru College
Rudra Pratap Sarangi Inter College
S.E.Railway Intermediate College
S.E.Railway Mixed Higher Secondary school
Sister nivedita Girl's College

For Graduation and Master Degree courses, students prefer to get admission in Jawahar Lal Nehru College which is one of the reputed colleges within the University.

This institution is a constituent college of Kolhan University and offers a variety of courses including Vocational Courses. This college was established in 1969 within the Raaj Badi (King's Castle) and since then offers Graduation in the three main streams - Arts, Commerce and Science. In the mid 90's the college administration was able to get affiliation courses from University Grant Commission (UGC) of India which was certified by Kolhan University for its Vocational Studies. This includes - Computer Application, Computer Maintenance and Office Management & Secretarial Practice (OMSP), Bachelor in Business Administration(BBA). Further in the early decade of 2000 the college got few more respected courses affiliated from the University for their Computer Science courses.

Transport

This small city is well connected with both road and rail. Ranchi, Chaibasa, Jamshedpur and Rourkela and all neighbouring towns are connected with road(except Rourkela). Chakradharpur is the divisional headquarter of the South Eastern Railway. The first rail line on Chakradharpur Division was opened on 22 January 1890 with laying of 72.25 miles (116.28 km) long Purulia-Chakradharpur rail line. The rail network on the main trunk route passing through Chakradharpur division was completed on 18 February 1891 when Goilkera-Jharsuguda section was opened. With the opening of Goilkera-Jharsuguda section the main line route of Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) was completed and the official function for the opening ceremony of main line from Asansol to Nagpur, presided by the Viceroy of India, Lord Lansdowne was held at Chakradharpur station on 3 March 1891.

Located on the Howrah-Mumbai arm of the golden quadrilateral of the Indian Railways, Chakradharpur division plays a vital role on the South Eastern Railway. Strategically situated in the heart of Chota Nagpur plateau, Chakradharpur division serves the mineral and industrially rich areas of Jharkhand and Orissa. It is spread over East and West Singhbhum, Saraikela-Kharsawan, Simdega of Jharkhand and Jharsuguda, Keonjhar,Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj districts of Orissa. In this division lies the main corridor of freight and passenger traffic between eastern and western parts of the country. This region is aptly called the Heart of South Eastern Railway. The development of the rail network in the area presently forming Chakradharpur division dates back to the original of Bengal-Nagpur Railway, the precursor of South Eastern Railway. The first rail line in the area serving Chakradharpur division was laid way back in 1890. Presently Chakradharpur division extends over a length of 741.705 route-km of which 335.798 route-km are located over the state of Jharkhand and 405.907 KM. The main line portion of the division extends over the Salgajhari-Jharsuguda portion covering a distance of 270.38 KM.

In addition to the main line the division has a large number of branch lines covering Tatanagar-Badampahar, Gamharia-Kandra-Chandil, Sini-Kandra, Rajkharswan-Banspani, Padapahar-Bolani-Barbil, Bondamunda-Bimlagarh, Barsuan-Kiriburu and Rourkela-Birmitrapur sections. The importance of the route covered by the Division stems from the fact that it serves 6 major steel plants located in the region viz. Rourkela Steel Plant, Bhilai Steel Plant, Durgapur Steel plant, Bokaro steel plant, TATA Iron & Steel Company at Jamshedpur and Indian Iron & Steel Company at Burnpur. In addition, it also serves the cement belt of Bilaspur division and the heavy traffic in general merchandise on Howrah-Mumbai trunk route. The division covers some of the most difficult and picturesque terrains of South Eastern Railway passing through the verdant forest of Saranda including the two Saranda tunnels on the main line between Mahadevsal and Posoita stations. The division loads bulk requirement of iron and manganese ores, dolomite, limestone and other raw-materials for all major steel plants of the country. Two steel plants Rourkela steel plant and TISCO at Jamshedpur are located within the Division. Besides, it serves the Sponge Iron Plant at Manikui and other ancillary industries spread around the two plants as well as the cement factories located at Jhinkpani, Rajgangpur, Tatanagar, Dhutra and mini cement plants and sponge-iron manufacturing industries around Rourkela. The main commodities loaded on the division comprise raw material for steel plants, cement and other general merchandise. The Chakradharpur division has 86 stations.

Chakradharpur is one of the important stations since its foundation, even Mahatma Gandhi got down here to inspect the facilities during the British Rule, which he mentioned in his book "Third class in Indian Railways".

External links

• Kendriya Vidyalaya Chakradharpur
• Koncept Public School Chakradharpur
• Jawahar lal Nehru College Chakradharpur
• South Eastern Railways, Chakradharpur Division
• Chakradharpur Block
• Chakradharpur News
• Singhbhum West: District Profile
• about Singhbhum West
• Jharkhand PIN codes
• Jharkhand Tourist Places
• persons of the town/orkut.com/chakradharpur

References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Chakradharpur
2. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.