Sitarampur

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Sitarampur | type = city | latd = 23.72 | longd =86.88
state_name = West Bengal
district = Barddhaman
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude = 100
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = | population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =91 341
postal_code =713 359
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website = bardhaman.gov.in/
footnotes =

Sitarampur ( _bn. সীতারামপুর), a sleepy township just off the Asansol-Dhanbad stretch of the Grand Trunk Road, was the one of the early hubs of coal mining activity. Coal was found in abundance around Sitarampur in the early years of the 19th century and mining started at this place in a big way. It is located in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in West Bengal.

Geography

Sitarampur is located at coord|23.72|N|86.88|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Sitarampur.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Sitarampur] ] . It has an average elevation of m to ft|100|m|abbr=on.

The Asansol-Durgapur region is composed of undulating latterite soil. This area lies between two mighty rivers – the Damodar and the Ajay. They flow almost parallel to each other in the region – the average distance between the two rivers is around 30 km. For ages the area was heavily forested and infested with plunderers and marauders. The discovery of coal led to industrialisation of the area and most of the forests have been cleared. [ Chattopadhyay, Akkori, "Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti" (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), Bn icon, Vol I, pp 14-15, Radical Impression. ISBN 81-85459-36-3 ] At the western fringe of the area the Barakar forms the boundary with Jharkhand.

History

Coal mines

The early mines were Baro Dhemo and Sundarchak. Those mines are now defunct and they were closed about eighty years ago after being in operation for abour seventy odd years. As those mines started to dry up, new virgin plots were excavated, some of which extended beyond the Damodar River into Purulia district and beyond River Barakar into the Nirsa of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand.

One of the deepest mines in Asia, Chinakuri 1 and 2, is located in this region. It is situated 1.2 miles below the surface and inclines under the Damodar River extending for some 3.5 miles into Purulia district. This mine boasts of a regular underground train service to ferry workers from the mine shaft to the coal face.

Mines safety

With hectic operations in the mines, accidents occurred frequently leading to loss of life. The government felt the need to regulate the mining process. Directorate of Mines Safety was set up for this purpose. It inspected the mining procedure with firm laws and imposed hard penalties for non-compliance. It resulted in a strong control on accidents and loss of life was reduced. Presently, the zonal office of the Directorate General of Mines Safety is located at Sitarampur. [ [http://www.dgms.in/Eastern%20Zone%20Sitarampur.html Director General of Mines Safety] ]

However, the mining community could not tackle the onslaught of nature, which came in the form of rain and floods. Mines were flooded and people got trapped inside. So a force was formed to help in rescue operations. The Mines Rescue Station was formed at Sitarampur and the mining community was taught what to do in such situations. Being an old mining area it was a pioneer in many fields. The ideas subsequently spread to other areas. Currently, six main rescue stations and eighteen rescue rooms with refresher training facilities have been established and are functioning in various subsidiaries of Coal India Limited. [ [http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=2028 PIB Press Release] ]

A small captive explosive manufacturing factory was established at Sitarmpur for the supply of dynamite for solid blasting in open cast mines. The unit was in operation from around 1914 to 1935. The reason for the closure of this unit was the supply of dynamite to the revolutionaries who created hell for the ruling British. The authorities relocated the unit at various places far from the mining region and supply was strictly regulated.

Transport

As movement of coal by trains increased considerably a new railway line, the Grand Chord, was laid from Sitarampur to Mughalsarai. At that time, Sitarampur boasted of the largest steam locomotive shed and the second largest coal moving yard in the country. Now the steam loco shed is gone as steam engines were phased out.

The Howrah-Delhi rail track separates into the Main and Grand Chord lines at Sitarampur and rejoins at Mughalsarai.

References

* "Asansol Parikrama" by Santimoy Bandopadhyay, Trinity Trust, Asansol.

ee also