My City - Bokaro

History

Formerly there was a sleepy village named Maraphari deep in the jungles of ChotaNagpur. The closest village cluster was Chas. Purulia was the closest town and the area was ruled by the Maharaja of Kashipur. Folk lores have it that this area came under Mughal rule by the conquests of Man Singh. The region was named ManBhoom after him (VeerBhoom and SinghBhoom are the neighbouring regions also named after him, Veer Man Singh).

This remote place came into prominence when Pt. 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 helped in the selection of this place. The steel plant was originally incorporated as a limited company on 29 January 1964, and was later merged with SAIL and came to be known as Bokaro Steel Limited(BSL). 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 Camp 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. The 1980s saw rapid development of the township with new sectors coming up, new schools, parks, zoos and other public amenities coming up. Township development ceased with the completion of IV/F and IV/G. In all bokaro steel city consists of 12 sectors out of which sector- 7&10 do not exist. Entire township is so meticulously planned that very few cities in India can match, trees are planted all along the roads giving shelter to passersby during the summers. Every sub section of a sector has one or two huge play ground, all schools in bokaro have two to three big play grounds. 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 IIT's. 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[1] 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 artificial 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 everincreasing demand tenughat dam is supplementing it.

As of 2001 India census[2], Bokaro Steel City had a population of 394,173. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bokaro Steel City has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 82% and female literacy of 64%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

SAIL

The economy of the Steel City is heavily depended on the Steel Plant which is the primary source of income for the employees. After the 2001 downturn, steel prices hardened due to huge rise in consumption by China and India. This resulted in huge profits by SAIL which crossed a record Rs 6000 crores (USD 1.3 Bn)[3] by the end of FY' 06.

BIADA

The primary economy is supplemented by BIADA which is an industrial area supplying most of the industrial supplies for the steel plant, and there are some small mills making finished products out of steel as well as cement from the slag.

Markets

The primary economy is well supported by the services sector. The city market situated at the center of the city is full of shops selling the basic requirements of groceries and furniture, to the latest tech gizmos. Of late a lot of shops selling computer hardware have come up along with a lot of computer training institutes making Bokaro a hub of computer studies for the region. The old chas bazaar still remains a cheap option of wholesale market, and dundi baad is one of the biggest vegetable market for the region. Besides these, each sector has its own small shopping center catering to the day to day needs of the people.


Upcoming Projects
Modernisation of BSL and extend its capacity from 4.5 ml to 7 ml before 2011. In the same way , further plan for SAIL to extend BSL capacity to 17 ml tones before 2020. Apart from this a SAIL Greenfield steel plant is planned to set up before 2015, capacity of 5 ml tones. So before 2020 BSL total cpacity goes up to 22 ml tones, appx. Double the present capacity (13 ml) of including SAIL all Steel Plants.
BHUSAN Steel is also acquered land for its steel plant, capacity of appx. 2ml tones.
ELECTROSTEEL a European steel major is also acquered land near chas to set up of there plant by investing Rs.5000 crores.
SAIL and Jaypee Cement has a JV of 50:50 to set up a Cement Factory of capacity 2 ml tone by west product of steel plant.
DVC and SAIL has a joint venture of 50:50 to extend the capacity of Bokaro power plant from 500 MW to 1000 MW.
ONGC start exploring first time not in India but in Asia, Methone Gas for Commercial use from Parbatpur(10 km from Bokaro). It is largest natural gas reservor in Asia.
SEZ : Jharkhand government's second SEZ after Jamshedpur is planned to set up in BIADA in 500 acres land.


Being an industrial area, agriculture has taken a back seat and is nothing worth mentioning except small amounts of paddy grown in the fringes of the city by the villagers.

Places of interest

Bokaro Steel Plant Main Gate

Best Season : September to February.

Languages spoken : Hindi,Magadhi,Urdu, Bengali (Khortha), Kurmali, Maithili, English, Bhojpuri, Santhali & Murmu

Bokaro Steel Plant - Bokaro Steel Plant is one of the largest steel mills in the country, with an output capacity of more than five million tonnes of saleable steel. The plant also has a captive power plant, now being run by Bokaro power Supply Company Ltd., a 50-50 joint venture between SAIL and DVC. The plant is undergoing a huge modernization program, and the increased demand for steel over the last couple of years saw all the blast furnaces in the company becoming operational together for the first time. The company has about 30000 employees on its rolls as of 2005. Its a fully integrated Steel plant hence a visit here will give you a first hand experience of Steel making from Raw Material Handling, Coke Ovens, Blast Furnace to Steel Melting Shops and Rolling Mills where you see the finished product. Wikimapia: Aerial view of the plant with details
Garga Dam - Garga Dam is situated near Bokaro Steel City (about 12 km from city center). It is a famous picnic spot for the denizens of Bokaro. Lustrous green surroundings and variety of aquatic habitat residing in and around Garga Dam lures the school excursions and biological expeditions to this place. This dam is constructed for the use of steel plant as well as for the water supply for its people.

Parashnath Hills - Parasnath Hills are a range of hills located in Giridih district of Jharkhand. The highest peak is 1350 metres. It is one of the most important pilgrimage centre for Jains. They call it Sammet Sikhar. 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. For each of them there is a shrine (gumti or tuk) on the hill. Some of the temples on the hill are believed to be more than 2,000 years old. However, although the place is habited from ancient times, the temples may be of more recent origin. The Santhals call it Marang Buru, the hill of the deity. They celebrate a hunting festival on the full moon day in Baisakh (mid April).
Bokaro Ispat Pustakalaya - Located near Bokaro Hotel, it has a collection of over 40,000 books (including some valuable manuscript) that meets the reading requirements of the people in the township. It is managed by the management of the steel plant.

city centre market,sec.4
City Centre, Sector 4 - The city center is the main shopping district of the city. Recent years have seen it grow more than threefold in size. The difference of this market and most other major markets in Indian cities happens to be the planning of the market. There is ample parking space, and the approach roads, as well as those inside the market are wide. The place houses almost all major Indian banks, has the best shops in the city for clothing, electronics, and the best food joints. You can find anything from a needle to a car in the market. It used to be home for the only cinema theaters in the city, but only two of them (Jeetendra and Pali Plaza) is operational now. The latest comers to the market are coaching institutes, small clinics, and hospitals. Their rate of growth shows the demand these services have in the city.

Gayatri Mandir - Located in Sector-9/A. People use to visit the place during the morning and evening time for the daily prayer. Navmi puja at Gayatri mandir is also famous. Khichri is distributed as the prasad on the occasion of Navmi puja.

Aaiyappa Mandir - Located in sector 5, it is an important social, cultural and religious meeting place for people from the South.

Ram Mandir - Located in the sector 1 is the most famous mandir dedicated to Lord Ram and smaller other mandirs encircling it dedicated to other gods and goddesses. The Ram Mandir market is also famous for its coffee house , batata poori, chat, samosa, phuchka, and famous egg-rolls. It is advisable to be cautious of Pandas of Ram Mandir. Ram Mandir houses one of the oldest markets of Bokaro. The airport is one kilometer from Ram Mandir.

Jagannath Temple, Sector 4
Jagannath Temple - Located in Sector 4, the newly built Jagannath temple is an another attraction. The temple is a replica of the famous temple in Puri, Orissa.
Kali Mandir - Located in sector 8, it 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. Besides the religious activities it is also a major socializing place for the Bengalis of the city. The temple organizes an annual painting competition attended by hundreds of students from the schools of the city. We have to go to see this place.....

City Park - Bokaro has a well maintained City Park with an artificial lake. Recently three artificial islands have also been added. These islands were designed in Japanese style. The park used to have some small animals but they were all transferred to the Jawaharlal Botanical Garden in the early 90s. There is a small guest house that is used to host parties for visiting dignitaries. A small restaurant also stands at the eastern edge of the lake. There is a small toy train that is run for some time early every year. The park hosts an annual Basant Mela (Spring Fiesta) in early February. The southern part of the park is used by thousands during the annual Chhatth puja in October/November. A new small beautiful park opened in 1ST January2007 to make city park more beautiful and make people more enjoy chat new year picnic

Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park - The biggest zoological garden in Jharkhand was built in the late 80s and early 90s. 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 over a short span of time. The cubs were sent to different 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 also a kids corner near bear cage and adjacent to it is a small dam. Now the facility of toy train is also available inside.

Chas - Once a small grain trading hub of the region, this town first became famous during the Second World War when the British Government used it as a base to supply soldiers fighting on the eastern front against the Japanese. After the decision of Government of India to establish the Bokaro Steel Plant it gained in stature. It was the administrative headquarters of the area when Bokaro was a part of Dhanbad district, and later when Bokaro became a district. Recently the headquarters were moved to the steel township. Chas continues to be a trading hub, but has declined in importance after the rise of the township to the west.
Siwandih - Its a suburb which houses a large number of migrants from Bihar living and working in the Steel mill. The area is situated in west part of Bokaro near Bokaro Railway Station. The Garga Dam is nearby to this place. Azad Nagar is area in Siwandih two mosques are there in this area. One big Idgah is also in this area for Muslims prayer for ID and IDU'L Zuha. Popular neighborhoods in Siwandih are Islmapur, Makhdumpur are Haisabatu.

Jainamore- A one of the 42 village in Jaridih block of Bokaro. It is around 7 KM away from the Bokaro steel city railway station. Large number of displaced person from Asansol, Ravatdih, Mahuaar, Kanchnpur and Kundori are living and working in Steel Authority in Indian Ltd. It is on the NH-23.
Babudih - A village in Chas Block famous for 75 foot (23 m) high tower.
Pupunki Ashram - The last Kasba in the Bokaro Dhanbad route is Pupunki. The village, along with its fields and captive fishery ponds is squeezed between NH-32, Bokaro-Chandrapura Railway line and the Damodar river. Opposite to this village across the NH-32 is the pious Pupunki Ashram "The Multiversity". Established by Akhanda Mandaleshwer Sri Sri Swami Swarupananda Paramhansha Deva, popularly Known as Babamani. This Ashram was an age old home for Gurus who used to harbour Gaushalas with 100s of students being imparted scientific and spiritual knowledge in the past. One can still see the reminents of the past with many rituals still intact in this Ashram. This place is also a popular picnic spot these days.
Chandrapura - A town famous for Chandrapura Thermal Power Station, a unit of Damodar Valley Corporation. It was a big source of pollution for the adjoining areas owing to the coal based generators, but things changed after electrostatic precipitators were installed in the chimneys, and large scale afforestation was carried out. The town lies on the northern edge of perhaps the most polluted river in the world, the Damodar.

Tenughat - Headquarters of Bermo SubDivision, famous for Tenughat Dam and Tenughat Thermal Power Station.
Gawai Dam - A good picnic spot near Pindrajora on Purulia road .It is at a distance of 15 km. from the city. The picnic spot is likable because of the flow of a stream due to leaving of water from the dam.
Pindrajora - Its a small village around 20 km from Bokaro. It hosts the only Primary Teachers Training College of Dhanbad & Bokaro. It also has a State Government Basic School and a Sarvodaya high School.

Education

Besides the steel plant, Bokaro is also known for what the students from the city have achieved over the years. Today students from all over the state and elsewhere come to the city to make a difference to their professional lives. The city has provided hundreds of civil servants (IAS, IPS, IFS officers) to the country.

The city has a plethora of excellent schools affiliated to the central and state education boards. The more famous of these in alphabetic order are Chinmaya Vidyalaya, DAV Public School, Delhi Public School, Guru Govind Singh Public School, Holy Cross School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, MGM Senior Secondary School, Pentecostal Assembly School and St. Xavier's School and five bokaro ispat senior secondary school. Then there are schools run by the steel plant management, and some run by the state government. The city hardly offers anything after you have graduated from school, and this is probably a blessing in disguise, since it forces the students to look for avenues outside, and they excel in most such entrance exams.

The city has many technical institutes like CDIT, ISIT, APTECH, ARENA, NIIT, IIHT and others, providing training in the field of Software, Hardware & Multimedia. There are many small institutes providing coaching to those preparing for competitive examinations and also teaching how to speak English. These institutes are mainly situated at the City Centre, which is the heart of Bokaro.

The students from the city schools are well known to excel in numerous public competitive examinations specially in engineering and medical streams. The city also boasts of very large expatriate population in US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Most of these people graduated from schools in the city in the eighties and nineties, before moving to some other city, and finally out of the country. But even today the city holds a special position in their hearts.