Jamshedpur

 

(jŭm'shĕdpʊr') , city (1991 pop. 461,212), Jharkand state, E central India, at the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. A great iron- and steel-producing center, it is sometimes called the “Pittsburgh of India.” Other manufactures include automobiles, agricultural equipment, and locomotive parts. Built in the early 20th cent., it was named for Jamshedji Tata, founder of the Tata Iron and Steel Works. Nearby are extensive coal and iron deposits. The National Metallurgical Laboratory is in the city.

?Jamshedpur Jharkhand • India
Jamshedpur
Coordinates: 22°′N 86°′E / 22.8, 86.18
Time zone	IST ([[UTC+5:30]])
Area • Elevation	•  m ( ft)
District(s)	East Singhbhum
Population	(2001)
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 831 001 • +0657 • JH05

Coordinates: 22°′N 86°′E / 22.8, 86.18 Jamsehdpur  pronunciation? (जमशेदपूर in Devanagari) is a city located in the state of Jharkand in India, founded by the late Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata. Located in the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand on the Chota Nagpur plateau, Jamshedpur is surrounded by the beautiful Dalma Hills. The rivers Subarnrekha and Kharkai border the North & West of the city, respectively. Jamshedpur was a planned community at the site of the first modern iron and steel making plant in India (also in Asia), by Tata Steel.

Name

In 1919 Lord Chelmsford named the city Jamshedpur in honour of its founder, Jamshedji Nausherwanji Tata, whose birthday is celebrated on 3rd March as Founder's Day. J. N. Tata had written to his son Dorabji Tata about his vision of a great city in the area.

Jamshedpur is nicknamed as the Steel City. It is also referred to as Tatanagar after the name of its railway station, or simply as 'Tata', in deference to the significant presence of Tata companies in the city.

History

At the turn of the nineteenth century, the Tatas wanted to build a steel plant in India. Jamshedji Tata went to Pittsburgh and asked geologist Charles Page Perin to help him find the site to build his dream -- India’s first steel plant. The search for a site rich in the resources needed for the plant, namely iron, coal, limestone and water began in April 1904 in today’s Madhya Pradesh.

The prospectors, C. M. Weld, Dorab Tata and Shapurji Saklatvala, took nearly three years in a painstaking search across vast stretches of inhospitable terrain to find a suitable location. One day, almost by accident they came across a village called Sakchi (now part of Tatanagar), on the densely forested stretches of the Chhota Nagpur plateau, near the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. It seemed to be the ideal choice and the place was selected.

Early development work was undertaken by Durrell & Co, a civil engineering firm run by Lawrence Samuel Durrell, the father of the naturalist Gerald Durrell (who was born here) and the novelist Lawrence Durrell. Commissioned by the Tata family in 1920, Durrell was responsible for building a tinplate mill, a brick-making plant, an office building, a hospital and over four hundred workers’ houses.

Jamshedji’s plan for the city was clear. He envisioned far more than a mere row of workers hutments. He insisted upon building all the comforts and conveniences a city could provide. As a result, many areas in the city are well planned and there are great public leisure places such as the Jubilee Park.

While building this beautiful city, Jamshetji Tata had said ...

"Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens; reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks; earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques and Christian churches."

What the city looks like today is a testament to his visionary plans. Jamshedpur is the only city in India without a municipality. The responsibility for its conservation and maintenance is entirely assumed by Tata Steel, very likely a unique situation in the world. Legend has it that in the late 1980s when the state government proposed a law to end the Tatas' administration of Jamshedpur and bring the city under a municipality, the local populace rose in protest and defeated the government's proposal.

Economy

Jamshedpur, as home to the first private Iron and Steel company of India, Tata Steel, is commonly called "Tata" as a result of the company's significant presence. The areas surrounding Jamshedpur are rich in minerals, including iron ore, coal, manganese bauxite and lime. Some of these areas are Jamadoba, Noamundi and West Bokaro.

It is a modern, industrial city; the main industries being iron and steel, truck manufacturing, tinplate production, cement and other small and medium scale industries revolving around these products. The largest factory is that of Tata Steel (the erstwhile TISCO), and it is situated almost at the center of the city. Tata Steel is the largest iron and steel producing plant in India, as well as the oldest. Plans have been made for the expansion of Tata Steel's existing plant at Jamshedpur from 5 million tonnes per annum to 10 million tonnes per annum. The steel plant still covers around a fourth of the land area of Jamshedpur, and has two inland water lakes.

The other major factory in the city is Tata Motors, which manufactures heavy vehicles & construction/earth moving equipment. Tata Motors was previously called The Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), as railway locomotives were once manufactured here.

Tata Tinplate (the erstwhile Tinplate Co. of India Ltd.) manufactures tinplate. It was originally a British company built in Golmuri, later on taken over by Tata. Another factory, located near Tata Motors, is the Indian Steel and Wire products (ISWP). ISWP was reopened after more than five years by Tata Steel after surmounting all legal impediments and BFIR-related hurdles. ISWP resumed production in its wire mill on January 2, 2004, after its takeover by Tata Steel, and has commenced its rod mill operations.

Several smaller industries, such as TRF (Tata Robins Fraser), which manufactures bulk material handling and processing machines and other engineering goods, are located in Jamshedpur. Agrico, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, manufactures agricultural implements. Tata-yodogawa Ltd manufactures rolls and dies for rolling mills. Bharat Oxygen gases (BOC), producer of liquefied oxygen, nitrogen and other gases, also has a plant in the city.

Lafarge Cement, earlier Tata Cement, is located near Tata Motors. Along with the smokestacks of Tata Power, a coal fired captive power station that supplies a great deal of the city's electricity, it can be conspicuously seen from the railway tracks while coming to Jamshedpur by rail.

Most of the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are located just outside Jamshedpur, in the Adityapur Industrial Estate.

Administration

Life in the city is comfortable, with all areas having 24 hours running water and electricity (something uncommon in most of urban India). Facilities are maintained by Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company Limited (JUSCO), a 100% owned subsidiary of Tata Steel.

However, areas not maintained by JUSCO experience intermittent power cuts, bad roads and government apathy. This has given rise to demands from the residents of these areas for the establishment of a single Municipal Corporation for the entire city.

Indian cities having area & population similar to those of Jamshedpur are entitled to get a Corporation of their own whose representatives are elected by the residents. This is known in India as a citizen's '3rd vote', the first two being those for the national Parliament and the state Assembly. However, most Municipal Corporations are notorious for their poor service levels and endemic corruption. Hence, this movement for the city's own Corporation has received little support (and even protests against it sometimes), from a majority of the residents.

Jamshedpur is one of the greenest cities of India. Active reforestation and tree planting activities help in maintaining air quality, which would otherwise have been rather polluted by the presence of a large number of industries. More efforts are made every year to re-emphasise Tata Steel's commitment to a cleaner and greener Jamshedpur. Tree plantation, an ongoing activity, found remarkable expression through the Green Millennium Countdown. This unique programme has provided one and a half million additional healthy trees in the new millennium in company areas.

Awards

The city won international acclaim when it was selected for the 2004 Global Compact City award from the UN in India. It surpassed other contenders, such as Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh, in recognition of its robust infrastructure, cosmopolitan outlook and strong industry.

Geography

Jamshedpur is located at 22.8° N 86.18° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 135 metres (442 feet). Jamshedpur is located in a hilly region, and its terrain is quite uneven. It receives about 1200 mm of rainfall annually.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Jamshedpur had a population of 1.1 million. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jamshedpur has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 71%. In Jamshedpur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The conversational language is Hindi, though the city itself is cosmopolitan in nature. The main ethnic groups are Biharis, Adivasis and Bengalis, however there are a large number of Punjabis, Oriyas and South Indians as well. The major festivals are Deepavali, Holi, Durga Puja (Dussehra), Id-ul-fitr. Adivasis celebrate 'Tusu', Biharis celebrate Chhat and Bengalis celebrate Durga Puja.

Sections of the city

• Sakchi: The heart of the city, with the main markets and a few residential areas. It is also the oldest part of the city, with many buildings having older architectural styles. The village at which Jamshedpur was founded was originally called Sakchi. The Chain Hotels, Ganga International and Ganga Regency are situated in Sakchi.

• Mango: Situated across the Suwarnarekha River, it's a huge and growing residential area. Once a suburb, thanks to construction entrepreneurs, Mango is now a real estate hotbed. Locations around Lake Dimna offer the most scenic views in the City. Azad Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Zakir Nagar, Daiguttu, Munshi Mohalla, Pardih are major areas of Mango.

• Jawahar Nagar, in Mango: Newly populated and well-planned area close to Dalma Mountains. Madrasa Gulshane Husain founded by Maulana Mobinul Huda Misbahi is situated here.

• Bistupur: An upmarket commercial area and residential township, which caters more to the middle/upper-middle class. Most of the city's showrooms and popular restaurants are situated here on the high street. Bistupur commands the highest real estate prices. Ram Das Bhatta, South Park, Contractors' Area and Northern Town are the residential parts of Bistupur. Ram Das Bhatta is one of the oldest colonies in the city.

• Kadma: A quiet residential locality next to Sonari, probably one of the biggest residential areas in the city. Situated here are living quarters for Tata Steel employees like Professional Flats, Dindli Enclave and the Kaiser bungalows. Uliyaan is a private locality next to this place. Famous landmarks in Uliyaan are Vijaya Heritage, Mohini Complex, Uphar Apartment, Astha Vijay etc.

• Sonari: Houses residential layouts and the city airport, close to Rivers Meet (Karkhai and Subarnarekha). Also, home to the Bharat Seva Ashram.

• Baridih: A township for the employees of Tata Steel. Flats and row houses have been constructed for them by Tata Steel itself.

• Agrico: Home to the Agrico division of Tata Steel and hundreds of company quarters. The factory has been shut down but the area continues to be known by it.

• Baradwari: A residential locality adjoining Sakchi comprising Tata Steel employees' apartments & private bungalows owned by a lot of the city's professionals and business families.

• Telco: This township is owned & maintained by Tata Motors. Telco officials and employees enjoy all facilities ranging from medical to entertainment all within this area itself, including healthcare and education. There is also a 'Telco Club'.

• Govindpur: A housing colony constructed by the state government is situated here. A majority of the people living here work at the Tata Motors factory, located nearby. Close to Tata Motors, the Tata Power plant, and the Lafarge Cement plant, Govindpur lies on the way to the Rakkha Copper Project and Jadugoda Uranium Mines.

• Jugsalai: The area adjacent to the Tatanagar railway station, known as Jugsalai, has a large wholesale market for clothes, grocery, etc.

• Sidhgora: A residential area for Tata Steel employees. The biggest water storage tank of the city is located here.

• Golmuri: The residential and market areas of Golmuri include the city's biggest wholesale grain markets. The Doordarshan television tower is located here, beside a maidan where touring circuses often pitch their tents. Home to the Akash Deep Plaza shopping complex.

• Birsanagar: Named after freedom fighter Birsa Munda, who fought against the British during India's freedom struggle, Birsanagar is the biggest residential area in Jamshedpur. It started out as a huge squatter settlement that was later legalised. The building pattern in this area is irregular, as the residences were privately constructed.

• Sitaramdera: Named after the founder of this locality, Sitaram Soi (dera means home).

• Adityapur: Connected to the Steel City by Kharkai Bridge, at one time held the status of Asia's largest industrial estate. Most of the ancillary businesses catering to Tata Motors & Tata Cummins are located here. Though situated in a district (Saraikela-Kharsawan) other than that in which Jamshedpur is located (East Singhbhum), it is considered a part of the city.

• Namda Basti: A crowded residential area near Jugsalai.

• Nildih: Home to the Tubes division of Tata Steel and the quarters of employees working there.

• Kasidih

• Parsudih: A Bengali dominated residential area near the Tatanagar railway station.

• Bhalubasa: A residential area with private housing. Its major landmark is the flyover connecting Sakchi to the Agrico area.

Important markets

• Bistupur: Fashion stores; car showrooms & tony hotels & restaurants. Most of the establishments are situated on the high street. This is the downtown section of the city, close to Tatanagar railway station and Sonari Airport.

• Sakchi Bazaar: The "centre" of the city.

• Kadma Market: Located in the heart of the residential area is Kadma market, very popular for fresh vegetables which are available at reasonable prices.

• Kharangajhar: Lying on the outskirts of Telco Colony, this is the most important market for the employees of Tata Motors. It is basically a long stretch of road that has spread its tentacles into other lanes.

• Azad Market : Serves Telco Colony.

• Plaza Market: Serves Telco Colony.

• Tinplate: Serves Tinplate Colony & Baridih.

• Agrico: Serves Agrico Colony.

• Baridih Market: Serves Baridih & Birsanagar.

• Golmuri: The largest wholesale market for grains and foodstuff.

• Birsanagar Market: Known for Sundays' vegetable market.

• Amar Market, in Bistupur: The latest in youth fashion and footwear.

• Jawahar Market, in Bistupur: Electronics, CDs, video games and fashion.

How to get there

• Air: There is an airport at Sonari, largely used by corporate airplanes and for gliding lessons. It is home to Jamshedpur Flying Club and Toubro Aviation (a flight training school), as well. The closest commercial airports are Ranchi and Kolkata. Jamshedpur is connected to Kolkata by Air Deccan flight DN585/DN586. This flight was started on 27th August 2007.

• Rail: Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) is an important railway junction on the South Eastern Railway and is connected directly to all the major cities of India, viz., Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Patna, Raipur,Ranchi etc. The railway station is known as Tatanagar.

• Road: Jamshedpur is connected by road with most of the major cities in India. National Highway 33 (NH33) touches the city and joins the NH2, which connects Kolkata with Delhi. Regular bus services are available from Jamshedpur to Ranchi (131 km), Patna, Gaya, Calcutta (300 km) via Baharagora, Hazaribagh etc.

• Moving around within the city: Private vehicles are very popular, though "Mini Buses" and Auto Rickshaws are available in all parts of the town. Transportation is cheap and easily available. It is recommended to avoid the dilapidated and crowded buses. Ensure fixing the fare for Auto Rickshaws before boarding.

Places of interest

• Jubilee Park: This park was a gift by Tata Steel to the citizens of Jamshedpur on the completion of its 50 years. It was inaugurated by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India in 1956. This 200 acre (0.8 km²) park has a special rose garden and a lake. It has an avenue of specially trimmed Ashok trees and fountains and water cascades which run during the night. It is a favourite with morning walkers, joggers, cyclists & anglers. There are also a few recreational areas inside or attached to Jubilee park.

-The recently introduced laser show and the musical fountains, one of its kind in this part of the world, is a unique, educative and entertaining spectacle.

-Tata Steel Zoological Park: The well kept zoo is tucked in one corner of the Jubilee Park. The 'Safari Park' in the zoo enables visitors to take a drive through a wooded area where animals roam free and uncaged. A visit to the Nature Education Centre, a boat ride in the Jubilee Lake or a walk along the Nature Trail are unique outlets for relaxation. The co-existence of wildlife in close proximity to the Steel Plant is evidence of the excellent balance of industry with nature.

-Jubilee Amusement Park: The park has redefined entertainment in the Steel City. A special gift to the children of Jamshedpur, the amusement park provides entertainment that was earlier the privilege of metro cities only. The green hillocks and the waterbody provide a wonderful ambience for an outing where games like whirling in the wind, dashing cars, rolling till the moon, derby riding, caterpillar ride and a 75-meter slide can be enjoyed.

• Dimna Lake: 8 miles (13 km) from Jamshedpur, nestling at the foot of the Dalma hills, Dimna Lake is an artificial reservoir and one of the main sources for the city's drinking water needs. The Lake has facilities for water sports (jetskiing/rowing).

• Rivers Meet: 'Domuhani' - the scenic confluence of Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers. Domuhani, situated at the extreme North-West point of the city, is a popular picnic spot.

• Dalma Hills: North of Subarnarenkha river the Dalma Hills stretch 16 km from east to west. Accessible by road. Famous for herds of wild elephants. Facilities for trekking & mountain climbing.

• Hudco Lake: In Telco Colony, a beautiful park and picnic spot with an artificial waterfall and man-made lake. The hillock nearby provides a panoramic view of the surrounding areas.

• Sir Dorabji Tata Park: Near Keenan Stadium. Hosts Jamshedpur's annual flower show in December. Manicured lawns, flower beds and brilliantly lit fountains provide a delightful touch of colour to the park.

• Bhatia Park: Situated at Shastri Nagar along the banks of the Subernareka river. This is located in Kadma, Uliyaan.

• Keenan Stadium: The well known stadium where many cricket matches are played, Keenan Stadium was regarded as India's most beautiful cricket stadium until Mohali came up. There have been many international cricket matches played here; unfortunately India has lost most of them.

• JRD Tata Sports Complex: This magnificent complex has an international standard football ground and an eight-lane monosynthetic track. Facilities for other sports, viz., handball, tennis, volleyball, hockey, basketball, boxing, and table tennis, as well as a modern gymnasium, are available at the complex.

• Russi Mody Centre of Excellence (RMCE): A unique structure, just outside the Jubilee Park, designed by the famous architect, Hafeez Contractor, is home to the many professional associations of Jamshedpur. It also houses the Tata Steel Archives, where one can see documents relating to the history of the Steel Company and the city.

Education

Jamshedpur has a high literacy rate, comparable to the best areas in the country. The Steel City has as many as 183 schools and 13 colleges. Of these, 25 schools and one inter-college are managed by JUSCO Education Department. They cater to over thirty thousand children, with fees at a concessional rate. Tata Steel also endows various scholarships, enabling talented students to pursue higher studies. These include the Golden Jubilee scholarship, which is awarded to deserving students who are studying in various colleges.

The most famous colleges in Jamshedpur are XLRI (formerly, Xavier Labour Relations Institute), a management institute rated among the best in the country, and National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur.

See also Educational institutions in jamshedpur for a list of the schools and colleges in Jamshedpur.

Sport

Sports is 'a way of life' at Tata Steel and Jamshedpur's reputation as the sports capital of Jharkhand is a consequence of this philosophy. Under the close supervision of skilled coaches, training is imparted to sports persons to excel at national and international level competitions. The initiative is mainly taken by the city's corporate houses.

It has been a constant effort by Tata Steel to promote sporting activities. Jamshedpur's numerous private clubs provide opportunities for a variety of sporting activities, such as golf, tennis, squash, billiards, horse ridding, water scootering, etc.

Various clubs have been formed in Jamshedpur to promote sports -

Tata Football Academy (TFA) - The Academy was started in 1987 to nurture budding Indian footballers in a scientific way and raise the overall standard of Indian football.

Tata Archery academy - Archery is a sport indigenous to the tribal people of Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana. Tata Steel has pursued and nurtured the local tribals and provided them with necessary facilities and training to bring them up to international competition standards in Archery.

Some of the important sport stadiums in the city are Keenan Stadium, JRD Tata Sports Complex & Sumant Moolgaonkar Stadium.

Jamshedpur can also boast of two golf courses, the Nildih golf course and the Beldih golf course.

Trivia

• Popular Indian cine star R. Madhavan was born & brought up in Jamshedpur
• Miss World 2000 & Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was born here
• Femina Miss India 2004 & Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta was born & raised here
• Popular Indian TV star Simone Singh was born and brought up in Jamshedpur to Sikh-Bengali parents
• The former chief minister of Jharkhand, Arjun Munda hails from the Ghorabandha, Kharangajhar area of Jamshedpur
• Mahesh Aney, Alumnus of Loyola School, Class of 1971 (ISC) was conferred the National Award for Cinematography for the film Swades
• Imtiaz Ali, a young & upcoming Hindi film director (his works include Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met) is a Jamshedpur native

References

External links

• MyJamshedpur.com - Business Direcotry, Discussion Forums, Events, Groups, Blogs, Classifieds and lots of other information
• Tatanagar - Contains extensive information on Tatanagar, also known as Jamshedpur
• JamshedpurLive - Contains extensive information on Jamshedpur
• Yahoo group that connects people from and of jamshedpur
• Tata Motors - Tata Motors website
• Website of the District Administration
• Fact File on Jamshedpur
• -Satellite Images of Jamshedpur
• Jamshedpur travel guide from Wikitravel
• exploreJamshedpur.com - Connecting Jamshedpur Worldwide
• Mohun Bagan at Jamshedpur - Kolkata football team praises facilities

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