25

TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATION AND TRADE IN INDIA

25.1 INTRODUCTION

In the previous lesson, you have studied energy as an important infrastructural resource. Transport, communication and trade are yet another important services. They facilitate agriculture and industry to grow to their fullest potential. Transport carries the people and goods from one place to another. It helps both the production, distribution as well as consumption processes. Communication is the process of receiving and sending massages between two' persons or agencies located at different places. Radio and Television are the means of mass-communication which provide infonnatioo, news and entertainment to the people spread over Vast distances, Telephone and telegraph services bring the people closer to one another. Their contribution in promoting business and trade is incalculable. Trade involves exchange of goods among people living in different regions or countries of tile world. It plays a vital role in accelerating the progress of agriculture and industry of a country.

In this lesson, you will study the relative importance of transport, communication and trade in lndia. You would also learn about the distribution and density of transport and communication

networks. In trade you will bow its volume and direction. .

25.2 OBJECfIVES

After studying this· lesson yOlo will be able to :

• explain the relative importance of transport and connnunicatic.n in India;

• identify the ·pattern of distribution of major transport routes on map of India

• expl. 'n the factors responsible for the distribution and development ofvar'ua.., m ans of transport in India;

,

•

explain the benefits derived frommodern means of commumcanon

highlight the integrated role of transport and cpmmumcanon for the development 0 f the ecooomv of the country,

explain the importance of international trade: explain the recent trends in foreign trade of India

•

•

•

* An efficient network of transport is essential to achieve the economic prosperity and to maintain the security of the country.

• Transport takes place through three different modes - land, water and air.

25.3 IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORT

Indi~'js a vast country with Lng distances A dense and efficient network of transport IS essential to promote SOCIal cohesion accelerate economic prosperity and ensure security and territonal mtegnty,

Transport consists of three different modes - land, water and air. Each one of them has some advantages and disadvantages. They all compete with one another. More nnportantly the, COl nplement each other and in' the process consititute a single integrated network

While air transport is of recent ongin, the other two have been as old as the nomadic man himself The land transport comprises road and rail transport. Of the two the rail transport IS relatively new. It IS highly useful for carrying heavy goods over long distances at affordable costs. It is most convenient and cost effective for long distance passengers. The road transport on the other hand is very handy and convenient to cal ry goods and passengers over relatively short distances. Goods Can be transported and handed over to a customer at bis doorstep safel) and at a reasonable cost

Water transport for passengers is now no more attractive; but it is an ideal means of transport to carry heavy and bulky goods along navigable rivers and across the oceans of the world. By far this is the most inexpensive means of transport despite being rather slow.

Air transport has become tremendously popular for people who ate called upon to visit urgently various parts of the world at a very short notice. Despite high fares, it is indeed very economic as it saves both time and energy. It is now also used for carrying perishable goods a.id precious cargo from one part of the worJd to another.

Transport system links areas of production with those of consumption. It facilitates the movement of goods, services and people at local, regional, national and intemationallevels.

25.4 RAIL TRANSPORT

Indian railway network is the fourth largest in the world after Russia, the U.S.A and

Transport, Communications and Trade in India:: 73 .

Canada. In a vast eountry like India. it has brought the people of the farthest comers of ' the country closer 10 one another. Railways are ideal for carrying goods and people over long distances. It employes the largest number of persons among the Centr.al Government departmentS,

, The first train steamed off in the country in 1853 from Mumbai to Thana. covering a ffistance of 34 km. Duringthese years. Indian railways have grown into a vast network . . The foUowing table may give you an idea about the growth of tile railway System during the

, post-independence era. . .

Table 25.1 Operations of Indian Railways

.1

*1000 million = I billion (l million = 1,000,000.00)

. ·*1 toone Ian = when 1. tonne of goods is carried over one kin. + 1 passqer-lan = wIleD one passplger travels one Jan.

The above table gives tIS an idea of quantitative progress ~ by the railways over 45 years. hi the first place the total route length bas increased very $lightly. However, nearly 2001. of its route leogtb bas been electrified. It means over this track the traffic is tar cleaner and faster. It also means considerable saving in transporting cbaJges of coal which the railways consumed for their own running. To that exteot the railway waaoas are now free to cany oommercial·goods. of its dients. Similarly, the route len&di bas increased oaly marginally; but the passeoger-km traffic bas increased more thaD five times. E\'al the goods traffic in terms oftonne-km bas increased by well aver six times. This ~ speaks of qualitative increase in the' efficiency of the railways. 1bis bU' becomo possible by 'electrificatioil of part Of the route and dieselisation of the~. The number of steam or coal eogints bad come down tomere 347 by 1994-95 from 8120 in .1950-51, Nowtbere are .4259 diesel eogines as compared to mere 17 in 1950-51. Similarly clc:ctric 1oeomotiVcs have iDcreased from 72 to 2302 by 1994-95 .

. , .

It

As seen earlier. the new railway lines IJave been8dded only nwginally. However, there bas beciuxmsider8ble incIease in mDDing track. In 1950-51 it was 59,OOOkm.By 1994-95. it rose to 79,000 kill. h means considerable portions, particularly the busy ones, have been converted from single to double and in some cases eVen triple tracks. This has enabled railwa~to nmpwre railwaY1nUos, bothg<xxk and passengers. Therallwayshaveundertaken to «m'eIt IDBtregal1gc railway tracks into broad gauge (1.68 metres) enhancing the capacity of railways'to carry' more goods and more passengerswitb an increased speed By streDgtbc::oiD8 trunk route railway tracks, Indian Railways run sever:.1 fast trains. Earlier.. there were pasSenger and express or mail trains, d1e only two categories. Now there are '. Super fast Expresses, RajdbaDl Expresses, and Shatabdi (the fastest) Expresses running between busy terrniJlals .

• Iildian railwa}"'S have taken several measures to improve their·efficiency and usefulness to thcpublic:

C<'JQSidcrable increase in railway :numing track, '

Increase in dectrification of busy trunk routes. '

oonVersion of metre gauge railway lines into broad gauge, introducing several types of fast and 5U~ passenger trains,' lUD11iog faSt goads and Special foodgtain 1I'ains, ,

Let us ,hIlw a glance at the regions of deDse, moderate and spaBe railWay ~,

The ReaiODI of Dense Network

(i) The northem plains and eastem coastal areas possess a dense network of railways. The'levelland, fertile soils. dense population and spread Qf indUstries are the reasons for this

dense railway network. .

(ii) The plains ofGujarat and Saurashtra, Central Tamil Nadu and Chot:anagpur Plateau ' are the other regions. These regioos have weJi developed industries.

Rqioris 'of Moderate R.ilway' Network

Tbewbole ofpinans1darregioll except: Tamil Nadu and Chotanagpu. i~ a' mod....:rate ~ork The hilly and plateau terrain provides unfiwourable conditions fur la' '1I,t! ':I,h"OlY lines, There are laDg trunk .routes which connect the important industrial cities aild ports, The railwaJ

lines c:itber pass through the .... gaps between hills or through the tunnels. .

ReP •• of Sparse Railway Network

(I) 'The Himalayan mountain region, comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Hilly'region of uttar Pradesh, SiIdcim and Anmachal Pradesh have hardly a l~ here and there, Tbe billy terrain, rUgged topography, are the main reasons responsible for the very SJWSC network. Some foothill towns such as Jammu, Kathgodam, K~ and DehradOOn

T~ ~andTradoinIodia::is

are the only rail heads touching this region. There are few narrow gauge tracks between Kalkaji and Shimla andbetween Siliguri and Darjeeling.

(il) . The North eastern region has also' sparse railway network. Only' Brahmputra valley

, in Assam has main railway line. All hilly states in this region are ahnost without a railway line. The tully terrain, thick forest cover. heavy rainfall, low level of economy and sparse' populatioon are the main factors for the absence of railway lines.

(iii) . Desert region of western 'Rajasthan has also sparse network of railways, There are some metre gauge railway lines which link the big cities .. This area is sparsely populated and has few industries.« Mo~ver the climate is hot and dry, Dry sandy winds obstruct the railway tracks. All thesefactors hamper the constnrction of railway lines and their proper maintenance.

The Pattern of Trunk Railway Routes

If you try [0 trace the busy trunk route railway lines connecting Delhi. Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta vand back to Delhi), you get a kite-shaped pattern, Further add to it the diagonal lines u .uecting Mumbai and Calcutta on one hand and Delhi andChennai on the other, you ~et a .ie or diamond shaped figure. These lines serve as backboae of the entire railway let\\ :k in the country:

': lus main pattern needs two important additions one in the Sutlej Basin or the Punjab plains III the north-west and one in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, 'The former consists of lines connecting Delhi with Pathankot, Amritsar- Wagha and Firozpur, The or'ier trunk connects North-east Bihar and Northern West Bengal with, Dibrugarh in east or upper Assam,

All these lines connect Delhi with a broad gauge and the most pan 9fthem has been electrified.

The R~1e of Railways

The role of the Indian railways may be made further dear i(you study the following table carefully. Also see if the conclusions drawn.at the end are correct objectively.

Table 25.2

Indian Railways Tr~c Originating in Million Tonnes.

76;;~'

(i), Coal is t& most dominating axtnno<tityt:"aospo:rted by~ railways .. Railways pt"<QIXe,

industrial growth oftbe coal starved areas. ' ,

(ii) Railways help to Mease industrial productioD. by canying raw ~rials to industrial,

Centres. '

(iiJ.) Railways _ help in distrib\d:ion ofsemipfinished aud finished ptC?ducts like pigPiJm

and steel whim in turn promote seconda!Y industries. .

(iv) lWlways also help in promoting exports. of ~ like iIoo-ore, cement and

food grains to eam foreign exdumge. '

(v) , Railways pI9DIOte building activity an over the COUJItry by ea.rrYing cemcat over loDg

~. , ,

(vi) Railways help in boosting agricu1turaJ. production by eanyinghuge amauots offert:iliseB

from one region to another. ,

(vii) Railwayt Carry JllineraI oil. an industrial input. from port cities and rcfuicries to the

, iDterior parts oftbe country. '

This shoul4 explaDi why Indian Railways constitute the major national meaDs oft.(ansport ..

INTEXT QtJESll0NS 25.1'

Answer ~ following questions briefly :

(1) What is the total route length oflodian railways in 1995-961 (2) Mention two main advuitages of ntitway transport.

(i) (ii)

------~

(3) Name two regioas in India wbmc railway networlc is dense.

(i) , ,(n)

(4) State the most important reascD for the sparse railway netwoIk in the North Eastern

Region oflDdia. '

(i) ,

(5) Mention the main problem is IayiDg railway lives in the peninsular plateau regions.

ro 00 .

2S~5 ROAD TRANSPOKJ'

, '

Road transport is an old means of transport. It plays a significant role in canyiDg goods aM people in aD puts of the COODtIy. PanicuJarly, the rural ecoomny drp:ads lIpCR the road transport. The imporCaac:e Of ~ baa DH::rcaaed wiIh the ~ of auto 'Wlhidcs. The: relative impotbmr:e of roads is much more thaD that of raiIways,(i) Railway transport is limited to the railway beads while tile roads provide door to ~ sc:rvices. (ii) Roads can DCgOIiat. higher gradieat of slopeS' and can tnriene the mountainous regioas.' Coostruction of railway tiDes: is ctifficolt and expt2ISive in hiDy regicus. (fu) Roqd ~t is. flexible, rdiabJe and quick" (iv) It is more suitable fur earrying periShable goodS like milk, fruit and vegetables. (v)" Its cost of coostructioo_ mainteMooe is tar Jess than 1bat of~ railways.

In) For short distancejoumey, roads are more suitable. They suPPlement the railways by hnkmg the interior areas with railway heads Roads are ideal for the promotion oftounsm in the country.

With the' rotal length of2.7 million kilometre, India has the third largest road network m tIr world However, it is far from adequate or efficient.

Surfaced and Unsurfaced Roads

Surfaced roads are the metalled roads and are made up of cement, concrete or' bitumin. These areaJl weather roads. The total route length of surfaced roads in India in 1991-92 was 10.65,000 km. Jjosl1rfaced roads are 'Kueha' roads made up of earth. They provide tracks for the bu!lock carts and link the rural areas with the urban centres. They play an important role in the development of rural economy. During rainy reason these roads are of little use. The total length of these roads Was estimated to be about one millian i.e. to lakh Ian in J991-Q2.

Development of Road Transport

There has been a consrderable development in the road lmgtb. after~. Route length or" surfaced roads has increased from 1.57 Iakh Ian. (1950-51) to 10.65 Iakh km. in 1991-92 This is more than six times, the length ofunsurfaced roads during the same period has inc:~,\~cd from 2.421akh Ion. to over 10 lald:. kin.

Fig. 25.2 Development of Road Length in I"dia

fI Surfaced roads Unsurfaccd ~

Not only the route length of roads has increased but the number of commercial heavy vehicles, particularly the buses and trucks has also shown a tremendous increase since Independence. The number of buses has increased from 3400 in J950-51 to 3,32.848 in 1991-92 registering an annual growth rate of about 54 percent. Within the same period. the number of trucks has increased from 82.000 to about 16lakh which represents about 6.8 percent annual increase Vast increase in the road traffic has posed serious problems in handling it smoothly. The number of road accidents has also shown a steady increase. With increased road traffic, polhmon of air has been on the rise.

Deosity of Roads

Road density refers to the average length of roads per 100 square km. area. The road densrty in India is still very low compared to the developed countnes. The road density in Japan is 14 times that of India. The road-people ratio m the LS \ i-. 33 times more than what we have in hidia. In 1950-51, the average road density m India was only 12 km per 100

. square km. area. NO* it has increased to about 63 km

Geographical Distribution of Roads

High concentration of road network IS found in the Northern ?I.iDS because of levelland. tertile soil and bigh dmsity of population. In these parts, unsurfaced roads are more conunon than surfaced roads. Peninsular plateau has higher proportion of metalled roads because of tlu; easy availability ofroad building meteria1s, In the Northeastern states: the road net work is very sparse due to hilly terrain, thick forest cover and heavy rains causing frequent floods Sparse population is also the other important reason.

The pattern of road density is also uneven in the country. (see fig 25.3} The map shows the highest road density above 100 km. of road length per 100 square km. area found in lID:; Nadu and Kerala. It IS because of the growth of agriculture and manufact., t I g industries and dense population The road density between 50 to 100 km. of .road 'e. gth per 100 square km of area is " und in Kamataka and Maharashtra in the south b . ..:.al.~( ofurbarusano . and concentration of industries. It is also found in the nortbe· n states such as Punjab. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Here it IS due .to advanced ilgfioulture, dense population.

development of mdustnes and urbamsation. .

The states of Andhra Pradesh and BIhar have moderate density of roads In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. the density of road is low due to low population and Jow economic development.

The Himalayan region and North eastern states have very low density of road network. which is below 20 km. per 100 square km area. As regards the pattern -·f surfaced roach Punjab in the north and Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south have the hitr'est road density The southern states bale a good net work of-metalled roads. The yattern of surfaced road dt.:nsity is more or less the same as the total density of roads.

Road density iu India IS not uniform It vanes from region to region (.I;pending npon its relief and clananc conditions,' economic development and densit) of population

Transport, Commurucations and Trade m India 79

PAXtSTAN

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• The state high ways join the district head quarters with state capital. Distnct BUd village roods connecttbe villages with smaD towns arid distri~ head quarters

80 "Geography

~~~~~----------------------------------------------------------.---

ROads are divided into three categories: (i) National highways Pi) State highways, and (iii}

Distritt and village roads. "

National Highways are the trunk toads linking major cities of the country. They are built and maintained by the Central Government. Their total length is 34298 km. Although the national high ways. comprise only about 2 percent of the totallengtb. of surfaced roads in India, thc~ "" carry about 40% of'goods and Passenger traffic.

There are 78 national highways in the country. Some of them are very important· as they carry the bulk of road traffic. (see fig. 25.4). National Highway No.7 is the longest (2683 km] of all, linking Varanasi in the north with Kanaya Kumari in the south.

The state highways are built and maintained by the State Governments. The District and village roads are looked after by the lOcal bodies with some financial assistance coming from the states.

Border roads have been constructed m the remote parts of the country "lying close to international border. They connect these areas with the interior parts of the country. The responsibility of their constructioaandmamtainan> is on Border Road Organisation. These roads have ecooomic as well as strategic importance. Leh and Manali Road. the world's highest road, IS an example of our engineering skill and courage. The average height of this road is 4270 meters above sea ICH!1. Most of our border roads run through areas of very harsh climate and most inhospitable terrams .

. ,., National Highways connect the major cines of the country. Their length is only 2% but they carry 40% of the total road traffic .

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.,2

Answer the foUowing questions briefly;

(I) What was the total length of surfaced roads in 1991-92?

(2) Give the names of terminal points of the National Highway No 7

(i) (ii)

-------

(3) Name two states of India having the highest density of roads.

(i) (ii)

-------

(4) Write the tenninal poiDts ofthc world's highest road.

(i) . (ti) ~ __

(5) " In which areas are unsurfaccd roads more important? "

(6) Give the most iInportanf reason fur the low density of Toad in the North-eastern rcgl~'" of India.

---------

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lS.7 WATER TRANSPORI'

The IndiaD. main1and together with its island groups has a long coastline of over 6100. Jan. This long coast line: is dotted with II major ports managed by die centtal government. Then there are 139 rgioor ports. operating under the jurisdiction of the state governments. The 11 major ports handle 90% ofintCmationaI water borne trade of the country. These major ports 8I0Iie handled 215 million tonnes of sea imports and exports, against the actual~ of handling only 177 million toones. In otberwords._1here is ~ pressure on tlie.&Isting

ports causini cOnsidCrable delay and inconvenience to 1rading parties. _

Tbemajor ports along .the western or ~ian Sea coast are kandIa. Mumbai, JawahatLal Nehru Port (at Nhava Sheva on the opposite side of Mumbai harbour). MarJl'!88OO, New Mangalore and Kochi. Thus aU the states on the western coast have at least one major poft-:>' The remaining five.JIOllS are Tuticorin, ChCnnai, Vtsakbapatnam. Paradeep (paradwip land the joint port of Calcutta -lialdia. ~ all the coastal sta1:f!S on the Bay o/Bengal ha~ at . Jastoue port each. The Jawabar LalNeluuport ofNavi Mumbai iltbemost modcmport, tUlly mcchanisai and is ~ for relieving pressure OIl Mumbai port.

,. Water transport is-"c.heaper ... helps in the ptODlCIIIi(Il of foreiaa.

trade. . . =

• Eieven major ports on the ~ Ifue bandIe 9()OA. offndia's sea imports

and rts, .

25~6 PIPE LINE TRANSPORT

Pipeline transport bas been developed recen~y in Inltia. It is the most convcnieElt mode of transport for mineral oil, petroletim products and natural gas. Pipe lines ooonect.oi1 and natural gas fields with refineries and ~ maid market ceotrcs. Now solids ~ also ~ transported through pipe Jines after converting them into slurry.

There are certain advantages of pipe lines over otbet modes ofttansport (1) Pipe line am J>e laid through difficult terrain as well as under water. (ii) Indial.cost of laying pipeline. is high ·but subsequent cost for maintenance aDd operation is Iqw. (iii) It eIISIJ1CS steady supply and minimises transhipment losses and· delay,. (iv) Pipe line operation involv.es very low

coosumptic:m of~. _ .

There are some limitations of pipe tine transport $uch as 'file capac~ of pipeline camlot be ~ ~ it is laid. The security of pipelines in certain areas and the detectiOn of . leakage is difficUlt. Petroleum pipe Imes in Assam connect oil fields with the oil refineries of Assam. and emU. Pipe line between KandIa and Mathura is the longest oil pipe line (1220 Jan). There are severa1 pipe 1inCs in the Gujarat and Maharashtra connecting the oil fields, refineries and marketing centres. The lOngest gas pipe line has been laid from Hazira (Oujarat) to Jagdishp~ (UP) via Bijaipur (MP)ThisHBJ pipe tine is 1730 Ian in length. and ~lies natutal gas to six fertiliser plants and two thennal power p1ants~ Pipe line transport has ;educed the b~ of railways significantly. Owing to their advantages, more pipe lines have been proposed for smooth supply of oil and natural gas. Gas fired thermal power stations are bein8 set up in the distant andreinote parts due to facilitieS ofpipelinc transport,

I' PipeIiuo tnmsport is wry """""""". mode for the. regu1ar and smooth supply 1 _ of oil and natural gas. _

_._-.----.

Transport. CommunicatIons and Trade Ul lndia::13

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84 Geograph)

~~~~------------------------------------------------~-

Inland. Water Ways

The position of inland water ways in India is very poor. Thetotalle.ogth of'navigable « ater ways is only 5200 km which can be used by mechanised boats and steamers ~;. arc actually utilizing only about 2000 km long water ways.

Some important inland water ways ate :

(i) Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia covering a distance of about 1500 km ..

Big steamers and crafts can ply upto Patna This water way IS declared as National water way No. L

(n)' "B:-nl..maputra river is navigable upto Dibrugarh a distance of 1384 km. out ofwbich only :r 36l.m. lies in India, the rest being m Bangladesh.

(ui) In ~.ub. the "lower reaches of Godavari, Krishna and MahanadIserve as inland water ways. Buckingbam canal between Tamil Nadu andAndhra Pradesh is also an inland water way which is now hardly muse.

(i) Diversioa ofwater of rivers for irrigation.

(11) Silting of river beds reduces the depth of river water.

(iii) Seasonal tluctltdrion.~ in the water level of the rivers.

flV) Presence of bridges, water falls and cataracts in the course of rivers.

4V) An uneoaal competition with railways and road ways.

India -1 inland water ways have not been developed as they can not compete with the railways .i.lld roads.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.3

Answer the following questions briefly:

(1) Name two main commodities Which are usually carried by pipe line transport.

(i) (ii) _

(2) ~ch gas pipe line in India is thc·longest?

. (3) Which port in India handles the largest cargo traffic?

(4) Name two main navigable rivers of India.

(i) (ii) -""'- _

Transport, Communications and Trade in 1ndia::85

25.8 AIR TRANSPORT

\Ir transport 1S the fastest and highly convenient mode of transport, although it is more costly . than other modes. One can cover a journey between Delhi and Bangalore in about rna and a halfhours by an aeroplane while this distance is covered in about 42 hours b} a railway express train.

Air transport becomes very important in the regions where surface means of transport are drfficult to develop These regions rna} have dense forests, marsby land, hilly terrain and high mountains.

India 1S favourably situated on a busy international air route. cormecting North Amenca. Europe and South-west Asia on the one hand and East and South-east Asia together w db . Australia 00 rIC other

There are tw 6 public sector and a number of new private sector companies operating. commercial an transport services in India.

i\_'.

:Aitt.lltdia is the international air carrier. It handles the foreign traffic which inc1udes both crulb and passenger services. Air India operates in more than 70 countries. Regular and more frequent flights are to the USA, Canada and European countries.

( ,' ... ently, there are 26 air crafts most of them Boeing 747 In the fleet of Air India. In 1993- I).... \u India earned about 20 Lakh passengers. There are five international airports which ar 0 ated at Delhi, Mumbai, Calutta, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram,. handle the entire fore'.. n arr traffic.

india I \ir Lines handles the domestic air transport. There are regular flights among the state c italsand major cines of tile country The places of tourist interest an: also served by this airline Besides It, Indian airlines operate m eleven neighbouring countnes such as Sn Lanka. Nepal, Bangladesh. Pakistan. Malaysia, Singapore, Male and Middle f:.Jast

Recently, SIX pnvate schedule au lines have been allowed to operate domestic air tr.ut:OJ· serv sees Pawan Hans Helicopter services has been operating m some selected S\ . .'ctl.'T

Promotion of arr transport in the N orth-eastc m region is a necessitv owing to several adv r ph \ sical factors like mountainuous terrain, thlc~ torest cover big overs with frequern n·, 'll\;"dh and economically too. the region needs tobe drawn closer to the rest of 1mb.,

• Arr transport is the fastest through costlier mode of transport It has

brought the world closer "

• Air India and Incban Au lines are the two roam air earners operating m the country.

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T_ --:kr.1 u Df i-. __ ._ ef'__ .. lIIKicaJ ........ _.If 1._ ,,", __ ,ria .. _I;n •.

TfIe:.......,..,"'_'_ __ .. __ 1111 _1tII! III_.'_".-.s ("..,._ .... , .&cC. ,.71."'" .... pt ... lie __ ••

@ ec.rer_nt oIlnc1o_~. 1879 .

,

Transport, Conununications an~ Trade in~ia:' 81

INTEXT QUESTIQNS 25.4

Answer the following que~ions:

( 1) Name international air carrier of India.

(2) Name the Public Sector air transporting company, providing dome-stic air transport services.

(3) In which region of India is the air transport a necessity?

(4) Name five international airports of India.

(i) . (ii) (iii) ----,

(iv) (v) _

(5) In which two ways, does the air transport differ from other modes of transport'!

(i) (ii)

----------------------

25.9 COMMUNICATION

Communication system contributes to 'the development of the economy, social relationships and also helps in promoting cultural unity. Internationally. it brings diverse people of the world close to one another

In the event of any Impending calanuty, accident or emergency. instant means of commurncanon flash the news across the globe so that relief can be rushed to the spot immediately

Postal Services

It is the most commonly used mode of conunumcation In India, the postal services play a \ ita! role in the rural areas of the country ... About99% of the villages are enjoying postal services to day.

At present about 1.53 lakh post offices are providing postal services covering every part of the country. In tunc with the rest of the world the Indian postal services are also being III ')J~mised.

( I) (Postal Index Number) PIN has facilitated the prompt delivery of mail (ii) Speed post sen icc has been .ntroduccd for fast and quick delivery of post (iii) Quick Mail Service

(QMS) IS anothe- step in this direction .. ' ..._

Bcs.dcs these. -utellite money order scheme was introduced in 1994 as a pilot project for providing sen -ccs to hilly. backward and remote areas from six principal cities. International mail services v, rrried by air and sea is an important step m linking the foreign countries with India

,lUI GcosraPb>

'hIecontDluiJitltion

It is the modem device for the communication at individual and mass level. Telegraph, Telephone, Talex and Fax. are the main means of tele communication.

(J) , TeleanPh: is comparatively an old mean foe providing quick conununicationin event of any emergency. At present abOut forty thousandtelegrnph offices have been working in the country.

{2} Telepbone: There has been a very fast progress in telephone faciluies. In the country, the numl:ier of telephone COQIlCCboos was 82 thousand in 1986 which increasoo to about 55 Jakhsio 1993. It has recorded an increase by 67 times within sevenyears. Telepbonc setViCes.bave been expandjng VCIY rapidly in the country. SID (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) faciliticsare available to alI the big and small,towns of tile countIy. 00 the same lines, we in India can dia1 the number we want in as many as 87 countries of the world. (3) Telex : Telex services make possible to send information in printed form. More than 200 cities oflDJiaeoj~ this service. Use of satellite has revolutionised the Tele communication

sYstcDl to day. '

Radio and televJsioo are the electronic media ofmass commumcation. They play an Impoi tant

role in iDdividual aott'social life. .. . .

. .

Radio is a powerful medium which provide aU sorts ofusefW informatiOi:L news and varietY of ~ There are about 96 radio broad casting statioits in the coutttr}. and provide

services to more than 95% of the ~ poj,UJanon. .

Televisioa service was started in 1959 in India. However, the real cxpiwion of T. V. Service began after 1'980. Only recently scveralchannels on televisiOn have been ~ available to private parties. This bas pron\Oted keen competition to unpro\e the quali~ f programme even of Door DarsbaD: So far it has set up televiSion sudios in forty cities. Its p~ are relayed from as many as 750 relay stations ma.b~ to cover 86% oftbe QO\UJtry's population. DoQr Darbsan's progratnmes are DOW watched by 270 million viewers m their homes. The satellite has provided television set'VlCCS even in the remote areas of the country.

Cinema IS yet another mean ofmass coounuoication. It artertains 111i11ions ofPeo.,Ie evervda}

PriDtlMdia

Newspipcn.periOdjcaJs and journals faD in the categmy ofprmt media. Print mCc,tia expanded very rapidly after independtnce. TbIre were 37254 daily newspapers and different journals

in bMti8n Janguap; on ) I December 1995. '-

Transport_ C ommunicanons and Trade iI:l India;:89

Among the 4236 dailies as many as ]877 were om Hindi alone on 31st December 1995. About 6500 weekly magazine() and 13600 other periodicals are in circu1ati.on all over the country,

JNTEXT QUESTIONS 25.5

Answer the following questions.

(I) Give one technical term for sending and receiving messages by individuals through (I) lettersetc.; (ii) electric codes; (iii) through special e1ectrically charged Wires; (iv) printed words e.g, books and journals etc, and (v) instant infonnation etc, received publicly by everybody,

(i) (ii) (iii) _

(iv) (v) --'- _

(2) . Name fOUT means of mass-communications and state how they are different from post, telegraph and telephone.

(3) What is print media?

25.10 TRADE

The services which involve the activities of buying and selling of goods are termed as trade, Like transport, communication, banking etc. it is also a tertiary service and an important infrastructure fur the development of economy including agriculture and industry in the country, Trade may take place at various levels -local, regional. national or intemational.

The growth of trade depends on accessibility of a well developed nUuiret and well advanced communication system. .

International Trade

It involves selling and buying various conunodities at the international level. International trade may be multilateral or bi-lateral; depending upon the number of parties involved,

India's international trade has grown very rapidly after Independence, Though. india bas trade relations with about 190 countries of the world, the major trade partners are the USA, RUSSIa, countnes of West Europe, Japan and OCeania. India bas increased her trade with African and Arabian countries also. 40% of the total export In 1994-95 was carried on with the countries of Asia and Oceania, Russia and her allies are also our major partners.

Export

Dunng the colonial era major commodities of our exports were either raw materials like

'III Qoograpb

cotton, jute, leather spices. minerals or food items like wheat, tea. coffee and spices etc All the trade was chaim.elised through Britain. After Independence there has been significant changes in the items of export because of the rapid industrial development 10 the COUDt.J) Now Inch exports nearly 7500 commodities to as many as 190 countries of the world There has en appreciable growth in exports since 1950-51 when it was worth only of Rs 607-erores. It has increased to Rs. 106,465 crores byI995-96. There has been an increase of over eight times in the exports between 1984 and 1996. (see fig. 25.7)

At present major items of exports include textiles, gems and jewellery, chemicals and then related products, engineering goods, agricultural products, leather and alhed manufactured products, ores and minerals and marine products. India during 1994-95 exported textiles valued at Rs. 20471 crores; and gems and jewellery worth Rs. 1413 crores However, India has to import all the raw industrial gems or jewels before they are cut and polished for reexport .

. There has been a significant change in the export products since Independence. The largest value of exports is now obtained from manufactured products.

Imports: After Independence, there has been a sharp increase in the value ofIllIJ',)r: III India. We now import 6000 commodities from 140 countries. During prc-lnd.pc.ul. :ICC . period, main items of imports were machinery, manufactured goods, textiles. ·.'h'I1;' .ils medicines etc. After independence in the early decades. India's import consisnxl J,,1I.."jliI of food grains because of the partition of the country.

India's total value of import m 1950-51 was of Rs. 581 crores which bad increase to Rs. 121,646 crores in .1995-96.' It is a significant increase in the imports during 45 years (see fig. 25.7)

At' present about 40% of total imports include petroleum and petrol products. feruthzer-. newsprints, pulp and waste paper. chemicals, coke, medicines and artificial resmes. Howeve nearly half of it goes to pertroleum and petroleum products. Other main commodities of imports are industrial diamonds or precious stones,' machinery. nonferrous metals, project goods and edible oils etc. These form about 30% of the total imports The major part of our imports is from the USA, Canada and countries of Europe including Russia.

The Recent Trends in Foreign Trade of India

At the time of Independence, India's foreign trade was very limited. India was th, mam exporter of primary commodities and imported. manufactured products and machinery After; independence there has been a rapid progress in the field of industry and agriculture. The international market has also expanded. The commodities of export and import have shown a great change in the last decades. India has developed trade relations" ith th .... countnes ,J Asia, Africa and Oceania for the promotion of her exports. lncennvc- suet J~ prov «hng export credits at lower mterest, and by removing restrictions and controls on til cxp: -rt- h,ihelpded in the promotion of export. Maw stress is grven to export of aluc .idd, ummodu "

. ,

Transp!?rt, Commurucabons and Trade •• india' , I

We hal e also adopted a policy of liberalisation of Imports. Adoption of new Import policy II;!<; strengthened the economy of the country, Some commodities which help In the -ianufactunng mdustnes can now be imported on easy terms.

! ;f

. I I I I I r : I , I I I I ----_ .. ---_ ... ---' ...

- ................

. ..

Fig. 15.6 Recent Trends in Foreign Trade in India

• Dunng the past two decades, India's importsbave shown a coilsiderable

~~n~ ,

·II1'rc,'~nr ,cars.lndia·s foreign trade has risen steadily from Rs. 1214 crores In I ~511- 51 to Rs 2.28, III crores in 1995-96 (see graph)

* There has been a great change m the foreign trade of India-especially in the commodnies of export and unports.

Balanc~ of Trade

Difference between \ alae of exports and nnports IS tenned as balance of trade. When the value of exports and imports of a country is equal it is a sItUation ofbalanCed foreisn trade. If e xports exceed the imports, it is' favourable; and on the other hand when imports are more than exports, 1t IS unfavourable trade.

At the- ume of Independence. our foreign trade was favourable but after Independence, in the first two decades, the imports of India increased .rapidly due to the imports of food grams At presen~ the. imports of the country exceed the. exports. Thus, our foreign trade

INTEXT QUESTIONS 25.6

92:'Geography

has become unfavourable. It is worth noting that our exports and imports have increased 111 volume and value remarkably. But over the past 45 years our share in world trade hadecreased considerably. It is not even one per cent of the world trade.

Answer the following questions.

(I) Name the two components in which foreign trade is divided.

(i) (ii) - _

(2) What is the important change in India's exports since independence?

(3) Name lwo most important trade partner~ of India.

(i) (ii) _

(4) Name the c;omllhxbty which has the largest share of our imports.

(5) Name the po1icy India has adopted for promo~ foreign trade

(6) What is balance ofn-del

• Transport, communication and tnde are important infrastructural resources of economy. These services provide -upport for the development of entire economy. particularly agriculture and industries.

. WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT

• Railways, roads and pipe lines are the means ofland transport. They pia} an important role in strengthenlng the national unity. They also promote social and economic prosperity in the country. Water transport is an inexpensive but slow means of transport. The development of inland water transport is limited only to the eastern part and eastern coastal plains. India is ideally situated on the busy Suez route joining Australia and south-east Asia and Europe. The air transport is the fastest through oostliestmeans of transport. It is also suitable in the areas where construcnon and maintenance of surface transport is difficult. such as Northeastern region AU these means of transport have brought the world closer.

• Rail transport provides services particularly for long distance and-carries bulk ot traffic at one time. Northern plains. eastern coastal plains. and Gujarat plains hal e dense network of railways: while the Northeastern region, Western Rajasthan and

the Himalayan region have sparse railway netwoJ:k. .

• Rood transport provides door to door services. It is flexible'andis suitable for short distances. Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have the highest dei-sity of surfaced roads.

• Communication involves sending or receiving meassages at individual or mass level. h includes postal services, telegraph, telephooe. teleprinters, radio, television· and. prini media. Radio.and television.heloog to electronic telecommunication~.

• Transport and communication are interrelated and they strengthen. and:supplement each other.

• The trade relations of India have grown very rapidly after Independenee.lndiahas bilateral trade with many developed and developing countries. .

• There has been a significant change in the commodities of export and import after independenCe. India has now adopted the Policy of liberalisation of tiade removing restrictions on imports. Despite phenomenal growth. in fureign trade India's share in world trade is very low - not even one per cent .

. TERMINAL EXERCISE .

Answer the following questions :

1. Explain two merits of railway transport.

2. 'Explain two main reasons for the development of dense railwa, network in the

Northern plains of India. .

3. State two main advantages of road transport.

4. Why is air transport morefavoUrabtc in th..: northeastern region of India'!

5. Distinguish between:

(i) National high ' .... ayand state high ways.

(n) Electronic media and print melba.

(iii) Exports and Imports,

6. Examine the role of postal services as a means of conununication in India.

7. Explain briefly the recent' changes in. the trade of India with other countries, gtving suitable examples.

94 Goography

CBECKYOURAN~ERS

INTEXT QUESTIONS

15.1 •.

(I) 62900 Km. 2. (3) Suitable for p~r ... CO\enng long ~ (b) carry the heavy goods in bulk. 3. Nortbem plains and plains of Gujarat and Saurd:lhtr.l4 . Hilly terrain I Forested cover/ heavv rain 5. Hills and mountain ranges having rough terrain. .

25.2

1 1O.65Lakh KIn. 2. Varanasi and Kanyakuman 1 Punjab and Kerala 4 Leh to Manah Raod5. Rural sedor 6. Sparsely populated poor m natural resourcesl Hill, terrain! ~'Y)I

rain with thick forest "

15.3

(I) Petrol and Natural gas (2)HBJ Pipe line Hazira, 8ijaipur, JagdJsbpur (3) Mwnbal (4) Ganga and Brahamputra

25.4

(1) Air India (2) Indlan Air Lmes (3) Northeastern part oflndta (4) (I) 1.1umbat (II) Delh [iti) Calcutta. (iv) ChennaJ and (v) Thimvananthapuram (5) (I) Fastr,;.. ... t mode (ii) Costl~Ct

25.5

(I) Means ofCimunumcab.on (2) (I) Radio_ (n) Televrsion, (ni) Books and (iv) Ne.,apers and journals

15.6

0) &cportSaoo:lmports (2)· SWitch over from Prqnar} to ~ryPtoauct. (3) The USA: aDd Russia (4) Petroleum & Petroleum product!. (5) LiberaltsaiJoo of trade aDd reGaction ill' unport restnctions (6) A ditrerence betweetl the value of exports Ill4 unports

. ".~