Dhanbad is the 96th fastest growing city in the world, according to the City Mayors Foundation.[13] It is the 56th cleanest city of India, according to the 2019 Swachh Survekshan cleanliness survey.[14] It showed a great change in the city which was considered the dirtiest city in the 2018 Swachh Survekshan.[15]Dhanbad Municipal Corporation works for increasing green cover in the city.[16]
Dhanbad is suffering from underground coal seam fire and harmful fumes coming out from the ground. Since colonial rule till date it can't be doused. Significant areas of Jharia coal belt area is fire affected. People residing there feared that very soon in future there will be land subsidence here. Among the rail divisions of Indian Railway, Dhanbad Rail Division is the largest revenue generator.[12] Dhanbad is ranked as the top city in India with the highest 4G mobile phone network availability in India by a survey of Opensignal.[17]
Dhanbad's economy revolves primarily around coalmining and related industries. It is home to several coal mines, including some of the largest in India. This extensive coal reserve has led to the establishment of various industries such as steel plants, power plants, and coal washeries, contributing significantly to the region's economic prosperity.
Dr. Ambedkar talking to people as the Labour Minister in the Viceroy's Executive Council at coal mines, Dhanbad
The present district used to be a part of Manbhum region and was occupied by Mundari tribals in the wilderness of South undivided Bihar. In the seventh century A.D. some information is available from the account of the travels of Hieun Tsang. These accounts narrate the existence of a powerful kingdom which comprised the district and adjoining areas, ruled by Sasanka.[18] Manbhum was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj.
The region has thick forests, with rich mineral resources, and had a mixed demographic profile with people from different religious and social groups, including adivasis, particularly the Santals and the Mundas before the city was established.[19] After the Partition of India, the district became a part of Bihar state, and upon re-organization of the Indian states in the mid-1950s, the district became a part of the West Bengal. Purulia district was carved out of the district of Manbhum.[19]
In the Settlement Report for Manbhum (1928) it was stated that no rock inscriptions, copper plates or old coins were discovered and not a single document of copper plate or palm leaf was found, during the Survey and Settlement operations. The oldest authentic documents produced were all on paper and barely even a hundred years old.[20] Dhanbad city was in Manbhum district from 1928 up to 1956.[20] However, on 24 October 1956, Dhanbad district was carved out of Manbhum district with Dhanbad as District headquarter[21] on the recommendation of the States Reorganization Commission vide notification 1911.
This was done under the commitment and leadership of journalist, Satish Chandra. In the year 2006, Dhanbad celebrated 50 years of being an independent district and city. From 1956 to 14 November 2000, it was under Bihar. At present, it is in Jharkhand, after the creation of the state on 15 November 2000.[22] The discovery of rich deposits of coal in the region caused the city to flourish financially, but also bought notorious coal-mafia and gang wars[23] which continues to this day with areas of city like Wasseypur being most affected by the conflict.[23]
Dhanbad has an average elevation of 227 m (745 ft). Its geographical length (extending from north to south) is 15 miles (24 km) and the breadth (stretching across east to West) is 10 miles (16 km). It shares its boundaries with West Bengal in the eastern and southern part, Giridih and Dumka in the North and Bokaro District in the west. Dhanbad comes under the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
Rivers and Lakes
The Damodar is a major river of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. It rises in Palamu and flows eastward between the plateaus of Ranchi and Hazaribag. It is joined by the Bokaro, the Konar and the Barakar rivers.[24] The Damodar enters Dhanbad district at its confluence with the Jamuria, a stream which marks the western boundary of Dhanbad with Hazaribagh District. Further east, the Damodar is joined by the Katri River which rises in the foothills below Parasnath and traverses through the coal-field area.[25] The Barakar, which forms the northern boundary of the district, traverses about 77 km. It flows in south westerly direction up to Durgapur and then south till it joins the Damodar near Chirkunda.
Dhanbad features a climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) and a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw).[26] Summer starts from the first week of March and ends in mid-July. The peak temperature in summer can reach 48 °C. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall. In winter, the minimum temperature remains around 8 °C with a maximum of 25 °C.
As of 2011[update]census, Dhanbad City had a population of 1,162,472.[5] Males (614,722) constitute 53% of the population and females (547,750) 47%. It has a sex ratio of 891. Dhanbad has an average literacy rate of 79.47%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 86.14% and female literacy is 71.96%.[5] 10.57% of the population is under 5 years of age.
Dhanbad has one of the oldest and largest markets in the region and is also a centre of large scale industries. It is known for its coal mines and industrial establishments; the city is surrounded by about 112 coal mines[29] with a total production of 27.5 million tonnes and an annual income of 700 crore rupees through coal business. There are a number of coal washeries there.
Dhanbad city and district is considered a BJP stronghold with majority of its MPs MLA's being of the party since the 1990s. Chandra Shekhar Agrawal of BJP is the mayor; otherwise known as the first citizen, of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation. He won by the margin of 42,525 votes.[43][44][45]
Double-decker train standing on the platform of Dhanbad railway stationCoal Train in Dhanbad yard
Dhanbad Rail Division comes under East Central Railway zone. Grand Chord rail-line passes through Dhanbad junction, it connects Howrah and New Delhi. CIC rail line starts from Dhanbad and ends at Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh. There is one more rail line passing through the district, it starts at Kharagpur and ends at Gomoh, this rail line comes under South Eastern Railway. Dhanbad is connected with almost all states through rail network. Each and every train through this has a stop at Dhanbad. Even Sealdah Duronto has a stoppage at Dhanbad.
On 1 October 2011, India's first ACdouble-decker train was flagged off to connect Howrah and Dhanbad. With this India joins the league of Europe and North America that run multi-deck trains. As of October 2011, the train runs daily except Sunday, departing from Howrah at 8:30 am to arrive at Dhanbad at 12:45 pm, and on return trip it departs Dhanbad at 6:30 pm to arrive at Howrah at 10:40 pm. It has a maximum permissible speed of 110 kilometres (68 mi)/hr with stops at Bardhaman, Durgapur, Asansol, Barakar and Kumardhubi on both legs of the route. This new AC design has several features namely stainless steel body, high-speed Eurofima design bogies with air springs and other safety-features.[51][52][53]
Dhanbad Airport is used for private small aircraft and helicopters, currently there is no public air-link at the airport. The nearest public airports to Dhanbad are:
Cricket is the most popular sport in Dhanbad, followed by Football. Dhanbad is one of the centres where 34th National Games[56] was organised. Cricket Stadiums at present are at Tata Steel Stadium Digwadih, Nehru Stadium Jealgora and Railway Stadium where Ranji Trophy matches are organised.[57] Women's International Cricket were also played at Railway Stadium. Football matches of national level were played at Railway Stadium but now it is converted into Cricket Stadium by the Railway management.[58] Dhanbad officially became the second town in the state to boast a cricket stadium with floodlights, with the inauguration of floodlights at Tata Digwadih Stadium.[59]
Doordarshan relay station is present in Dhanbad near Koyla Nagar. There are some local news channels in the city such as, Antarkatha which are creative media houses which broadcast on local cable on Dhanbad, Jharia, Bokaro, Chatra, Hazaribag, Koderma, Ramgarh etc.[citation needed]
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