TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
Transport means movement of goods and people from one place to another. Communication means conveying messages or news from one place to another. The development of civilization has also led to the development of Transport and Communication. The rapid growth of science and technology during the twentieth century has revolutionized transport and communication to a great extent. Today our world is shrinking because of communication. Transport and communication is available on land, water and air.
TRANSPORT
When we compare, the economic system of a nation to a human body, agriculture
and industry form its backbone and muscles and transport and communication are its nervous system. In the human body the intellectual functions take place through the nerves, likewise the economic progress takes place through transport and communication system
We find three types of transport system in India.
1. Land transport - roads, railways,tunnels and pipelines
2. Water transport - Inland waterways and coastal waterways
3. Air transport - Domestic and International
LAND TRANSPORT:
Roads: Construction of roads was important even during the Harappan civilization. Many kings gave priority to the construction of roads in the past. e.g. Ashoka, Harsha and others. During the Mughal period, the construction of roads was further developed. Sher Shah was responsible for the construction of roads like our present day National Highways (reconstructed a road from Delhi to Peshawar). During the British period, roads were constructed mainly for defence purpose. Lord Dalhousie laid the foundation for the construction of four National Highways.
IMPORTANCE OF ROADS IN INDIA:
India is a land of villages and is predominantly an agricultural nation. Roads are essential for the progress of villages and agriculture. Farmers can carry their products to the markets only along roads. Roads are also essential for the development of industries In forest and hilly areas where other means of transport cannot be provided, construction of roads is easier. Roads are feeders to railways. It is possible to provide door to door service through roads. Road transport is very convenient for short distance travel and to carry light goods. There are two types of roads, namely surfaced roads or metalled roads and unsurfaced roads or kuccha roads.
Surfaced roads are made of cement, concrete, bitumen and gravel. They are all season roads and are also called ‘pucca roads’.
Unsurfaced roads are mud roads. They are mostly found in rural areas. They are of little use during the rainy season. Prime Minister’s "Grameena Sadak" Plan intends to convert many unsurfaced roads into pucca roads. Besides, the recent “Golden Quadrilateral” plan is aimed at constructing a huge National Highway with six or eight lanes from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and from Kachchh to Kachar. Roads are classified into National Highways, State Highways, District roads and Village roads.
1) National Highways: The central government is responsible for the construction and maintenance of these roads. There are 56 National Highways in the country and they cover a length of about 52,010 km of length. They connect the capitals of the states and the ports.
2) State Highways: The State government constructs and maintains these roads. They are very important for the in states and we have about 11 lakh kms. length of these roads. These highways connect district headquarters, National Highways and important cities.
3) District Roads: The responsibility and maintenance of these roads is under the Zilla Parishad. These roads connect the Taluk headquarters with State and National Highways.
4) Village Roads: The village panchayats have the responsibility of construction and maintenance of these roads. They are the interior roads and connect villages with other roads.
India has a long land border and the protection of our border areas by our Jawans
is very important. Border roads are constructed for this purpose. The construction and maintenance of these roads is vested with the Border Road Development Authority. This authority has constructed a road from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Kashmir. It is the highest constructed road in the world.
Railway Transport in India: Indian Railways are under the public sector. Most of the goods and people are transported by railways. The first railway line was constructed between Bombay and Thane (34 km.) in 1853, followed by the railway line from Calcutta to Raniganj in 1854 and Madras to Arkonam in 1856. Bangalore to Madras railway connection took place in 1864. Railways were constructed by the British for strategic reasons and commercial purposes. The raw materials were carried to the ports to be transported to Britain and their finished goods were distributed in India. However they proved beneficial to India in many ways.
Benefits of Railways: Railways are very helpful to provide infrastructural facilities.
They are very helpful to transport agricultural products to the markets. They supply
chemical fertilizers required by agriculture. They help to supply raw materials to industries
and to distribute the finished products. They play a very important role in internal and external trade. They are an excellent means for the movement of people. Roads are feeders to the railways and railways help in the development of road transport. About 80 % of the goods and 70% of the people are railway transport. Indian railway system is the largest network in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. It runs through 81,000 km. and every day there is a movement of 13,000 trains. There are 7,100 railway stations in India. Indian railways still consists of three gauges. They are broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge. The narrow gauge is useful in mountain and hilly regions. In many places, meter gauge is being converted into broad gauge. Our government is working at a single gauge system since 1992. Our railways have provided jobs to 16.49 lakh people. It is the largest public sector undertaking in the world and has a record in the Guinness Book. The gangetic plain has a dense network of railways. The Northern mountains and the Peninsular Plateaus pose problems for the construction of railway lines. The Thar Desert has very few railway lines. Railways move along particular tracks and hence door to door service is not possible. To provide door to door service container services aided by road transport have been provided. For better administration of railway transport, railways in India are divided into sixteen railway zones. Modernisation of railways has been carried on in many ways.
Some of them are:
1) Steam engines are replaced by diesel engines and many railway tracks have
been electrified.
2) To provide better facilities to the travellers, air-condition coaches and sleeper
coaches have been provided.
3) Automatic signalling and communication systems have been introduced.
4) Many single tracks have been converted into double tracks to reduce the running time and meter gauge tracks are being converted into broad gauge.
5) Super fast express trains have been introduced for quick movement e.g. Shatabdi express and Rajdhani express.
6) Pantry service has also been provided to supply food and snacks to the travellers.
7) Security forces (R.P.F.) are in attendance to provide security for the passengers.
8) Many facilities are provided in railway stations for the benefit of travellers.
9) Underground train services and metro trains have been introduced in Delhi and Kolkata.
Pipeline transport: It is a new addition to our transport system. They provide a convenient mode of transport for oil, natural gas and mineral ores. They rule out transhipment delays and losses that occur to shift from one vehicle to another. At present all the oil fields are connected by pipelines to the refineries. Though the initial cost of laying the pipelines is high, their benefits are many. A pipeline has been laid from Kuduremukh to Mangalore to transport iron ore (in slurry form).
WATERWAYS: Waterways provide navigation facilities by means of boats and ships. The oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and canals form inland waterways. India has 7,515.5 kms of coastline and 14,500 km. of inland waterways. India has been famous for water transport since ancient days. During the British rule our waterways were neglected. After Independence our waterways were developed and today India has about 515 ships, 12 major ports, medium and small ports. 85% of our foreign trade is carried on by ships. Waterways are the cheapest means of transport because they do not involve expense on construction. They can carry huge quantity of goods.
Waterways are classified into three types. They are
1)Inlandwaterways
2) Coastal shipping and
3) Ocean waterways.
Inland waterways: Rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra. Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna, the Buckingham canal of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu and the back water canals of Kerala are the important inland waterways of India. The North Indian rivers are useful for navigation throughout the year. There is a decline of inland waterways in recent years. The construction of railways and roads parallel to inland waterways and the construction of dams across the rivers are responsible for the decline of inland waterways. In Assam water transport along the river Brahmaputra is more important than land transport. The canals constructed from the dams are also useful for inland navigation. West Bengal has many canals which are useful for inland navigation. The Inland Waterways Authority was established in 1985 for the development of national inland waterways.
Coastal Shipping: India has a coastline of 7,515.5 kms. Many ships carry heavy and bulky commodities such as coal, salt, cement, food grains, chemical fertilizers, jute and iron ore from one port to another port.
Ocean Waterways: India occupies a central position in the Eastern Hemisphere and is favourably located. Our ocean transport also suffered during the British rule. Since Independence, our country has made great progress in ocean transport. About, 85% of our foreign trade is carried on by ships. Till recently foreign ships handled a major portion of it but now our ships handle goods to a great extent. India has 12 major ports. Kandla, Mumbai, Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru port), Marmagoa, New Mangalore and Kochi are on the west coast. Tuticorn, Chennai, Vishakapatnam, Paradeep, Haldia and Kolkata are on the east coast.
MAJOR PORTS:
Kandla: The construction of this port was started during the First Five Year Plan. It is at the head of the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttaranchal are its hinterland.
Mumbai: It is the biggest, most spacious, natural and well-sheltered port of India. Its hinterland.is from Delhi in the north, to Karnataka in the south and Andhra Pradesh in the east. Nhava Sheva is a new major and modern seaport off Mumbai port. It has relieved the congestion on Mumbai port. Mumbai port is called the “Gate Way of India”.
Marmagoa: It is located at the entrance of Zuari estuary and serves Goa and Karnataka states. Iron ore and Manganese ore are mostly exported through this port.
New Mangalore Port: It is the most important port of Karnataka. It serves Karnataka and Kerala states. Iron ore, manganese, granite, timber, cashewnuts and tiles which are largely produced in Karnataka, are exported through this port. Raw materials, crude oil and food grains required by Karnataka are imported through New Mangalore port.
Kochi: It is another port on the west coast of India and serves Kerala, Tamilnadu and southern parts of Karnataka.
Tuticorn: It is a recently constructed port in the southern part of Tamilnadu. The
southern parts of Tamilnadu form its hinterland.
Chennai: It is the oldest port of India. It has an artificial harbour. It serves Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Vishakhapatnam: It is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port of Andhra
Pradesh. It serves Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Paradeep: It is the recently developed port in Orissa, situated in Mahanadi delta. It serves Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.
Kolkata: It is a natural harbour on the banks of the river Hooghli. The river Hooghli gets blocked with sand and mud and requires constant dredging. (Removal of sand and mud from the river floor is called dredging). Dredging is the main occupation of thousands of people, who live on the banks of river Hooghli. Kolkata is the second largest terminal port of South Asia. It serves the Gangetic and Brahmaputra plains. It is called the “Tea Port of India”. Large ships cannot reach this port.
Haldia: It is a newly developed port on the coast of Bay of Bengal, to overcome the
problems of congestion at Kolkata port.
AIR TRANSPORT:
Air transport is the quickest means of transport. India is a vast country and for
emergency purposes, air transport is very necessary in India. The regions which cannot be connected by land and water transport, can be connected by air transport e.g. northeastern parts of India and the regions which become isolated from other regions by floods. (Air transport is cheaper than other means of transport from Kolkata to Agartala). After Independence air transport has made great progress in India. Today almost all the capitals of the states are connected by air transport. Tourism has made great progress due to the development of air transport. Until recently air transport was under the public sector and now the private sector has also entered into this field. e.g. Jet Airlines, Sahara Airlines etc.
There are two separate corporations for operational purposes under the public
sector. They are 1) the Indian Airlines and 2) the Air India International.
Indian Airlines caters to the domestic needs and also connects our country with the neighbouring countries. Air India international connects India with other countries. Large airports and many other facilities are required for international air transport. At present there are five International Airports in India. They are, 1) Indira Gandhi Airport at Delhi 2) Sahara Airport at Mumbai 3) Subash Chandra Bose airport at Kolkata 4) Anna Airport at Chennai and (5) Thiruvananthapuram airport. Rajsansi airport at Amritsar has also been developed as an International airport. All efforts have been made to develop
an International Airport at Devanahalli near Bangalore. India has about 92 airports.
Air transport in India has some disadvantages. They are
1) air transport is very expensive when compared to other means of transport
2) it is difficult to transport bulky and heavy goods by air
3) the pressure from other means of transport is great.
But air transport is very convenient for quick movement of passengers and postal mail service, as also for defence purposes and during times of war, drought, floods and other natural calamities.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATIONS IN INDIA:
There are many evidences to show that even during the ancient times, communication system was in existence in India. Animals like horses and camels and birds like pigeons were used for the purpose of communication. Today the different means of communication are post, telegraph, radio, television, computer network, cinema, newspapers, etc. The postal system was well organized by the government even in the past. Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar of Mysore gave the name Anche (post) for the system that existed at that time to send mail from one place to another.
Need For communication media: India is a vast country and also a country of
villages, cities and towns. Villages are spread over long distances. There is a great
need for communication. Many a time, due to natural calamities, different regions are cut off from each other and it is very essential to maintain communication during such times. Communication is also very essential for the economic progress of the country.
Post and Telegraph system: Modern postal system was introduced in India in 1837
and telegraph system in 1851. However, great progress has been achieved in post and telegraph after Independence. Now there are 1,60,000 post offices in India (there were 1,57,102 in 1990). Mail is carried by land, water and air. Apart from carrying letters from one place to another, post offices render many other services also. They are:
1) they undertake remittance of money from one place to another.
2) they help to carry insured parcels from one place to another safely,
3) through the Savings Bank Service and National Savings Certificates they encourage thrift and saving
4) they accept payments to be made to the government.
To send mail safely and quickly, some new devices have been adopted. The
important ones are Postal Index Number (PIN) in 1972. According to it each post office is assigned an index number and mention of this index number on the address enables the mail to reach that post office without any delay. In the same way Quick Mail Service (QMS) was introduced in 1975 and Speed Post was introduced in 1986. Some post offices have the telegraph service also. Now Telephone facility has been extended to the rural areas. It has resulted in the decline of Telegraph service.
Telephone Media: National Telex service which was introduced in 1963, has enabled the customers to exchange ideas directly among themselves, Telephone network has spread over the entire country and customers are getting many benefits. By the year 2000 there were 14,300 telephone exchanges in the country, out of which 11,000 were in villages. Subscribers Trunk Dialling (STD is also called Straight Trunk Dialling) enables the subscribers to communicate with each other directly within the country, In the same way International Trunk Dial (ISD) service was introduced in 1973. It enables the subscribers to communicate with the people of other countries directly. Automatic telephone service has facilitated speedy communication. Now we find cellular phones which can be carried in pockets for communication. Along with these facilities, computers also help in communication. Important among them are “Internet, E-mail and fax”. Internet facility connects the computers of the world with each other, Thousands of Universities, Government organizations, Business centres all over the world are able to get or exchange information with each other. People have also benefited from them.
E-mail: E-mail or electronic mail also helps to send messages from one place to
another at a greater speed. It is primarily a service to store and forward messages. The messages are sent and stored electronically in the mail box waiting for the time till they are retrieved. Beside the messages, even pictures, information regarding business and entertainment programmes can be sent or received.
Fax: Fax is a machine. It helps any message in its original form to be received and
printed. E-mail, Cell phones and Satellite services help this machine. In addition to all these devices, World Wide Web (WWW) collects information through computers and gives it to us whenever required.
International Telecommunication Satellite Consortium (INTELSAT): It a partnership of nations, which uses global satellites for communication purposes. Indian satellite stations at ARVI near Pune and DOON near Dehradoon have established high frequency radio, television, telex and telegraph circuits. This has helped to develop and strengthen friendly relations with other parts of the world.
Radio and Television: Radio and television plays a very important role in mass
communication. They are of great help in educating and entertaining masses. They show a variety of programmes such as entertainment, educational and informative programmes. They also give Information regarding weather, market trends, political and international events. Sometimes direct discussion programmes are also arranged with different catogaries of people on various subjects.
All India Radio was started in 1930. It was in Mysore city that the term “AKASHAVANI” was coined. There are about 171 broadcasting stations in India (2000 A.D). In 1959 television was introduced in India as a part of radio. It made rapid progress and in 1976 it was delinked from radio and given the name Doordarshan. Colour television was started in 1982. Now television has grown into one of the biggest networks in the country and has about 520 transmitting stations. The country’s highest television tower at Pitampura near Delhi is 235 mts. high. It is dedicated to the memory of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar. Today there are many private channels which operate television networks.
Print Media: Newspapers and journals come under print media. There are more than 2200 dailies in different languages printed In India. The number of dailies is on the increase. About 41 newspapers have a history of more than 100 years. The oldest and still existing newspaper is Bombay Samachar in Gujarathi language. It was started in 1822. Newspapers are printed in India in about 93 languages. With growing literacy in India, the press has a bright future. There is a great need for independent, thought provoking and enlightened newspapers. Apart from dailies there are many periodicals, journals, weeklies, and magazines. They deal with entertainment, sports, cultural events, academic pursuits, political trends and general topics. They are in English and also in the regional languages.
EXERCISE
I Complete the following statements with appropriate words:
1) The foundation for four national highways was laid by ................during the British period.
2) Prime Minister’s ..........plan intends to convert many un-surfaced roads into pucca roads.
3) During the First Five Year plan period construction of a major port was started at ............
4) A new port called ............. off Bombay, has latest traffic and cargo handling equipment.
5) To overcome the problems of Kolkata port........Port was constructed on the coast of Bay of
Bengal.
6) The international Airport at Amritsar is called ...............
7) The oldest and still existing newspaper of India is ...............
II Answer each of the following questions in a sentence:
1) Which are the two types of roads?
2) Why are surface roads called all season roads?
3) Which places were connected by the first railway line in India?
4) Give two examples for Superfast express trains in India.
5) Which are the important commodities carried by pipelines.
6) Which is the biggest natural port of India?
7) Which is the oldest port of India?
8) Where was the term “Akashavani” first coined?
III Study the relation between the words given in the first pair and complete the second pair:
1) Kandla: Gujarat:: Pradeep : ..............
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2) Delhi: Indira Gandhi Airport :: Mumbai : .............
3) Leh: Kashmir :: Manali : ...........
4) District roads : Zilla Parishad: Border roads: ...............
5) New Mangalore: Karnataka:: New Tuticorn : ................
6) Marmagoa : Zuari : : Kolkata: .........
IV Answer each of the following questions in two or three sentences:
1) Mention the different means of transport.
2) Which are the different types of water transport?
3) Which are the different types of roads in accordance with their construction and maintenance?
4) What are the uses of roads in India?
5) What is the advantage of pipelines in India?
6) Why is inland water transport losing its importance now a days?
7) What do you mean by STD? What is its importance?
8) Why is air transport not popular in India?
9) What is the part played by radio as a communication media?
10) What are the programmes launched by television for general public?
11) What is dredging? Where is it important?
12) What is E-mail?
13) What are the main functions of Border Road Development Authority and what is its greatest achievement?
V Answer the following questions in 4 to 5 sentences each:
1) “Roads have more advantages than railways” How?
2) What are the steps taken to modernize our railways?
3) What is internet?
4) What is the importance of news papers?
VI Answer the following questions in about 8 to 10 sentences each:
1) Which are the different types of water transport ? What is the need for water transport in India?
2) Explain the importance of any four ports on the East Coast of India.
Balance of trade: Relation between nation’s exports and imports. Balance of payment: It is a comprehensive record of economic transactions of the residents of a country with the rest of the world during the given period of time. Exports: When a nation sends its home manufactured products to outside countries, these are called exports. Foreign Exchange: It is the exchange of currency of one country with the currency of another country. Golden quadrilateral: It is a network of roads which connect Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkatta.
Harbor: It is a deep coast of sea which provides shelters to the sea going vessels. Imports: When citizens of a country consume the products of other countries these are known as imports. Mass communication: The means of communication through which one can communicate with several people at the same time.
QUICK REVISION
The three major means of transportation are:
i. Land transport:
a. Road transport
b. Pipeline transport
c. Railway transport
ii. Water transport:
a. Inland waterways
b. Seaways and Oceanic waterways
iii. Air transport:
a. International airways
b. National airways
Road Transport in India (for 1 mark questions)
i. About 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent of freight traffic are carried
by roads every year.
ii. Road transport is relatively suitable for shorter distance travel.
iii. The first serious attempt was made in 1943 when ‘Nagpur Plan’ was drawn. This
plan could not be implemented due to lack of coordination among the princely
states and British India.
iv. Roads continue to concentrate in and around urban centres. Rural and remote areas
had the least connectivity by road.
v. Sher Shah Suri built the Shahi (Royal) road from the Indus Valley to the Sonar
Valley in Bengal. This road was renamed the Grand Trunk (GT). It connected
Calcutta and Peshawar. At present, it extends from Amritsar to Kolkata. It is
bifurcated into 2 segments: (a) National Highway (NH)-1 from Delhi to
Amritsar, and (b) NH- 2 from Delhi to Kolkata.
Five classifications of roads in India:
For the purpose of construction and maintenance, roads are classified as
i. Nation Highways:
a. These roads are constructed and maintained by the Central Government.
b. These roads are meant for inter-state transport and movement of defence
men and material in strategic areas.
c. These also connect the state capitals, major cities, important ports,
railway junctions, etc.
d. The National Highways constitute only 2 per cent of the total road length
but carry 40 per cent of the road traffic.
e. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has the responsibility
of development, maintenance and operation of National Highways.
ii. State Highways:
a. These are constructed and maintained by state governments.
b. They join the state capitals with district headquarters and other
important towns.
c. These roads are connected to the National Highways.
d. These constitute 4 per cent of total road length in the country.
iii. District Roads:
a. These roads are the connecting link between District Headquarters and the
other important nodes in the district.
b. They account for 14 per cent of the total road length of the country.
iv. Rural Roads:
a. These roads provide links in the rural areas.
b. About 80 per cent of the total road length in India are categorised as
rural roads.
c. The rural roads’ density is very low in hilly, plateau and forested areas
because these are influenced by the nature of the terrain.
v. Other Roads:
a. Border Roads:
i. These are in the northern and north-eastern boundary of the country.
ii. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) constructs and maintains these
roads.
iii. These roads are meant for increasing economic development of border areas and for strengthening defence.
iv. BRO has constructed world highest motorable roads in Leh (Ladakh).
b. The international highways:
i. These are meant to promote the harmonious relationship with the
neighbouring countries by providing effective links with India.
Important National Highway Projects:
i. Golden Quadrilateral National Highway:
a. It will be 5,846 km long with 4/6 lane.
b. It is a high density traffic corridor and will connect India’s four big metro
cities of Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata.
c. It will reduce the time- distance and cost of movement among the mega
cities of India.
ii. North-South Corridors:
a. It aims at connecting Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir with Kaniyakumari in
Tamil Nadu.
b. It will be 4,076 km long road.
iii. East-West Corridor:
a. It connects Silchar in Assam with the port town of Porbandar in Gujarat.
b. It will be 3,640 km long road.
The uneven distribution of roads in India:
i. Density of roads is lowest in Jammu and Kashmir and highest in Kerala.
ii. The density of road is high in most of the northern states and major southern
states.
iii. It is low in the Himalayan region, north-eastern region, Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan.
Why does this variation occur?
i. Nature of terrain: Construction of roads is easy and cheaper in the plain areas
while it is difficult and costly in hilly and plateau areas. Therefore, not only the
density but also the quality of roads is relatively better in plains as compared to
roads in high altitude areas, rainy and forested regions.
ii. The level of economic development: The density and quality of roads is high in
urban areas. Therefore all important towns in north India have emerged as
important nodes.
Rail Transport (for 1 mark questions)
i. First Railway was introduced in 1853, from Bombay to Thane covering a distance of 34 km.
ii. Indian Railways is the largest government undertaking in the country.
QUESTION AND ANSWERS:
1. Write short notes on means of Communication.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: Means of communication are those means which are helpful in communicating news and information from one person to another sitting thousand of kilometer away. The means of communication are posts and telegraphs, telephone, fax, teleprinters, print media, radio, television, wireless and satellite.They are awakening masses towards world happening.
2. Write a short notes on means of transport and communication.
(Ans) Means of Transport:
- Means of transport are the carriages that transport men and material from one place to another.
- The major modes of transport today are the railways, the roadway, waterways, the airways and the pipelines.
- They promote national unity and integrity.
Meansof Communication:
- Means of communication are those means which are helpful in communicating news and information from one person to another sitting thousands of kilometers away.
- The means of communication are posts and telegraphs, telephone, fax, teleprinters, print media, radio, television, wireless and satellite.
- They have made the world shrink considerably.
Q. 3. What do you mean by unfavorable balance trade?
Ans. If the value of imports of a country is more than the value of its exports, than the situation is known as an unfavorable balance of trade.
Q. 4 What are Super Highways? Name any two roads which have been constructed under this project.
Ans. The Super Highways have been planned to meet the requirements of the fast movement of traffic. The government has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkatta-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highway:
i). The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu).
ii). East-West Corridor connecting Silcher (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat).
Q. 5 What are National Highways? What is their importance? Mention any two points.
Ans. The main roads which are constructed and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (C.P.W.D.) are known as National Highways. These roads connect the state capitals, big cities, and important ports. Importance:
i). The National Highways maintain the availability of essential products. The state to state trade is possible because of the National Highways.
ii). All the essential products like raw materials, finished products, vegetables, food grains, etc. are transported through these roads.
Q. 6 Distinguish between Metalled Roads and unmetalled Roads
Ans. Metalled roads
i). These are made up of cement, concrete or even bitumen of coal.
ii). These are all weathered rocks.
iii). Most of the urban roads are metalled roads.
Unmetalled roads
i).These are made up of soil.
ii). These go out of use in the rainy season.
iii).Most of the rural roads are generally unmetalled roads.
Q. 7 What are the major problems of Indian roads?
Ans.
i). The road network is inadequate in India as compared to the demand and volume of traffic.
ii). The condition of most of the roads is very poor, as these become muddy during the rainy season.
iii). They are usually highly congested in cities.
iv) . Most of the highways lack the essential side amenities like telephone booths, emergency health services, police stations, etc.
Q. 8. What is the importance of ports for the Indian economy?
Ans.
i). The major ports of India handle about 15,000 cargo vessels per annum.
ii). 70% of the cargo handled at these ports is for overseas trade.
iii). These ports are the main source of trade.
iv). The trade helps the economy in earning foreign exchange.
Q. 9. Mention any four features of the telecom network of India.
Ans.
i) . India has one of the largest telecom network in Asia.
ii). Excluding urban places, more than two-third of the villages in India has already been covered with Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD).
iii). In order to strengthen the flow of information from the grassroots to the higher level, the government has made special provisions.
iv). India has one of the cheapest telecom networks in the world.
Q. 10. What are the advantages of roads over the railways?
Ans
i). Roads require less investment as compared to the railways.
ii). These can be built at higher altitudes and at any place.
iii). Road transportation is easy and is within the reach of the common man. Moreover, it is available for 24 hours.
iv). Maintenance cost is also low.
v). Road transportation has the merit of offering door to door service.
Q. 11. Why are the means of transport and communication called the lifelines of a nation and its economy?
Radio, television, telephone, e-mail, telegraph, etc. are the main means of communication whereas the railways, airways, buses, trucks, cars, etc are the main means of transportation.
Ans.
i). To provide link: Transportation is the lifeline of the country. This connects one part of the country with another part, and helps in providing essential products to all the places and the people.
ii). Development of Economy: The means of transport and communication help the industries to get raw materials, and its finished products are transported by the railways, and roadways. Agriculture also depends greatly on transportation.
iii). National and cultural integration: India is a very vast country. Transport network brings people of different castes, creed, colours, religions, languages, and regions near to each other.
iv). Nervour system: The means of communication together act like nervous system in the human body. We can know what is happening in other parts of the nation and the world only through this media.
Q. 12 Why are the railways so important today?
Ans.
i). Indian railway carries most of the long distance passengers’ traffic and 80% o f the total freight of the country.
ii). Iron and steel industry solely depends upon the railways as they need it to transport raw materials and finished goods of the industry from one place to another.
iii). The Indian railways provide employment to a huge number of people in the country.
iv). Railways play a significant role in the integration of the country by bringing different people and regions together.
v). They carry big chunks to goods from the place of production to the ports and, vice versa.
Q.13. State three points regarding the importance of pipelines in transportation.
Ans.
i). Transportation through pipe lines rules out delay and transportation losses. Many fertilizers plants and thermal power stations are benefiting by the supply of gas through pipelines.
ii). Though the initial cost of laying pipelines is high, but the running cost is very low.
iii). It maintains a continuous supply of gas and oil.
iv). The pipes can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under the sea.
v). The far inland locations of important refineries like Barauni, Mathura, Panipat, etc. could be thought of only because of the pipelines.
Q.14. What is the importance of waterways?
Ans.
i). It is the most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
ii). It is a fuel efficient and environment friendly mode of transport.
iii). The element of wear and tear is very less.
iv).More than 95% of the country’s trade volume is moved by the sea.
v). With the development of the National waterways, it has become a main source of transportation for the natural trade.
Q. 15. Why is the air transport more useful nowadays? Write four reasons.
Ans.
i). The Airways is the fastest means of transport and saves a plenty of time.
ii). It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, thick forests and long stretches of seas with great ease.
iii). The airways also help in increasing the trade, especially that of perishable products.
iv). It is a comfortable, or rather luxurious and prestigious mode of transport.
Q.16. How can the different mass communication media educate the people?
Ans.
i). The radio and television are the main sources of mass communication.
ii). The Electronic Media provides distance education to the people. Programmes like the University Grants Commission U.G.C. help the viewers of learn a lot.
iii). Many programmes related to agricultural productivity, industrial productivity, are shown.
iv). Many programmes related to health and other problems of common people are also shown.
v). These media make people politically aware about their country, and the rest of the world.
Q.17. Distinguish between Railway junction and Sea port.
Ans. Railway Junction
i). The railway junction is the main source of internal trade.
ii). The railway junction is generally found on land.
iii). Transportation of goods and services takes place quickly.
Seaport
i). A Seaport is generally used for external trade.
ii) Seaport is found in coastal areas.
iii) Transportation of goods and services is slow in a seaport.
Q. 18. Distinguish between Personal communication and mass communication.
Ans. Personal communication
i). Personal means of communication are those through which only personal messages are exchanged.
ii). These can be used by an individual for his personal activity.
iii). Telephone, mobiles, postal services, post cards etc are the main source of personal communication.
Mass communication
i). Mass communication means are those through which one can communicate with several people at the same time.
ii). These can be used by the government to create awareness among the people about various national programmes and policies.
iii). Radio, Television, newspaper, etc is the main source of mass communication.
Q. 19 What is the importance of tourism?
Ans
1. Tourism helps in earning foreign exchange.
2. It provides direct as well as indirect employment to the people.
3. It promotes national integration.
4. It supports cottage and handicraft industry because foreigners like to purchase these products.
5. It helps in developing friendly relations with other countries, and promotes international understandings.
Q.20. Who maintains districts roads?
Ans. Zila Parisad.
Q. 21 What is the objective of the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna?
Ans. Under the scheme, special provisions are made so that every village in the country is linked to a major town in the country by all season motorable roads.
i). Silcher and Porbandar are the extreme stations which are connected by the East-West Corridor.
ii). Delhi and Amritsar are the extreme cities which are connected by the NH 1.
iii). The border roads are maintained by the Border Roads Organisation.
iv). The length of road per 100 sq km is known as the density of roads.
v). The total length of inland navigation waterways of India is 14,500 km.
vi) Port: The part of harbor where goods are loaded and unloaded from the ships is called a port.
vii). Vishakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked port.
(Q.22) Highlight the importance of Indian Railways.
(Ans)
Railway transport is considered as one of the important means of transportation due to the following reasons:
- They are very useful particularly for carrying heavy goods.
- They can carry goods to comparatively longer distance as compared to the other means of transport.
- They are comparatively cheaper than other means of transport.
- They give employment to large number of people. It is estimated that they employ about 16, 03,000 workers as regular employees and 2, 00,000 as casual labour.
- They connect all important towns, important ports and important aerodromes with each other.
Q.) Discuss the contribution of Air India and Indian Airlines in the air transport of India.
Contributions of Air India:- It handles foreign traffic passengers and cargo.
- With 27 craft and 16,714 employees, Air India operates 35 destinations through arrangements with foreign airlines.
Contributions of Indian Airlines:
- It is the major domestic air carrier of the country.
- It operates 63 domestic stations together with its wholly owned subsidiary.
- Indian Airlines also operates17 international stations mainly in the south East Asia and Middle East.
(Q.) What are the advantages and disadvantages of pipelines?
Advantages of Pipelines:- They are ideally suited to transport the liquids and gases.
- Pipelines can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under
- It involves very low energy consumption.
- It needs very little maintenance.
- Pipelines can be laid through under water.
Disadvantages of Pipelines
- It is not flexible, i.e., it can be used only forcertain fixed points.
- Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
- It is difficult to make security arrangements for pipelines.
- Underground pipelines cannot be easily repaired.
- Detection of leakage is also difficult.
(Q.) What are the two groups of satellite system of India?
On the basis of configuration and purposes, satellite system in India can be grouped into two:- Indian National Satellite System (INSAT): INSAT or the Indian National Satellite System is a series of multipurpose Geo-Stationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and "search and rescue" needs of India. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia-Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan.
- Indian Remote Sensing System (IRS):
The Indian Remote Sensing satellites are the main-stay of National Natural Resources Management system (NNRMS), for which Department of Space (DOS) is the nodal agency, providing operational remote sensing data services. Data from the IRS satellites is received and disseminated by several countries all over the world. With the advent of high resolution satellites, new applications in the areas of urban sprawl, infrastructure planning and other large scale applications for mapping have been initiated.
(Q.) What do you understand by Golden Quadrilateral?
The Golden Quadrilateral is India's largest expressway project. It is the most ambitious project in India which is the extension of the national highways in such a way that it connects all the four major metropolitan cities. It consists of 5,846 kilometers of four/six lane expressways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
This project is scheduled for substantial completion by December 2004. As of January 31, 2004, 2,482 kilometers have been completed. The major routes of the Golden quadrilateral are as follows:
- Delhi – Mumbai (NH. 8)
- Delhi – Kolkata (NH. 2)
- Mumbai – Chennai (NH.4)
- Chennai – Kolkata (NH. 5)
CURRENT STATUS:
The current status of the Golden Quadrilateral project is as follows:
No. | Route | National Highway No. | Length Completed (km) | Total Length (km) | Percent Completed (%) | As of (date) |
1. | Delhi-Kolkata | NH-2 | 1318 | 1453 | 92.15 | 30 Apr 2007 |
2. | Delhi-Mumbai | NH-8 | 1419 | 1419 | 100 | Nov 2006 |
3. | Mumbai-Chennai | NH-4 | 1240 | 1290 | 96.28 | 30 Apr 2007 |
4. | Kolkata-Chennai | NH-5 | 1563 | 1684 | 92.93 | 30 Apr 2007 |
Q.) What are the factor that influence the Inland waterways?
The factors affecting Inland waterways are:
- Rivers and canals should have regular flow of sufficient water.
- The presence of waterfalls, cataracts and sharp bends in the course of river hinders the development of waterways.
- Silting of the river bed reduces the depth of water and creates problems for navigation. Desilting of river beds is costly affair.
- Diversion of water for irrigation purposes reduces the quantity of water and should be done carefully.
- There should be sufficient demand for waterways to make it economically viable mode of transportation.
Q.) What are the disadvantages of road transport? (5 Marks)
(Ans)
Disadvantages of Road Transport
- Roadways are not much suited to long distance travel.
- Heavy commodities like coal and iron etc. cannot be easily transported by roads.
- The rate of road accidents has increased with increase in road traffic.
- The rapid increase in vehicles has resulted in air pollution.
- It is more costly than the rail transport.
(Q.) Mention the main advantages of Road Transport.
Advantages of Road Transport- Roads plays a very important role in the transportation of goods and passengers for short and medium distances. It is comparatively easy and cheap to construct and maintain roads.
- Roads can negotiate high gradients and sharp turns which railways cannot do. As such, roads can be constructed in hilly areas also.
- Roads act as great feeders to railways and ports. Without good and sufficient roads, railways cannot collect sufficient produce to make their operation possible, roads serve as hinterlands of the ports.
- Road transport is more flexible than the rail transport. Buses and trucks may be stopped anywhere and at any time on the road for loading and unloading passengers and goods whereas trains stop only at particular stations.
- Perishable commodities like vegetables, fruits and milk are transported more easily and quickly by roads than by railways. Road transport system establishes easy contact between farms, fields, factories and markets and provides door to door service.
(Q.) What are national highways?
National Highways are those roads which are of national importance and connect different states with one another. They are maintained or constructed by the central government.
Q.) Mention different gauges of Indian railway. (3 Marks)
(Ans)Railway network comprises of three gauges:
1. Broad Gauge : The distance between rails in broad gauge is 1.676 metre. The total length of broad gauge lines is 46,807 km which accounts for 74.14 per cent of the total lenth of rail rutes in the country.
2. Metre Gauge: The distance between the rails is one metre. It runs over 13,290 km covering 21.02 per cent of the total route length.
3. Narrow Gauge : The distance between the rails in this case is 0.762 metre or 0.610 metre. Nearly 4.94 per cent of the total length of the Indian Railways is narrow gauge, which accounts for 3,124 km of route length. It is generally confined to hilly areas.
(Q.) Explain with reasons how the conversion of different railway gauges to unigauge is beneficial for transportation.
- Larger Capacity: If the trains continue to run on Meter Gauges to Narrow Gauge the coaches will be of smaller sizefor boththe passengers and goods, and their capacity shall be smaller. On the other hand if the trains run on the unigauge or broad gauge, the coaches will be of big size having larger capacity to carry more passengers and more goods.
- Higher Speed: Much time is being wasted at present in changing from one meter gauge to the other. If unigauge system of railways is employed the trains can gain higher speed.
- Cheaper Transportation: Different gauges not only cause much inconvenience to the public but also make transportation somewhat costly. But the use of unigauge system of railways proves not only convenient for the public but also results in cheaper transportation.
(Q.) Write short notes on means of Communication.
(Ans)
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: Means of communication are those means which are helpful in communicating news and information from one person to another sitting thousand of kilometer away. The means of communication are posts and telegraphs, telephone, fax, teleprinters, print media, radio, television, wireless and satellite.They are awakening masses towards world happening.
(Q.) Define Communication. Also mention the major means of communication.
Communication is a movement of matter or energy between two parts of the universe. This matter or energy can bethe carrier of information. Communication refers to conveyance of information from the place of origin to the place of destination through a channel. Postal services, telephone, telegraph and fax services, internet and satellites are some of the major means of communication.
(Q.) Mention the three important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.
The three important networks of pipeline transportation in the country are:
- From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), via Guwahati, Barauni to Haldia, via Rajbandh, Rajbandh to Maurigram and Guwahati to Siliguri.
- From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab, via Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi and Sonipat. It has branches to connect Koyali Chakshu and other places.
- Gas pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat connects Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh, via Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh. It has branches to Kota in Rajasthan, Sahajahanpur, Babrala and other places in Uttar Pradesh.
(Q.) What are the advantages of integrated electricity grid system? (3 Marks)
(Ans)The advantages of integrated grid system are:
- Surplus power from one area can be transmitted to the power deficit area.
- Electricity can be immediately rushed from one area to another area in the event of any break-down.
- It serves the purpose of producing a balanced distribution of electricity in different areas for its optimum use.
(Q.) Write short notes on Personal communication and Mass communication?
Personal Communication:
Personal communication helps in communicating information and ideas from one person to another person. It is made through postal network and telecom supported by computers. This modern communication technology has proved to be extremely helpful in rapid development of India’s economy and society.
Mass Communication:
It is meant for communicating information and ideas to the masses. The two important means of mass communication are:- Print Media
- Electronic Media
(Q.) What are the main functions of computers?
The main functions of computers are:- It accepts data as input. It stores data, keeps it in its memory, and recalls the same as and when required.
- It processes data as per instructions given to get required information.
- It communicates the information as output.