GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE OF RESEARCH AREA INDEX CHAPTER 4 GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE OF RESEARCH AREA 129 TO 139 4 .1 GENERAL 4 .2 GEOGRAPHICAL AREA 4 .3 PHYSIOGRAPHY 4 .4 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 4 .5 SOIL 4 .6 CROPS 4 .7 NATURAL WEALTH 4 .8 POPULATION 4.9 TRANSPORTATION & COMMUNICATION 4 .1 0 CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN SANGAMNER TALUKA 4. 10.1 Ahmednagar District Centra! Co-Operative Bank Ltd. 4. 10.2 Nagar UrBan Co-Operative Bank Limited 4. 10.3 Land Development Bank 4. 10.4 Sangamner Bhag Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd. 4. 10.5 Agricultural Credit Societies Ltd. 4. 10.6 Co-Operative Sale and Purchase Unions Ltd. 4. 10.7 Agricultural Processing Societies Ltd. 4. 10.8 Dairy Societies 4. 10.9 Consumers' Co-Operative Societies Ltd. 4. 10.10 Co-operative Banks Ltd. 4. 10.11 UrBan Credit Co-operative Societies Ltd. 4. 10.12 Co-operative movement in Sangamner Taluka G CHAPTER 4 HICAL PROFILE OF :a r c h a r e a t and social changes are a dire necessity itry like ours, and co-operation is an a process of momentous growth and it economic set-up can be accelerated by ulture and rural crafts. Co-operation has of organization in many branches of economic life. The co-operative movement made a humble beginning in the district in 1909, and showed signs of gradual and steady progress till 1947. Real momentum was however gained only after Independence. Since the introduction of the Five-Year Plans with an emphasis on rural development, the co-operative movement advanced with a rapid pace. Ahmednagar district has made remarkable progress in the field of co-operation. In fact, a bulk of economic development li? this traditionally famine stricken district is attributable to the growth of co­ operative sugar factories in turn benefited the agriculturists, who get a substantial income from sugarcane cultivation. The reverberating development of the areas around Shrirampur, Kopergaon, Rahuri, 129 Sangamner and Ahmednagar is mainly due to the benefits accruing from tiie co-operative movement. 4.2 GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: For the present study Sangamner tahsil of Ahmednagar district (Maharashtra) is selected as a study area, because ; 1. The study area has a long tradition of co-operative movement. Moreover, it has shown considerable increase in the field of co­ operative banking sector as well as credit society in the last two decades. 2. The trade, agriculture, education, agro-based activities and small scale industries are the major economic activity in the tahsil for increasing the co-operative sector. 4 .3 PHYSIOGRAPHY: The study area is situated in the Pravara basin. It is 70 kms away from where the river rise. It is an important city in Ahmednagar district. Pravara is main tributary of the Godavary River. The tahsil is irregular in shape. The tahsil is partly on account of its size and partly on account of its location immediately adjoining the crest of the Sahyadries. The Pravara is an important river in this tahsil. It originates in Akola tahsil in the eastern slopes of the Sahyadries. It has a length of about 35 k.m. within the tahsil. The pravara has immensely benefited the tahsil with its irrigation system, which has converted a part of the tahsil into one of the most prosperous and 130 LOCATIONL MAP w SANGAMNER TAHASIL 131 productive belt or strip in the district. The Mula, the Adhala and the Mhalungi are other important tributaries of the Pravara river in this taluka. One thing should be remarkable that due to confluence of Pravara, Adhala and Mhalungi rivers, town got name "SANGAMNER" "SHIRDI" is 50 kms from Sangamner and "SHINGANAPUR" is 70 kms from Sangmner. The taluka lies between Karhe Ghat and "Chandanapuri Ghat' Sakur pleautue and Sinnar Plearutue. 4.4 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: The climate of the study area is characterized by a hot summer and general dryness expect during the southwest monsoon season. The year can be divided into four seasons. The cold season from December to February is followed by the hot season from March to the first week of June. The southwest monsoon season is from the second week of June till the end of September while October and November constitute the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season. TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL OF THE YEAR 2002 Sr. Month Temperature °C Rainfall (mm) No. 1 January 22.5 — 2 February 25 -- 3 March 30 — 4 April 32 11 5 May 37 — 132 6 June 33.2 125 7 July 31 16 8 August 26 39 9 September 28 19 10 October 29 — 1 1 November 26 — 12 December 21 — Source - IMD, Pune. The average annual rainfall in the tahsil 41.375 m.m. The distribution of rainfall is very uneven. The western part of the taluka gets good rainfall and the rainfall decreases as one proceeds towards east. The Study area mostly lies in the rain shadow to the east of the Sahyadries. September is the rainiest month. About 77 percent of the annual rainfall is received during the southwest monsoon season. The variation in rainfall from year to year is large. Seasonal variation in temperature is Quite large. From March onwards is a period of continuous increase in day temperatures, the nights remaining comparatively cool. May is the hottest month of the year with the mean daily maximum temperature at 38.9 °C. On individual days temperatures 0 occasionally rise to 43° or 44°C and minimum of 19.8 °C and average temperature ‘of Sangamner is 37°C in Summer and in Winter 18°C. During the southwest monsoon season the air is generally dry particularly so in the afternoons. Skies 133 are generally clear or lightly clouded to overcast. Winds are generally in force with some strengthening during the monsoon season. Thunderstorms occur during the months of March to June and in September and October. 4.5 SOIL: The soils of the tahsil can broadly be classified into three groups viz. Regur Soil red or tambat and laterite and the gray of inferior Quality locally known as barad. Near the Pravara rivers wide Belo of deep rich sail are found. The soils in the Mula valley on the other hand are comparatively lighter, in the Adhala vally, there is a good deal of fertile land bordering the riverbanks. Further up in the hilly areas to the west part of the tahsil red soil derived by residual weathering of the basalts in a tropical humid climate. 4.6 CROPS: About one third land in the Sangamner is under cultivation. Wheat, Jowar and bajara are the three main crops of the plateau. Pulses mainly tur and gram are often grown as mixed crops. The both side of the Pravara and the Mula occur rich soil, a reddish sandy loam, and chopan soil, which are admirably suited for horticulture. Sugarcane is also important cash crop in this tahsil depends on well irrigation such as lift irrigation and canal irrigation. Sugar factory is the nerve centre of overall development of the Sangamner agriculture. 134 4.7 NATURAL WEALTH: Deccan Trap basaltic lava flows monotonously covers the study as a whole. The lava flows are almost horizontal in disposition but local gentle tilting, undulations and minor flexures are sometimes seen. Other recent deposits such as river alluvium, sands, grovel, silts and calcareous concretions, known as Kankar are also found in the Pravara basins. 4.8 POPULATION: During in 1981-91 Sangamner tahsil registered a growth rate of 26.53 percent added with an addition of 74.400 souls. The total population of the study area is 3,54,808 (1991). The density of population in the tahsil is 210 per sQ. km. The sex ratio of the tahsil is 953. The population of scheduled castes is 29,120 and scheduled tribes 30,524 in 1991 census. The literacy rate of population in the study area is 61.39 % in 1 991. 4.9 TRANSPORTATION AND COIVIIVIUNICATION : The study area is favored by transportation facilities in the form of Kolhar-Ghoti State Highway No. 44 Nashik-Pune National Highway No. 50 and other district roads. No railway and waterways are available in this tahsil. Modern means of communication are. used for speedy communication on the national and international level in city. 135 4.10 CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN SANGAMNER TALUKA: 4.10.1 Ahmednagar District Central Co-Operative Bank Ltd. : Tine District Central Co-Operative Bank was established at Ahmednagar in 1958. It has been working as federal central financing agency catering to the reQuirements of all the primary credit societies in the district. Since 1962, the Zilla Parishad also transacts its financial business through’ this bank. In Sangamner Taluka there are 50 branches of ADCC. 4.10.2 Nagar Urban Co-Operative Bank Limited : The bank was established at Ahmednagar in 1910 and has now extended its area of operation over the entire district. There are 2 branches of the bank in the district and 15 branches outside the district, one at Parli Vaijanath in Beed district and the other at Jalna. The bank gives loans to credit societies, salary-earners' societies, weavers' societies, industrial societies and individuals. In Sangamner there are two branches. 4.10.3 Land Development Bank : The District Land Mortgage Bank was established at Ahmednagar in 1960 with a view to provide long-term finance to cultivators, having branch in Sangamner. 4.10.4 The Sangamner Bhag Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd. : It is rightly said that sugar is produced not in the factory but on the farm. The Sangamner sugar factory endeavors to preserve the status of farmers. It is a local institutions with a local 136 control.