Assignment 8 Class X Geography Chapter 14 TRANSPORTATION Note: The Study Material consists of 3 parts - ○ Part I - The important highlights of the chapter. ○ Part II - The activity based on the chapter. ○ Part III - The questions based on the study material that you need to answer in your respective notebook and submit when you are back to the school. PART - I HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHAPTER Syllabus and its Focus Importance and Modes - Roadways, Railways, Airways and Waterways-Advantages and Disadvantages. We use different goods and services in our daily life. Some of these are available in our immediate surrounding but most of them are not available in our immediate environment. Have you ever thought how these goods reach us? These goods reach us through means of transport. IMPORTANCE OF MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Roadways, railways, pipelines, airways and waterways are major means of transport. At present it is the time of information and technology. The world is developing very fast and means of transportation play a very vital role in the development of the world. (i) These help to transfer goods from one country to other or from one part of the state to other. (ii) Means of transportation help the traders to have links with other traders and with the market. (iii) Means of transportation carry people from one place to another. Even they carry skilled and unskilled workers from one place to another and maintain the balance of demand and supply in the economy. (iv) These play a very vital role in the defence of a country. Whose play ay v) It is the means of transportation and communication which have shortened the distances between various places. (vi) They provide employment to the skilled as well as unskilled workers. (vii) They promote industrialisation as industry gets its raw material and transfer goods to the market through means of transport. ROADWAYS India has one of the largest networks in the world, aggregating to about 33 lakh kilometers. Though in India roads are being constructed at a very fast pace but still the density of roads is very low. "The length of roads per 100 sq. km of area is known as the density of roads. Density of road is lowest in Jammu and KashMIR 10 km whereas it is To Test in Kerala, i.e., 375 km." Most of the northern states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, etc. have high density of roads due to - ● The availability of vast level land which reduces the cost of construction. ● The region has a high density of population and rich agricultural resources. ● Large scale urbanisation has led to high passenger and freight traffic. Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim. Meghalaya have low density of road due to - ● Rugged topography ● Lack of mineral and agricultural resources. ● Low density of population. Advantages of Roads (i) Roads require less investment compared to railway. (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) Extension of agriculture is possible only through road transportation. (vi) The road transportation has the merit of offering personal service too. (vii) The road system facilitates the transportation of perishable goods (milk, vegetables, etc.) across different areas and thereby stimulates their production. Disadvantages of Roads (i) The road network is inadequate in India as compared to demand and volume of traffic. (ii) The condition of most of the roads is very poor, these become muddy during the rainy season. (iii) They are highly congested in cities. (iv) Most of the highways lack side amenities like telephone booths, emergency health services, police stations, etc. Types of Roads in India Following are the major types of roads in India : 1. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways : The Super Highways have been planned to meet the requirement of a fast movement of traffic. The government has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highways. The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), and East-West Corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and Porbandar (Gujarat) are part of this project. The major objective of these Super Highways is to reduce the time and distance between the mega cities of India. These highway projects are being implemented by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). 2. National Highways : 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. The National Highways maintain the availability of essential products. The state to state trade is possible because of National highways. All the essential products like raw material, finished products, vegetables, food grains, etc. are transported through these roads. 3. State Highways : These are constructed and maintained by the state governments (State Public Works Department) and join the state capitals with district headquarters and other important towns. The total length of state roadways in India is around 4 lakh kilometers approximately. These also contribute in the development of states. 4. District Roads : These roads link the district centres with the major roads. Their total length is nearly 6 lakh kilometres. These roads are maintained by Zila Parishads. 5. Village Roads : These connect the villages with the neighbouring towns and cities. These play very vital role in the development of villages. These help the farmers to take their products to cities and district headquarters. 6. Border Roads : The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was established in 1960 for the development of the roads of strategic importance in the northern and north-eastern border areas. These roads have increased accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the economic development of those area. Other Roads : Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns are classified under this category. These roads received special impetus under the "Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana". Under this scheme special provisions are made so that every village in the country is linked to the major town in the country by motorable road in all seasons. RAILWAYS Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India. Railways also make it possible to conduct multifarious activities like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over longer distances. Apart from an important means of transport the Indian Railways have been a great integrating force for more than 150 years. Railways in India bound the economic life of the country as well as accelerated the development of the industry and agriculture. Indian Railways have grown into a vast network of 7,349 stations spread 67,312 km with a fleet of 11,452 over a route length of locomotives, 70,937 passenger service vehicles, 6,560 other coaching vehicles and 2.77.987 wagons as on March 2017. The Indian Railway is the largest public sector undertaking in the country. The first train steamed off from Mumbai to Thane, covering a distance of 34 km in 1853. Distribution of Railway The distribution pattern of the Railway network in the country has been largely influenced by physiographic, economic and administrative Cretors. The northern plains have high density of railway due to vast Jovial And high population density and rich agricultural resources. However, some states like Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh have low density of railway due to - ● Large number of rivers requiring construction of bridges across their wide beds posed some obstacles. ● Rugged topography Sandy soil of Rajasthan. ● In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracts are laid through low hills or gaps or tunnels. The Himalayan mountainous regions like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Assam, Uttarakhand and other north eastern parts of India too are unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, less density of population and lack of economic opportunities. ● It is also difficult to lay railway line on the sandy plain of western Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat, forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. The contiguous stretch of Sahyadri could be crossed only through gaps or passes (Ghats). In recent times, the development of the Konkan railway along the west coast has facilitated the movement of passengers and goods in this most important economic region of India. It also has faced a number of problems such as sinking of track in some stretches and land slides. Advantages of Railway ● It facilitates long distance travel and transport of bulky goods which are not easily transported through motor vehicles. ● It is a quick and more regular form of transport because it helps in the transportation of goods with It helps in the industrialisation process of a country by easy transportation of coal and raw materials speed and certainty at a cheaper rate. ● It helps in the quick movement of goods from one place to another at the time of emergencies like It encourages mobility of labour and thereby provides a great scope for employment. ● Railway is the safest form of transport. The chances of accidents and breakdown of railways are minimum as compared to other modes of transport. Moreover, the traffic can be protected from the exposure to sun, rain, snow, etc. ● The carrying capacity of the railways is extremely large. Moreover, its capacity is elastic which can easily be increased by adding more wagons. ● It is the largest public undertaking in the country.