Sindri (Dhanbad)
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Sindri | |
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Neighbourhood | |
UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
PIN | 828122 |
Telephone code | 91 (0)326 |
Vehicle registration | JH-10 |
Website | dhanbad |
Sindri is a
Overview
Sindri is an industrial semi urban township within the Dhanbad municipal limits of the Dhanbad District of Jharkhand state/. Sindri was well known because of a large Fertilizer factory (
Origin of its name
As per the records of the now-closed fertilizer plant (FCIL), the name Sindri was a form of the word Sindoori (Vermilion). Also the meaning of sindri in Hindi is sundari. The name is said to be given by the local tribals because of the vermilion colored soil found here. Technically the type of soil available in the area is Laterite which has got a vermilion coloured or reddish hue.
The word Sindri is also said to be a part of the
History
Sindri was a place with rich reserves of flora and fauna. The place was initially occupied by the local tribals which later on attracted people from neighbouring states. The chapter of its industrialization started when it was selected as best option for a fertilizer factory due to its apt geographical conditions in the year 1944 by the Viceroy's Executive Council following recommendations submitted in November 1944 by a three members technical mission consisting of G S Gowing and J Rigg, both of Imperial Chemical Industries and T H Riley of the Association of British Chemical Plants Manufacturers, Britain for setting up a single large fertilizer factory to produce 3,50,000 tons Ammonium Sulphate per annum with Gypsum as raw material.
A separate project organisation was set by the Government of India in 1945 under the Chief Technical Advisor, Brig. M H Cox. To end the system of diarchy and to replace the same with one of autonomy, a company named Sindri Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited was formed under the Companies Act, which came into being in December 1951 as the first Public Sector Company, wholly owned and governed by the Government of India.
The production of Ammonium Sulphate in the factory was started on 31 October 1951 and the factory inaugurated in March 1952. In his inauguration speech, the then Prime Minister of India,
The factory was first in India to produce Ammonium Sulphate (1951), Urea (1959), Ammonium Nitrate-Sulphate, commonly called the Double salt (1959) and was the first fertilizer factory to have its own captive power plant in 1951 and to introduce planning, research and development facilities in 1951. The raw materials used initially for its final products were gypsum, coal and naptha.
A number of new plants were added to the factory as need arose time to time. A rationalization scheme was completed in 1976 and a modernization project was commissioned in 1979 with product-mix of ammonia, urea, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate and ammonium bicarbonate with low-sulphur heavy stock/furnace oil and coal as basic raw materials.
In 1978, the Government of India decided to reorganise the
The Sindri fertilizer plant operated consistently in profit till 1967-68 and again in 1969-70. But in spite of modernisation, the factory could not maintain profit thereafter even after exceeding rated (attainable) capacity mainly because of unscientific division of the company, higher production cost and comparatively lower sale price of fertilizers, mounting wage bills, higher maintenance expenditure due to ageing of plants, availability of raw materials of low specifications/quality large infrastructure cost, and eventually the Government of India decided to close of the factory operation in September 2002.
Though the fertilizer plant was, of late, not an eventual commercial success but it certainly provided a wonderful social environment for many generations of people during its existence. The Bihar Institute of Technology now renamed as Birsa Institute of Technology was also established to meet the growing demand of technology experts in this new industrialized area. The institute still remains as one of the premier institutions for technical education in the state of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Geography
3miles
Location
Sindri is located at 22°48′N 85°59′E / 22.8°N 85.98°E. It has an average elevation of 178
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the area. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
The earlier
Sindri is spread over parts of Ward No. 52, 53 and 54 of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation.[2]
The region
The region shown in the map is a part of the undulating
Police station
There is a police station at Sindri.[7][8]
Connectivity
Sindri is well connected by road and rail to the district headquarters of
Technical institute
Founded in 1949,
Localities
The township of Sindri can be divided into three different areas. The first part was the residential area for the employees of
Domgarh was the older tribal village of Sindri, or better associated as the residence of Doms. Other localities like Rohrabandh, Domgarh, Shaharpura and Rangamati were all housing colonies for the employees of
The Sindri township was well-planned township with over lush green avenues all over with all possible amenities and spacious Quarters with lawns in front and space for kitchen garden in the backyard, trees like gulmohar, Kadam, Nim, Chhatim flanked the well maintained streets. A green town with enviable landscape in the seventies had 4- Dispensaries and a main Hospital with 206 beds, Kalyan Kendra - The Sports club, Officer's club - A club for FCI executives, Rabindra Bhawan - a place for cultural conglomeration. Houses were laid out neatly in the form of layouts with ample open spaces for garden lovers. Uninterrupted Power supply was made available to the township locally produced in FCI Power Plants. Damodar river was the source of water for the entire township. A highly sophisticated water purification system was designed to supply water in the township. If Sindri was a temple of Modern India, its altar was the immaculately landscaped design and well staffed Hospital and other amenity centers.
There was a park called 7 Lakes. As the name suggests, the park had seven lakes neatly bordered with lush green bushes and trees. It was a huge park with children play area and few small animals in enclosure such as deer, rabbits, parrots, peacocks. On the new year day, every year the residents would occupy different parts of the park to have a picnic with friends and family. The reminiscence of the park can still be found but it is not as maintained as it used to be in the past. After closure of the
Social life
The fertilizer plant brought together people from many different locations of India to work in various roles. Sindri was truly the mixing pot for various cultures and regions in India. It was not unusual to find a Bengali, a Bihari, a Sikh, a Tamil, a Kannada and a Jain family living in the same block of the town. The communal harmony and social acceptance which was instilled in youngsters growing up in the town made it much easier for them to adapt to a diverse culture. The greatest contribution of Sindri Fertilizer Plant may be in creating a generation of Indians born with multi-cultural values. Such multi-cultured adaptive people are now spread all over the world.
Shaharpura hosted the downtown shopping area where established dry goods merchants, tailors and butchers shared their space with farmers and other small-time merchants. Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday a lively open air market was held featuring fresh locally raised produce, poultry and locally crafted artefacts. Wandering minstrels and traditional medicine men from as far away as Afghanistan brought with them unexpected services and concoctions like low cost street side tooth extraction and "lizard oil" for arthritis sufferers that was brewed in-situ at low heat in wide mouthed vats of oil in which a few exotic looking lizards lounged around (unharmed) for the afternoon. Marathon bicyclists occasionally came to town to ride around in circles for days on end without setting their foot down. This form of theatre elevated everyday activities like shaving, showering and eating to heroic levels and got the salaried men of Sindri to spare some change for their more venturesome if less fortunate compatriots. The open air market was Sindri's window to the rest of India and brought a splash of colour to an otherwise pastel town.
Sindri was also known for its active socially conscious Ladies Club and Vanita Samaj, two prominent organizations for the wives of the officers in Sindri.
Literature in different languages thrived in Sindri with organizations like Hindi Sahitya Parishad, Vidyapati Parishad, Urdu-Hindi Sangam and Anjuman-i-Urdu. Various Mushaira's (Urdu Poetry) and Kavi samelans were held in between 1965 and 1995. From a literature perspective, this was the glorious era of Sindri due to people who worked actively for conducting literary activities in the town, specially in the field of Hindi literature.
Theatre, Drama and Music had a significant role in the social lives and the Bengali community played a significant part in this. This part of Sindri life was heavily influenced by Calcutta (now Kolkata, just 250 km away). Ajanta Kala Mandir was a significant part of the children growing up in Sindri. Children learnt Kathak dance and Hindustani Classical music. In its days of glory, this institution had won many awards for Sindri.
The Kalyan Kendra (Welfare Centre) located between Rohrabandh and Shaharpura had a sprawling ground adjacent to it. The complex boasted of a traditional gym and a modern one too. Later a swimming pool was built as part of this complex. It was the venue for Independence Day and Republic Day parades and location of choice for staging plays and poetry readings by groups that believed that watching movies (along with chewing tobacco, imbibing tea, gambling and playing chess or cards,) was a bad habit. The one western influence that seeped into Kalyan Kendra was table tennis and of course carrom board. The Bengali literati staged night long yatras and durga pujas, the Bihari Literati (and those from Eastern UP) staged Kavi Samelans and observed Chaat, the Tamil literati arranged for Kacheris and staged Ayyappan Puja.[citation needed]
Educational institutes
In order to provide educational services to children of its employees and wards of other residents of Sindri and nearby localities, the
In addition to the FCIL managed schools, the
- De Nobili School (CISCE affiliated Society of Jesuits),
- Lions Public School (affiliated to the CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education),
- Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College Trust and Management Society, New Delhi)
- Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir (managed by the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, New Delhi),
which also provide excellent education to residents. There are numerous preparatory schools as well, leading among which was Ravindra Parishad.
To provide for higher education to its workers and their wards
Current status
Sindri fertilizer along with Gorakhpur, Ramagundam, Talchar and Korba of the
Meanwhile, the
In 2004, the Government of India appealed the
The Government of India in April 2007 decided in principle to revive the closed Sindri fertilizer factory subject to availability of Natural Gas as input.
In 2010, the Government of India has decided to revive the Sindri fertilizer complex with SAIL as strategic partner and setting up a 5.6 MT Steel Plant, 1.15 MT Urea Plant and a 1000 MW Power Plant was contemplated. The SAIL launched special purpose vehicle fo[9]r the purpose and got the name of the new project registered as SAIL Sindri Projects Limited(SSPL).
The
Approved DRS envisaged revival of Sindri unit by SAIL at estimated project cost of Rs. 35,000 Crores. However, not much progress was made due to non-availability of around 3000 Acres of contiguous piece of land for the Steel Plant due to encroachments. In the meantime, the due change in its modernization and expansion plan SAIL has taken a view not to pursue the Sindri Revival project further.
The Government of India has approved in May 2015 to revive the closed Sindri Fertilizer Plant through 'bidding route' with investment of Rs. 6,000 Crores. Accordingly, Bids have been invited from the interested investors, which is due to open in December 2015.
The process of reopening the plant is expected to finish in 2024, with anticipated inauguration by PM Narendra Modi of India.
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[10] Sindri had a population of 76,827. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Sindri has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy rate is 77%, and female literacy rate is 57%. In Sindri, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
References
- ^ "Dhanbad Municipal Corporation". DMC. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Dhanbad Municipal Corporation". प्रादेशिक निर्वाचन क्षेत्रों की सूची (in Hindi). Jharkhand Government. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "District Census Handbook Dhanbad" (PDF). Series 21, Part XIIA, pages 4-5, 5-6, 8. Directorate of Census Operations, Jharkhand. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "2011 Census C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". Jharkhand – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Area". Bharat Coking Coal Limited. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Dhanbad Municipal Corporation". प्रादेशिक निर्वाचन क्षेत्रों की सूची (in Hindi). Jharkhand Government. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Jharkhand Police". Contact Numbers. JP. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Dhanbad – Welcome to the Coal Capital of India". Administrative Structure of Dhanbad District – List of Thana and Outpost of Dhanbad Outpost. Jharkhand Government. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
2. Visit http://www.sindri.co.in