Rourkela is known for its Steel
Plant & Fertilizer Plant. This is the biggest city of north western Orissa.
Can you imagine what was it before independence?
Rourkela was under the
administrative boundaries of the NAGARA sub-division under Ex- princely state
of Gangapur state during British rule. In the year 1945 the Head quarter of
Nagara sub-division was established at Panposh by the then ruler Raja Udit Pratap
Shekhar Deo.
According to the census report
of 20011 & 2001, the population of Rourkela is 5,52,970 & 4,84,292
respectively. But the number of population as per the census record of 1921 was
only 382. The then railway station of Rourkela was within the revenue village
of Mahulpali. There was a very small village near Mahulpali called Rourkela.
The literary meaning of ‘Rourkela’ according to the language of ‘Sadri’ is your
home. It is also learnt that a tribal community called ‘Raulia’ had been living
at the village.
The B.N.R. Company
(Bengal-Nagpur Railway Company) constructed the Howrah Nagpur railways, which
ran through Rourkela and some merchants, started settling at Rourkela with
business motives, around the village Rourkela and the Railway station was named
after the village Rourkela. The erstwhile revenue village of Rourkela is now
popularly known as old Rourkela. The habituated area around the railway station
of Rourkela was declared as an urban town in the year 1931. The census
report of 1931 reveals that the number of population was 493. By the time a
primary school, an office of the forester, a sub-post office, some tea stalls,
restaurants some shops of liquor and opium were there around the station area.
There was another station at the
village Panposh which is about 10 Kilometres away from Rourkela. The population
of Panposh by 1931 was 2,252 almost five times than that of Rourkela.
There was a village called
Durgapur in between Rourkela and Panposh stations. The construction of the
sub-divisional court building was started in 1945 at the village Durgapur, the
present Uditnagar.
Survey for the steel plant at
Rourkela was started in 1952. A Germany private undertaking called KRUPP and
DEMAG Co. came forward to provide financial and technical help for the proposed
steel plant at Rourkela. In accordance with the notification the Govt. of
Orissa acquired an area of about 80 square miles around Rourkela for the
purpose of Steel Plant. A further area of 32 square kilometres was acquired out
of thirty-one revenue villages. Later further 11,000 acres of land was acquired
out of thirty-one revenue villages for the construction of Mandira Dam.
Construction of Bondamunda Railway junction required further acquisition of
land.
So, few
small tribal villages saw the sea change in few decades and few lakh of people
who proudly inhibit Rourkela have all facilities of infrastructure, education,
health, livelihood and everything that one can aspire for. This is what
industrialization can bring.
People of Rourkela are proud of
:
Rourkela Steel Plant by SAIL – 2 million ton capacity, employs
around 20,000 people
National Institute of Technology – premier engineering college of
the country
Biju Pattnaik University of Technology – Technical university of
Orissa
Ispat General Hospital – World class hospital for all
Apart from this it has big malls, business centers, markets,
gardens, parks, stadiums etc.
Let us understand the power of industrialisation. It is the only hope for development in a faster way.
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