LIFELINES OF NATIONAL

ECONOMY

L-1
INTRODUCTION
 ● The movement of the goods & services from their
supply locations to demand locations necessitates
the need for transport.

● Hence, the production of goods & services as well

as their movement over space determines the
development of the country.

Thus, the pace of development of a country depends

upon the production of goods and services as well as
their movement over space. Therefore, efficient means of
transport are prerequisites for fast development.
Means of Transport
ROADWAYS
 ROADWAYS

India has one of the largest road

networks in the world, aggregating
to about 5.89 million km.*

* (NCERT- 56 lakh km).

Advantages of Roadways over Railways

● Lower construction cost.

● Can be constructed in uneven surfaces.

● Can negotiate higher gradients of slopes ( e.g.

traverse mountains such as the Himalayas).

● Economical in transportation of few persons.

● Lower cost of loading & unloading- Provides

door-to-door service.

● Road transport links

other modes of
transport. Example-
they provide a link
between railway
stations, air and sea
ports.
Classification of
Roadways
Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways

Links Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by

six-lane Super Highways.

The NorthSouth corridors linking Srinagar

(Jammu & Kashmir) and Kanniyakumari (Tamil
Nadu)

East-West Corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and

Porbander (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).
 National Highways

1. Primary road systems 2. Laid and maintained

& links extreme part of by the Central Public
the country. Works Department
(CPWD).

3. A number of major 4. The historical

National Highways run Sher-Shah Suri Marg is
in North- South and called National
East-West directions. Highway No.1, between
Delhi and Amritsar.
 State Highways

Roads linking a state capital with different

district headquarters are known as State
Highways.

These roads are constructed and maintained by

the State Public Works Department (PWD) in
State and Union Territories.
 District Roads

These roads connect the district headquarters

with other places of the district.

These roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad.

 Other Roads

1. Rural roads, which link

rural areas and villages 2. These roads received
with towns, are special impetus under
classified under this the Pradhan Mantri
category. Grameen Sadak Yojana.

3. Under this scheme special provisions are made so

that every village in the country is linked to a major
town in the country by an all season motorable road.
 Border Roads

Border Roads Organisation a Government of India

undertaking constructs & maintains roads in the
bordering areas of the country.

Organisation established in 1960 for the development

of the roads of strategic importance in the northern
and north-eastern border areas.

Improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and

have helped in the economic development of these
area.
The World’s longest Highway tunnel-Atal Tunnel (9.02 Km) has been
built by Border Road Organisation.

This tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the

year.

Earlier the valley was cut off for about 6 months each year owing to
heavy snowfall.

The tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal

range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 metres from the Mean
Sea Level (MSL).

* The Lærdal Tunnel in Norway is the world's longest road

tunnel of about 24.51-kilometre-long (15.23 mi).
Roads can also be classified on the basis of the
type of material used for their construction.

Metalled Roads

Made of cement, concrete or even bitumen of

coal, therefore, these are all weather roads.

Unmetalled Roads

Made up of mud & gravel which are generally

found in rural areas. These roads go out of
use in the rainy season.
Explain three major problems faced by
road transport in India.
-CBSE 2018

Three major problems faced by road

transport in India are:
● The road network is inadequate.

● About half of the roads are

unmetalled. This limits their usage
during the rainy seasons.

● The roadways are highly congested in

cities.

● Most of the roads are not fit for

smooth running.
RAILWAYS
Railways are the principal mode of transportation for
freight and passengers in India.

Railways also make it possible for people 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 bind the economic life of the country

as well as accelerate the development of the industry
and agriculture.
 The Indian Railways is the largest public sector
undertaking in the country.

The first train steamed off from Mumbai to Thane

in 1853, covering a distance of 34 km.
 Railway network distribution in the country largely
influenced by physiographic, economic and
administrative factors.

The northern plains with their vast level land, high

population density and rich agricultural resources
provided the most favourable condition for their growth

Large number of rivers requiring construction of

bridges across their wide beds pose an obstacle
 Railway in Hilly areas!

In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway

tracks are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels.

The Himalayan mountainous regions too are

unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due
to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic
opportunities
Difficult to lay railway lines on the sandy plain
(Rajasthan), swamps (Gujarat) & forested tracks (Madhya
Pradesh).

The contiguous stretch of Sahyadri could be crossed

only through gaps or passes (Ghats).

Development of the Konkan railway along the west coast

has facilitated the movement of passengers & goods in
this most important economic region of India.
Problems faced by Indian Railway

Many People stop the

passengers trains, pull the
travel chain unnecessarily
without and this causes
tickets. heavy damage to
the railway.

Thefts and
damaging
of railway
property.
PIPELINES
● Pipeline transport network is a new arrival on the
transportation map of India.

● In the past, these were used to transport water to cities

and industries.

● Now, these are used for transporting crude oil,

petroleum products and natural gas from oil and
natural gas fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and
big thermal power plants.

● Solids can also be transported through a pipeline when

converted into slurry.
Initial cost of laying pipelines is high but
subsequent running costs are minimal.

Rules out trans-shipment losses or delays.

From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar
Pradesh), via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad. It
has branches from 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 (near Vadodara,
Gujarat) 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, Shahajahanpur, Babrala and other
places in Uttar Pradesh.
WATERWAYS
● Since the ancient period, India was one of the
seafaring countries.

● Its seamen sailed far and near, thus, carrying and

spreading Indian commerce and culture.

● India has inland navigation waterways of 14,500 km in

length.

● Out of these only 5685 km are navigable by

mechanised vessels.
Features of Waterways

Cheapest Fuel-efficient &

means of environment
transport. friendly mode of
transport.
Most
suitable-
for
carrying
heavy and
bulky
goods.
 Waterways declared as National
Waterways by Government

National
Waterways
Waterways

N.W. No.1 The Ganga river between Allahabad & Haldia

(1620 km)

N.W. No.2 The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya & Dhubri

(891 km)

N.W. No.3 The West-Coast Canal in Kerala

(Kottapurma-Kollam, Udyogamandal &
Champakkara canals-205 km)

N.W. No.4 Specified stretches of Godavari & Krishna rivers

along with Kakinada Puducherry stretch of
canals (1078 km)

N.W. No.5 Specified stretches of river Brahmani long with

Matai river, delta channels of Mahanadi &
Brahmani rivers & East Coast Canal (588 km)
 Other inland waterways on which substantial
transportation takes place

Zuari and
Mandavi
Cumberjua

Barak & backwaters

Sunderbans
of Kerala

Apart from these, India’s trade with foreign

countries is carried from the ports located
along the coast. 95% of the country’s trade
volume (68% in terms of value) is moved by sea.
Major Sea Ports
 India has a coastline of 7,516.6 km, with 13 major
and 205 notified non-majors*
(minor/intermediate) ports.

95% of India’s foreign trade handled by the

major ports.

* NCERT- 12 major and 200 notified non-majors*

 Kandla Port

● First port developed after independence, also known as

Deendayal Port.

● Developed to ease the volume of trade on the Mumbai

port, in the wake of loss of Karachi port to Pakistan after
the Partition. It is a tidal port.

● It provides for export and import of highly productive

granary and industrial belt.

● The belt stretch across the state of Jammu and Kashmir,

Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and
Gujarat.
 Mumbai Port

● Biggest port with a spacious natural and

well-sheltered harbour.

● The Jawaharlal Nehru port- planned with a view to

decongest the Mumbai port and serve as a hub port
for this region.
 Mormugao Port

● Mormugao port (Goa) is

the premier iron ore
exporting port of the
country.

● Accounts for about 50%

of India’s iron ore
export.

New Mangalore Port

Located in Karnataka
caters to the export of iron
ore concentrates from
Kudremukh mines.
 Kochi Port

Kochchi is the extreme

south-western port, located at
the entrance of a lagoon with
a natural harbour.

Chennai Port

● Oldest artificial ports of

the country.

● Ranked next to Mumbai in

terms of the volume of
trade and cargo.
 Tuticorin Port

● Extreme south-eastern port in Tamil Nadu.

● This port has a natural harbour and rich hinterland.

● Hence, has a flourishing trade handling of a large

variety of cargoes to our neighbouring countries like
Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. and the coastal regions of
India.
 Visakhapatnam Port

● Deepest landlocked and

well-protected port.

● Originally, conceived as
an outlet for iron ore
exports.

Paradip Port

Located in Odisha,
specialises in the export of
iron ore.
 Tuticorin Port

● Inland riverine port, serves a very large and rich

hinterland of Ganga- Brahmaputra basin.

● Being a tidal port, it requires constant dredging of

Hoogly.

● Haldia port was developed as a subsidiary port, in

order to relieve growing pressure on the Kolkata port.
Name the longest National Waterways of
India. Write any three points of
importance of waterways.

The longest National Waterways of India is the

Ganga river between Allahabad and
Haldia.
Importance of waterways:

1. It is most suitable for carrying heavy and

bulky goods.

2. It is the cheapest mode of transport.

3. It is a fuel efficient and environment

friendly.

4. More than 95% of the country’s trade

volume is moved by the sea.
MAP WORK
 SEA PORTS

1 1. Kandla

2. Mumbai

3. Marmagao
2
4. New
3 Mangalore
 SEA PORTS

1. Kochi

2. Tuticorin

3. Chennai
5
4. Visakhapatnam

4 5. Paradip

3
1
2
NCERT QUESTIONS
State any three merits of roadways.

Three merits of roadways are:

● Construction cost of building roads is
low.

● It provides door-to-door service.

● Can be constructed in uneven

surfaces.
Where and why is rail transport the
most convenient means of
transportation?

Rail transport is the most convenient

means of transportation in northern
plains.

It is because these plains are densely

populated, rich in agriculture resources
and construction of railways is easy due
to gentle slope of the land.
What is the significance of the
border roads?

The significance of the border roads are:

● Border roads have enhanced

accessibility in rough terrain areas
along the Northeastern and Northern
borders.

● Border roads have aided in the

economic growth of northern and
northeastern border regions.
HOMEWORK
QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following National Highways is called
Sher-Shah Suri Marg?

A. NH-1

B. NH-3

C. NH-11

D. NH-10
2. Which of the following corridors links Srinagar
and Kanyakumari?

A. East-West Corridor

B. North-East Corridor

C. South- West Corridor

D. North-South Corridor