Transport and Communication

Written and reviewed by Subhra Gupta, Humanities faculty at UniDrill (M.A. Sociology, University of Delhi · 7 years teaching Humanities). Based on NCERT Geography Class XII (India: People and Economy), Chapter 7.

How did your toothpaste get to the shop?

Everything you buy was made somewhere else, and something moved it. The same is true of ideas: a message from one person to another needs a route. Transport moves goods and people. Communication moves ideas, views and messages. Early communication and transport were often the same thing, with a runner or a horse carrying the message. Technology separated them, and this chapter follows both: the lines on the ground, the water and the air, and then the signals that travel without anything moving at all.

The means of transport are land (roads, railways, and special carriers such as ropeways, cableways and pipelines), water and air.

Road transport

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, about 62.16 lakh km. Roads carry about 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent of freight traffic every year, and road transport suits shorter distances.

Even now, roads are concentrated in and around urban centres, and rural and remote areas have the least road connectivity.

For construction and maintenance, roads are classified as National Highways (NH), State Highways (SH), Major District Roads and Rural Roads.

Pause and predict: National Highways are only about 2 per cent of road length. What share of road traffic would you expect them to carry?

Check your answer: far more than 2 per cent. They carry about 40 per cent of road traffic, because they connect the main cities, ports and state capitals, where the volume of movement is greatest. Check the ratio yourself: $\dfrac{136440}{6215797} \times 100 \approx 2.2\%$.

The length of National Highways has risen from 19,700 km in 1951 to 136,440 km in 2020. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was operationalised in 1995. It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Surface Transport, responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of National Highways, and the apex body for improving their quality.

National Highway development projects

Border roads

Other roads include Border Roads and International Highways. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) was established in May 1960 to speed economic development and strengthen defence preparedness through rapid, coordinated improvement of strategic roads along the northern and north eastern boundaries. It has built roads in high altitude mountain terrain, joining Chandigarh with Manali and Leh, a road that runs at an average altitude of 4,270 m. BRO also clears snow in high altitude areas. International highways promote harmonious relations with neighbouring countries through effective links with India.

The Atal Tunnel (9.02 km), built by the BRO in the Pir Panjal range at an altitude of about 3,000 m, connects Manali to the Lahaul Spiti valley throughout the year. Earlier the valley was cut off for about six months each year because of heavy snowfall.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: the Atal Tunnel is described as the world's longest highway tunnel, at 9.02 km. In reality: that description is made for tunnels at this high altitude. Road tunnels elsewhere in the world, at much lower altitudes, are considerably longer. Why it matters: "longest" in a statement question needs the altitude in the sentence, or it is not a safe superlative.

Rail transport

Indian Railways is among the longest networks in the world and moves both freight and passengers. It is the largest government undertaking in the country. A line from Bombay to Thane covering 34 km opened in 1853. The network is 67,956 km long (2019–20). Because it is so large, a centralised system would be under pressure, so the railways are divided into 17 zones.

Railways are classified by the width of track.

The three lengths add up to 67,956 km. A programme to convert metre and narrow gauges to broad gauge is under way. Steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric engines, which raised speed and haulage capacity and improved the environment at stations. Metro rail has transformed urban transport, and together with CNG buses it helps control air pollution in cities.

Where the railways grew. Areas around towns, raw material producing areas, plantations and commercial crop areas, hill stations and cantonments were well connected from the British colonial period, mostly developed for resource exploitation. After Independence, routes were extended to other areas. Rail density is relatively low in the hill states, north eastern states, central India and Rajasthan.

Konkan Railway. Built in 1998, this 760 km route connects Roha in Maharashtra with Mangaluru in Karnataka along the western coast, giving a direct link between Mumbai and Mangaluru. It crosses 146 rivers and streams, with nearly 2,000 bridges and 91 tunnels, and has a tunnel of nearly 6.5 km, described as Asia's largest. Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are partners.

Two views. For the exam: the railways brought together people of diverse cultures and contributed to the freedom struggle, and rail routes were extended to more areas after Independence. Another reading: historians point out that the colonial network was laid mainly to carry raw materials to ports and to serve administration and the army, which explains why its density is uneven. Why it matters: both facts appear in the textbook, one in the quote and one in the pattern of railway growth.

Water transport

Water transport is the cheapest means of transport, best for heavy and bulky goods, fuel efficient and eco friendly. It is of two types: inland waterways and oceanic routes.

Inland waterways were the chief mode before the railways but now face tough competition from road and rail. Diversion of river water for irrigation also made many rivers non navigable in large parts of their courses. India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways, which contribute about 1 per cent of the country's transportation. They include rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks.

Pause and predict: water transport is the cheapest, yet it carries only about 1 per cent of India's transport. Give two reasons.

Check your answer: first, competition from road and rail, which are faster and reach more places. Second, river water has been diverted for irrigation, so many rivers are not navigable along much of their course.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India was set up in 1986 to develop, maintain and regulate national waterways. By the National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 inland waterways (including the five declared earlier) became National Waterways.

The authority has also identified 10 other waterways that could be upgraded. The backwaters (Kayal) of Kerala are important both as a cheap means of transport and for tourism, and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (Vallamkali) is held there.

Oceanic routes. India has a coastline of about 7,517 km, including islands, served by 12 major and 200 minor ports. About 95 per cent of India's foreign trade by volume and 70 per cent by value moves by sea. Ocean routes also link the islands with the mainland.

Air transport

Air transport is the fastest means of movement. It reduces travel time, and it is essential in a large country with diverse terrain and climate. It began in 1911, when airmail was carried over a short distance of 10 km between Prayagraj and Naini, but its real development came after Independence. The Airports Authority of India provides safe, efficient air traffic and aeronautical communication services in Indian air space.

UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is a Regional Connectivity Scheme conceived by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make flying affordable for ordinary citizens, by giving airlines incentives and policy support to operate on regional and remote routes. Pawan Hans is the helicopter service operating in hilly areas, widely used by tourists in the north east, and it also serves the petroleum sector.

Oil and gas pipelines

Pipelines are the most convenient and efficient way to move liquids and gases over long distances. Solids can also move by pipeline once converted into slurry.

Communication networks

Early communication used drums, hollow tree trunks, smoke and fire, fast runners and animals. The post office, telegraph, printing press, telephone and satellite made it faster and easier.

Personal communication. The internet is the most effective and advanced personal system. It is widely used in urban areas and allows direct contact by email and access to information at low cost, and it is increasingly used for e commerce and money transactions.

Mass communication.

India has developed its own launching vehicle, the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) at Hyderabad provides data acquisition and processing facilities.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: INSAT is multi purpose (communication and weather), IRS is for remote sensing. In reality: INSAT satellites sit in geostationary orbit above the equator, so they appear fixed over one point and give continuous coverage, while IRS satellites orbit lower around the poles, so they can scan the whole Earth over repeated passes. Why it matters: orbit explains the division of tasks: constant broadcasting needs a fixed view, mapping needs coverage.

Exam traps

60-second revision

Where this chapter connects

• Previous: Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context shows transport and communication as the first priority of the Bharmaur plan.
• Next: International Trade builds on ports and sea routes, which carry about 95 per cent of India's foreign trade by volume.
• Related: Transport and Communication gives the world view of the same networks, and Mineral and Energy Resources explains the oil and gas that the pipelines carry.