Bhilai
Bhilai | |
|---|---|
| Bhilai Nagar | |
  Bhilai  Bhilai | |
| Coordinates: 21°13′N 81°23′E / 21.21°N 81.38°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Chhattisgarh |
| District | Durg |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal corporation |
| • Mayor | Devendra Yadav (INC) |
| Area | |
• City | 341 km2 (132 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 297 m (974 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• City | 1,064,223 |
| • Rank | 2nd in state, 70th in india |
| • Density | 3,100/km2 (8,100/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,064,232 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 490XXX |
| Vehicle registration | CG-07 |
| Website | www.bhilainagarnigam.com |
Bhilai, officially called Bhilai Nagar, is a city in the district of Durg, Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. With an urban population of 1,064,222 Bhilai-Durg is the second largest urban area after Raipur in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Bhilai is a major industrial city in India as well as education hub of central India.[1]
Etymology
It is believed that the name "Bhilai" is derived from the Bhil tribe which originally inhabited this region and continues to dwell in the nearby forests till date.[2]
History
Bhilai was a small village and a part of the Haihaivanshi Kingdom until 1740, when it was conquered by the Marathas. It was administered by the British from 1853 till 1947, when it merged with the Indian union.[3]
The foundation of the modern city of Bhilai was laid in 1955 when the Indian government signed a historic agreement with the Soviet Union in Magnitogorsk to establish a steel plant near the village. The first blast furnace of the plant was commissioned in 1959 by the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.[4]
Demographics
Population
In the 2011 census, Bhilai Nagar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,064,222, of which 545,916 are males and 518,306 are females. Bhilai has an average literacy rate of 86.63%, male literacy is 92.22% and, female literacy is 80.71%.[5]
Geography
Bhilai lies at 21.21°N 81.38°E in Central India at an elevation of 297m above sea level on the banks of the Shivnath river, a tributary of the river Mahanadi. It covers an area of 341 km² (132 sq mi).
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the town falls under seismic zone 2, in a scale of 2 to 5 (in order of increasing value of vulnerability to earthquakes).[6]
Climate
Owing to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, Bhilai has a tropical climate. There are three main seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. The average annual temperature in Bhilai is 26.6 °C and the city receives an average rainfall of 1188 mm in a year. Summers usually last from May to June, followed by monsoons in July and August. The town receives the bulk of rainfall in July, with an average rainfall of 352mm. There is little rainfall during the winters, with November being the driest month of the year.[7]
Industry
Bhilai is home to the Bhilai Steel Plant, the first Indian plant to produce steel rails, which was established with help from the Soviet Union in 1955.[8] The amount of steel rails produced by the facility till date can go around the circumference of the earth 7 times. This is depicted on the monument at the globe square in the heart of the city.The facility underwent modernization and expansion, and is amongst leading manufacturer of iron and steel in Asia[8]
Education
The city serves as a educational hub in the region, with a total of 59 universities and colleges. Among the several institutes in Bhilai, Bhilai Institute of Technology (BIT) and IIT Bhilai is the most notable one. Established in 2016, the institute is currently housed at the Government Engineering College (GEC) Raipur.[9]
Schools in Bhilai are run either by municipal corporations, or privately by entities, trusts and corporations. The majority of schools are affiliated with the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education.
Notable people
- Anurag Basu, Bollywood Director
- Amit Sana, runner-up in Indian Idol 1
- Teejan Bai, Pandvani Singer
- Rajesh Chauhan, former cricketer
- Santosh Araswilli, table tennis international medalist
See also
References
- ^ a b Census van 1 maart 2001 (via archive.org)
- ^ "History of Bhilai, Historical Aspects of Bhilai, Origin of Bhilai". www.bhilaionline.in. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Bhilai | India". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ Katz, Alexandra; RIR, specially for (22 August 2014). "Bhilai Steel Plant: Chhattisgarh's icon of Indo-Russian cooperation". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ "Seismic Zones". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ "Bhilai climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Bhilai weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ a b "After road show, PM Narendra Modi inaugurates modernized and expanded Bhilai Steel Plant". Zee News. 14 June 2018.
- ^ "About IIT Bhilai". www.iitbhilai.ac.in. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
