Gomoh
| Gomoh | |
|---|---|
| Census Town | |
  Gomoh   Gomoh Location in Jharkhand, India | |
| Coordinates: 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°ECoordinates: 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Jharkhand |
| District | Dhanbad |
| CD block | Topchanchi |
| Elevation | 245 m (804 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 31,495 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, Santali |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 828401 |
| Telephone code | 0326 |
| Vehicle registration | JH-10 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Giridih |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Tundi |
Gomoh is a census town in Topchanchi CD Block in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It has a major railway junction (renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Gomoh railway station on 23 January 2009) situated on the Grand Chord Line under Dhanbad division of the East Central Railway. Gomoh is the meeting point for trains coming from Howrah (Eastern Railway), Ranchi/Bokaro (South Eastern Railway) and Puri (South Eastern Railway).
History
Gomoh is also known for its historical importance. From here, on his great escape Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose caught Howrah-Kalka Mail (then known as 63UP Howrah-Peshawar Express) on 18 January 1941. There is a statue of Netaji right between the platform no. 1 & 2 at Gomoh railway station which reminds people of his historic halt. Every year on 23 January, the railway employees and the people of this town organize a small cultural program to celebrate Netaji's birthday.
People of this town organize a week-long fair in Railway Football Ground starting from 11 March every year in remembrance of the assassinated 'Labour Leader' Sadanand Jha. There are two big playgrounds in Gomoh.
Geography
Gomoh is located at 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 245 metres (803 feet). Gomoh is surprisingly a dust free area (unlike very polluted surroundings owing to numersous coal mines)with lots of small hills surrounding it. Pleasant weather conditions, Patients who are suffering from long illness will feel better here. It is full of greenery and natural beauty.
Demographics
As per 2011 Census of India Gomoh had a population of 31,495, of which 16,443 males and 15,052 females. Scheduled Castes numbered 3,998 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 943.[2]
As of 2001 India census,[3] Gomoh had a population of 28,576. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gomoh has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 60%. In Gomoh, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Literacy
As per 2011 census the total number of literates in Gomoh was 23,233 out of which 13,034 were males and 10,199 were females.[2]
Social structure
Gomoh consists of people from diverse religious and professional backgrounds. There are many young minds from this place who are making waves at the national/international levels. Some of them are studying at Indian Institutes of Technology and other engineering colleges across the country.
Religious diversity is the hallmark of Gomoh. A number of Anglo-Indians can be found here since the British era as a result of which Christians with their peaceful culture have a dominating effect on the local people. The Sikh community settled here before Independence as businessmen. A gurudwara at Loco Bazar is visited by many Sikhs from surrounding areas every day. Bengalis form a large part of the population and have contributed largely to the culture of this place. However, their population has been dwindling for the last few decades. On Durga Puja one can get a glimpse of Kolkata in Gomoh, specially at Durga Para, which is home to the oldest Durge Puja in the area. Muslims also contribute substantially to the population and culture of this region. There is also a masjid and a madarsa at Purana Bazar and a Jama Masjid at Loco Bazar. Id-Gah and graveyard of Muslims is in Laludih area.
A majority of the people are railway employees (different grades) since Gomoh is a railway-based town. These people do not belong to the city but got transferred from different parts of the country. After retirement a good number of these employees choose to settle down in Gomoh giving rise to the population of the city. There is a strong business class also in Gomoh. Businesses ranging from food grain wholesaling to clothes & apparel to building material (cement, bricks, iron rods etc.) to confectionery & bakery products etc. can be found. Though Marwaris are dominating the business scenario, one can find the representation of all the religious groups. Some people are also engaged in agriculture, growing certain cereals and vegetables.
Main festivals celebrated include Durga Puja (Dussehra), Dipawali, Holi, Chatth Puja, Id, Gurunanak Birthday, Christmas, etc.
Education
As far as educational institutions are concerned Gomoh fares badly. There is one Kendriya Vidyalaya Gomoh K.V. Gomoh which is managed by the Railways. It is a prominent institute up to Standard XII. There are three other major CBSE schools up to Standard X such as St. Mary’s Day School Gomoh S.M.D.S. Gomoh, Blossom Public School and Guru Nanak Public School. There are other high schools which are affiliated to Jharkhand Academic Council(JAC) i.e. Azaad Hind High School, Bishop Rockey High School & St. John de Brito High School. One more thing which is particularly noticeble is that this small town has a school separately devoted to girls known as Girls High School. May be this is why girl literacy is here greater than many prominent cities of Jharkhand & also national girl literacy rate. Pandit Nehru Memorial (PNM) College caters to graduation level studies. However, these facilities are not sufficient since students have started taking up various specialized courses in diversified fields. For all such advanced courses students from this area either depend on Dhanbad (20 km) or Bokaro Steel City (33 km) or go to any metro city. A lot of students have shown their thread of talent in Olympics, National-level sports, quiz & talent shows. Many youngsters from this place have even participated in various events abroad. For Junior kids a good School open at Jeetpur, Nurture kindergarten Play School.
Healthcare & other civic amenities
Health care facilities are also grossly inadequate. Even to this date Gomoh lacks a good doctor as well as a nursing home. Though there are some government and private nursing homes, they fail to provide even the most basic treatment. The medical units operating in the area are:
1. PHC Gomoh at Jitpur 2. Railway Hospital (set up by railways for its employees, they also cater to non-railway patients unofficially) 3. A few other privately run small clinics
Other civic amenities such as electricity, roads, water, sanitation, transportation are all in abysmal state. Electricity has been a problem facing the people of Gomoh. There is one huge power station also but it is in a shabby condition. Power supply is off almost 18 to 20 hours a day and sometimes, without any obvious reason, 2–3 days at a stretch. Recently, the power station has been renovated. Roads have an equally bad story to tell. In some parts of the city there are railways' roads and in others the state government's. The roads that belong to the govt. are very old and in poor condition. Though the traffic has grown manifolds, no repairs have been done for a long time. Whatever little roads are available, are owned by railways and they also are poorly maintained. Sometimes, railways & state govt. do undertake the repairs but not adequately. The repairs are done only in name & probably the money allotted for such repairs directly goes into bureaucratic system.
Water almost has the same problem. While railway employees depend on timely supply by the railways, others have to make their own arrangement for water. Those who can afford have got their own deep tube wells, those who can not rely on govt. hand-pumps which are few in numbers. However, recently govt. has constructed two big water tanks in different parts of the city to cater to the masses but they are yet to start the service.
No drainage/sanitation infrastructure is available in Gomoh except for a few overflowing and stinking drains constructed by the railways around a decade & a half back. One can find heaps of garbage lying on the roadside and dirty water overflowing from the clogged drains. The situation worsens during monsoon.
The only convenient way to get in and out of Gomoh is trains, thanks to a century old railway network. One can find trains to all major cities in India. A number of long-distance trains have a stoppage in Gomoh. There are also a number of passenger trains connecting Gomoh with nearby cities/towns. However, of late Gomoh has been neglected in various railway budgets with almost all new trains avoiding a stop here. In the last one decade while the number of passengers has grown almost 10 times, new trains have hardly been introduced. They either stop in Dhanbad or Parasnath completely neglecting the huge population living in between. Moving within the city is a big problem as there are only cycle-rickshaws available. So, if you have you own car/bike it is easier else take a rickshaw or walk (and consume loads of dust), the choice is yours.
References
- ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Gomoh
- 1 2 "2011 Census C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". Jharkhand – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.