Gomoh
Encyclopedia
Gomoh is a census town
in Dhanbad district
in the India
n state
of Jharkhand
. It is a major railway junction (renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Junction Gomoh 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). Gomoh is a place of historical importance also. On his great escape, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose caught Howrah-Kalka Mail (then known as 63UP Howrah-Peshawar Express) on 18 January 1941. There is a statue of Netaji on platform no. 1 & 2 at Gomoh railway station which reminds people of his historic halt. Every year on 23 January, the railway employees organize a small cultural program to celebrate Netaji's birthday. People of this city also organise 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.
Gomoh is surprisingly a dust free area (unlike very polluted surroundings owing to numersous coal mines) with pleasant weather conditions. Patients who are suffering from long illness will feel better here. It is full of greenery and natural beauty.
, 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.
.
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 everyday. 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.
(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.
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 perrenial 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. Interestingly, you would not find electricity in the evening (usually from 6 pm to 10 pm). In spite of such a poor supply people here have no complaints as they have grown used to it. Even the so called leaders in the area have turned a blind eye to the problem. Recently, the power station has been renovated & was expected to be operational by October 2011. But, it got delayed a number of times by some problem or the other.
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 trafiic 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 repiars but not adequately. The repairs are done only in name & probably the money alotted 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.
Census town
In India, a census town is one which has:# A minimum population of 5,000# At least 75% of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits# A density of population of at least 400 persons per km2.In Ireland, a census town is;...
in Dhanbad district
Dhanbad District
Dhanbad district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Dhanbad is the administrative headquarters of this district...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. It is a major railway junction (renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Junction Gomoh 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). Gomoh is a place of historical importance also. On his great escape, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose caught Howrah-Kalka Mail (then known as 63UP Howrah-Peshawar Express) on 18 January 1941. There is a statue of Netaji on platform no. 1 & 2 at Gomoh railway station which reminds people of his historic halt. Every year on 23 January, the railway employees organize a small cultural program to celebrate Netaji's birthday. People of this city also organise 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 23.87°N 86.17°E. 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 pleasant weather conditions. Patients who are suffering from long illness will feel better here. It is full of greenery and natural beauty.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 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.
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 TechnologyIndian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
.
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 everyday. 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 fairs 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 two other major CBSE schools up to Standard X such as St.Mary’s Day School Gomoh S.M.D.S.Gomoh 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 CityBokaro Steel City
Bokaro Steel City is one of the largest Industrial city situated in the State of Jharkhand, in India. Bokaro is the 48th cleanest city in India and second in Jharkhand after Jamshedpur and one of the best cities to live in India...
(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.
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 perrenial 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. Interestingly, you would not find electricity in the evening (usually from 6 pm to 10 pm). In spite of such a poor supply people here have no complaints as they have grown used to it. Even the so called leaders in the area have turned a blind eye to the problem. Recently, the power station has been renovated & was expected to be operational by October 2011. But, it got delayed a number of times by some problem or the other.
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 trafiic 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 repiars but not adequately. The repairs are done only in name & probably the money alotted 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.