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The making of a township
SUHRID SANKAR CHATTOPADHYAY
in Jamshedpur
Jamshedpur, a predominantly tribal village when the Tatas set up there
the country's pioneering steel works, is now a bustling township that is
home to more than seven lakh people.
JAMSETJI NUSSERWANJI TATA'S interest in setting up an iron and steel
industry in India began soon after he chanced upon a document in 1882 by
German geologist Ritter Von Schwarz about the financial prospects of
iron-working in Chanda district near Nagpur in the Central Province. But
since the region lacked suitable coal, and iron ore itself was not in
abundance and was far too scattered, prospecting operations were abandoned.
In 1903-04, the Tata team, which included eminent geologist C.M. Weld and
Jamsetji's eldest son Dorabji Tata, investigated another site at Durg, 224
km from Nagpur, after Dorabji came across a geological map of the region
showing large deposits of iron ore. Conditions in Durg were perfect but
there was no water, and as a result this site too was abandoned.
Interestingly, 50 years later, on this very site the Bhilai steel plant came
up.
The Tatas' search for an ideal location for their steel plant finally ended
in December 1907, when on the advice of the geologist P.N. Bose, a village
called Sakchi, near the confluence of the Subarnarekha and the Kharkai and
surrounded by dense forests, was chosen. The Kalimati railway station was
just a few kilometres away.
Construction work began on February 27, 1908. In February 1912 the steel
works was commissioned and the first steel ingot was rolled.
Within a few years the harsh, wild surroundings, sparsely populated by
tribal people, started turning into a well-planned township. Dorabji was the
driving force behind developing a model town at Sakchi. In 1919, Sakchi was
renamed Jamshedpur, after Jamsetji, by Lord Chelmsford, Viceroy of India.
>From a population of just 6,000 in 1910, Jamshedpur (now in East Singhbhum
district of Jharkhand), is at present home to over seven lakh people.
"Even though Jamshedpur is not technically a metropolis, the reason why its
residents do not wish to shift to bigger cities is the quality of life
Jamshedpur has to offer," Rajen Sahai, head of the print and electronics
media, corporate communication of Tata Steel, told Frontline. It is not just
any other industrial township with housing colonies and a hospital close to
the main factory. Covering a total of 64 sq km of leasehold land,
Jamshedpur, right from its infancy, not just catered to the financial needs
of its inhabitants, but was concerned about their well-being. As it is a
planned township, a lot of importance is given to the environment. Complete
with parks, lakes and a wildlife sanctuary it is one of the greenest
industrial towns in the country. In the past 10 years, 5.15 lakh trees were
planted all over the town under the Green Millennium Count Down Programme.
The Jubilee Park, covering 225 acres (90 ha), was set up by Tata Steel in
1957, on the occasion of its golden jubilee. Adjacent to the park is the
Tata Steel Zoological Park and Safari Park. The Nature Education Centre
inside the Zoological Park maintains an excellent library.
The town's drinking water is considered to be of the highest quality
compared to that supplied in the towns and cities in the country today, and
has been available on tap for the past 60 years. The drinking water here is
popularly known as Aqua Tis. It comes from the Dimna reservoir and the
Subarnarekha. Jamshedpur is kept almost clinically clean, with over 120,000
tonnes of garbage a year removed from the town by conservancy vehicles run
by Tata Steel. Providing electricity to the town and maintaining electrical
installations is the responsibility of the Town Electric Department. The
Jubilee Park owes its privileged position of being one of Jamshedpur's main
tourist attractions entirely to the Town Electric Department. Three times a
week and on selected national and State holidays the whole park is lit up.
Maintenance of Jamshedpur, however, is expensive. "To run Jamshedpur, Tisco
incurs an average annual expenditure of around Rs.139 crores,'' said Sahai.
The Tatas have contributed immensely to the development of education in
Jamshedpur. Today the industrial city can boast of a literacy rate as high
as 75 per cent, which, according to the company, is unparalleled in eastern
India. Tata Steel runs eight primary schools, nine high schools and a
college. Apart from this, the town has five company-aided schools and six
schools supported indirectly by Tata Steel. Further, the company extends
Millennium Scholarships - unlimited number for engineering - and 50
scholarships for other professional courses. For the uplift of women in the
region, the company provides 20 scholarships exclusively for them, and also
organises domestic management programmes. It also undertakes awareness
programmes on relevant issues such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome), alcoholism and drug abuse.
The Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), one of the oldest business
schools in the country and among the best in Asia, close relationship with
the Tatas ever since it was established in 1949. A number of people from the
top brass of the Tatas have served as chairmen of XLRI's board of governors.
The list includes: Jehangir Gandhy, chairman and managing director (CMD) of
Telco (Tata Motors); R.S. Pandey, managing director, Tisco (Tata Steel);
Sarosh Gandhy, MD, Telco; and J.J. Irani, MD, Tisco. The current MD of Tata
Steel, B. Muthuraman, is a member of the board of governors of the XLRI.
What makes the XLRI one of the most sought after institutions is not only
its formidable reputation in imparting management education, but also its
stress on the all-round development of a student. Speaking about the success
rate of the students in finding jobs, the institute director, Fr P.D. Thomas
said: "Companies vie with one another to reach the campus for recruitment;
so much so that it becomes a challenge for the placement committee to
schedule the process acceptable to the corporates and the students alike."
Like the Tatas, the XLRI too gives as much importance to social development
as it does to its area of core competence. The institute has for long been
involved in promoting literacy, adult education, income-generation projects
and health care for the poorer sections of Jamshedpur in general and East
and West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand in particular.
Jamsetji died in 1904 before witnessing the full realisation of his dreams.
But to Dorabji, he entrusted the execution of his vision for the town. In a
letter to his son, dated 1902, Jamsetji wrote: "Be sure to lay wide streets
planted with shady trees, every other of a quick-growing variety. Be sure
there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for
football, hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan
mosques and Christian churches." Today, a full 100 years after Jamsetji's
death, Jamshedpur can proudly claim to be every bit the way its founder
envisioned it.
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