The Gazetteers Department

The Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta broad gauge railway line passes through the district in the west-east direction with a length of 82 miles. It is the main artery of commercial transport in the district. This route makes direct commercial traffic possible to the most important markets in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. It connects Nagpur, Akola, Jalgaon, Nasik and Bombay on the one hand and Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhilai, Drug, Tatanagar and Calcutta on the other hand. Bhandara Road, Tumsar Road, Tirora, Gondia, Amgaon and Salekasa are the important commercial centres on this line in the district. The majority of the villages and towns in Bhandara and Gondia tahsils in the district, through which this route passes, are within easy reach from the railway line.

The other route, next in importance to the Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta railway line, is the Chandrapur-Gondia-Balaghat metre gauge railway line of the South-Eastern railway which further extends to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. This railway route serves mainly as an outlet to the economic products in the district. It also meets the needs of local commercial traffic in the district as well. It is important in so far as it helps in bringing the commercial cargo from the interior places to Gondia which is the biggest commercial centre in the district. This railway route serves the Sakoli and Gondia tahsils. Saundad, Gond Umri, Navegaon, Devalgaon, Arjuni and Wadegaon are the other commercial centres on this route. It is important as it facilitates the transport of the entire forest produce of the district, viz., bamboos, firewood, teak, timber and coal to the distant markets in the country. The entire bamboo production in the district and especially from Sakoli forests is transported to the paper mills at Ballarpur in Chandrapur district. The railway route also serves as a commercial link between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh as it connects the district with Jabalpur.

The other branch line of the Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta route traversing through the district is from Tumsar to Tirodi (Madhya Pradesh) and has a run of 18 miles in the district. This line traverses through the manganese producing areas of the district and facilitates the transportation of the ore to Tumsar.

The Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta national highway is next in importance to the Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta railway route as an artery of trade. The highway traverses through Bhandara and Sakoli tahsils covering a distance of 60.5 miles. It connects the markets in this district with Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Jalgaon, Dhulia, Nasik, Thane and Bombay on the one hand and Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhilai, Drug, Tatanagar and Calcutta on the other hand. Most of the commercial traffic is carried on through this route only. The low freight commodities and goods of more fragile nature are mainly transported by motor trucks on this road. The stationery and other miscellaneous articles are brought from Bombay on the one hand and from Calcutta and Bhilai on the other. The importance of transport in this district is not confined to internal traffic only because the railway-road system in the district facilitates the transport of goods from Bombay and Nagpur regions to Calcutta via Bhandara and Sakoli and vice versa.

The Sawangi-Gondia-Balaghat (in Madhya Pradesh) road is next in importance from the commercial point of view as it is motorable in all the seasons and as it emanates from the Bombay-Nagpur-Calcutta national highway at Sawangi, thus bringing the district closer to Madhya Pradesh and serving as a commercial link with other States also. On this road the main commercial centre in the district, viz., Gondia is located. The forest produce and the cash crops are transported, via Gondia through this road to Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. Besides, the road also serves Sakoli and Gondia tahsils in the district.

The Bhandara-Bhivapur road joins the Nagpur-Chandrapur State highway and also meets the Nagpur-Chandrapur railway route. This road facilitates the transport of agricultural produce to Chandrapur and Nagpur districts. The agricultural produce from Adyal and Pauni centres is transported by trucks on this road. The road is motorable throughout the year. Bhandara-Seoni (in Madhya Pradesh) road is another trade route which serves as a commercial link between Bhandara and Madhya Pradesh. The road passes through the manganese producing areas of the district. Tumsar-Waraseoni (in Madhya Pradesh) road is also important as a trade link between Bhandara and Madhya Pradesh.

In the eastern part of the district the Chichgad-Deori-Amgaon road is important. The entire agricultural produce in Palandur, Chichgad, Deori and Sategaon is brought to Amgaon for marketing by this road.

In Retrospect.—Bhandara district since long has a tradition of prosperous trade with distant parts of India as well as with foreign countries. Being an active commercial district in the former Central Provinces and Berar it has today trade links with the neighbouring districts of the present State of Madhya Pradesh and other States in the Indian Union. The old Bhandara District Gazetteer gives a vivid account of the conditions of trade prevailing in the district in the past which is reproduced below.

"Mr. Lawrence stated that the principal trading towns in the District at the time of the 30 years' settlement (1867) were Bhandara, Tumsar and Pauni. The trade of the District was described as follows: Commerce has received a great impetus since the annexation of Bhandara with the rest of the Province of Nagpur by the British Government. The vastly improved condition now of the Great Eastern Road and of the District communications, an enlightened administration, and a well-ordered police have greatly facilitated traffic. The extinction of the Bhonsla rule has, however, diminished the demand, for the superior description of the Pauni cloth; and the rise in the price of grain, together with the simultaneous rise in the price of cotton, has reduced the sale also of the inferior kinds of cloth, but the export of the cloth from this town is still great, having last year amounted to Rs. 50,372. The chief articles imported are cotton, salt, wheat, rice, oilseeds, metal and hardware, English piece-goods, tobacco, silk, dyes and cattle; and the articles most extensively exported are country cloth, tobacco and hardware. The direction of the trade is chiefly to and from Nagpur and Raipur by the Great Eastern Road, and by another route through Palandur, also to and from Kamptee by the Tumsar route, and towards Mandla by Hatta and Kamtha. Of the articles imported, salt is brought from Berar and the Eastern Coast; sugar, metals and spices from Mirzapur; hard-ware from Mirzapur and Mandla; European cloth and silks from Mirzapur and Bombay; country silks from Burhanpur, red country cloth from Mhow and Ranipur in the Jhansi District; wheat and rice from Raipur; and cattle from.the Seoni and Mandla Districts. Of the articles exported, country cloth is sent from Pauni, Andhargaon, Mohari, Bhandara and Bhagri to Nagpur, Poona and Bombay; and hardware from Bhandara and Pauni to Nagpur, Raipur and Jubbulpore. Articles of traffic are generally conveyed in small country carts and on pack-bullocks [Central Provinces and Berar District Gazettees Bhandara District 1908 PP 119—120. ]."

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