The Gazetteers Department

The nationalisation of passenger transport was initiated as early as in 1932 by the Nizam's State Government. The State Transport (Marathwada) Aurangabad came into existence as a suit of the trifurcation of the erstwhile Hyderabad state, which was one of the pioneers in the field of public road transport, first in collaboration with the railways and then as a separate government department.

After the reorganization of states in November 1956, passenger transport in Marathwada was looked after by a separate department under the erstwhile government of Bombay, called the Transferred Road Transport Undertakings department.

With effect from 1st July 1961, the department was abolished, and the Marathwada State Transport, and the State Transport services in the Vidarbha region were merged with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.

Depots.—By the end of December 1962, there were two depots in Bhir district, one at Parali and the other at Bhir. Details of the routes emanating from the depots are given in table No. 5. The number of vehicles attached to the depots at Bhir and Parali was 29 and 21, respectively. Periodical servicing and repairs to the vehicles are carried out in these depots.

Amenities.—The corporation has provided various amenities for the travelling public. Bhir and Parali depots are provided with a temporary bus station and bus stand, respectively. The bus station at Bhir is equipped with a book-stall and a fruit-stall. Wayside shelters are provided at the following places in the district: (1) Kalamb, (2) Hirapur, (3) Kaij, (4) Massa Jog, (5) Mussa, (6) Necknur, (7) Pali, (8) Talkhed, (9) Yusuf Borgaon, (10) Siraswadi, (11) Limbgaon, (12) Rajur, (13) Patoda, (14) Sautada, (15) Chandan-Sawargaon, (16) Lokhandi Sawargaon, (17) Bori Sawargaon, (18) Bardapur, (19) Sarur, (20) Dharmapur, and (21) Ghatnandur.

TABLE No. 5

State Transport Routes in Bhir District (As on 1-1-1963)

Serial No.	Name of the route	Distance in			No. of return trips per day	Average No. of persons travelled per day
		Kilometres	M.	F.
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)		(5)	(6)
1	Bhir-Ambejogai	97.57	60	5	1	161
2	Bhir-Sindphana	68.19	42	3	1	133
3	Bhir-Ashti	98.17	61	0	1	203
4	Bhir-Limba Ganesh	32.19	20	0	1	38
5	Bhir-Jalna	102.40	64	0	4	842
6	Bhir-Manjlegaon	90.12	56	0	5	915
7	Bhir-Ahmadnagar	61.16	38	0	2	450
8	Bhir-Sholapur	193.12	120	0	1	222
9	Bhir-Georai	32.19	20	0	1	61
10	Umapur-Bhir	51.05	32	0	1	198
11	Georai-Umapur	19.31	12	0	1	109
12	Georai-Shevgaon	62.56	38	7	1	103
13	Bhir-Jamkhed (via Amalner)	100.58	62	4	1	442
14	Jamkhed-Amalner	31.18	19	3	1	77
15	Bhir-Osmanabad	134.79	83	6	1	196
16	Bhir-Parali	122.71	76	2	3	808
17	Bhir-Jamkhed	78.86	49	0	2	343
18	Bhir-Chausala	33.08	21	0	1	79
19	Bhir-Aurangabad	140.01	87	0	1	240
20	Bhir-Yedshi	115.87	72	0	1	230
21	Bbir-Pandnarpur	215.85	134	0	1	271
22	Bhir-Latur	153.73	98	5	1	257
23	Bhir-Patoda	48.28	30	0	1	72
24	Bhir-Kaij	59.95	37	2	1	121
25	Parali-Sonpeth	24.74	15	3	4	201
26	Parali-Ahmadpur	85.29	53	0	2	326
27	Ahmadpur-Bidar	127.14	79	7	1	384
28	Parali-Aurangabad	163.53	163	6	1	671
29	Parali-Udgir	128.75	80	0	2	549
30	Udgir-Mominabad	102.40	64	0	1	251
31	Ambej ogai- Parali	24.35	15	5	2	106
32	Parali-Bhir	122.71	76	2	1	295
33	Parali-Latur	86.31	53	5	1	105
34	Latur-Ambejogai	61.16	38	0	1	75
35	Parali-Dharur..	62.97	39	1	1	186
36	Dharur-Kaij	13.47	8	3	5	335
37	Ahmadpur-Udgir	43.45	27	0	1	83
38	Parali-Yedsi	115.87	72	0	3	654
39	Parali-Barsi	125.93	78	2	2	635
40	Parali-Osmanabad	137.39	85	3	1	268
41	Parali-Kurduwadi	157.93	98	1	1	306
42	Yedsi-Ambejogai	90.93	56	4	1	260

Goods Transport.—Goods transport by road still remains a monopoly of lorry owners. By the end of 1961, the goods vehicles, both private and public registered and liscenced in the district, numbered 106. They transported general merchandise to various areas of the district.

The frieght charges were 50 paise per ton per mile and Re. 1 per lorry mile in 1961.

Private Passenger Transport

Besides State Transport passenger services, buses are run by private transport operators on some routes in the district. These services are run mostly on branch roads and routes which are not covered by the State Transport Corporation. There are 10 private stage carriage operators in this district.

The operational efficiency and the passenger amenities provided by them are not always satisfactory. Overcrowding in buses and other irregularities are most common. Rules of safety are neglected sometimes.

The private passenger services cover the following routes: —

(1) Bhir-Nathapur, (2) Bhir-Vadvani, (3) Manjlegaon-Parali Vaiinath, (4) Manjlegaon-Ambejogai, (5) Kaij-Dharur, and (6) Dharur-Kalamb.

Rural Transport

The condition of rural transport is much better at present than in the past. In the first decade of this century there were very few metalled roads. Most of the roads were unfit for automobile vehicles in the monsoons. Construction of railways in the district was completed in 1933, and as has been stated earlier, this mode of transport was totally inadequate.

The period which followed the merger of the ex-Hyderabad state with the Indian Union and the subsequent reorganisation of states witnessed a rapid progress in the construction of roads A number of new roads were constructed, existing roads were repaired and numerous arterial connections and alignments were effected. All the highways and main roads are motorable. But most of the village approach roads still continue to remain as gravel and earthen tracks, and their condition remains unsatisfactory. The feeder roads become unfit for easy transit during the rainy season.

The rural areas of Bhir are provided with fairly good facilities for passenger transport. The State Transport authorities are operating buses on almost all the main roads and major district roads. Towns and big villages [The Directory of Villages and Towns given at the end of this volume shows the nearest bus stand and the nearest railway station to each village in the district.] are directly served by State Transport buses, whereas a number of small villages situated by the side of major roads are also covered.

However, a large number of villages remain untouched by passenger services due to inadequacy of operating vehicles. People have to resort to bullock carts, bicycles and ponies. Pedestrian journey for some miles is also not unusual. Bullock cart remains the most important traditional means of conveyance. This fact is corroborated by the statistics of bullock carts (tahsil-wise) in the district.

(1)	Bhir	3,519	(5)	Manjlegaon	2,748
(2)	Patoda	3,234	(6)	Ambejogai	8,001
(3)	Ashti	3,767	(7)	Kaij	3,500
(4)	Georai	4,830