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COMMUNICATIONS
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INTRODUCTION
THE CONDITION OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY was far from satisfactory. The
roads were mainly earthen tracks unsuitable for traffic in the rainy season. In 1881 there were twelve roads of the total length of 187 miles. Of the twelve roads, three with a length of 48 miles were bridged, and nine with a length of 139 were fair-weather roads. In the rains many a road was not fit for carts. The Amba, the Kundalika and the Savitri were unfordable in the rainy season as there were bridges at few places only. Besides the main trunk road which touched Nagothana, Mangaon, Dasgaon range of hills, Mahad and Poladpur, there were some branch roads and a 15 miles road from Rewas to Alibag, which was, then, the only route during the rainy season for passenger traffic from Alibag to Bombay. From Dharamtar east to Khopoli at the foot of the Bor pass, there was a good road of a length of 25 miles. The roads from Alibag to Khandala, at the west foot of the Karli pass, and Vagholi at the east foot of the pass to Dharamtar, connected Alibag and Dharamtar. In 1880-81 a new line was opened over the Karli pass, thus completing the Alibag-Dharamtar road and opening a through traffic from Khopoli to Alibag. Passengers from Alibag to Bombay preferred the Alibag-Dharamtar road to the Alibag-Rewas road as the former was a shorter route. In 1880-81, fair weather roads were made from Indapur to Tale, and from Tale to Malati on the Mandad creek. [Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency, Vol. XI, 1883.]
There were also many passes and footpaths across the Sahyadris, and eleven chief gorges or Khinds through the smaller ranges of hills.
By the end of the last century water transport was much more important than inland transport. The Harbour Steam Ferry plied daily between the Carnac Wharf in Bombay and Rewas and Dharamtar. The average daily number of passengers varied from 150 to 200, to and fro Bombay, Rewas and Dharamtar. A launch also used to ply between Dharamtar and Nagothana but its journey varied according to the tides. Launches also used to go up to Roha from Revdanda and up to Dasgaon from Bankot in the same way.
However, with changes in the economic face of Kolaba a good many roads have been constructed and their surface being improved upon.
By March 1958, the total road mileage under jurisdiction of the Public Works Department and the District Local Board was 584.6 of which length of 513.42 miles was metalled
and 71.19 unmetalled [Handbook of Basic Statistics: Bureau of Economics and Statistics.]. The surface of most of the highways is either cement concrete or asphalted. With the construction of a bridge on the Alibag-Khopoli road near Dharamtar through traffic has become possible. Completion of this bridge marks the fulfilment of a long felt need of the population of the district, particularly of Alibag taluka.
In addition, the following important bridges were also constructed: -
(1) Bridge near Roha on the Alibag-Roha road across the Kundalika.
(2) Bridge near Goregaon on the Shriwardhan Mahad-Ratnagiri road across the Kal.
(3) Bridge on the Mahad-Pandharpur road across the Savitri.
(4) Bridge on Pali-Khopoli road.
(5) Bridge on Bombay-Konkan-Goa load near Pen.
The peculiar topography of the district never encouraged the building of a network of railways. The Bombay-Poona broad gauge railway line of the Central Railway passes through the Karjat taluka. This section of the line was opened for traffic in 1856. But the old Gazetteer of Kolaba district did not mention it, as Karjat taluka was, then, included in Thana district. At present the broad gauge railway route mileage in this district is 30.18 and the narrow gauge route mileage of the Neral-Matheran tramway is 13. [Handbook of Basic Statistics: Bureau of Economics and Statistics.] Besides, from Roha to Bhira, there is a trolly-track built by the Tatas. A new chapter opened in the economic life of the Konkan area with inauguration of the construction of the Diva-Panvel Uran-Apta railway on February 1, 1962. This would open up the areas of Kolaba in the proximity of the Bombay harbour which have hitherto remained backward and underdeveloped. This railway project, when completed, would provide a direct link for the northern part of the Konkan area with the Bombay city. (A note on the history of the project and details about the alignment are given in the section on Railways.)
In the paragraphs which follow is given a detailed picture of the various modes of transport and communications in the district.
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