TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

THE GENERAL CONDITION OF TRANSPORT IN THE 19TH CENTURY in the then Kolhapur State was poor. This may be attributed to some extent to the economic set-up of the 19th century. As villages were looked upon and developed as self-sufficient economic units, means of communication by themselves did not receive any particular attention; hardly any effort was made to make good roads. As the old Gazetteer mentions " Till 1845 when British superintendence was introduced, Kolhapur had no made roads. Of the pathways those that led west down the Sahyadris to the coast were hardly ' fit for lightly laden cattle and those that went inland were mere beaten cattle tracks." During the rainy season passage across the " inland tracks" was entirely closed and " foot passengers" crossed the rivers in a " broad but shallow and unsafe sugar-pans which yearly caused a great loss of life ".

After the introduction of British superintendence in 1845, some progress in making roads was made. Between 1845 and 1854 about 300 miles of roads were made and in 1886 when the old Gazetteer was published Kolhapur had, besides several minor roads, four main lines of communication, the Poona-Belgaum running north-south, and Kolhapur-Amba pass, Kolhapur-Phonda pass and Sankeshwar-Parpoli pass roads running west towards the coast. In 1957 Kolhapur had about 312 miles of National Highway and State Highway and Major District Roads, excluding other district roads (about 143 miles). The Miraj-Kolhapur Railway line was opened for traffic on 21st April 1891.

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