COMMUNICATIONS

ROADS

Roads are classified into four categories, viz., National highways, State highways, major district roads and other district roads. National and State highways are maintained by the Buildings and Communications Department whereas the major district roads and other district roads are looked after by the Zilla Parishad.

In the following table information about road mileage classified according to various categories and their surface for the years 1951, 1961 and 1969 is given.

TABLE No. 1

ROAD MILEAGE UNDER THE BUILDINGS AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT IN WARDHA DISTRICT. [The mileage does not include the roads under the Zilla Parishad.]

An account of road communications at the time of publication of the former edition of the Wardha District Gazetteer is furnished below:—

Old trunk roads.

"Of the old trunk routes, the southern road from Nagpur to Hyderabad enters the District a little east of Sindi and passes through Jam and Nandori to Warora. The road is now only maintained as a village track. The Wardha valley road from Pulgaon through Deoli and Waigaon to Hinganghat, 37 miles long, with its continuation from Hinganghat to Jam and Samudrapur is now of some importance as a railway feeder and is to be metalled throughout. At present only the length from Pulgaon to Nachangaon is metalled and the remainder gravelled. The continuation of this route from Pulgaon to Arvi and Ashti in the north is now the most important road in the district carrying the produce of much of the Arvi tahsil to the railway. It is metalled from Pulgaon to Ashti, a distance of 36 miles. North of the railway, two old trunk roads connecting Nagpur with Berar and Bombay passed through the district. The southern of these goes through Selu, Elikeli, and Waiphal, leaving the district at the Apti ferry on the Wardha. It is now only maintained as a village road. The northern road running from Nagpur to Amravati passes through Karanja and Thanegaon in the north of the Arvi tahsil and leaves the district at Bisnur. This road also is now only a village track.

The only metalled roads in the district at present are those from Pulgaon through Rohna and Arvi and Ashti in the north of the Arvi tahsil, the short road from Wardha to Paunar, and the first two miles of the Pul-gaon-Hinganghat road leading to the important village of Nachangaon. The remainder of this road from Nachangaon to Hinganghat and its continuation from Hinganghat to Samudrapur and two feeder roads leading from Wardha to the large villages of Waigaon and Anji to the south and north are gravelled. Two other short feeders from Deoli to Degaon station and from Selu to Paunar station are also gravelled. The southern road through Jam and Nandori and the Hinganghat-Pohna road to Berar as well as the short road form Wardha to Deoli are maintained as embanked roads. Besides these, numerous village roads exist which are passable in the open season. The district cannot be considered to be well provided with roads in view of its great commercial importance, but as a new railway is shortly to be constructed through the Arvi tahsil, it would be useless to consider the improvement of the existing trade routes of this part of the district without reference to its influence. It is clear that feeder roads are required in the Arvi tahsil which is totally unprovided with them, but with the opening of a new railway the course of trade will probably be much altered. The great artery of the Arvi tahsil at present is the Pulgaon-Arvi road. Dhamangaon station across the Berar border is only 16 miles from Arvi as against the distance of 22 miles to Pulgaon and some small amount of trade exists between Arvi and Dhamangaon. It is in contemplation to construct a metalled road from Arvi to the Berar border towards Dhamangaon, but the importance of this route will probably be removed by the new railway. Nor does it carry any considerable quantity of trade at present. The village roads from Sahur to Ashti and from Karanja through Dhamkund to Arvi bring the produce of the north-eastern part of the tahsil on to the road. In the south of the Arvi tahsil the principal tracks are those from Kharangna to Anji and on to Wardha and from Hingni through Selu and Paunar to Wardha. From the Wardha tahsil south of the railway, cotton is taken either to Pulgaon or Wardha from the tracts surrounding Deoli, while some grain goes from Deoli to Degaon station. The Pulgaon-Hinganghat road with its short feeders taking off at Deoli and Waigaon serves this part of the district very well. In the south of the district the main trade routes are from Hinganghat through Samudrapur and Girar, and from Hinganghat through Wanera to Pohna. The former road has already been noticed and it is in contemplation to make it a metalled road as far as Samudrapur. The latter is of considerable importance carrying a good deal of traffic, and the question of its improvement deserves consideration. It is now only aligned and partially gravelled. These two roads are among the most important trade-routes in the district. The village road from Hinganghat to Kora also carries some traffic from the south-east of the tahsil and the adjoining tracts of the Chanda district. In 1905 the district had 48 miles of metalled roads maintained at an annual cost of Rs. 12,000, and 76 miles of gravelled roads maintained by the Public Works Department at a cost of Rs. 11,000. The District Council also maintains 60 miles of aligned surface roads for Rs. 2,300 annually." [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, 1906, pp. 161-63.]

National Highways.

National highways are main trunk roads of national importance, running through the length and breadth of the country. They together form a system connecting major cities, capitals of States, major ports and other highways.

There are two national highways viz., Nagpur-Dhulia-Bombay road and Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Kanyakumari road passing through the district.

Nagpur-Dhulia-Bombay Road.

The road leaving Nagpur district enters Wardha district at north-east border in mile No. 37/3. It runs through Arvi tahsil during its length in the district. It crosses the boundary of the Wardha district at north west border in mile 65 furlongs 3. The total length of the road in the district is 28 miles. The road crosses Wardha river in mile No. 65/3 at the north-west border near village Khadak where there is a well built submersible bridge. The road is motorable throughout the year. The entire length of the road is black-topped. After traversing through Wardha district it leaves for the Amravati district in mile No. 65/3, on the north-west border after crossing Wardha river. The road runs from east to west direction in the district. It touches the following places in its stretch, viz., Thanegaon (mile No. 42), Karanja (mile No. 46), Sarwadi (mile No. 55), Talegaon (mile No. 61), Chistur (mile No. 63) and Khadak (mile No. 65).

The following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it:

*O.D.R.—Other District Road.

¹M.D.R.—Major District Road.

²S.H. —State Highway.

Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Kanyakumari Road.

The Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Bangalore-Kanyakumari National highway is one of the most important and the longest of the roads in India. This road serves as a vital artery of traffic. The total length of the road in the district is 40 miles. After leaving Nagpur district it enters Wardha district in mile No. 28/3 at the east border and runs from north-east to south throughout its entire length in the district. The road leaves Wardha district at its south border in mile No. 68 and enters Yeotmal district. It traverses through Hinganghat tahsil and crosses the Wardha river at the south border of the district in mile No. 68 where there is a well-built bridge. There is another major bridge on this road in mile No. 30/2 near village Kori. The surface of the road from Nagpur to Hinganghat is black-topped, and motorable throughout the year. The remaining portion from Hinganghat to the district border has a metalled surface. It touches the following places in its stretch, viz., Jam (mile No. 39/4), Hinganghat (mile No. 46), Daroda (mile No. 55/5), Wadner (mile No. 58/5), Pimpri (mile No. 60/7) and Pohna (mile No. 65).

Going from north-east to south the following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it:

State Highways.

State highways are arterial roads of a State connecting other highways, headquarters of districts and cities. They serve as main routes of traffic to and from major roads. They are usually maintained by the State Government and are generally bridged and metalled. The description of the State highways in the district is given below.

Nagpur-Bori-Wardha-Yeotmal Road.

After leaving Nagpur district the road enters Wardha district at the north-east border and passes through the Wardha tahsil. It enters Wardha tahsil in mile No. 27/4 and runs through the entire breadth of the district in north-east to south-west direction. It crosses the Wardha river at mile No. 67/4 to enter Yeotmal district. The total length of the road in the district is 40 miles. There are four major bridges on this road viz., in mile No 37/4 near Seloo in mile NO 42/1 near paunar, in mile No. 54/1 near Selsura and at the south-west border of the district in mile No. 67/4 near Sirpur on Wardha river. The entire portion of this road is black-topped and is motorable throughout the year except for short interruptions to traffic during heavy rains.

Going from north-east to south-west the following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it.

Jam-Chandrapur Road.

The road emanates from the Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway near Jam in Hinganghat tahsil. The road runs from north to south in Wardha district and leaves the district border in mile No. 22/2 and enters Chandrapur district. The total length of the road in the district is 22/2 miles. There is no major bridge on this road within the district. The entire portion of the road falling within the district is metalled and motorable throughout the year except for interruptions for a very short period during heavy rains.

Wardha-Arvi Road.

This road starts from Wardha and traverses Wardha and Arvi tahsils. It meets the Pulgaon-Arvi-Ashti-Warud State Highway at Arvi in mile No. 34/5. The total length of the road in the district is 34/5 miles. The road runs in northward direction upto Kharangna and afterwards it takes a turn to the west upto Arvi. The entire length of the road is black-topped and is motorable throughout the year. There is no major bridge on the road during its stretch. It touches the following places during its stretch viz., Wardha (mile No. 0/0), Pipri (mile No. 2/8), Yeli (mile No. 4/8), Sukli (mile No. 6/6), Anji (mile No. 9), Kamptee (mile No. 11/6), Majra (mile No. 12/17), Kharangna (mile No. 15/6), Pimpalkhuta (mile No. 15/6), Wadhona (mile No. 27/7), Bedona (mile No. 29/1) and Arvi (mile No. 34/5).

Going from south to north the following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it.

Pulgaon-Arvi-Ashti road.

The road starts from Pulgaon and runs parallel to the western border of the district. The road passes through Arvi tahsil for a total length of 36/2 miles. The entire road length is metalled and motorable throughout the year except for short interruptions during heavy rains. There are five river crossings on the road where metal dips have been provided, for example those at mile Nos. 4/5,7/7, 9/6, 15/2 and 19/4. It touches the following places during its stretch, viz., Pulgaon (mile No. 0/0), Hivra (mile No. 1/7), Sorta (mile No. 3/4), Virool (mile No. 6/1), Rohna (mile No. 9/4), Dhanodi (mile No. 12/5), Nandora (mile No. 17/4), Khubgaon (mile No. 19/4), Arvi (mile No. 22), Talegaon (mile No. 29/4) and Ashti (mile No. 36/2).

In its south to north run the following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it.

Wardha-Waigaon-Hinganghat road.

The road emanates from the junction of Nagpur-Yeotmal and Wardha- Arvi State highways near Wardha. It traverses through Wardha and Hinganghat tahsils. It runs in southward direction from Wardha to Waigaon and then takes turn in south-eastern direction upto Hinganghat where it terminates. The total length of the road in the district is 22 miles and 7 furlongs. A big bridge has neen constructed on this road near Hinganghat. The surface of the road is partly metalled and partly black-topped and is motorable throughout the year. It touches the following places during its stretch, viz., Wardha (mile 0/0), Borgaon (mile No. 0/6), Waigaon (mile No. 6/5), Neri (mile No. 8), Sonegaon (mile No. 10) and Hinganghat (mile No. 22/7).

Pulgaon-Deoli-Waigaon road.

The road starts from Pulgaon on the Pulgaon-Ashti State highway, and runs in the eastern direction upto Dahegaon village for a length of 8 miles and 4 furlongs. It then runs southwards from Dahegaon to Deoli for a total length of 5 miles and 3 furlongs and from Deoli to Waigaon for a distance of 8 miles and 1 furlong. The road joins Wardha-Waigaon-Hinganghat State highway at Waigaon. The road again takes a turn and runs in eastern direction. It traverses the Wardha tahsil for a total length of 22 miles. There are no major bridges on this road. The surface of the road is black-topped and motorable throughout the year. It touches the following places during its stretch, viz., Malkapur (mile No. 4/1), Dahegaon (mile No. 8/4), Chikni (mile No. 11/1), Deoli (mile No. 13/7), and Waigaon (mile No. 22).

The following roads either take off from it or are crossed by it.

Kharangna-Kondhali road-

The road emanates from Wardha-Arvi State highway at Kharangna and runs northwards up to the district border. It leaves Wardha district and enters Nagpur district at the northern border of the district in mile No. 20. The total length of the road in the district is 20 miles. There are no bridges on the road, neither any road or major nallah crosses it during its stretch. The entire surface of the road is tarred and motorable throughout the year. The road touches the following places during its course viz., Masod, Bangadpur and Rahti.

Major District Roads.

Major district roads are roughly of the same specifications as the State highways except that their surface may not be of the same pattern and they may not be bridged. These roads connect important towns, centres of trade and commerce with railways and highways. An account of the major district roads in the district is given below:—

Jam-Samudrapur-Girad road.

The road emanates from Jam on the Varanasi-Nagpur-Hyderabad National highway and runs in north-east direction upto Girad. The total length of the road in the district is 15 miles and 1 furlong. The road passes only through Hinganghat tahsil in this district. The entire surface of the road is partly tarred and partly metalled and motorable throughout the year.

Pulgaon-Nanchan-gaon-Sirpw road.

The road emanates from Pulgaon on the junction of the Waigaon- Deoli-Pulgaon and Pulgaon-Arvi-Ashti State highways. It runs from north to south and ends at Sirpur. It covers a distance of 16 miles and 1 furlong. There are no major bridges on this road. The road has a metalled surface and is motorable throughout the year except during rainy season. It touches Nachangaon, Khatkheda, Sonora, Inzala and Vijaygopal during its run in the district.

Sonegaon-Alipur-Kapsi road.

The road emanates from Sonegaon in Hinganghat tahsil and runs southwards for its entire length in the district. The total length of the road in Hinganghat tahsil is 12 miles and 1 furlong. There are no major bridges on the road. It crosses the Wardha-Waigaon-Hinganghat State highway in mile No. 1. The entire surface of the road is metalled and is motorable throughout the year. It touches the following places viz., Dhotra, Ekurla, Alipur, Pawani, Sirasgaon, Manasawali, and Katri.

Arvi-Deur wada road.

The road emanates from Arvi and runs in Arvi tahsil for the total length of 5 miles and 2 furlongs. It runs from east to west till it crosses the Wardha river to enter Amravati district. There is no bridge on the Wardha river. The entire surface of the road is metalled and is motorable throughout the year up to Wardha river. The road touches Dhanodi in mile No. 216.

Wardha-Sewagram road.

This road connects Sewagram, the famous Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, with Wardha and is about 4 miles in length. There is no major bridge on the road. The surface of the road is black-topped and is motorable in all seasons.

Seloo-Hingani road.

The road emanates from Nagpur-Yeotmal-State highway near Seloo and runs in northward direction. It traverses the Wardha tahsil for a total length of 5 miles and 3 furlongs and enters Nagpur district after Hingani. There is no major bridge on the road. Cross drainage works have also not been constructed on the road where there are major nallahs. The road surface is metalled for its entire length and is motorable throughout the year, except for short interruptions at river crossings. It touches Ghorad in mile No. 0/6.

Rohna-Pimpalkhuta road.

The road emanates from the Pulgaon-Ashti State highway near Rohna and runs in the northern direction in Arvi tahsil. It meets the Wardha- Arvi State highway at Pimpalkhuta. There is no major bridge on the road. The entire surface of the road is metalled and is motorable throughout the year except for some interruptions during the rainy season. The total length of the road in the district is 8 miles and 4 furlongs. It touches the following places during its run, viz., Rohna, Bothali, Kinhala and Taroda.

Wadhona-Karanja-Jalalkheda Road.

The road emanates from the Wardha-Arvi State highway near Wadhona and runs in the northern direction for a total length of 22 miles and 4 furlongs. The road crosses. Nagpur-Dhulia-Bombay National highway in mile No. 20/2 near Karanja. It leaves the district border at the north and enters Nagpur district. There is no major bridge on the road. The entire portion of the road has a metalled surface and is motorable throughout the year except some interruptions during heavy rains.

Sewagram-Samudrapur Road.

The road starts from Sewagram and runs eastwards upto Samudrapur village in Hinganghat tahsil. It runs through Wardha and Hinganghat tahsils for a total length of 19 miles. The first length of 10 miles of the road is metalled and the rest of the portion has a murum surface. There is no major bridge on the road. The road is motorable throughout the year except for interruptions during rainy season. It crosses Nagpur-Hyderabad National highway near Sadgaon. The road touches the following places during its stretch, viz., Karanja, Bhoge, Karanji, Kaji, Madni, Taroda and Sadgaon.

Ashti-Morshi Road.

The road starts from Ashti and runs in north-west direction upto the district border for a total length of 9 miles and 4 furlongs. After crossing the Wardha district border it enters Amravati district and serves an important link with Morshi. It crosses Wardha river at the district border where there is a well-built bridge. The entire surface of the road is metalled and motorable throughout the year. The road touches the following places during its stretch, viz., Yenoda, Pilapur, Subda, Nandora and Sirri.

Other District Roads.

Other district roads are usually approach roads connecting villages and towns in the district. They are subject to frequent interruptions to traffic during the rainy season and have murum surface. They are designed to serve tahsil places and market centres. In the district the total length of the other district roads was 104.31 miles (168.94 km.) on 31st March 1968. The following is a descriptive account of some of them.

Seloo-Bordam Road.

The road emanates from Seloo village in Wardha tahsil and ends at Bordam. The total length of the road is 9 miles and 3 furlongs in the district. It runs in southward direction in Wardha tahsil. The whole portion of the road is of metalled surface. The road crosses some small nallahs and is motorable throughout the year. The road is an approach road to Nagpur-Wardha State highway. The road touches Sakri village during its stretch.

Girad-Kora Road.

This road starts from the village Girad and proceeds southwards towards Kora where it merges with Washi-Kora road. The total length of the road is 10 miles. The surface of the road is metalled The road passes through Shivanphal, Jogingumpha, Pipari and Sakhara villages.

Washi-Kora Road.

The Washi-Kora road runs eastward from Washi towards Kora where it terminates. The length of this road is 4 miles and 3 furlongs. The road touches the village Narayanpur Umri in its stretch.

Hinganghat-Nandori Road.

This road is an approach road to the Nagpur-Hyderabad road and goes south-eastwards towards Nandori where it terminates. The total length of this road is 9 miles. The road is under construction. The road passes through Kadajana, Kukabardi and Sawaliwagh villages.

Hinganghat-Pohana Road.

This road starts from Hinganghat, and runs north-eastwards towards Pohana where it terminates. The length of this road is 2 miles and 6 furlongs. The road touches Nandgaon village in its stretch.

Sirasgaon-Wadner-Dhanora Road.

This road emanates from the Allipur-Kapsi road at mile No. 6/6 near the village Sirasgaon and proceeds south-eastwards towards Dhanora where it terminates. The total length of this road is 13 miles and 7 furlongs. The road is under construction. The road passes through Sirasgaon, Yarangaon, Wadner, Bambarda, Shekapur and Dhanora villages.

Sindi-Seldoh Road.

This road starts from Sindi railway station and proceeds north-west- wards up to Seldoh where it merges with the Nagpur-Wardha State highway. The length of this road is 6.5 km. There is a railway level crossing at a distance of one kilometre from Sindi railway station on the road.

Giroli-Adegaon-Ratnapur Road.

The road starts from the Giroli village in Wardha tahsil and runs in south-east to north-west direction for a total length of 10/4 miles. The road runs in the Wardha tahsil for its entire length. The road joins Wardha-Yeotmal State highway at Ratnapur where it ends. The 8/4 miles surface of the road is metalled and the remaining portion of 2 miles is unmetalled. The road does not cross any nallah or river, and thus, there is no bridge on the road. It is motorable throughout the year except for the length of 2 miles which is unmetalled. The road touches Chichol and Takli.

'Wardha- Waifad-Rasulabad Road.

The road emanates from the junction of Nagpur-Yeotmal, Wardha-Arvi and Wardha-Hinganghat State highways near Wardha, and runs westwards for its entire length in Wardha tahsil. It joins Pulgaon-Ashti State highway at Rasulabad. The total length of the road in the district is 16 miles. The road portion of 2/4 miles is metalled and the rest of the portion viz., 13/4 miles, is unmetalled. It crosses some nallahs where there are no bridges. The road is not motorable during rainy season. It touches Dahegaon and Waifad.

The following table No. 2 gives the details about the other district roads and village roads proposed to be constructed under Wardha Plan.

TABLE No. 2.

OTHER DISTRICT ROADS AND VILLAGE ROADS PROPOSED TO BE CONSTRUCTED UNDER WARDHA PLAN.

Village Roads.

The facilities of village roads were inadequate in the past. The roads were mostly earthen tracks which were unsuitable in the rainy season even for bullock carts. However, during the last two decades considerable progress has been achieved and several schemes of road development are now under way. The construction of link roads in Wardha district is actively engaging the attention of the Zilla Parishad. Under the road development programme of Wardha district a number of approach roads are proposed.

The total length of the village roads in the district was 56.0 miles and 6 furlongs [ Some of the village roads included here were subsequently upgraded as Other District Roads.] at the end of 1968. The construction and maintenance of these roads is looked after by the Zilla Parishad. The surface of these roads is of murum and some of them have a water bound macadam surface. These roads serve as approach roads to National highways and State highways and major district roads. Some of them are not motorable in the rainy season.

The following table shows the total mileage of village roads in the district.

TABLE No. 3

VILLAGE ROADS UNDER CHARGE OF ZILLA PARISHAD, WARDHA DISTRICT

Municipal Roads.

Wardha town has a number of well planned roads. In other municipal towns of the district, roads are hardly developed with a perspective of town planning. In Hinganghat, there are a few well-planned metalled roads. The following statement gives the road length within the jurisdicton of municipalities in the district in the year 1968:—

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