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PLACES
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PUSAD.
Pusad a tahsil place in Yeotmal district formed part of the
Mahur Sarkar in historical times. The place rose to prominence during the freedom struggle under the leadership of Gandhiji. The Lahore Congress of 1929 gave a call for complete Independence, and Gandhiji launched his momentous non-co-operation movement. The salt law, the forest law and the sedition law were defied in Berar as in other parts of the country. Abhyankar and Wamanrao Joshi were arrested and Bapuji Aney took over the leadership to inaugurate the forest Satyagraha on 10th July 1930. With a party of volunteers he cut grass from the reserved forests at Pusad and was arrested. It may further be noted that the present Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Vasantrao Naik also hails from this place.
Pusad, the main town of the Pus valley and headquarters of the tahsil of the same name is situated on the right bank of a meander loop of the Pus river. It is 146.45 km (91 miles) by road from Akola railway station, and 34 miles from Darvha which again is 27 miles from Yavatmal. With two ginning factories and timber marts, the town is the market and nodal centre of the tahsil. Pusad was constituted a municipality in
1931 and the municipal council today is composed of 16 elected
councillors. In 1961 its population was 18,002 and the area under
its jurisdiction 13.3 square miles. The total municipal receipts
in 1961-62 were Rs. 5,55,636 or which municipal taxes alone
contributed Rs. 2,55,023 [District Census Handbook, Yeotmal, 1961, p. 5.].
Pusad is mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari of Abul-Fazl as a pargana town. There has been a Marathi boys' school since 1862 and a Hindustani boys' school since 1869. Today, besides a score of primary and middle schools, the town has lour high schools of which one is for girls and an Arts and Commerce College. A science wing would shortly be added to this college. The library which was established in 1885 has expanded its collection of books and pamphlets considerably, and attracts a large number of readers. It is housed in a new building. There is a civil hospital which made its modest beginnings in 1868, catering to the medical needs of the towns people. There is also a veterinary dispensary. A water-works recently installed on the Pus river supplies tap-water to the town which hitherto largely depended upon wells. The town has an old Hemadpanti temple to Mahadeva which was rebuilt by local masons at the beginning of this century. A large weekly market is held on Sundays. The tahsili was built in 1878 and besides mamlatdar's office, there are civil and criminal courts, Panchayat samiti office, a police station, post and telegraph facilities, and a rest house.
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