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Dhanbad

Metropolis in Jharkhand, India

  • 10 min read
  • 9 chapters
Dhanbad skyline
Xyzabc1817 · CC0

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Dhanbad is the 96th fastest growing city in the world, according to the City Mayors Foundation. It is the 56th cleanest city of India, according to the 2019 Swachh Survekshan cleanliness survey. It showed a great change in the city which was considered the dirtiest city in the 2018 Swachh Survekshan. Dhanbad Municipal Corporation works for increasing green cover in the city.

Among the rail divisions of Indian Railway, Dhanbad Rail Division is the largest revenue generator. Dhanbad is ranked as the top city in India with the highest 4G mobile phone network availability in India by a survey of Opensignal.

History

The present district used to be a part of Manbhum region and was occupied by Mundari tribals in the wilderness of South undivided Bihar. In the seventh century A.D. some information is available from the account of the travels of Hieun Tsang. These accounts narrate the existence of a powerful kingdom which comprised the district and adjoining areas, ruled by Sasanka. Manbhum was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj.

The region has thick forests, with rich mineral resources, and had a mixed demographic profile with people from different religious and social groups, including adivasis, particularly the Santals and the Mundas before the city was established. After the Partition of India, the district became a part of Bihar state, and upon re-organization of the Indian states in the mid-1950s, the district became a part of the West Bengal. Purulia district was carved out of the district of Manbhum.

In the Settlement Report for Manbhum (1928) it was stated that no rock inscriptions, copper plates or old coins were discovered and not a single document of copper plate or palm leaf was found, during the Survey and Settlement operations. The oldest authentic documents produced were all on paper and barely even a hundred years old. Dhanbad city was in Manbhum district from 1928 up to 1956. However, on 24 October 1956, Dhanbad district was carved out of Manbhum district with Dhanbad as District headquarter on the recommendation of the States Reorganization Commission vide notification 1911.

This was done under the commitment and leadership of journalist, Satish Chandra. In the year 2006, Dhanbad celebrated 50 years of being an independent district and city. From 1956 to 14 November 2000, it was under Bihar. At present, it is in Jharkhand, after the creation of the state on 15 November 2000. The discovery of rich deposits of coal in the region caused the city to flourish financially, but also bought notorious coal-mafia and gang wars which continues to this day with areas of city like Wasseypur being most affected by the conflict.

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