Raipur District (1909)

Raipur, by A. E. Nelson, I.C.S., in Central Provinces District Gazetteer, Vol. 18 A, British India Press, Bombay, 1909

Made available by the Internet Archive.
Link: http://www.archive.org/details/centralprovinces18cent
Source: Library of the University of California, Los Angeles Edited by R Sivaramakrishnan. Posted to IRFCA on: October 7, 2008.

The project for a light tramway to connect Nagpur with the extensive grain-producing country of Chhattisgarh was first mooted by Sir R. Temple about the year 1863, but owing to financial and other considerations commencement of the work was delayed until 1878. The scheme finally sanctioned was for a metre gauge railway from Nagpur to Raj-Nandgaon and this line was opened on the metre-gauge in 1882. On the formation of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway Company the line was converted to the broad-gauge and extended to Raipur in I888 to Bilaspur in 1889 and to Asansol in 1891. The direct connection with Calcutta through Kharagpur was completed in 1900. The main line of the railway enters the District at Kumhari on the west and continues in an easterly direction to Raipur, which is 188 miles froni Nagpur. Here it turns to the northeast and leaves the District beyond Nipania station, the length of line within its borders being 63 miles with eight stations. From Raipur a branch fine on the narrow-gauge has been constructed to Dhamtari at a distance of 46 miles, and from Abhanpur another branch goes to Rajim 28i miles from Raipur. This narrow-gauge feeder was opened in 1900. A new line is at present being built by the Bengal-Nagpur Railway from Raipur to Vizianagram on the east coast. The line is on the broad-gauge, its estimated length being 311 miles and its cost 21 crores. A railway is also projected from Raipur to Sonpur with a continuation to Khurda Road.

[Of] the principal trade routes, the Great Eastern Road from Raipur to Nagpur ...and that to Jubbulpore have now been superseded by the Raipur-Nagpur and Bilaspur-Katni lines of railway... The most important road in the District at present is that from Raipur through Arang dividing at the Mahanadi with two branches, which lead to Sambalpur and Khariar respectively... Both these routes now carry a large amount of traffic, of which, however, they would be deprived by the construction of the Raipur- Vizianagram and Raipur-Sonpur railways. Prior to the extension of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway to Cuttack and Puri the Sambalpur road was a great route for pilgrims, who visited the temple of Rajiva Lochan at Rajim on their way to Jagannath... The old road from Raipur to Bilaspur was constructed about the year 1860 and was a much-frequented route until it was superseded by the opening of the railway in 1888... The Great Eastern Road to Nagpur is now but little used as the railway has followed the same alignment and runs close along-side it.