Chas

Chas is a Municipal Corporation in the Bokaro district of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is often referred to as a suburb of Bokaro Steel City, though it predates the steel plant.[2] Chas is one of the fastest-growing urban regions in Jharkhand and was ranked as the cleanest city of Eastern India and the 19th cleanest city of India in 2018, according to Swachh Survekshan.[3] The municipal body is also notable for its large wholesale market.

Chas
City and Neighbourhood of Bokaro
Old Bridge, Main area, Chas, Kalika Temple, Chira Chasa and Entry Point from Chas
Chas Location in Jharkhand, India Chas Chas (India)
Coordinates: 23.63°N 86.17°E
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
District	Bokaro
Government
• Body	Chas Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Bholu Paswan (BJP)
Area [1]
• Total	29.98 km^2 (11.58 sq mi)
Elevation	210 m (690 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	156,888
• Density	5,200/km^2 (14,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Urdu , Bengali, Khortha
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	827013
Telephone code	06542
Vehicle registration	JH-09
Website	bokaro.nic.in/chas/

Chira Chas, a growing satellite town of Chas, is a major residential hotbed.

History

Once a small grain trading hub of the region, Chas became notable during the Second World War when the British government used it as a base to supply soldiers fighting in the eastern front against the Japanese. In the 1960s, the Government of India decided to establish the Bokaro Steel Plant nearby, which enhanced the economic activity of the region.[4] Chas was the administrative headquarters of the area when Bokaro was a part of Dhanbad district and remained so even when Bokaro became a district itself. Later, the headquarters were moved to the Bokaro Steel City.

Geography

Chas is located at 23.63°N 86.17°E.[5] It has an average elevation of 210 metres (688 feet). The municipality is situated on the banks of Garga river. Chas is located at the junction of National Highway 23 and National Highway 32. The Dhanbad-Bokaro-Ranchi Expressway also passes through it.[6]

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Chas Nagar Parishad had a total population of 141,640, of which 74,720 were males and 66,913 females. Scheduled Castes numbered 6,507 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 796.[7]

On 10 February 2015, Chas was accorded the status of Municipal Corporation, absorbing Kandra (CT) and Bandhgora (CT). This increased the town's population from 141,640 to 156,888.

Education

As of 2011 census, the total number of literates in Chas Nagar Nigam was 103,167, out of which 58,758 were males and 44,409 were females.[7]

Chas' primary and secondary schools include DPS (Chandankiyari Road), Crescent Public School, BPS, Adarsh Vidya Mandir, Ramkrishna Vidya Mandir, Guru Gobind Singh Public School, Rainbow Public School, Ranvijay Smarak High School, etc.

There are also numerous schools and colleges in Chas offering post secondary courses, from the undergraduate to postgraduate level:

• Chas College, established in 1976[8]
• Guru Gobind Singh Educational Society Technical Campus (GGESTC), the first engineering college of district, established in 2011.[9]
• CMCE College[10]
• Swami Sahjanand College
• Chas Mahila College
• Ranvijay Singh College, Sector 12 (Bokaro Steel City)
• Govt. Industrial Training Institute
• Asha ITI (a private ITI institute)

Economy

Iron and steel manufacturing play a key role in this region. Electrosteel Castings.Ltd (now Vedanta Resources), is one of the major iron and steel units established nearby. A rail wheel factory is also under development near Damoderpur village, about 35 kilometres from Bokaro, in a joint venture with Indian Railways and Govt. of Jharkhand .[11]

Another major player in the local economy is the Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation (Sudha Dairy), which has a processing plant at Sector-12.

Chas is especially well known for its wholesale markets. As such, the city is home to many small and medium-sized businesses, which are overseen by apex trade associations, like the Bokaro Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Jainamore Chamber of Commerce and Jharkhand Small Tiny Service Business Enterprises Association. In recent years, Chas has also had an influx of retail and supermarket chains (like V-Mart, Citi Style, etc.) and vehicle showrooms of KTM, Honda, Hero, Maruti Suzuki, JCB, Yamaha, TVS , Mahindra.

The area has attracted investment from a variety of industries. GAIL's Jagadishpur–Haldia–Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline (JHBDPL), one of the largest gas pipeline projects of India, is expected to be completed in 2020 and will run through the area.[12] In January 2020, Triveni Groups proposed the development of Kaushal Triveni Mega Food Park in nearby Chandankiyari.[13] Finally, the real estate market in Chira Chas is booming, with hundreds of projects from Aashiyana Groups,[14] Anand Vihar Constructions, Prapti Estate, Malti Infra Projects.[15]

Places of Interest

Chas has many natural, historical, and otherwise notable sites in and around the city. There include:

• The ruins of a historical terracotta temple in the Amdiha village in Chandankiyari, similar to Maluti temples of Dumka (Jharkhand).[16]
• Hi-Tech Park, constructed under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme and situated at ITI More, Garga Bridge, Bandhgora and Rajendra Nagar .[17]
• Garga Dam at Garga river and Guwai Dam, located just outside the city. These are popular picnic sites among residents.
• Religious sites such as Sri Sri Kalika Maharani Temple at Chira Chas, Jagdamba Temple, Joda Temple, Bhootnath Temple, Jain Temple (at Gujarat Colony), Old Church (By-Pass Road), and Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha at NH-18. The Multiversity (Pupunki Ashram) at Pupunkighatbera is a centre of meditation and spiritual guidance.
• Leisure places like Zaika Resorts, Paradise and The Nature.[18]

Healthcare

Local medical facilities include :

• Meditrina Valour Hospital, a 100-bed cardiac care super-speciality hospital managed by Meditrina Group of Hospitals, Kollam (Kerala).[19]
• K.M. Memorial Hospital & Research Centre (By-Pass Road)[20]
• Muskan Hospital & Research Centre (Ramnagar Colony) [21]
• Neelam Hospital (Jodhadih More)
• Sadar Hospital (Sector 1)
• Bokaro General Hospital, 900 bed multi-speciality PSU hospital at Bokaro Steel City.

See also

• Chas Block
• Bokaro Steel City
• Chira Chas
• Chandankiyari

References

1. "Chas Info".
2. Bokaro, District Administration (2020). "Chas Municipal Corporation".
3. "Chas retains its swachh glory". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
4. Bokaro, District Administration (2020). "District Bokaro > History".
5. "Chas". Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
6. "Expressway state's top priority". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
7. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". Jharkhand – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
8. "Chas College || Chas". www.chascollege.org. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
9. "Guru Gobind Singh Educational Society's Technical Campus". www.ggsestc.ac.in. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
10. "CMCE Bokaro". www.cmce.ac.in. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
11. Pioneer, The. "Government mulls rail wheel unit at Bokaro". The Pioneer. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
12. "Cabinet nod to funds for Northeast gas grid". The Sunday Guardian Live. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
13. "Mega food park on Bokaro table". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
14. "Ashiyana Estate". www.aashiyanestate.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
15. "MRIPPL | Builders | Promoters | Real Estate Developers | Hotels". mrippl.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
16. "Maluti cousin in Bokaro". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
17. Sinha, Ashis (2 July 2018). "After cleanest city tag, Chas soon to get a Hi-Tech Park".
18. "The Nature". the-nature.business.site. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
19. "Cardiac care in district hospitals". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
20. "Welcome to K.M. MEMORIAL HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTER". www.kmmhospital.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
21. "Muskan Hospital & Research Centre". muskanhospital.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.