3.3.7 resources mineral forest and wild life i/chapter 3c _8.pdfadministration, mizoram was known as...

Project: Social Assessment of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Sheet 1 of 13Document: F2006040 February 2008Draft Final Report \ Vol. I \ Chapter 3 Revision: R3

FAITH Healthcare Private Limited\\nrrda13\New Folder (3)\VOL I\Ch 3c.doc

3.3.7 Resources

MineralThe state is rich mineral resources. The major mineral resources are coal, glass sand,limestone, lignite, natural gas, bauxite, Chromium, Copper, Gold, Manganese, Graphite,Gypsum, Sapphire and Zinc.

Forest and Wild LifeKashmir is rich in forests. A variety of spruce, stately trees some of which are toweringmasses, grow in them such as Blue Pine, silver Fir, Himalayan spruce, Birch, Maple, Beech,Hazel, wild Oak. Almost all the mountains are coated with dense forests, which, besideslending charm and healthful fragrance to the atmosphere, are a great factor of revenue tothe country. The best varieties of pine and Deodar are found in the dense forests of Kishtwarand Bhaderwah. The Lolab valley too is thick with them. These forests are regular haunt oflovers of sports. Among these forests are situated the famous health resourts like Gulmarg,Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Achhabbal, Verinag and Kokarnag etc. Industries Dependent onforests are Match Industry, wood of poplar and willow trees is used for making cricket batsand mulberry wood is used for making hockey sticks, Sentonin Factory in Baramulamanufactures sentonin from artimisia, and Rifle Half-Wrought Factory.

Ibex, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Wolves, red Bear, Markhor, Backbear, Barasingha, etc canbe found in these forests. Ibex is a wild goat with very long horns. Snow leopards are foundin high forests.

The country also holds a variety of winged game, such as duck, goose, chakor, monalpheasant, Patridge and Snipe. These are found in low forests, in swamps and on banks ofthe lakes. Kashmir is pre- eminently the land of forests which stately among other things arethe mainstay of its economy.

3.4 MIZORAM

3.4.1 Administrative SetupMizoram is a mountainous region which became the23rd state of the Indian Union in February, 1987. Itwas one of the districts of Assam until 1973 when itbecame a Union Territory. Under the Britishadministration, Mizoram was known as Lushai Hillsdistrict. In 1954 by an Act of Parliament, the namewas changed to Mizo Hills district.

Mizoram is situated between 21o 58’ to 24o 29' northlatitude and 92o 29' to 93o 22' east longitude. Thetropic of Cancer passes near the capital, Aizawl town.Mizoram occupies the north east corner of India. It isbounded on the north by the district of Cachar(Assam) and the state of Manipur, on the east andsouth by Chin Hills and Arakan (Myanmar) on thewest by the Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh



and the state of Tripura. Mizoram borders three states of India - Assam, Manipur andTripura. The boundaries with Myanmar and Bangladesh is total of 722 kilometres .Itsgeographical borders with Assam, Manipur and Tripura extended over 123 km, 95 km and 66km, respectively. Mizoram is a land of hills. The hills run in ridges from north to south. Theyhave an average height of 900 metres, the highest point being the Blue Mountain (2165metres).

Table 3.9 Mizoram: Administrative Divisions

The total area of the State is 21,081 sq.km. The State consists of 8 districts, 22 blocks, 23sub-divisions, 22 towns, and 817 villages.

3.4.2 Physiography and ClimateMizoram is a land of rolling hills, rivers andlakes with mainly clayey loam soil mixedwith broke angular shale of varying size.The Mizo Hills, which dominate the state'stopography, rise to more than 6560 ft nearthe Myanmar border. There are as many as21 major hills ranges or peaks of differentheights run through the length and breadthof the state with the highest peak'Phawngpui (Blue Mountain) towering 2,065metres above the sea level. The terrain has,perhaps, the most variegated topographyamong all hilly areas in this part of thecountry. The hills are extremely rugged andleaving some plains scattered occasionally here and there.

Although many rivers and streamlets drain the hill ranges the most important and usefulrivers are the Tlawng (also known as Dhaleswari or Katakhal), Tut (Gutur), Tuirial (Sonai)and Tuivawl which flow through the northern territory and eventually join river Barak inCachar.

The Koldoyne (Chhimtuipui) which originates in Myanmar, is an important river in the southMizoram. It has four tributaries and the river is in patches. The Western part is drained byKarnaphuli (Khawthlang tuipui) and its tributaries. A number of important towns includingChittagong in Bangladesh is situated at the mouth of the river.

Lakes are scattered all over the state. But the most important of them are Palak, Tamdil,Rungdil; and Rengdil. The Palak Lake is situated in Chhimtuipui District in southern Mizoramand covers an area of 30 Ha. It is believed the lake was created as a result of an earthquake

1. Districts 8

2. Development Blocks 22

3. Sub-Division 23

4. Towns 22

5. Census Villages (As per 01 census) 817



or a flood. The Tamdil lake is a natural lake situated 110/85 kms from Aizawl.

Mizoram has a mild climate. It is generally cool in summer and not very cold in winter.During winter, the temperature varies from 11ºC to 21ºC and in summer it varies between20ºC to 29ºC. The entire area is under the regular influence of monsoons. It rains heavilyfrom May to September and the average rainfall is 254 cm, per annum. The average annualrainfall in Aizawl and Lunglei are 208 centimeters and 350 centimeters, respectively. Winterin Mizoram is normally rain-free.

3.4.3 DemographyThe total population of Mizoram is 8.85 lakhs (Census of India, 2001) with a sex ratio of 935females per 1000 males. Mizoram accounts for only 0.09% of India’s population. About 50percent of the total population of the state lives in rural area.

The literacy rate of Mizoram (excluding children in the age group 0-6 years) has beenrecorded at 88.8 percent, the second highest in India only next to Kerala. The literacy ratehas increased by 6.23 percent over 1991 Census

The work participation rate is about 53 percent in the state. Among the working population,cultivators and agriculture labourers comprise about 67 percent of the total workingpopulation. The main crop in the state paddy.

Table 3.10 Mizoram: Demographic Indicators (According to Census of India, 2001)

Total Population 888,573Male Population 459,109Female Population 429,464Sex ratio (Females per Thousand Male) 935Total Urban Population 441006Percentage of Rural Population 50.4 %Total SC Population 272Total ST Population 839,310Percentage SC 0.01 %Percentage ST 94.5 %Work Participation Rate 53.2 %Literacy Rate 88.8 %

3.4.4 Agriculture and HorticultureAgricultural still occupies a very important place in the economy of Mizoram. About 70percent of the total working population is engaged in some form of agriculture. The age-oldpractice of Jhum cultivation is carried out annually by a large number of people living in ruralareas. The climatic conditions of the state, its location in the tropic and temperate zones,and its various soil types along with well-distributed rainfall of 1900 mm to 3000 mm spreadover eight to ten months in the year. Paddy remains the chief food crop of the state. Themajor fruits are Mandarin Orange, Hatkora, Lemon, Banana, Pineapple, Papaya, Grape,Passion Fruit, Aonla (Gooseberry) and Avocado. The major plantations are Arecanut,Betelvine, Coconut and Tung.

The major vegetables grown are Squash, Potato, Cabbage, Brinjal, Tomato, French Bean,Lady's Finger, Iskut (Chow chow), Pumpkin, French Mustard, Bitter gourd, Ash Gourd. Spices



crops like Turmeric, Chillies, Ginger are chillies are also grown of which Ginger is the mostdominant.

The mild climate of the hills in Mizoram has the unique advantage of growing almost all typeof flowers round the year. Flowers like Anthurium, Roses, Bird of Paradise, Gladiolus,Chrysanthemum etc. are grown successfully round the year.

3.4.5 IndustryThere are not many major industries in the state due to lack of mineral resources, lack oftransport and communication and infrastructure. Mostly in the state are cottage industries ofhandloom, handicraft and bamboo products. Mizoram has plenty of raw materials forindustry mostly from forest, agriculture and horticulture.

In Mizoram traditional industries weavers and blacksmiths played an important role - firstwas a home industry for respective home consumption only and the second was for makingweapons and implements for war, hunt, agriculture and domestic use.

A craft centre was started in Aizawl which produces floor rugs, bags, aprons, cane works,etc. In fact, these types of local produce including Mizo hats, side bags and Mizo shawlshave become very popular all over India.

Some ginger and fruit processing plants have come up in the state, Zoram industrialdevelopment corporation (ZIDCO) has been set up by the state government in collaborationwith the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). It is setting up industrial units of itsown and is also assisting various enterprises.

A State Government undertaking - Mizoram Food and Allied Industries Corporation has beenset up to develop, industries based on agro-horticultural products. Apart from the ginger,maize and fruit juice plants, there is potential for setting up different industrial projectsbased on locally produced fruits, tea, coffee, chillies, oilseeds, sugar cane, meat, milk, etc.

Government unit, Zoram Electronics Development Corporation, has been set up to promotethe electronics industry. The climate condition, pollution free atmosphere and delicate skill ofthe Mizo women are conducive for successful electronic units like manufacture and assemblyof television, radios, amplifiers, calculators, etc.

Apart from ginger, maize and fruit juice plants, there is a potential for setting up differentindustrial projects based on locally produced fruits, tea, coffee, chillies, oilseeds, sugarcane,meat, milk etc. There are 4600 registered SSI Units in Mizoram upto March 2001. Recently,Godrej Agrovet Limited has entered for a new venture wherein Oil Palm and Jatrophacultivation is their main theme in Mizoram.

The State Government had made commendable break-through in all round development ofSericulture in Mizoram. The total number of farmers engaged in sericulture activities during2000-01 was 3332 and the total production of raw-silk during 2000-01 was 2064.88 kg.Sericulture has played a significant role for reconstruction and upliftment of the ruraleconomy.



Hand looms and handicraftsTribal clothes of the north-eastern states with attractive local motifs and designs arebecoming very popular all over the country. Similar demand exists for the typical tribalhandicrafts. The State Government has set up the Mizoram Handloom and HandicraftDevelopment Corporation for this purpose.

To promote various types of village industries Mizoram Khadi and Village Industries, boardwas set up in 1986. The different training cum production centres set up by the Board in thestate cover silk spinning and weaving, cotton spinning and weaving, soap making, oilextraction, carpentry, cane and bamboo works etc.

Mizo women typically use a handloom to make clothing and other handicrafts, such as a typeof bag called Pawnpui and blankets. Currently, the production of handlooms is also beingincreased, as the market has been widening within and outside Mizoram.

TourismWith its abundant scenic beauty and a pleasant climate, Mizoram scope to develop itstourist-related industries. Specific tourist projects can be developed to put Mizoram on the"tourist map" of India. With the development of Reiek resort centre and numbers of resortcentres in and around Aizawl and establishment of tourists’ huts across the entire state,tourism has been much developed. Mizoram has a number of places which are of historicalinterest and are associated with folklore, legends and stories which are passed on fromgeneration to generation.

The major tourist destinations in Mizoram including the state capital Aizawl, Tamdil,Vantawang, Champhai, Phawngpui, Saiha, Lunglei, Sibuta Lung, Phulpui Grave, Chhingpui,Pangzawal, Mangkahia Lung, Tualchang, Lungvandawt, Khawnglung Run, Thangliana Lung,Suangpuilawn and Thansiama Sena Neihna.

3.4.6. TransportThe State is well connected with rest of the country by air and road. Aizawl is connected toKolkata, Imphal and Guwahati. Nearest railhead is Silchar which is in Assam (184 km away)from Guwahati.

NH - 54 connects Aizawl with the rest of the country through Silchar. Buses and taxis areavailable from Silchar to Aizawl. Aizawl is also accessible by road from Shillong andGuwahati. Almost 50% of the total road network has bituminous surfaces. Excepting NH -54, which is under upgradation to double-lane standards, all Mizoram roads are single lane,having carriageway widths of mostly 3.00 metres.

Table 3.11 Mizoram: Composition of Road Network (Source: PWD, Mizoram)S. No. Category of Roads Length (Km) Percent of Total Length1. National Highways (NH) 885 12.942. State Highways (SH) 225 3.293. Major / Other District Roads (M/ODR) 3471 50.754. Village Roads 935 13.675. Roads within Towns and Villages 704 10.296. Other Purpose Link Roads 620 9.06

Total 6840 100.00



Formidable terrain had beenthe major obstacle in roadbuilding in Mizoram. Duringthe expeditions into the hills,the British took with them alarge number of work forcesmainly to clear the jungles,make earth cuts for the ladenanimals to proceed and forthe entire column to move tothe interior. Thus, bridlepaths fit for loaded poniescame into existence. Themain bridle paths connectedMizoram with Chittagong inthe west, Cachar plains in thenorth and the Chin Hills in Burma in the east. By 1935, the important bridle paths were:Demagiri (border of Chittagong Hill Tracts) - Lunglei (70 Km), Dwar band (cachar) - Aizawl(125 km), Aizawl - Falam (Burma) (165 Km) and Lunglei - Haka (Burma) (90 Km). InsideMizoram the bridle paths were: Sairang - Changsil (10 Km), Aizawl - North Vanlaiphai (128Km), Aizawl Lunglei (165 km), Aizawl Tipaimukh (115 Km) Lunglei Serkawar (108 km),Dokhma - Koladyne (50 km) Zawngling - Tongkolong (67 Km), Tuipang - Chakang (72 km)and Loch's trace road (83 km). These totalled 1,248 Km of bridle path in the Mizo Hills. Inaddition, some unmetalled roads fit for animal drawn carts also came up. These were Aizawl- Sairang (22 Km) and town roads in Aizawl (10 Km), Lunglei (4 Km), Sairang (3 Km) andDemagiri (2 Km) making a total of 41 Km. The bridle paths were mostly used formaintenance of supplies to the Assam Rifle Posts in the interior.

During the Second World War (1939-45) with the Japanese occupation of Burma, thestrategic importance of the Mizo hills came into focus. A 190 Km jeepable road wasconstructed connecting Silchar and Aizawl. In 1950, construction of the 205 Km Aizawl -Lunglei jeep road was completed.

After the Chinese invasion into Arunachal Pradesh in 1962, the Government accorded priorityto strategic road building in the border areas of the north - east. The Border Roads TaskForce (BRTF) was deployed in Mizoram in 1963 and they started up-gradation of the Aizawl -Lunglei road to good black topped standard fit for heavy vehicles and cars. They later tookup the Aizawl -Silchar road and other trunk roads in the state. The PWD was strengthenedto take up construction of subsidiary road. Under the employment generation scheme,about 700 Km of jeep able roads were constructed in the early 1970s connecting the remotevillages with the nearest BRTF/PWD road. These roads were of much use to the villagers asessential commodities like rice and other food articles could be sent to the interior by jeepsinstead of depending on costly and uncertain airdropping and head loads.

Even though numbers of roads have been constructed, the road position in the state is notup to the requirement. The road density in Mizoram is 22 Km per 100 Sq Km as against thenational average of 49 and average 39 in the other areas of the north - eastern region. By



the end of the seventh plan 623 villages got road connection. During the Eighth Plan thisnumber have been increased to 746.

There is a good scope for the development of inland water ways in Mizoram. Before partitionof India in 1947 there was an excellent waterway between Chittagong in Bangladesh andDemagiri in Mizoram through the Karnafuli River. With coming up of Kaptai dam on theKarnafuli in Bangladesh, a huge area around Demagiri has been submerged. This hascreated a good potential of inland water transport in the area. Another waterway in thesouth is the Kolodyne.

In the north, the most frequently used waterway was the Tlawng by which the British usedto move men and material from Silchar to Sairang, gateway to Aizawl. It was a journey ofabout seven days inward and three days outward.

There is a big scheme for development of water ways in Mizoram for having a dam on theTlawng at Bairabi which will provide navigation from Bairabi to Lunglei, a distance of about350 Km, in addition to a supply of 100 MW of hydel power. There is good possibility of inlandwater transport in the Tuichawng River near Chawngte and also on the Koladyne.

3.4.7 Resources

MineralThe present main mineral of Mizoram is a hard rock of teriary period formation. This ismainly utilised as building material and for road construction work. However, several reports(both from Geological Survey of India and State Geology and Mining Wing of IndustriesDepartment) revealed that the availability of minor mineral in different places.

Forest and Wild LifeMizoram has a vast area of forest covering as much as 18,338 sq.km which forms about 87per cent of the total Geographical area ofthe State. About 20 per cent of theGeographical area is under dense forestwhile 68 per cent are open forest. Thereserved/protected forests constitute about38 per cent of the geographical area.Mizoram has mainly three types of forest:Sub-Tropical forest, Semi-evergreen forestand Sub-montane tropical forest.

Type of forest found in Mizoram are mainlyTropical Wet Evergreen Forest, semievergreen forests, moist deciduous forestsand sub-mountain forests. Forest inMizoram support variety of Flora and Fauna.More than 400 medicinal plants and 22species of Bamboo have been reported to exist. The total Forest produce during 1999-2000was valued at Rs. 125.85 lakhs. The State Government is aware and active to the needs of



the conservation of wildlife. At present, the State Government has notified 8 protected areasfor preservation and management of wildlife.

The socio-economic life of the rural people depends on their local vegetation from wherethey derive all their material requirements – timber, food, fuel wood, medicinal plants etc.About 95 population of the interior population depends on herbal medicine and nearly 98percent of raw materials are harvested from the wild plant resources without replenishingthe growing stocks. The villages' herbal preparations include uprooting of the plants, whichis detrimental to both the plants themselves and the growing area. As a result of thispractice, many commonly used and effective medicinal plants have become rare andendangered species. Some are on the verge of extinction unless conservation measures aretaken up for revival.

The state has 8 national parks and Sanctuaries i.e. Dampa Tiger Reserve, Murlen NationalPark, Blue Mountain National Park, Ngenpui Wildlife Sanctuary, Khawnglung WildlifeSanctuary, Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary, Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary and Thorangtlang WildlifeSanctuary which includes different types of species Tiger, Elephant, Sambar, Barking deer,Hoolock gibbon, Humes bar- tailed pheasant, Serrow, Ghoral, Leopard, Himalayan blackbear, Tragopan, Barking deer, Sloth Bear and variety of birds.

3.5 UTTARAKHAND

3.5.1 Administrative Setup

Uttaranchal was formed on 9th Nov 2000 and was carved out of Uttar Pradesh with a totalarea of 53,566 km². Uttarakhand lies in the Northern part of India surrounded by Himalayasand dense forests. The state is bordering Himachal Pradesh in the north-west and UttarPradesh in the South and has international borders with Nepal and China. It extends from28°43' and 31°27' North latitude to 77°34' and 81°02' East longitude.

The State is divided into 13Districts viz. Almora, PauriGarhwal, Tehri Garhwal,Bageshwar, Chamoli,Haridwar, Champawat,Nainital, Dehradun, UdhamSingh Nagar, Uttarkashi,Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag.Dehradun is the interim-capital city.



Table 3.12 Uttarakhand: Administrative Divisions

3.5.2 Physiography and ClimateUttarakhand can be grouped into three distinct geographical regions: the High mountainregion, the Mid-mountain region and the Terai region. Uttarakhand lies on the south slope ofthe mighty Himalaya range, and the climate and vegetation vary greatly with elevation, fromglaciers at the highest elevations to tropical forests at the lower elevations. At 7,817 mabove sea level, Nanda Devi in the district of Chamoli is the highest point in the state. Thehighest elevations are covered by ice and bare rock. The Western Himalayan Alpine Shruband Meadows eco-region lies between 3000-3500 and 5000 meters elevation; tundra andalpine meadows cover the highest elevations, transitioning to Rhododendron-dominatedshrub lands below. The Western Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests lie just below the treeline; at 3000-2600 meters elevation they transition to the Western Himalayan broadleafforests, which lie in a belt from 2,600 to 1,500 meters elevation. Below 1500 meterselevation lies western end of the drier Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands belt, and theUpper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests. This belt is locally known as Bhabhar. Theselowland forests have mostly been cleared for agriculture, but a few pockets remain.

The temperature ranges between -2.70 C in Mukteswer during winter to 41.50 C inDehradun during summer. The average rainfall is 1,397 mm. The state has two distinctclimatic regions: the predominant hilly terrain and the small plain region. The climaticcondition of the plains is very similar to its counterpart in the Gangetic plain-that is, tropical.Summers are unbearable with temperature going over the 40°C mark and a lot of humidity.Winters can be chilly with temperatures going below 5°C at times.

The Himalayan region has Alpine conditions characterized by cold winters with snowfall forquite a long time, good rainfall in the monsoon, and

3.5.3 DemographyThe total population of Uttarakhand is 84.89 lakhs (Census of India, 2001) with a sex ratio of962 females per 1000 males. The work participation rate is quite low i.e. 36.9 percentindicating high dependent population in the state. Among the working population, cultivatorsand agriculture labourers comprise about 60 percent of the total working population.

Divisions 02Districts 13Tehsils 78Development Blocks 95Nyaya Panchayats 670Gram Panchayats 7227Census Villages (As per 01census)

16828

(i) Inhabited Village (includingforest settlements)

15761

(ii) Un-inhabited Village 1065

Town/ Urban Agglomeration(i) Municipal Corporation 01(ii) Nagar Palika Parishads 31(iii) Nagar Panchayats 31

(iv) Cantonment Boards 09(v) Census Towns 12(vi) Industrial Townships 02



Literacy rate in the state is 71.6 percent which is higher than the all India national averageof 65.38 percent.

Table 3.13 Uttarakhand: Demographic Indicators (According to Census of India, 2001)

Total Population 8,489,349Male Population 4,325,924Female Population 4,163,425Sex ratio (Females per Thousand Male) 962Total Urban Population 2,516,638Percentage of Rural Population 74.33%Total SC Population 1,517,186Total ST Population 256,129Percentage SC 17.9 %Percentage ST 3 %Work Participation Rate 36.9 %Percentage Main Worker 27.4 %Percentage Marginal Worker 9.6 %Percentage Non Worker 63.1 %Percentage Cultivators 50.1 %Percentage Agricultural Workers 8.3 %Percentage Household Industrial Workers 2.3 %Percentage Other workers 39.3 %Literacy Rate 71.6 %

3.5.4 Agriculture and Horticulture

The economy of Uttarakhand is predominantly agrarian. More than 50 percent of theworking population is directly engaged in agriculture. Agriculture in Uttarakhand is fraughtwith another peculiar characteristics. The topography of the area is steep, the rainfall is high(1200-1600 mm) and the soils range from sandy to sandy loam. As a result of these factors,percolation losses of rainwater from individual farmers' terraced fields are very high. The soildoes not hold water for long and in the absence of available soil moisture, agricultural cropswould not do too well. The important crops are wheat, rice, sugarcane, ragi and potato.

The very specific agro-climatic conditions of the region offer tremendous potential for thedevelopment of horticulture. The varied climatic and soil conditions are ideally suited forgrowing different sub-tropical and temperate fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. Sub-tropical fruits like mango, citrus, litchi, guava, jackfruit, etc. adapted to lower elevationsoccupy the largest area in the zone.

Among temperate fruits, apple is the main crop Apple can successfully be grown at mid andhigh elevations (1700- 2500m) that experience cold climate for at least 3-4 months duringwinter and are not prone to hail-storms and strong winds. The average productivity of appleis very low as compared to other states of North-West Himalayan region mainly due tocritical resource and technological gaps.

Other temperate fruits like peach, plum, apricot, pears and cherry are grown on a verylimited area though there is great potential for their commercial production. Apart from that,nuts and dry fruits are also grown in limited quantity.



The major production constraints for non-adoption of these crops on commercial basis aretheir perishable nature, lack of technical knowhow with the growers, poor transportation,storage and communication infrastructure, lack of proper marketing facilities and non-availability of suitable cheap packaging materials.

3.5.5 Industry

Mostly in the state there are traditional industries. They are as follows:Ø HandicraftsØ HandloomsØ Wool based industryØ Khadi and village industryØ Waxed based industry

In addition to the above there are certain sunrise industries too including:Ø BiotechnologyØ Agro based and food processing industryØ FloricultureØ Industry based on herbal and medical plants

There is also a potential to develop tea industry, forest based industry and informationtechnology and recreation and entertainment industry.

TourismThe state has recognized tourism as an industry and source of major financial resource.From the very beginning tourism is an important activity in these regions. Since timesimmemorial the Hindus have considered the land sacred. Legends and myths have it thatthis is the abode of the Gods with the holy river Ganges and numerous temples.

A travel to Uttarakhand would take one to the land of breathtaking snow-capped mountains,wooded valleys and magnificent glaciers, which is a source of many rivers of India. Largenumbers of people travel to Uttarakhand to learn a few lessons of Yoga and get a treatmentof Ayurveda. These ancient Indian medical sciences have phenomenal healing power formany modern day maladies. There are places for adventure tourism, eco-tourism andreligious tourism.

3.5.6 Transport

Although Uttarakhand is a veryyoung state in India, an extensiveroad network covers the state.The state has road connectionwith Delhi and state highways linkthe destinations and importantplaces like Nainital, CorbettNational Park, Haridwar,Rishikesh, Almora, to each other.Uttarakhand is served by five



National Highway: 73 NH, 58 NH, 74 NH and 87 NH. The detail road network in the state isgiven in the following table.

Table 3.14 Uttarakhand: Road NetworkItems Year/ Period Length in KmMotor Roads Maintained by PWD(i) National Highways 2004-2005 1328.30(ii) State Highways 2004-2005 437.12(iii) Major District Roads 2004-2005 1368.92(iv) Other District Roads 2004-2005 6909.61(v) Rural Roads 2004-2005 5630.15(vi) L. V. Roads 2004-2005 2632.98Motor Roads Maintained by BRTF(i) National Highways 2004-2005 875.93

(ii) State Highways 2004-2005 101.95

(iii) General Staff Road 2004-2005 231.95Roads Maintained by Local Bodies(i) District Panchayats 2004-2005 353(ii) Urban Local Bodies & Others 2004-2005 1649Roads Maintained by Other Departments(i) Irrigation 2004-2005 702(ii) Cane Development 2004-2005 704(iii) Forest 2004-2005 3358(iv) Others 2004-2005 500.47Source: http://gov.ua.nic.in

Rail network is also very convenient in Uttarakhand. The keys Railway Stations in the stateare Dehradun, Haridwar and Kathgodam. The state has its only airport in Jolly Grant, whichis close to the state capital Dehradun. Nearly all public and private airlines operate regularflights to Dehradun.

3.5.7 Resources

MineralUttarakhand state is not rich in mineral resources. Moreover, it is also part ecologicallysensitive area, extensive quarrying is not practiced in the state. However, there are somemineral sparsely distributed in the state. It includes limestone, Gypsum, Iron Ore, Graphiteand Copper.

Forest and Wild LifeUttarakhand is rich in forest resources. The total area under the forest is 34,651 sq. kmwhich 64.69 percent of the total area. Out of the total forest area, 70.19 percent of the landis under forest department. The total land under the forest department, 99.38 percent of isreserved forest. Apart from that, there are other forest area i.e. Civil and Soyam Forest,Panchayati Forest, Private/Municipal and other, etc.

The state has diverse forest types. Near the snow line occur the forests of creepingRhododendron and Birch (Bhojpatra). They are succeeded down by forests of Silver fir(Abies pindrow), Spruce (Picea smithiana), Deodar (Cedrus deodara), Chir pine (Pinusroxburghii) and Oaks (Quercus spp.). On the foot hills and in adjoining plains of Bhabhar andTarai occurs the most valuable Sal (Shorea robusta) forest. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo),being a pioneer species, is abundant, especially along river courses.



The major forest types based on altitude (Champion and Seth, 1968) consist of four broadvegetation zones, mainly on the basis of climate and altitude with some overlapping oftransitional features:

i. Tropical- sub Tropical Forest zone: This zone is dominated by deciduous- subdeciduous types. Sal is the most predominant species found up to an elevation of about1300 m. The other prominent species are Khair, Semal, Kanju, Sissoo and Haldu etc.ii. Sub Tropical- Temperate zone: The sub tropical to Temperate pine forests (with `chir'pine as the dominant coniferous tree) and sub-Tropical to Temperate shrubs dominate atelevations varying between 900 m and 2100 m.iii. Temperate- sub Alpine zone: This zone of natural vegetation extends generallybetween 1500 & 3300 m and contains mixed coniferous forests of fir, spruce and birch.iv. Alpine forests and shrubs: These are found generally up to 4200 m of altitude. Withincreasing altitude, a gradual transition from larger flora to smaller bushes and Alpinepastures can be observed, beyond which there is a total lack of vegetal cover.1

With the vast forest coverage in Uttarakhand, there is excellent potential for thedevelopment of forest resources based industry in the State, while taking due care tomaintain the ecological balance and compliance with laws relating to forest conservation andenvironmental protection. Some such industries could include paper and paper products,plywood/flush boards, furniture, wood carvings, sports goods, toys, educational aids (inparticulars pencils), matchsticks, katha, bamboo-based products, etc. Uttarakhand is astorehouse of a rich variety of species of herbs, medicinal and aromatic plants. This massivepotential has remained largely unexploited in the absence of a well planned and coordinatedstrategy for commercial cultivation and integrated arrangements for processing andmarketing.

Apart from the forest resource, the state has 6 national parks and wildlife sanctuary. Thecommon animals in the state are Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Musk Dear, Black Bear and SlothBear.

1 http://mountaintechnology.tripod.com/intro/ukforestagri.html

3.3.7 resources mineral forest and wild life i/chapter 3c _8.pdfadministration, mizoram was known as...

Documents