Kansbahal
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Kansbahal is a modern industrial town situated in the much endowed but still relatively under developed state of Orissa, India. It lies on the National Highway #23 between the cities of Rourkela and Rajgangpur, about 25 km from Rourkela; and on the main railway route between Howrah (Calcutta/Kolkata) and Mumbai (Bombay).
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[edit] History
It remained a rather unknown tribal village in the Sundargarh district of Orissa until its emergence into prominence with the establishment of "Utmal Machinery", a heavy engineering unit serving the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of the Steel Authority of India Limited [1]. Utmal Machinery soon took the form of Larsen and Toubro's Heavy Engineering Works.[2]
[edit] Amenities
L&T established Kansbahal as a modern township - a planned mini city for its employees. Resources were poured into developing the unknown place into an ideal city. The projects included housing for over 1000 employees and their families, schools, medical facilities, transportation, road network and recreational facilities.[3], like the bigger RSP, attracted rich talent from all over the country. This helped Kansbahal become a culturally rich and diversified township.
While L&T Kansbahal Works has had its ups and downs due to changes in the structure of L&T Ltd, the economy of the region and that of the country, the place itself has rapidly developed into a modern mini-city, comparable in many ways to those in developed nations. Many smaller communities have developed around and outside Kansbahal because of the growing importance of Kansbahal. The schools here, largely aided by L&T, have played a very important role in developing the region as a whole. Montfort School Complex is the local high school. It prides in having regular classes up to the 10+2 level in 3 separate languages - English, Hindi and Oriya - a unique feature not found anywhere else in the region. The generations that have studied at Montfort School Complex are now placed at important places in India as well as abroad.
The factory premises of L&T divide the township into two major sections - the North Colony and the South Colony. Other smaller sections are New Colony, L.I.C Colony, Central Colony, Security Colony, Teachers Colony, Gwalapada and Mehtab Road, Bilaigarh. All schools are located in the South Colony. Montfort School and Utmal School have two football grounds each. All major sports events are held in one or more of these grounds. The railway station is located in the southern most end of the city while the NH 23 passes through the Mehtab Road area on the northern most end.
Residents actively participate in different cultural and recreational activities at the many clubs of Kansbhal. They include the North Colony Club, South Colony Club, Utkal Jyoti, Kansbahal Kala Kendra and the Mahila Samiti.
[edit] Visitors to Kansbahal
While Kansbahal itself is a very scenic place, like other places in this region of Orissa, there are hardly any transportation and accommodation facilities for visitors in the township. Visitors often come to Kansbahal to see the Kansbahal Dam, or on the way to the bigger Mandira Dam. The schools here host and participate in various regional and national level competitions. The city is surrounded by rice plantations primarily belonging to the tribes of the region. Monsoon (the rainy season) to late winter is busy with agricultural activities in the surrounding areas, when the place starts looking more like a village than a city. Charming tribal dances and melodious music can be witnessed till late in the nights outside the main township.
Places most frequently visited in and around Kansbahal are:
- Mandira Dam
- Jagannath Temple
- Gurudwara
- Ghoghar Baba Temple
- Kansbahal Dam
- Water Point picnic spot
- Bhilaigadh Market
L&T Kansbahal Works also imparts technical tours and summer training to students undergoing higher technical studies.
[edit] IIPM
Indian Institute for Production Management (IIPM), formerly Indian Institute of Foreman Training (IIFT), is another internationally recognized institute located in Kansbahal. It serves to train professionals from India and abroad in advanced industrial fields. IIPM, then IIFT, was set-up by ICICI Limited in 1983 with the active support from L&T Ltd and the Government of Orissa.[4]
[edit] Schools
Utmal English Primary School, Montfort School Complex, Panchayat School
[edit] Places of Worship
Jagannath Temple near the Kansbahal Railway Station, Ganesh Temple in Central Colony, Gurudwara on Station Road (South Colony), Hanuman Temple in Central Colony, Church near Montfort School in South Colony, Trinath Mandir in South Colony, Masjid at Bhilaigarh.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
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