Transport and Communication — Class 12 Geography

Transport carries goods from their site of production to consumers, while communication carries ideas, views and messages. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, carrying about 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent of freight traffic; roads are classified as National Highways (maintained by the centre and managed by the NHAI), State Highways, major district roads, rural roads and other roads such as border and international highways built by the Border Roads Organisation. Major projects include the Golden Quadrilateral linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the North-South and East-West Corridors, and Bharatmala Pariyojana. Indian Railways, introduced in 1853 between Bombay and Thane, is one of the longest networks, divided into 17 zones, with broad, metre and narrow gauges; the Konkan Railway is an engineering marvel. Water transport includes inland waterways (national waterways on the Ganga, Brahmaputra and the west-coast canal) and oceanic routes, through which about 95 per cent of foreign trade by volume moves. Air transport, begun in 1911 between Prayagraj and Naini, is the fastest mode, supported by the Airports Authority of India, the UDAN scheme and Pawan Hans helicopter services. Oil and gas pipelines, run by OIL and GAIL, efficiently carry liquids and gases. Communication networks range from personal systems like the internet to mass systems like radio (Akashwani), television (Doordarshan) and satellite systems INSAT and IRS.