Gondia Knowledge Guide
History
The region is named after the Gondi people, an Adivasi group in central India. It was at one point ruled by the Mughal Empire. During British rule in India, the Great Famine of 1876–78 provided an opportunity for the construction of a 150-kilometre-long (93 mi) metre-gauge rail link called the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway, connecting Nagpur with Rajnandgaon. Gondia railway station was created when this line began operation in December 1888. Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) was formed in 1887 to upgrade and extend this line, and in 1902 BNR was contracted to provide a railway line from Gondia to Jabalpur with branches from Nainpur to Mandla as well as Nainpur to Seoni and Chhindwara. With these links and the commerce they brought, Gondia grew and prospered.
Transportation
Road
The Mumbai–Nagpur–Kolkata Road is the only national highway passing through the district, covering a total distance of 99.37 km (62 mi). Gondia is situated about 170 Kms by road from Nagpur of Vidarbha region. The district has road links to adjoining districts Chandrapur, Bhandara, Nagpur. The city is well connected by roads. It takes around 4 hours journey from Nagpur by State Transport Bus to reach Gondia. Gondia has bus connectivity to Jabalpur, Nagpur, Raipur and Hyderabad.
Rail
Gondia Junction railway station is a junction in Maharashtra, with heavy passenger and goods traffic. It is an A-Grade station. It lies on the Howrah–Mumbai route. The station has seven platforms, each with potable water, tea stalls, benches and waiting sheds. There is also a fruit stall and a bookstall. The station is equipped with air-conditioned waiting rooms for passengers travelling by upper accommodation classes and a waiting hall for passengers travelling by lower accommodation classes. The Gondia–Jabalpur Junction (Madhya Pradesh) section of South East Central Railway runs north-south, along the valley of the Wainganga River. The line was formerly narrow gauge (762 mm [2 ft 6 in]) along its entire length, but the section between Gondia and Balaghat was converted to broad gauge in 2005–2006, connecting Balaghat to India's national broad-gauge network. Work is underway to convert the Balaghat–Jabalpur section to broad gauge as well. Railway milestones for Gondia include: 1888 – Gondia Railway Station was opened to the public. 1901 – Satpura Express began first class service. 1903 – The first portion of Gondia–Nainpur was opened. 1905 – Nainpur–Gondia line was extended to Jabalpur. 1908 – Gondia–Nagbhir–Nagpur line was opened for traffic. Mr. Manson was an agent of BNR at that time. 1990-91 – Paniajob–Gondia and Gondia–Bhandara Road sections were electrified. 1999 – Gauge-converted Gondia–Balharshah line opened. 2005 – Gauge-converted Gondia–Balaghat section opened.
Airport
Gondia Airport is situated near Kamtha Village, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Gondia. This airstrip was built by the British in 1940, during World War II. Initially run by the Public Works Department, it was taken over by the state-owned Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) from August 1998 to December 2005, after which it has been operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The airport's runway has been extended to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) to accommodate Airbus A-320, Boeing 737 and similar aircraft.