Basic infrastructure - ahead of the national average
Uttaranchal compares favourably with the all India aggregates in term of the spread of basic infrastructural facilities. A useful index of this is the access
of households to different infrastructure facilities. On these parameters, the state figures well ahead of the national averages.
While the per cent of households with electricity connection in 2001 was
at 60 per cent, those with source of drinking water within the household premises
were at 44.8 per cent. The spread of financial services in the state is also robust, as the state ranks fourth with respect to the proportion of households
availing banking services.
Source: Census 2001
Transport & Communication Network
The state has a good transport and communication network. The state has a total length of 536 km of national highways and 1138km of state highways running
through it. The length of metalled roads per lakh of population is higher than the all-India aggregate, though due to the nature of the terrain the length of
metalled roads per thousand sq. km. of area is relatively lower.
Source: Statistical Diary, Uttranchal, 2001-02
With a total of 2717 post offices and 196 telegraph offices during 2002-03, the state also has
strong postal and communication services network.
|
States/UTs |
As on 30.06.2004 |
|
Uttaranchal |
5.4 |
|
India |
7.49 |
|
Tele Density
– A Comparison As on
31.3.2002 |
|
|
Urban |
Rural |
Total |
|
Uttaranchal |
10.99 |
1.13 |
3.65 |
|
Jharkhand |
5.25 |
0.3 |
1.4 |
|
Chhatisgarh |
5.14 |
0.28 |
1.26 |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
14.09 |
0.55 |
2.72 |
|
India |
12.03 |
1.21 |
4.22 |
Source: IndiaStat
Financial Infrastructure
Uttaranchal is host to a number of banks and financial institutions. During 2002-03, the state had 646 nationalised bank branches and 173 regional rural bank
branches. The state also has significant presence of commercial, co-operative and cooperative agriculture and rural development bank. Credit to
deposit ratio stood at 24.8 per cent during the year.
Natural Resource Advantage
Covering an area of 53843 sq km, Uttaranchal has a very diverse topography ranging from plains in the south to snow covered peaks in North. About 65 per
cent of the geographical area of the state is covered under forests.
|
Outturn of Major Forest Produce in Uttaranchal (1996-97 to 1998-99) |
|
Name |
Unit |
Year |
|
Forest Produce |
1996-97 |
1997-98 |
1998-99 |
|
Timber |
Cu.M. |
122640 |
242266 |
314405 |
|
Firewood |
Cu.M.(Stacked) |
35042 |
49290 |
44295 |
|
Resin |
Qtl. |
72500 |
32968 |
57665 |
|
Bamboo |
Bundle |
10418 |
13346 |
184 |
Source: Indiastat
Rural Infrastructure
|
Distribution of villages as per availability of services (%) |
|
Unit |
< 1 km. |
1 to 5 km |
> 5 km |
Total |
|
Drinking water |
94.5 |
5.5 |
0.0 |
100.0 |
|
Co-educational Primary school |
60.8 |
35.6 |
3.6 |
100.0 |
|
Secondary school (Boys) |
13.6 |
63.6 |
22.8 |
100.0 |
|
Secondary school (Girls) |
2.8 |
37.4 |
59.8 |
100.0 |
|
Higher Secondary (Boys) |
7.0 |
61.4 |
31.6 |
100.0 |
|
Higher Secondary (Girls) |
0.5 |
26.9 |
72.6 |
100.0 |
|
Allopathic Clinic, Dispensary and PHC |
3.6 |
35.3 |
61.1 |
100.0 |
|
Metal roads in village |
40.1 |
35.2 |
24.7 |
100.0 |
|
Railway Station |
0.1 |
2.8 |
97.1 |
100.0 |
|
Bus Stop |
15.7 |
51.5 |
32.7 |
100.0 |
|
Post-Office |
15.6 |
59.0 |
25.4 |
100.0 |
|
Commercial Bank |
3.3 |
40.5 |
56.3 |
100.0 |
Source: Statistical Diary Uttaranchal 2001-02
Despite the topography of the state, basic infrastructural facilities like access to drinking water and primary school are available to most of the
villages at less than 1 km distance. Existence of secondary schools, health care centres and transport facilities are available to the village residents within a
5 km radius.
Industrial Infrastructure
Industrial Estates and ParksThe State is going to house Integrated
Industrial Estates (IIE) at BHEL, Haridwar and Pantnagar. IIE BHEL, Haridwar, will be an ISO 14000 compliant estate with world-class industrial
infrastructure, spread over 1500 acres of land in idyllic surrounding of
Haridwar. Around 315 entrepreneurs have proposed to establish industries in the
IIE with an investment of over USD 524 million and employment of around 18000
persons. The prominent among them are Hindustan Lever Ltd., Anchor Enterprises,
Mahindra & Mahindra, Jay Bharat Group, Atlas Cycles, Raja Biscuit, Polar
Fans, Vam Organics, Cello Houseware, Sharda Exports, Control Group etc. It will have
clearly defined product zones, leisure areas, common facility centres, residential, institutional and commercial area along with a good rail and road
network.
IIE Pantnagar- also an ISO 14,000 compliant estate with world class industrial infrastructure is to be spread over 3500 acres of land of which 2500
acres is proposed to be developed as an Special Economic Zone (SEZ). With world-class infrastructure, IIE Pantnagar is slated to be the best of its kind
in India.
Infrastructure: New Initiatives
For a nascent state like Uttaranchal, it is important to assess the new initiatives taken by the government to augment infrastructure facilities rather than focus entirely on existing infrastructure.
Power: Increased Private Sector Presence to tap the efficienciesThe state has significant hydro-potential (15,000 MW) of which only 1124 MW has been realised. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) signed an agreement
with the Uttraranchal government to develop two hydroelectric projects with an installed capacity of 1120 MW - the 600 MW Loharinag - Pala in the Uttarkashi
district and the 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad in the Chamoli district, which would generate 3,525 million units of power a year on
completion. The State would get
12 per cent of electricity produced from the projects free. The projects would be set up with a total investment of approx. USD1174 million. A detailed project
report is also being prepared by the NTPC on the Lata Tapovan hydel project with a capacity of 108 MW.
IT: Enhancing the presence of IT and ITES services in the StateThe State is coming up with a dedicated IT park in Dehradun, for which 40 acres of land has already been
acquired. The site offers adequate infrastructure
support with a six-inch diameter water supply line and drainage facility. The park is expected to host large number of ITES and software companies that will
further give a boost to the demand drivers of the state economy. Also, presence
of IT sector in the state is expected to be a major source of demand for
commercial real estate.
Special Economic Zones: Uttaranchal to host four of the forty-eight export zones in India A consortium comprising majors from Germany, Turkey and Holland including Adani Exports
and Vavasi Telegence have proposed to set up a SEZ at Pantnagar. The SEZ will focus on biotechnology, agriculture and food processing industries.
Tehri Dam Tourist AreaThe Tehri Hydro Development project is one of the highest multipurpose projects to be built across river
Ganges. The Tehri Dam Tourist Area can well
establish as a major hub of recreation and entertainment at National and International
level. The site offers immense tourism opportunities and boasts of
excellent infrastructure support. The tourist area has 24 hour uninterrupted power and water supply and is connected to all major cities.
Water ResourcesThe State Cabinet has decided to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the World Bank for a new drinking water scheme. Under the Swajaldhara
scheme, the World Bank would provide approx. USD 103 millions loan to the State Government to cover those areas, which are facing drinking water shortage.
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