Chapter 7: Lifelines of National Economy

(i) (b) Silchar & Porbandar. (ii) (c) Pipeline. (iii) (b) Maharashtra. (iv) (d) Vishakhapatnam. (v) (b) Railways. (vi) (b) International trade.

(i) Merits of roadways: lower construction cost than railways; can cross dissected/undulating terrain and steep gradients (even the Himalayas); economical for small loads over short distances; and they give door-to-door service (lower loading/unloading cost) and act as a feeder to other modes. (ii) Rail transport is most convenient in the northern plains — the vast level land, high population density and rich agriculture make track-laying easy and traffic heavy. (iii) Border roads (built by the Border Roads Organisation, 1960) improve accessibility in difficult, strategic northern/NE border areas and aid their economic development and defence. (iv) Trade is the exchange of goods among people, states and countries. Local trade is carried on within cities/towns/villages, whereas international trade is conducted between two countries (through sea, air or land) and is the economic barometer of a nation.

(i) They are ‘lifelines’ because goods, services and people must move from supply to demand areas for development; transport, communication and trade are complementary. They bind the country's economic life, integrate regions (railways), carry raw materials and finished goods, spread information (post, telecom, mass media) and connect India with the world — the pace of a country's development depends on them. (ii) Changing international trade: the volume and nature have changed — alongside traditional goods (gems & jewellery, chemicals, agricultural products), India now earns large foreign exchange as a software/IT giant; the exchange of information and knowledge-based services has overtaken the mere exchange of goods in importance, and tourism has grown as an invisible trade. Trade is increasingly seen as the economic barometer of the country.

(i) Crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas (and solids as slurry). (ii) Advantage: very low running cost and no trans-shipment losses/delays; Limitation: a high initial cost of laying, and it cannot be easily adjusted once laid. (iii) Because pipelines can carry oil/gas continuously over long distances cheaply to far inland locations that would otherwise be uneconomical to supply by road or rail.

(i) Physiographic, economic and administrative factors. (ii) Their vast level land, high population density and rich agricultural resources make track-laying easy and provide heavy passenger and freight traffic (though many rivers need bridges). (iii) The contiguous Sahyadri can be crossed only through gaps or passes (Ghats) — and the Konkan railway along the west coast was later built, though it faces track-sinking and landslides.

(i) To ease the volume of trade on Mumbai port after the loss of Karachi port to Pakistan at Partition. (ii) West coast: Marmagao (Goa); east coast: Paradwip (Odisha) or Vishakhapatnam. (iii) Kolkata (Shyama Prasad Mookerjee) is a riverine, tidal port on the Hooghly, so silt deposition requires constant dredging to keep it navigable (Haldia was built to relieve its pressure).

(a) Both true and R explains A. Because waterways are fuel-efficient and ideal for heavy, bulky cargo (R), they are the cheapest mode (A).

(d) A is false, R is true. Railways cannot be laid easily everywhere — the terrains in R make construction hard — so A is false while R gives the correct reason.

(a) Both true and R explains A. Because the level of international trade indicates economic prosperity (R), it serves as the country's economic barometer (A).

(1) Goods and services must move from supply areas to demand areas; without transport, production is useless, so the pace of development depends on efficient transport. (2) Railways have been a great integrating force, binding the economic life of the country and aiding industry and agriculture. (3) Transport works only with an equally developed communication system (post, telecom, mass media) that spreads information and awareness. (4) Trade — local to international — adds vitality to the economy and earns foreign exchange, and tourism supports culture and handicrafts. (5) They connect even remote/difficult regions (border roads, airways in the NE). Hence a dense, efficient network of transport and communication is a prerequisite for local, national and global trade — the lifelines of the economy.

Passengers to the remote hill town: roadways (and air where available) — roads can negotiate steep gradients and dissected terrain, give door-to-door service, and are economical for small numbers; air (UDAN/Pawanhans) suits very inaccessible hills. Bulky iron ore to the port: railways for the overland bulk haul (cheap for heavy goods over long distances) and then waterways/sea for export — the cheapest mode for heavy, bulky cargo (e.g. Marmagao/Paradwip handle iron ore). Oil from an inland field to a refinery: pipeline — it moves crude continuously at minimal running cost with no trans-shipment losses, which is exactly why inland refineries like Barauni and Mathura were feasible. Each mode is matched to the terrain, cargo type and distance.