Gomoh
| Gomoh | |
|---|---|
| Census Town | |
  Gomoh Location in Jharkhand, India  Gomoh Gomoh (India) | |
| Coordinates: 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°ECoordinates: 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°E | |
| Country |
 |
| State | Jharkhand |
| District | Dhanbad |
| CD block | Topchanchi |
| Elevation | 245 m (804 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 31,495 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, Urdu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 828401 |
| Telephone code | 0326 |
| Vehicle registration | JH-10 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Giridih |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Tundi |
Gomoh is a census town in Topchanchi CD Block in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It has a major railway junction (renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Gomoh railway station on 23 January 2009) situated on the Grand Chord Line under Dhanbad division of the East Central Railway. Gomoh is the meeting point for trains coming from Howrah (Eastern Railway), Ranchi/Bokaro (South Eastern Railway) and Puri/Bhubaneswar (East CoastRailway).
History
Gomoh is also known for its historical importance. From here, on his great escape, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose caught Howrah-Kalka Mail (then known as 63UP Howrah-Peshawar Express) on 18 January 1941. There is a statue of Netaji right between the platform no. 1 & 2 at Gomoh railway station which reminds people of his historic halt. Every year on 23 January, the railway employees and the people of this town organize a small cultural program to celebrate Netaji's birthday.
People of this town organize a week-long fair in Railway Football Ground starting from 11 March every year in remembrance of the assassinated 'Labour Leader' Sadanand Jha. There are two big playgrounds in Gomoh.
Geography
Gomoh is located at 23°52′N 86°10′E / 23.87°N 86.17°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 245 metres (803 feet). Gomoh is surprisingly a dust free area (unlike very polluted surroundings owing to numerous coal mines)with lots of small hills surrounding it. Pleasant weather conditions, Patients who are suffering from a long illness will feel better here. It is full of greenery and natural beauty.
Demographics
As per 2011 Census of India Gomoh had a population of 31,495, of which 16,443 males and 15,052 females. Scheduled Castes numbered 3,998 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 943.[2]
As of 2001 India census,[3] Gomoh had a population of 28,576. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gomoh has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 60%. In Gomoh, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Literacy
As per 2011 census, the total number of literates in Gomoh was 23,233 out of which 13,034 were males and 10,199 were females.[2]
Social structure
Gomoh consists of people from diverse religious and professional backgrounds. The major role in development of Gomoh was of Netaji. For the peoples living in Gomoh there are many problems like lack of education,worst electricity supply and many more. Religious diversity is the hallmark of Gomoh. A number of Anglo-Indians can be found here since the British era as a result of which Christians are here from a long time. The Sikh community settled here before Independence as businessmen. A gurudwara at Loco Bazar is visited by many Sikhs from surrounding areas every day. Bengalis form a large part of the population and have contributed largely to the culture of this place. However, their population has been dwindling for the last few decades. On Durga Puja one can get a glimpse of Kolkata in Gomoh, especially at Durga Para, which is home to the oldest Durge Puja in the area. Muslims also contribute substantially to the population and culture of this region. There is also a masjid and a madarsa at Purana Bazar and a Jama Masjid at Loco Bazar. Id-Gah and graveyard of Muslims is in Laludih area.
A majority of the people are railway employees (different grades) since Gomoh is a railway-based town. These people do not belong to the city but got transferred from different parts of the country. After retirement, a good number of these employees choose to settle down in Gomoh giving rise to the population of the city. There is a strong business class also in Gomoh. Businesses ranging from food grain wholesaling to clothes & apparel to building material (cement, bricks, iron rods etc.) to confectionery & bakery products etc. can be found. Though Marwaris are dominating the business scenario, one can find the representation of all the religious groups. Some people are also engaged in agriculture, growing certain cereals and vegetables.
Main festivals celebrated include Durga Puja (Dussehra), Dipawali, Holi, Chatth Puja, Id, Gurunanak Birthday, Christmas, etc.
Education
As Gomoh is a small town, only a few educational institutes up to the Secondary level exist. Notable among them is the St. Mary's Day School, a prominent institute up to Standard X started by the late William Spencer Easton (popularly known as William Sir). This school alone has produced many talented and notable people from the Gomoh area. There are some more CBSE schools up to Standard X such as Blossom Public School and Guru Nanak Public School. There are other high schools which are affiliated to Jharkhand Academic Council(JAC) i.e. Azaad Hind High School, Bishop Rockey High School & St. John de Brito High School. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Gomoh K.V. Gomoh is a school managed by the Railways.
One more thing which is particularly noticeable is that this small town has a school separately devoted to girls known as Girls High School. May be this is why girl literacy is greater here than many prominent cities of Jharkhand & also national girl literacy rate.
Pandit Nehru Memorial (PNM) College caters to graduation level studies. However, these facilities are not sufficient since students have started taking up various specialized courses in diversified fields. For all such advanced courses students from this area either depend on Bokaro Steel City (33 km) or Dhanbad (20 km) or go to any metro city. A lot of students have shown their thread of talent in Olympics, National-level sports, quiz & talent shows. Many youngsters from this place have even participated in various events abroad. For junior kids, a good school exists at Jeetpur, Nurture kindergarten Play School.
Healthcare
Healthcare facilities are also grossly inadequate. Even to this date Gomoh lacks a good doctor as well as a nursing home. Though there are some government and private nursing homes, they fail to provide even the most basic treatment. The medical units operating in the area are:
- PHC Gomoh at Jitpur
- Railway Hospital (set up by railways for its employees, they also cater to non-railway patients unofficially)
- A few other privately run small clinics
References
- ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Gomoh
- 1 2 "2011 Census C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". Jharkhand – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.