ROHTAS DISTRICT PROFILE

Rohtas district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar. Rohtas was established as an independent district in 1972 before which it

was a sub-division of Arrah district. Rohtas district is a part of Patna Division. Rohtas district is surrounded by the districts of Bhojpur and Buxar in the

north, Palamu and Garwah districts of Jharkhand in the south, Aurangabad and Jehanabad in the east and Kaimur in the west.

The important river flowing through the district is Sone.

INTRODUCTION

Legend connects Rohtas hill to Rohitashwa, the son of Raja Harishchandra who was famous for his piety and truthfulness.

Sasaram, the administrative headquarters of Rohtas district, is a place of historical importance. Local legend connects king Sahasrabahu with Sasaram, who was killed during a terrible fight with sage Parsuram. The name Sahasram is derived from the combination of Sahasrabahu and Parsuram.

The district of Rohtas formed a part of the Magadh empire from the 6th B.C. to 5th century A.D. The minor rock edict of emperor Ashok at Chandan Sahid near Sasaram confirm the Mauryan conquest of Rohtas. The Kannauj dynasty also ruled over the region.

In 1537 Humayun seized the fortresses of Chunar and Rohtasgarh from Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri but was ultimately defeated by him at Chausa.

The district is home to the Rohtasgarh fort, which was one of the strongest forts of the medieval age.

A parallel road cum rail bridge built over the Sone river is a symbol of national pride. The 3061 m. long road bridge called Jawahar Setu built by Gammon India in 1963–65 was the longest in Asia until it was surpassed by the Mahatma Gandhi Setu built over river Ganges at Patna. The railway bridge called Nehru Setu is the second longest railway bridge in India.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Sasaram is the administrative headquarters of Rohtas district. Rohtas district comprises of 3 sub-divisions namely Sasaram, Bikramganj and

Dehri and 19 blocks.

ADMINISTRATIVE

o Akorhigola o Bikramganj o Chenari o Dawath o Dehri o Dinara o Karakat

o Kargahar o Kochas o Nasriganj o Nauhatta o Nokha o Rajpur o Rohtas

o Sanjhauli o Sasaram o Sheosagar o Surajpura o Tilouthu

Rohtas district has an agricultural economy.

DEHRI on Sone is an industrial town of Rohtas district. Its coal depot brings traders from all over north India. There is also a hydropower generation unit.

Until 1980, Dalmianagar was one of the major industrial cities in India. Rohtas Industries which has now closed down, had sugar, vegetable oil, cement, paper, and chemical factories. The campus of Dalmianagar factory has been taken by railways for the establishment of railway factory there.

Rohtas has mineral resources such as lime stone, pyrites, sand and sandstone.

15% of the total geographical area of Rohtas district is under forest having trees such as karan, chandan, teak ,gamahar, khair, asan, tendu , mahua, sism, bahera, kathal and bamboo. There are micro & small enterprises relating to the manufacture of Katha, wooden furniture, Biri, bamboo- tokri/basket and leaf plates.

The district is suitable for setting up mineral and forest based small scale industries.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Total number of panchayats in Rohtas district: 244. Total number of villages in Rohtas district: 2088.

0

5000

10000

15000

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

9344 9750 10873 10920 12272

9832 10237 11311 11815

13404

Per Capita Gross State and District Domestic Product

Per Capita Gross District Domestic ProductPer Capita Gross State Domestic Product

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt. of Bihar

DEMOGRAPHIC

Population 2,962,593

Population density 770 per sq. km.

Population growth 20.22%

Sex ratio 914 per 1000 male

Literacy rate 76.59%

Languages spoken Bhojpuri and Hindi

GEOGRAPHIC

Coordinates Latitude: 24º 30' to 25º 20' North Longitude: 83º 14' to 83º 20' East

Temperature 45° C (Max.) 10° C (Min.)

Average rainfall 952 mm.

Area 3847.82 sq. km.

Altitude 107.78 meters

INDUSTRIAL

Registered industrial units 4582

Registered medium & large units

02

Total industrial units 10455

No. of industrial area Nil

Types of industries Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk & artificial thread based clothes, ready-made garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipments, repairing & servicing.

Source: MSME – DI Patna, official website of district

Agriculture is the main activity of Rohtas district and wheat, rice, maize, mustard, pulses, oil seed, pigeon-pea are the major crops grown here.

Cement is one of the major exportable items in the district.

The district has 3 major clusters namely blanket weaving, stone crushing and rice mill cluster.

INVESTMENT

INDUSTRIAL PROFILE

Major industries include metal, wood, repairing & servicing and agro

processing.

Potential areas for service industry: Auto garage, hotel & hospital,

government & private technical institute.

Potential for new MSMEs: Food processing industries.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Investment (Rs. In Lakhs)

Source: MSME – DI Patna

INDUSTRIES AT A GLANCE

Registered industrial units 4582

Total industrial units 10455

Registered medium & large units 2

Estimated avg. no. of daily workers employed in small scale industries

4

Employment in large and medium industries 250

No. of industrial area Nil

EXISTING MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES AND ARTISAN UNITS

Type of industry No. of Units

Investment (Rs. Lakh)

Agro based 2045 5200 Soda water 5 10 Cotton textile 51 102.5 Woolen , silk & artificial thread based clothes 15 45.05 Readymade garments and embroidery 180 18 Wood/wooden based products 231 12.95 Paper and paper products 23 12.25 Leather based 92 18.45 Rubber, plastic and petro based 35 45.15 Chemical & chemical based 5 1.29 Mineral based 145 1450 Metal based 307 307.05 Engineering units 127 127.65 Electrical machinery and transport equipment 5 4 Repairing and servicing 355 175 Others 961 562.29 Total 4582 8091.63

Source: MSME – DI Patna

INFRASTRUCTURE

The district has 3 major clusters namely blanket weaving, stone crushing and rice mill cluster.

Micro & small industries are facing electricity problem, finance problem & marketing problem.

Types of industries prevailing in Rohtas district are: Agro based, soda water, cotton textile, woolen, silk & artificial thread

based clothes, readymade garments & embroidery, wood/ wooden based furniture, paper & paper products, leather based, chemical/ chemical based, rubber, plastic & petro based, mineral based, metal based, engineering units, electrical machinery & transport equipments, repairing & servicing.

Total no. of hospitals and health centers: 297 Total no. of commercial banks and financial institutions: 134 Educational institutions:

No. of primary schools – 1220 No. of middle schools – 362 No. of secondary and senior secondary schools – 111 No. of colleges – 15

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY

Agriculture is the main activity of this district and wheat, rice, maize, mustard, pulses, oil seed, pigeon-pea are the major crops grown here.

Rohtas district is known as the rice bowl of Bihar and has a rice mill cluster of 40 units.

The district has a huge potential for setting up food processing industry.

Potential Micro & Small Enterprise

• Food processing

industries

Major Existing Clusters

• Blanket weaving

• Stone crushing

• Rice mill cluster

Potential Service Enterprises

•Auto garage

•Hotel & hospital

•Government & private

technical institute

LARGE SCALE INDUSTRY/ PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKING

M/S Kalyanpur Cements Ltd., Banjari, Rohtas

MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES

JBL – Dalda & Refined manufacturing , Dehri- on-Sone

Source: MSME – DI Patna

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE Ra

ilway

•Dehri-on-Sone and Sasaram are important railway junctions having connection with all major stations.

Road

•The district is well connected with roads. Grant Trunk Road passes through the heart of both of Dehri and Sasaram

Airp

ort •The nearest

airport is at Patna from where regular flights are available to all important towns and cities across the country.

EDUCATION

Rohtas District has several educational institutes. Some of them are listed below :

Gems English High school

DAV Public school

Alpsankhyak Balika Uch Vidayala

Rajendra Vidyalaya

Indian Public school

Primary school Kamaranganj

HOTELS:

Hotel Sher Shah, Hotel Gopal Deluxe, Hotel Jaya, Hotel Vijay.

Major tourist sites in Rohtas district:

Rohtas Garh: Situated 5 kms. west of Rohtas town, Rohtas Garh fort, one of the most interesting places in Bihar, is supposed to have been built by Harishchandra of the Solar dynasty and named after his son Rohitasva. Built on a steep limestone plateau surrounded by dense forests, it can be reached by 2000 steps made for climbing of elephants. Many streams cross the plateau making the soil productive, hence the inhabitants of the fort could hold out for months against a besieging enemy. Thus the fort could not be taken by force but only by deceit and cunningness. There is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva, locally known as the Chaurasan Mandir.

Tomb of Sher Shah Suri: The magnificent mausoleum of Emperor Sher Shah Suri at Sasaram is one of the noblest specimens of Pathan architecture in India. Hexagonal in shape and build of stone, this second highest tomb in India is situated in the middle of a tank.

Tomb of Hasan Khan Suri: The mausoleum of Hasan Khan Suri, the father of Emperor Sher Shah Suri is also located in Sasaram. It consists of an octagonal hall surmounted by a large dome.

The Ashok inscription at Chand-tan-pir on a hill near Sasaram is also of historical value.

In 1982 Rohtas district became home to Kaimur wildlife sanctuary which is spread over an area of 1,342 sq. km.

Udyog Mitra, Dept. of Industries Govt. of Bihar Ground Floor, Indira Bhawan, RCS Path, Patna, Bihar 800 001. Tel : +91 612 2532695 Fax : +91 612 2532695 Email: info@udyogmitrabihar.com

Industries Department 2nd Floor, Vikas Bhawan, Bailey Road, Patna, Bihar 800 015

www.udyogmitrabihar.com