Patratu

Patratu
Census Town
Patratu Show map of Jharkhand Patratu Show map of India Location in Jharkhand, India
Coordinates: 23°40′N 85°17′E / 23.67°N 85.28°E / 23.67; 85.28Coordinates: 23°40′N 85°17′E / 23.67°N 85.28°E / 23.67; 85.28
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
District	Ramgarh
Elevation	405 m (1,329 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	32,899
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Santali
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration	JH
Website	ramgarh.nic.in

Patratu is a census town in Patratu (community development block) of Ramgarh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

Geography

Patratu is located at 23°40′N 85°17′E / 23.67°N 85.28°E / 23.67; 85.28.^[1] It has an average elevation of 405 metres (1328 feet) Patratu Dam was constructed under the planning of the greatest Indian engineer and father of Indian engineering, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.^[2] This dam is only 40 km away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, from where it can be reached by road in less than an hour. It is directly connected to Ranchi, Patna, Jaipur Jamshedpur, Varanasi, Jammu, Jabalpur, Allahabad, Delhi and Kolkata by train.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[3] Patratu had a population of 32,132. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%.Patratu has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 61%. In Patratu, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.^[4]

As per 2011 Census of India Patratu had a population of 32,899. There were 17,305 males and 15,594 females. Scheduled Castes numbered 4,602 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 2,081.^[5]

Literacy

As of the 2011 census the total number of literate people in Patratu was 24,382, out of whom 13,902 were males and 10,479 were females.^[5]

Latest happenings

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on July 13, 2015 inaugurated the Patratu unit of Burnpur Cement.^[6]

Patratu Dam

The dam was made to store water of the Nalkari River; this is the main attraction of Patratu. One can see flying fish at sunrise by sitting at the edge of the dam. Very few people know there is a tunnel below the dam which connects two villages of Patratu, Labga and Hariharpur. Due to security reasons it has been closed.

Boating was started on 14 January 2010 on the dam. Four boats have been purchased.

The Patratu Dam, 30 km from Ramgarh and 35 km from Ranchi, supplies water to Ramgarh cantonment area as well as the main reservoir of Patratu Thermal Power Plant (PTPS). The dam has huge capacity and if given a facelift, would definitely attract tourists from different areas. The first step would be to woo tourists from the state, and once all the facilities were in place, to attract tourists from the rest of the country. The blueprint includes a restaurant on the island as well as a park and amusement corner for the visitors.^[7]

• 
  View of Nalkari River

Dam

On a cloudy day

Patratu valley

Flanked by hills covered with lush green trees, red and violet flowers and honey bees humming, the Pithouria-Patratu Valley is no less attractive than the valleys on the Gangtok-Nathula, Dehradun-Mussouri and Raxaul-Kathmandu roads in terms of natural elegance. Of course, the hills along the Pithouria-Patratu stretch are devoid of snow, unlike the ones on Gangtok-Nathula. But green saal, sakhuwa and bamboos with flowers, in a riot of colours, more than make up for the absence of snow. The jingle-jangle of waterfalls and rivulets rushing through the stones, soothed the ears, and eyes, even more than any maestro's music.

There were several groups carrying coal on their cycles and struggling to reach Ranchi to sell the goods. They had probably loaded their bicycles at Patratu Mines and were pedaling their way through the intricate turns and bends of the valley. During recent changes, these coal pulling bicycles has gotten the support of local motor bikers on a profit sharing basis.^[8]

• 
  General view of Patratu Valley

Patratu Thermal Power Station

The attraction of this city is its natural habitat and scenic beauty. The city is developed as a residential area for employees of the Patratu Thermal Power Station. This thermal power station was made by Russian collaboration in 1962. It has two chimneys made by a Russian firm, which are called the Russian side. The other two chimneys are made by an Indian firm, so it is called the Indian side. The plant has a power generation capacity of 840MW.^[9]

NTPC's plan to take control of Jharkhand State Electricity Board's Patratu thermal power station near Ranchi, hanging for a long time, is believed to have made some headway as the decision in this regard is likely to be firmed up shortly. Under the new arrangement being planned for the revival of the ailing plant, a 75:25 joint venture with NTPC holding the majority stake might be formed. NTPC had earlier mooted the proposal for a total takeover of the state's oldest 840 MW thermal power station operating at 10-15 percent capacity. However, the PTPS workers resisted it. When contacted, an NTPC official confirmed that the company was "in discussion" with the Jharkhand Government exploring the possibility of taking over the management control of Patratu power station. "Various options are under discussion. However, a decision in this regard is still awaited," the official said. Comments were not available from the power department of Jharkhand.

It may be noted that NTPC has been considering taking over the ailing PTPS for nearly three years. However, only in mid-2009 did it conduct the due diligence. According to the JSEB (Jharkhand State Electricity Board) website, Patratu has six Russian units which are 36 to 42 years old and four BHEL manufactured units which are 26–31 years old.^[10]

S. S High School Patratu

S.S High School was established on 1 January 1963. It is 10+2 school with a large area and a big playground.

• 
  S.S High School 2

Jindal steel and power plant Patratu

JSPL plant, Patratu

Carrying on with its plans of expansion, JSPL plans to invest US $6.00 billion (Rs. 30,000 crore) in the state of Jharkhand in establishing a steel plant of capacity 11 MTPA and a captive power plant with a production capacity of 2600 MW, in phases.

The company is setting up a 6.0 million TPA steel plant and 1609 MW captive power plant (CPP) at Patratu. It plans to set up a 5.0 MTPA steel plant and a 1000 MW CPP at Asanboni.

At Patratu JSPL has taken over the assets of the closed Bihar Alloys & Steel Limited, which is about 40 km from Ranchi. Using the available land and adding some more, the company is setting up new steel and power plants. This endeavour would provide gainful employment to a large number of people and aid in the economic and infrastructure development of the area.

Social endeavours at Patratu

• Adopted seven villages such as Balkudra, Kurse, Dewaria, Gegda, Rasda, Labga, and Jainagar.
• Many projects have been undertaken in adjoining villages for up gradation of basic services such as sanitation, healthcare, education, plantation of trees, and building of roads.
• OP Jindal Institute of Technology and Skills established to train local youths under Modular Employment Schemes (welder, electrician and MMV).
• Renovated several schools and distributed books and furniture. JSPL runs evening coaching centers and adult education classes.
• Set up regular health check-up camps in villages by specialist doctors and a specialized camp for cataract eye operation.
• Participated in government schemes such as Pulse Polio Vaccination Campaign, AIDS awareness and diarrhea control campaigns.
• Mega camps for livestock vaccination, de-worming and dehorning and distribution of medicines and vitamins.

^[11]

See also

Ramgarh district

References