Chapter 10: Transport and Communication

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (3 MARKS EACH)
1. Which activity does transportation convey? Name three major modes of transportation.
Ans: Transport activity conveys tertiary activity. Land, water and air are three major modes of transportation.
2. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of pipeline transportation.
Ans: Advantages of Pipelines:
a) They are ideally suited to transport the liquids and gases.
b) Pipelines can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under water.
c) It involves very low energy consumption.
d) It needs very little maintenance.
Disadvantages of Pipelines:
a) It is not flexible.
b) Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
c) It is difficult to make security arrangements for pipelines.
d) Underground pipelines cannot be easily repaired and detection of leakage is also difficult.
3. What do you mean by communication?
Ans: Communication network is used to send messages from one place to another. Means of communication can be put into two broad classes:
a) The personal communication network and
b) The mass communication network.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (5 MARKS EACH)
1. What are the factors affecting Inland Waterways?
Ans: a) The rivers and canals should have regular flow of sufficient water.
b) The presence of waterfalls, cataracts and sharp bends in the course of river hinder the development of waterways.
c) Silting the river bed reduces the depth of water and creates problems for navigation. Desilting of river beds is a costly affair.
d) Diversion of water for irrigation purposes reduces the quantity of water and should be done carefully.
e) There should be sufficient demand for waterways to make it economically viable mode of transportation.
2. Give a detailed account of the development of railways in India and highlight their importance.
Ans: Rail Transport. Indian railway system is the main artery of the country’s inland transport. Indian railways virtually from the lifeline of the country, catering to its needs for large-scale movement of traffic, both freight and passenger, thereby contributing to economic growth and also promoting national integration. The first rail in India was started in 1853 between Mumbai and Thane over a distance of 34 km. But the real progress started after 18587 only. The total route-length of Indian railways as on 31st March, 2006 was 63,332 km on which 13 thousand tarins ran covering 7133 stations. Indian railways transport about 45849 lakh passengers and 4782 lakh tonnes of goods and travel over a distance of 14 lakh km every day. At present, Indian railway network is the largest in Asia
and fourth largest in the world.
3. Describe the role of roads in the economic development of India.
Ans: Road Transport. India has one of the largest road networks. The total length of roads increased from 4 lakh km in 1950-51 to 33.1 lakh km in 2007-08. Roads play a vital role in the economic development of India due to their following advantages:
a) Roads play a very important role in the transportation of goods and passengers for short and medium distances.
b) Easy to maintain and construct the roads.
c) It provides the door-to door facility
d) Feeder services to railway and ports.
e) The road transport is more flexible in comparison to Rail transport.
f) Best suited meals of transportation for perishable goods.
4. Advantages and disadvantages of pipelines.
Ans: Advantages of Pipeline: Pipelines have the following advantages over other means of transport:
a) They are ideally suited to transport the liquids and gases.
b) Pipelines can be laid through difficult terrains as well as under water.
c) It involves very low energy consumption.
d) It needs very little maintenance.
e) Pipelines arc safe, accident-free and environmental friendly.
Disadvantages of Pipelines:
Following are the main disadvantages of pipeline transport:
a) It is not flexible, i.e., it can be used only for a few fixed points.
b) Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
c) It is difficult to make security arrangements for pipelines.
d) Underground pipelines cannot be easily repaired and detection of leakage is also difficult.

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
(i) Which activity does transportation convey? Name three major modes of transportation.
Ans. Transport is included in tertiary activities. Under this, people and goods are taken from one place to another. There are three types of transport:
1. Land transport—Roads, railways, ropeways and pipelines.
2. Water transport—Inland waterways, sea routes and ocean routes.
3. Air transport—National and International.
(ii) Discuss advantages and disadvantages of pipeline transportation.
Ans. Advantages of pipelines:
Pipelines are used to transport liquids and gases such as water, mineral oil and natural gas for uninterrupted flow. Pipelines can be laid through difficult terrains as well as underwater. It involves very low energy consumption. It needs very little maintenance. Pipelines are safe and environmental friendly.
Disadvantages of Pipelines:
It is not flexible ,i.e.,it can be used only for a few points. Initial construction cost is very high.
Its capacity cannot be increased once it is laid.
(iii) What do you mean by ‘communication’?
Ans. It means conveyance of information from the place of origin to the place of destination. Human beings have evolved different methods of communication over time. Invention of post- office, telegraph, printing press, telephone, satellite, etc. has made the communication much faster and easier. Development in the field of science and technology has significantly contributed in bringing about revolution in the field of communication. On the basis of scale and quality, the mode of communication can be divided into following categories:
1. Personal Communication System
2. Mass Communication System
(iv) Discuss the contribution of Air India and Indian in the air transport of India.
Ans. Air India provides International Air Services for both passengers and cargo traffic. It connects all the continents of the world through its services. In 2005, it carried 12.2 million passengers and 4.8 Iakh metric tonnes of cargo. About 52 per cent of the total air traffic was handled only at Mumbai and Delhi airports. Indian airlines were incorporated in 1953. Now Indian Airlines is known as ‘Indian’. The country’s largest state-owned domestic carrier, Indian Airlines dropped the word ‘Airlines’ from its name and is known as ‘Indian’ with effect from December 8, 2005.
3. Answer the following questions in about 150 words.
(i) Which are the chief means of transportation in India? Discuss the factors affecting their development.
Ans. The various means of transport available in India are:

Road Transport: In our country, we have a good and large network of roads. Roads can be built even in places where other means of transport are not possible. We have kutcha roads and pucca roads in our country. In villages, most of the roads are kutcha roads. The farmers mostly use bullock-carts to carry the goods to towns and cities. Some farmers have tractors; they attach a trolley with the tractor to carry goods. Some villages are connected with pucca roads. The pucca roads provide the means for fast and comfortable travel. The roads in our country connect the towns and cities, even in remote areas like mountains and desert.
Rail Transport: Railways are an important means of land transport. The Indian Railway System is today the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world. The Indian railways carry crores of passengers and heavy and bulky goods from one part of country to another. All the important towns and cities are connected by the railways.Railways provide a cheap and fast means of transport.
Water Transport: Ships and boats are means of water transport. Ships sail in the oceans and seas, carrying all types of goods from one part of the world to another. India has many ports along its long coastline. Steamers and boats sail along big rivers carrying passengers and goods from town to town, along their banks in India. Big rivers like the Ganga and Brahmaputra are used extensively as an inland means of transport
Air Transport: Aeroplanes are the fastest means of transport. All our major cities are connected to one another and to almost every part of the world through air transport. Air transport has made not only our country but also the entire world very small. Food, medicine, etc., can reach those places where rail and road transport cannot reach. Helicopters and aeroplanes are pressed into service in times of floods, other natural calamities or accidents
Factors influencing the Development of Transport:
The development of transport in any region is influenced by the following factors:
(i) The Historical Factor: This involves the location and patterns of systems, technological development, institutional development and settlement, and land-use patterns.
(ii) The Technological Factor: The technological characteristics of each major transport mode are considered together with a discussion of the effects of technological advances.
(iii) The Physical Factor: This includes physiographic controls upon route selection, and geological and climatic influences.
(iv) The Economic Factor: The structure and nature of transport costs are examined, together with service quality and methods of pricing and charging.
(v) Political and Social Factors: These include political motives for transport facilities; government involvement in capital, monopolies competition, safety, working conditions and coordination between modes, transport as an employer and social consequences of transport
developments.