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Ichalkaranji | |
|---|---|
City | |
 DKTE Society's Textile and Engineering Institute in Ichalkaranji | |
| Nickname: The Textile HubManchester of Maharashtra | |
 Interactive map of Ichalkaranji | |
  Ichalkaranji Ichalkaranji (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:16°42′N74°28′E / 16.7°N 74.47°E /16.7; 74.47 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Kolhapur |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation |
| Area | |
• Total | 49.84 km2 (19.24 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 539 m (1,768 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 287,570 |
| • Rank | 151 |
| • Density | 5,770/km2 (14,940/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Marathi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 416115/16/17 |
| Telephone code | 0230 |
| Vehicle registration | MH-09, MH-51 |
| Website | Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Hatkanangale |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Ichalkaranji |
| Civic agency | Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation |
Ichalkaranji (pronunciationⓘ[it͡səlkəɾəɳd͡ʒiː]) is acity located in theKolhapur district ofMaharashtra,India. It is situated on thePanchganga River.
The history of Ichalkaranji is described inThe Story of Ichalkaranji (1929) by English historian Horace George Franks. He notes that the city experienced frequent political unrest and women of the rulingHouse of Ichalkaranji actively participated in state affairs with influence comparable to men. A prominent example is Anubai, wife of Venkat Rao.[1]
In 1892, ShrimantNarayan Rao Babasaheb became the eighth ruler of the House of Ichalkaranji. As a ruler, he is known for implementing modernizing reforms across all governed areas.[2] Narayan Rao was well educated, with particular attention given to subjects that would help him navigate the complexities of administration. He also travelled extensively throughout theIndian Subcontinent andSoutheast Asia, visitingJava, theMalay Peninsula,Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), andBurma. He also made 3 journeys toEngland and mainlandEurope.
Narayan Rao Babasaheb was widely regarded as a patron of culture and an enlightened leader.[3] Narayan Rao actively encouraged the study of art andIndian classical music, as well as providing financial support for art exhibitions inPune andMumbai. His interest in nurturing artistic talent would also lead to his endowment of scholarships at several art colleges inMaharashtra and students pursuing professional studies abroad.[4]
During the reign of Narayan Rao, Ichalkaranji grew into a thrivingindustrial town.[5] Narayan Rao's economic reforms fostered the growth of a largetextile industry, noted for its decentralized and cooperative organization. Throughout his reign, Narayan Rao providedsubsidies and free land to weavers and other promising businessmen. In 1904, Narayan Rao encouraged Vitthalrao Datar, a youngentrepreneur from Ichalkaranji, to install apower loom. One of Narayan Rao's European journeys took him toDenmark, where he observed the country's thrivingcooperative business sector and was impressed with its success. Upon his return to India, he sought to implement the principles of Europeancooperative ownership in order to modernize theeconomy of his realm.
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Ichalkaranji is located at16°42′N74°28′E / 16.7°N 74.47°E /16.7; 74.47.[6] It has an average elevation of 538 metres (1,765 ft).
Ichalkaranji and other cities in the region receive substantial rainfall in the summer months. This is attributed to theWestern Ghats, which separates theDeccan Plateau from the Western coast of India.[7]
Ichalkaranji (Hatkanangale T.; 16° 40' N; 74° 25' E; p.27,423; 8.7 square miles), lies in the Panchganga Valley about eighteen miles (29 km) east ofKolhapur and half a mile north of the river. It is six miles (9.7 km) southeast ofHatkanangale railway station. The town consists of sevenhamlets.
| City Summary | Numbers |
|---|---|
| City Area | 29.84km2 |
| Total Length of roads in City | 421.78 K.M. |
| Number of IMC Gardens | 5 |
| Number of IMC Cultural Centers | 7 |
| Air-conditioned Drama Theatre | 2 |
| Number of IMC Vegetable Markets | 3 |
| Post Offices | 5 |
| Telephone Exchange | 4 |
| Police station | 3 |
| Electrical Sub Station | 5 |
| Total Hospitals in IMC area | 197 |
| Blood Banks | 3 |
| Number of IMC Swmming Pool | 2 |
| Sports Stadium | 2 |
| Wrestling ground with Stadium | 1 |
| IMC Yoga and Gymnasium Center | 1 |
| Number of IMC Bio-Medical West Centers | 3 |
| Number of IMC Slaughter House | 1 |
| Number of IMC Water storage reservoirs | 9 |
| Number of IMC water treatment plant | 2 |
| Total Number of IMC Buildings | 75 |
| Cinema Hall | 16 |
| Marriage Hall | 35 |
| Total numbers of Spinning Mills | 11 |
| Total number of Yarn Sizing Units | 150 |
| Number of High-Schools | 57 |
| International Schools | 3 |
| Number of Colleges | 13 |
| Engineering College | 3 |
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The civil administration of the city is managed by the Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation.[8] The municipality oversees engineering works, health, sanitation, water supply, administration, and taxation in the city. The corporation is led by a Municipal President who is assisted by a Municipal Chief Officer and members of the council. The city is divided into 65 wards, with each council member (also known as councilor) serving terms of five years. The citizens directly elect the Municipal President. The Municipal Chief Officer presides over the Municipal Council. Its activities include developing new layouts and roads, town planning, and land acquisition. The city'spower grid is managed by theMaharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MAHADISCOM).
The citizens of Ichalkaranji elect one representative to theMaharashtra Vidhan Sabha (state council) to represent the constituency of Ichalkaranji. Regional representatives (MLA) to the state council themselves play a role in the civil administration. On July 18, 2010 representativeSuresh Ganpati Halvankar installed 21 letterboxes in the city in response to numerous complaints and suggestions from the public. In November 2019, the citizens of Ichalkaranji elected Prakash Awade as their MLA. Ichalkaranji city, being a part of the largerHatkanangale Lok Sabha constituency, also elects one member (MP) to theLok Sabha, the lower house of theIndian Parliament. From 2009 to 2019,Raju Shetti served as MP. Following theGeneral Election of 2019,Dhairyasheel Sambhaji Rao Mane from thepartyShiv Sena has served as MP.
Politics in the city are dominated by three political parties: theIndian National Congress (INC), theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and theNationalist Congress Party (NCP). The city is on the brink of a public health and environmental emergency.[9][obsolete source]
As per provisionalCensus reports, the population of Ichalkaranji in 2011 was 287,570; 149,691 male residents and 137,879 female residents respectively. Ichalkaranji has an averageLiteracy Rate of 85.98%,[10] higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 91%, while female literacy is 66%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. According to the 2011 census estimate, Ichalkaranji is the151st most populous city in India.
The city's population as shown above excludes newly developed industrial and residential areas, villages that have been annexed by Ichalkaranji (known as part of the city) but have gram panchayat such asKabnur, Yadrao, andKorochi etc. VillageShahapur, Ichalkaranji was included in Ichalkaranji Municipal Council in 1985. With these areas included, the population is 325,709 of which 169,870 are males and 155,839 are females.[11]Marathi is the official and most spoken language, butKannada is also spoken natively owing to history of the region. Other spoken languages areHindi,Bhojpuri,English andUrdu.
Considering the₹ 150 billion sales of textile products and nominal 20% net profit and 257,572 Population of the city,per capita income of Ichalkaranji is ₹ 416,472.[original research?][citation needed] Ichalkaranji also ranks among cities with high ownership rates of consumer products such as home appliances andfast-moving consumer goods.[12]
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Approximately 40% of newautomobile sales inKolhapur district is from IchalkaranjiCatchment area.Maruti Suzuki,Tata Motors,Hero,Bajaj,Honda andTVS Motor have authorized sales and services centres in Ichalkaranji.Suzuki andYamaha also have their service centers in Ichalkaranji.
Ichalkaranji is one of the fastest-growing industrial areas inMaharashtra and has even been termed the "Manchester of Maharashtra". Having mixed communities from all parts of India this is a cosmopolitan town by true means. The city's economy is driven predominantly by thetextile industry. Engineering is the second largest industry in the city. There is much progressive agriculture in the area surrounding the city. There are at least 14 banking companies in the city with almost all banks in India having a branch in the city. Textile goods manufactured in the city are sold all over India as well as exported to various parts of the world. Traders use the Centralized Online Real-time ExchangeCore Banking facility for financial transactions.Indian Settlement Systems such as Real-time gross settlementRTGS and National Electronic Funds TransferNEFT System is also available in almost all branches of banks in the city. Despite all these Bankers clearing house in the city processes approximately 12,000Cheques on each working day.Clearing house is managed by theState Bank of India.[citation needed] CTS clearing has been started. Most of theInsurance companies in India have offices in the city.
Ichalkaranji, popular as the 'Manchester of Maharashtra', has about 25 spinning units with about 1.25 lakh power looms, 20,000 semi-automatic looms and 9,000 shuttle-less looms to run till December 2018, with a daily turnover of nearly₹10 billion (US$120 million).[13] apart from numerous power and hand processing houses. The town produces one crore meter of yarn every day which translates into a business of Rs 45 crore a day. Of the total production, 15 percent is directly exported while another 40 percent is for indirect export after processing. According to locals, over 50,000 weavers depend on their livelihood working in the power looms in town.[citation needed]
Before 1980, Ichalkaranji was known for cottonpoplin,dhoti, and cottonsaris. In the mid-1980s, weavers of the city started producingdenim,canvas,chiffon, andfabric for school uniforms (khaki drill). Fabrics such asseersucker,Oxford,herringbone,ripstop,chambray,tweed, andtwill made in or around the Ichalkaranji city are used by many domestic and international fashion brands such asRaymond's of India,Armani,Banana Republic,Hugo Boss, andPaul Smith.[14]
In 1962 the Deccan Co-operativeSpinning Mill Ltd. came into existence in Ichalkaranji, which was the firstCo-operative Spinning Mill in Asia.[15] As of 2010[update], with over 20 modern spinning mills this region has become one of the major centers for spinning mills in India.[16] Some of these spinning mills are 100% export-oriented Units of cottonyarn.
Yarnsizing is a preparatory process before the weaving that gives strength to yarn. The city has approximately 175 sizing units, which work for 24 hours a day and 6 days a week.
The city is surrounded by fivesugar refineries. Annually they process over 5000000metric tons of sugarcane, as of 2009 sugarcane prices of ₹2600 per ton.[17] Sugarcane farmers itself bring in approximately Rs. 13000000000 ($13billion) to the economy of the city'sCatchment area. Four out of five sugar mills have Co-generation plants. The oldest of these five sugar mills is Deshbhakta Ratnappa Kumbhar Panchganga Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd, founded by Dr.Ratnappa Kumbhar, anIndian independence activist who signs the final draft of theConstitution of India. Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd, one of the leading sugar companies in India, has set up aBagasse based 30MegawattCogeneration power plant in Ichalkaranji.[18]
Ichalkaranji has around 100 high schools with 3 international schools, around 20 colleges offering degree-level education in Arts, science, and commerce fields, 3 engineering colleges, 1 technical education institute and 1 research institute in engineering.[citation needed] Most of the schools and colleges are private and public or "municipal schools" (run by the local municipal council). The schooling system mainly offersMaharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education as well as other boards such as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS),Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and so on. Marathi is the main language of instruction followed by English and Hindi.[19]
Mahasatta is the local newspaper of the city, while other Marathi language newspapers such asSakaal,Pudhari,Loksatta,Lokmat,Kesari,Maharashtra Times, andSaamna are popular. Major English dailies in the city areThe Times of India,The Indian ExpressBusiness Standard andThe Economic Times. Major Hindi dailies in the cityNavbharat Times, Lokmat Samachar (By lokamat group) and Vyapar (Hindi) of Janmabhoomi Group.
Star Maajha, Zee Marathi,Doordarshan Sahyadri, Colors Marathi, Sony Marathi and Me Marathi are popular television channels. English and Hindi entertainment and news channels are watched as well. Ichalkaranji has had FM Radio services running for the last few years. Though Radio Tomato (Pudhari Publications). 94.3 MHz,Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz) tops the popularity rating along withAll India Radio FM (102.7 MHz).
Broadband Internet access, provider in the city is DataOne byBSNL Fixed Line telecom services are offered alongsideGSM andCode division multiple access (CDMA) mobile services. Cell phone coverage is extensive, and the main service providers areVodafone Essar,Airtel, BSNL,Reliance Communications,Idea Cellular,Aircel andTata Indicom. Recently[when?] a3G service has been launched byVodafone Essar,Airtel, BSNL,Reliance Communications,Idea Cellular,Aircel andTata Indicom. The work for layingFibre optics for4G is in progress.[citation needed]
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Ichalkaranji is well connected by the neighboring cities and national highways by road.MSRTC runs bus service toSangli andKolhapur every 15 minutes from Ichalkaranji. The public transport is mainly provided byMSRTC,KSRTC and private buses which serve to all major destinations in Maharashtra,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Private bus services are connected to major cities likeMumbai,Pune,Nagpur,Sambhaji Nagar,Nashik,Shirdi,Bangalore,Mangalore,Hyderabad,Solapur,Surat,Ahmedabad,Panjim.MSRTC provides bus service from Ichalkaranji toKolhapur andSangli every 15 minutes.Sangli railway station is also connected to the city via bus services. From Sangli railway station, there are several trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Goa, Mysuru, Hubli, Belgaum, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, Puducherry, Tirunelveli(Kanyakumari), Guntakal, Tiruchirappalli, Ratlam, Kota, Nagpur, Itarsi, Chitaurgarh, Abu Road, Gandhidham etc. Sangli station is convenient to reach from Ichalkaranji. Even though railway stations and the Kolhapur airport are nearby Ichalkaranji itself is not connected by rail or air.
The nearestrailway stations are:
The nearestairports are:
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‡ This constituency also has portions inSangli district
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