Railway Construction in India

Download or read book Railway Construction in India written by S. Settar and published by Indian. This book was released on 1999 with total page 622 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents the documents of vital importance for writing such a history. The principle followed in listing the documents is chronological, and the following three volumes comprise a total number of three hundred and sixty documents, selected out of a total of 10,000 pages of material. These documents cover the protracted controversy between individuals and groups interested in laying railway in India, despatches of the Court of Directors of the East India Company and the Board of control headed by a British cabinet minister, and the Government of India in the early phase of its construction (1832-1853) etc. They are drawn from the minutes and notes of various Governors General of India (from Lord Dalhousie to Lord Curzon); reports made by the Consulting Engineers of Railway of the Government of India and the railway companies; despatches, minutes and notes of Secretaries of State for India and Government of India; despatches from British Residents of Native States, particularly those relating to the railway policies, selection of routes, acquiring of land for guaranteed interest, adoption of gauge, construction and extension of lines, fixation of rates and fares as well as the control and management of railways. Each of the documents presented here is provided with a title, a gist of contents, and the source reference; these are succeeded by the original document. The end notes comprise editiorial comments and, wherever necessary, cross-references. These volumes would serve as an important body of sources for reconstructing the history of Indian railways and in evaluating the impact of this venture on the economic situation as well as in integrating the sub-continent into a nation.