Gomoh

Gomoh Gomoh
Town
Population  (2001)
• Total	28,576

Gomoh is a census town in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is a major railway junction (renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Junction Gomoh on 23rd January 2009) situated on the Grand Chord Line under Dhanbad division of the East Central Railway. Gomoh is the meeting point for trains coming from Howrah (Eastern Railway), Ranchi (South Eastern Railway) and Puri (South Eastern Railway). Gomoh is a place of historical importance also. On his great escape, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose caught Howrah-Kalka Mail (then known as 63UP Howrah-Peshawar Express) on 18 January 1941. There is a statue of Netaji on platform no. 1&2 at Gomoh railway station which reminds people of his historic halt. Every year on 23 January, the railway employees organize a small cultural program to celebrate Netaji's birthday. People of this city also organise a fair in Railway Football Ground on 11 March in the remembrance of assassinated 'Labour Leader' Sadanand Jha. There are two big playgrounds in Gomoh.

Geography

Gomoh is located at 23.87°N 86.17°E / 23.87; 86.17. It has an average elevation of 245 metres (803 feet). Gomoh is a dust free with pleasant weather conditions. Patients who are suffering from long illness will feel better here. It is full of greenery and livelihood.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Gomoh had a population of 28,576. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gomoh has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 60%. In Gomoh, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Social structure

Gomoh consists of people from diverse religious and professional backgrounds. There are many young minds from this place who are making waves at the national/international levels. Some of them are studying at Indian Institutes of Technology. Recently in 2005, Mr. Ankur Prasad son of Mr. Bineshwar Prasad scored AIR 487 in IIT-JEE and he is currently pursuing Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur.

Religious diversity is the hallmark of Gomoh. A number of Anglo-Indians can be found here since the British era as a result of which Christians with their peaceful culture have a dominating effect on the local people. The Sikh community settled here before Independence as businessmen. A Gurudwara at Loco Bazar is visited by many Sikhs from surrounding areas everyday. Bengalis form a large part of the population and have contributed largely to the culture of this place. On Durga Puja one can get a glimpse of Kolkata in Gomoh, specially at Durga Pada, which is home to the oldest Durge Puja in the area. Muslims also contribute substantially to the population and culture of this region. We have one Masjid and Madarsa at Purana Bazar and a Jama Masjid at Loco Bazar. Id-Gah and graveyard of muslims is in Laludih area. There is growing awareness among the muslim community for Education.

A majority of the people are railway employees (different grades) since Gomoh is a railway based town. These people do not belong to the city but got transferred from different parts of the country. After retirement a good number of these employees choose to settle down in Gomoh giving rise to the population of the city. There is a strong business class also in Gomoh. Businesses ranging from food grain wholesaling to clothes & apparel to building material (cement, bricks, iron rods etc.) to confectionery & bakery products) can be found. Though Marwaris (baniyaas) dominate the business scenario, one can find the representation of all the religious groups. Some people are also engaged in agriculture, growing certain cereals and vegetables.

Main festivals celebrated in Gomoh include Durga Puja (Dussehra), Dipawali, Holi, Chatth Puja, Id, Gurunanak Birthday, Christmas, etc.

Infrastructure

Kendriya Vidyalaya GomohK.V.Gomoh managed by the Railway is a prominent educational institute up to Standard XII. Pandit Nehru Memorial (PNM) College caters to graduation level studies. However, these facilities are not sufficient since students have started taking up various specialized courses in various fields. For all such advanced courses students from this area either depend on Dhanbad (30 Kms) or Bokaro Steel City (around 40 Kms)or go to any metro city.

Health care facilities are also grossly inadequate. Even to this date Gomoh lacks a good doctor as well as a nursing home. Though there are some government and private nursing homes, they fail fail to provide even the most basic treatment. The medical units operating in the area are:

1. PHC Gomoh at Jitpur 2. Railway Hospital (set up by railways for its employees, they also cater to non-railway patients unofficially) 3. S.M.Waliullah Memorial Health Care at Loco Bazar 4. A few other privately run small clinics