HomeThe Early History of East Indian Railway (1845-1879)
By Dr. Hena MukherjeeFrom a sleepy hollow to a beehive
By M. Vinayak
The Hindu
January 7, 1997
THE EARLY HISTORY OF EAST INDIAN RAILWAY (1845-1879): Dr. Hena Mukherjee; Firma KLM (P) Ltd., 257-B, B.B. Ganguly Street, Calcutta 700012. Rs. 300.With the advent of the railways in the U.K. nearly l50 years ago, the prospect of its introduction in British India had brightened. Initially, building a railway line between Calcutta and Mirzapur and further to Delhi appeared to be a good commercial proposition. In fact, the idea was mooted by Rowland MacDonald Stephenson. Born in l808 and a civil engineer by profession, Stephenson had seen how the railways had ushered in a new era of economic development in his country and was keen on promoting a railway project in India.
He was in India in l84l and again in l844 to seek the government's help for acquiring the land under a special charter. But the Court of Directors of the East India Company was cautious in its response pending a detailed study of all aspects of the project before the East India Railway Co. (EIR) was established on June 1, l845 under a deed of settlement with a capital of 4,000,000 Pound Sterling.
This book is based on the author's doctoral thesis submitted to the London University in l966. It tells the story of the EIR's first three decades or so and thus is rather limited in its scope.
It also deals with the impact the EIR had on the economic growth of the fertile and mineral- rich Gangetic basin. The EIR began its career in l845 and in l879 it was acquired by the government in accordance with the provisions of the initial agreement.
In about 200 pages Dr. Mukherjee has given a bird's-eye view of the EIR's problems in raising funds for the project in the U.K., difficulties encountered in the selection and planning the route of the railway line and acquisition of land, building of the country's most lucrative railway line and its role in changing the economic profile of the entire eastern region.
The author has done valuable research on the subject based on material available in the libraries of India Office in London, British Museum, the London University, the School of Oriental and African Studies etc.
The EIR built the first railway line in the northern part of India and also the vital trunk line to boost the trade and commerce through the Calcutta Port. Coal and other mining activities got a boost. In l860, 28 steam engines were in use to serve the coal-belt.
It is the construction of this railway line that helped to promote exports of wheat, oil-seeds, salt-petre, hides and skins etc. and Calcutta's eminence in foreign trade was largely due to the railway network built under the EIR.
It became more economical to transport goods by railway compared to ferries by the river. The freight traffic carried by the railway rose to 3,53,50l maunds in l874 from 2,96,316 maunds in l872. On the other hand, the freight carried by ferries declined to 3,06,000 maunds from 3,23,000 maunds during the same period.
Bihar exported salt-petre through Calcutta Port to the U.K., China, France and other countries. Cotton grown in the northern region was hauled over long distances by the railways for export.At the same time, imported goods found a vast market in the hinterland of Bengal.
The book under review proves to be informative, but it fails to discuss the transformation that the EIR brought on the social and cultural fabric of the region it served. Till this day, the Eastern Railway continues, along with South-Eastern Railway, the key system in the network with impressive operating ratios.
With the arrival of the steam locomotives and building of the railway lines, the sleepy villages of the eastern region became a beehive of economic activity. The colonial rulers consolidated their political and economic hold by developing the railway line network in other parts of the country. But it was the EIR that played a pioneering role in the development of eastern India.
This book will be a useful addition to the literature available on the origin and development of railways in the country.
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