Jamshedpur - the Industrial city of Jharkhand
In 1908, when Tata Steel constructed its first buildings in Sakchi, this unknown village had neither water, nor
electricity nor roads. Worse still, dacoits and wild animals roamed the neighboring jungles. But this once uninhabitable
Sakchi, which was renamed Jamshedpur after the Founder - Jamshetji Tata, is virtually a model city today. Indeed,
Jamshedpur is not only noted for its industrial progress but is also reputed to be one of the most well planned and well
maintained cities in India. The credit for developing the entire infrastructure of Jamshedpur and for its upkeep and
maintenance goes to Tata Steel.
For those who talk about corporate social responsibility and about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur
is a must. The amount of money Tata Steel pumps into keeping the town going is quite visible. One can see the smiling
faces of workers in a region known for industrial unrest. The standard of living in a city that is almost isolated from
the mess in the rest of the country is quite good. The message of hope and goodness that Tata Steel is spreading is worth
mentioning. The fact that you do have companies in India which look at workers as human beings and who do not blow their
trumpet of having changed lives needs to be highlighted.
The Jamshedpur town has obviously got busier but the values haven't changed much. Despite a large steel plant located
right at the centre of the city, thanks to the environment management efforts of Tata Steel, the city gleams with greenery
and the air is much purer that most other industrial cities.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a robust company and it is not about profits and about
valuation. It is not about who becomes a millionaire and who doesn't. It is about getting the job done with dignity and
respect keeping the age-old values intact and this is what Tata Steel has inculcated.
Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from
India, Bangalore. Selected because of the quality of life, because of the conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare.
This is indeed a tribute to industrial India. Today, India needs several Jamshedpurs but it also needs this Jamshedpur to
be given its fair due, its recognition. Modern India is being built in Jamshedpur - an India built on the strength of
core convictions. The fact that not one Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks about the
social respect that the Tatas have earned.
Jamshedpur and the adjacent industrial area of Adityapur together form the Industrial nerve-centre of Jharkhand. No
wonder Jamshedpur is referred to as the business capital of Jharkhand. Thanks to the economy generated by a number of
Tata Companies led by Tata Steel and Tata Motors, today Jamshedpur embraces a wide spectrum of large and small scale
industries and a flourishing supporting service sector.
Tata Steel Works
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