Life Lines Of National Economy - Class 10 Geography - Extra Questions

The Airports Authority of India or AAI is a statutory body (created through the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994) working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. It provides Communication Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. It also manages a total of 126 Airports, including 11 International Airports, 11 Customs Airports, 89 Domestic Airports and 26 Civil enclaves at Military Airfields

Merits of air transport:

The National Highway No. 7 (NH-7) is one of the most important national highways in India. It begins at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and ends at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. This is the busiest and economically important national highway that connects many major cities in different states.

Since the opening of the Suez canal, India's distance from Europe has been reduced by 7,000 km.

The importance of railways as the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India are as follows: 
1) Railways make it possible to conduct multifarious activities like business, sight seeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of goods. 
2) It is suitable for long distance travel. 
3) Plays an important role in national integration.
4) Railways bind the economic life of the country 
5) It accelerates the development of the industry and agriculture. 
6) Today the railways have become more important than all other means of transport put together. 

Since the opening of the Suez canal, India's distance from Europe has been reduced by 7,000 km. Hence the transportation and trade prospects have improved.

Road transport is more useful than rail transport as:
(i) Door to door service is most attractive feature of road transport.
(ii) Perishable products can be transported easily.

Advantage of Inland waterways: They are cheaper than any other transport. 
Disadvantage of Inland waterways: It depends on weather conditions.

Disadvantage of air transport - Air transport is costly.

Importance of waterways is declining because (i) It is a slow means of transport; (ii) Rivers of India do not have a regular flow of water as water is diverted for irrigation.

Golden Quadrilateral comprises the national highways connecting Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata by a $$6$$-lane super highway. It has a total length of $$5846$$km. Two ways it will help in the economic development of the country are:

Advantages of Waterways:

1. It is the cheapest means of transport.

2. It is a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly mode of transport.

Disadvantages of Waterways:

1. It depends of weather conditions.

 Roadways are considered more important than any other means of transportation because:

1. Roads connect almost all villages, towns, and cities.

2. Roads can be constructed in even hilly areas and regions where it is extremely difficult to reach with either by railways or even airways lines.

Inland Waterways:
(a) These include rivers, canals, lakes and they are used for transporting passengers and goods.
(b) These are called as 'Inland Water Transport'.
(c) They help in the transport of food grains, minerals and coal.
(d) In India, the length of Inland Waterways is nearly $$14500$$kms.
(e) Allahabad-Haldia in Ganga waterways, Sadia-Dhubri in Brahmaputra waterways, Kollam-Kottapuram of West Coastal canal, Champakara and Udyogamandal canal are some important Inland Waterways.
(f) Rivers like Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, Zuari river and the backwaters of Kerala are also included in Inland Water ways transportation.

The four main bases or reasons for international trade takes are: 

Problems faced by Indian railways are:

 (i) Expressway is a six-lane highway where two and three wheelers are not allowed. A highway is a two lane road where all vehicles are allowed.

(ii) Ahmedabad- Vadodara expressway was the first expressway to be constructed in the country.

(iii) Northern Rivers are more suitable for navigation than the Deccan Rivers because they are perennial in nature and flow over gentle sloping plains.

i. Railways are important means of transport compared to airways because they are much cheaper and connects every town apart from big cities.

ii. The highway interconnects many major cities and ports and has given a major impetus to truck transport.

(a) Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances

The major ports of India are:

Communication, in terms of transportation, takes place in three ways:

The uses of roads are as below:

• The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, in the Coromandel Coast region.
  
• Visakhapatnam Port is one of 13 major ports in India and the only major port of Andhra Pradesh. It is India's second largest port by volume of cargo handled.
  
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also known as Nhava Sheva, is the largest container port in India. Located east of Mumbai in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, this port on the Arabian Sea is accessed via Thane Creek.
  

Airways: Airways is the quickest, Costliest, most modern and comfortable means of transport. They carry passengers, freight, and mail. They link local regional, national and international.
Waterways: Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods at low cost. It is a fuel efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport. Waterways are classified into Inland waterways and ocean routes.

Latin America's major exports, in terms of value, are mostly primary commodities, including foodstuffs and plant products, fuels, and raw materials. Within the first group the most important commodities are sugar, bananas, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, beef, corn, and wheat.

Brahmaputra river is related to the National Waterways-2 (NW-2). It is a section of the Brahmaputra River having a length of 891 km between the Bangladesh border near Dhubri and Sadiya in Assam.

• Rail transport is used by the people of India because of wider connectivity and cheaper transport system available next to the road.
• Rail distance is fixed and not variable lie road.
• Rail carries heavy freight compared to road transport.
• Rail transport carries a number of passengers compared to other transports.
  

• Advantage of inland waterways is cheaper transport.
  
• Advantage of roadways is extensive door to door connectivity and wider network of roads.
  
• Disadvantage of water transport is that it can be seasonal in certain areas.
  

• There are 14 major ports in India, of which six are along the west coast and seven along the east coast. Another one is located in Andaman and Nicobar islands. 
• Major ports on the west coast are Kandla in Gujarat, Mumbai in Maharashtra, Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra, Mormugao in Goa, New Mangaluru in Karnataka and Kochi in Kerala. 
• Major ports on the east coast include Tuticorin, Chennai and Ennore in Tamil Nadu, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Paradip in Orissa and Haldia and Kolkata in West Bengal. 
• Port Blair is a major port located in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar.
  

• Airways are becoming a popular means of transport in modern India due to its unbroken journey, rapidity, comfortable, easy and emergency services.
  

The V.O Chidambaranar Port formerly called as the Tuticorin port is one of the 12 major ports of India. It was declared to be a major port on 11th July 1974. It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Diesel and electric engines have replaced the steam engines.

Singapore and Rio de Janerio.

Helicopters are proved to be very useful in the time of calamities for rescuing people and distributing food, water, clothing and medicines.

There is a dense network of roads in the plains, and roads have also been built in forests, deserts, hilly regions, mountains, etc. The Manali-Leh highway in the Himalayas is the highest road in the world.

1. Ganga - Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries
2. Godavari Krishna rivers and their tributaries
3. Buckingham canal of Andhra- Tamil Nadu region
4. Mandovi and Zuvari rivers of Goa
5. Backwaters of Kerala 

Rohtang La, Lungalacha La, Bare!ache La and Tanglang La.

The Internet is the latest development in the field of information technology. It not only provides us with worldwide information and interaction but has also made our lives very comfortable. In this age of the internet, we can reserve tickets for railways, airways and even cinemas and hotels silting at home. We can chat with cur friends and relatives living far off places.

	Roadways		Railways
1	Are cost efficient and the most popular dominants mode of transport	1.	Provide the principal mode of transportation for freight and passenger
2	Road network in India is the second longest in the world	2	Indian Railways is the largest network in Asia
3	it is classified into eight categories	3	It runs on three categories

Waterways are the cheapest mode of transport. They carry heavy and bulky goods over long distances. They are mainly of two types-inland waterways and sea routes.

• Inland Waterways -  Navigable rivers and lakes are used as inland waterways. Some important inland waterways are the Ganga-Brahmaputra river system, the Great Lakes in North America and the river Nile in Africa.
  
• Sea routes - Sea routes and oceanic routes are mostly used for transporting merchandise and goods from one country to another. These routes are connected with the ports. Some important ports are Singapore. Mumbai. Rio de Janerio, Sydney, etc.

(a) I will inform the doctor through telephone.
(b) She will spread this news through newspapers.
(c) I will send a leave application to the teacher.
(d) I will keep in touch through telephone or internet.

Airways

Helicopter services may be used in (i) Mountains (ii) Flooded areas.

We use different materials and services in our daily life. Some of these are available in our immediate surroundings, while other requirements are met by bringing things from other places. Goods and services do not move from supply locales to demand locales on their own. The movement of these goods and services from their supply locations to demand locations necessitates the need for transport. Some people are engaged in facilitating these movements. These are known to be traders who make the products come to the consumers by transportation. Thus, the pace of development of a country depends upon the production of goods and services as well as their movement over space.

Peninsular rivers are not ideal for navigation because:
(a) These rivers are seasonal in nature.
(b) These rivers are marked by a number of waterfalls.

Indian Railways has launched an extensive programme to convert the metre and narrow gauges to broad gauge. Moreover, steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric engines. This step has increased the speed as well as the haulage capacity. The replacement of steam engines run by coal has also improved the environment of the stations. 

Indian Roads - Indian roads are cost efficient and most popular dominant mode of transport linking different parts of our country. Road network in India is the second longest in the world.
(1) Village Road- Village roads Link villages with towns. They are maintained by village Panchayats. 
(2) District Road- District Roads Link the towns with the district headquarters. They are maintained by the corporations and municipalities.
(3) Sate Highways- State highways Link the state capitals with the different district headquarters. These roads are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department.
(4) National Highways- National Highways Link the states capital with national capital and maintained by Central Public Work Department.
(5) Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways- It is a major Road development project launched by Government of India.The main objective of the Golden(6) Express ways- Express ways are the technologically improved high class roads in the Indian Road network. They are six lane roads.
(7) Border Roads- Border Roads are constructed and maintained by Border Roads Organisation which was set up in 1960 by the Government of India.
(8) International Highways- International Highways are the roads that link India with neighbouring countries for promoting harmonious relationship with them. 

In India, roadways have preceded railways. They still have an edge over railways in view of the ease with which they can be built and maintained. The growing importance of road transport vis--vis rail transport is rooted in the following reasons;
(a) The construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines,
(b) roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography,
(c) roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas,
(d) road transport is economical in the transportation of few persons and a relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances,

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 56 lakh km. In India, roadways have preceded railways. They still have an edge over railways in view of the ease with which they can be built and maintained. The growing importance of road transport vis--vis rail transport is rooted in the following reasons; (a) construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines,
(b) roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography,
(c) roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas,
(d) road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances,
(e) it also provides door-to-door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower,
(f) road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea ports.

The air travel, today, is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport. It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease. Think of the north-eastern part of the country, marked with the presence of big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers, etc. in the absence of air transport. Air travel has made access easier.

In India, roads are classified in the following six classes according to their capacity.
Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: The government has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highways. The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu& Kashmir) and Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu), and East-West Corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat) are part of this project.
National Highways: National Highways link extreme parts of the country. These are the primary road systems and are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
State Highways: Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State Highways.
District Roads: These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district.
Other Roads: Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns, are classified under this category.
Border Roads: Apart from these, Border Roads Organisation a Government of India undertaking constructs and maintains roads in the bordering areas of the country.

More than 15 million people are directly engaged in the tourism industry. Tourism also promotes national integration, provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits. It also helps in the development of international understanding about our culture and heritage. Foreign tourists visit India for heritage tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism. There is a vast potential for development of tourism in all parts of the country. Efforts are being made to promote different types of tourism for this upcoming industry. As tourism especially international also brings good amount of foreign currency into the system which plays crucial role in maintenance of foreign reserves.

Areas around towns, raw material producing areas and of plantations and other commercial crops, hill stations and cantonment towns were well-connected by railways from the British colonial era. 

The exchange of goods among people, states and countries is referred to as trade. The market is the place where such exchanges take place. Trade between two countries is called international trade.
Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its economic prosperity. It is, therefore, considered the economic barometer for a country. 
Export and import are the components of trade. The balance of trade of a country is the difference between its export and import. When the value of export exceeds the value of imports, it is called a favourable balance of trade. On the contrary, if the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is termed as unfavourable balance of trade.
This is because the imports are burden for the economy and exports bring money into the country and make the economy grow. The balance of trade when is in positive means that the country is producing more and exporting and bringing more money into the economy as compared to imports.

The distribution pattern of the Railway network in the country has been largely influenced by physiographic, economic and administrative factors. The northern plains with their vast level land, high population density and rich agricultural resources provided the most favourable condition for their growth. However, a large number of rivers requiring construction of bridges across their wide beds posed some obstacles. In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracts are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels. The Himalayan mountainous regions too are unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities. Likewise, it was difficult to lay railway lines on the sandy plain of western Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat, forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. The contiguous stretch of Sahyadri could be crossed only through gaps or passes (Ghats).In recent times, the development of the Konkan railway along the west coast has facilitated the movement of passengers and goods in this most important economic region of India. It has also faced a number of problem such as sinking of track in some stretches and landslides. In short, the development of railways is influenced not only by the human population present on the ground but also by the several factors related to geography and economic viability.

The air travel, today, is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport. It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease. north-eastern part of the country, marked with the presence of big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers, is accessible only through air travel as building roads and laying railway tracks in these areas is very difficult.

Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India. Railways also make it possible for people to conduct multifarious activities like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over longer distances. Apart from an important means of transport the Indian Railways have been a great integrating force for more than 150 years. Railways in India bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture. Railways provide connectivity to people at lower costs and makes it easier for people to transport goods. And since railways are present in almost every part of the country therefore economic activities are also easier with better connectivity.

Since the ancient period, India was one of the seafaring countries. Its seamen sailed far and near, thus, carrying and spreading Indian commerce and culture. Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment friendly mode of transport. India has inland navigation waterways of 14,500 km in length. Out of these only 5685 km are navigable by mechanized vessels.

 In India, roadways have preceded railways. They still have an edge over railways in view of the ease with which they can be built and maintained. The growing importance of road transport vis-à-vis rail transport is rooted in the following reasons; (a) construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines, (b) roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography, (c) roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas, (d) road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances, (e) it also provides door-to-door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower, (f) road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport such as they provide a link between railway stations, air and sea ports. 

The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is the largest express highway project in India. It connects India's four largest metropolises: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and thus, forms a quadrilateral of sorts. Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad and Surat are also served by this network. It was the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) . It consists of 5,846km of four/six lane express highways built at a cost of ₹ 60,000 crores. The four-lane GQ highway was completed in January 2012.

Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration and regulation. 

The changing nature of the international trade for India, in the last fifteen years, has been impressive.
Exchange of information and knowledge has surpassed exchange of goods and commodities.
Through its advanced software knowledge and excellence in the field of information technology, India has emerged as a viable contender at the international level and is earning huge amounts of foreign exchange through the same.
Tourism too has added to India’s upgraded position in international trade. In 2004, there was a 23.5% increase in foreign tourist arrivals as against the number in 2003.
Thus, international trade for India has undergone a cognisable change in the past fifteen years.

• Border roads are strategically important as they improve accessibility to areas like the northern and northeastern border areas which have difficult terrain.
• These roads also help in the economic development of the remote locations along the border areas

Rail transport is the most convenient means of transportation in the Northern plain, because these plains are densely populated, rich in agriculture resources and construction of railways is easy due to gentle slope of the land. 

In India, roads are classified in the following six classes according to their capacity.

Golden Quadrilateral: The government has launched a major road development project linking Delhi-Kolkata- Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highways. The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), and East-West Corridor connecting Silcher (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat) are part of this project. The major objective of these Super Highways is to reduce the time and distance between the mega cities of India. These highway projects are being implemented by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

National Highways: National Highways link extreme parts of the country. These are the primary road systems and are laid and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). A number of major National Highways run in North-South and East-West directions.

State Highways: Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State Highways. These roads are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (PWD) in State and Union Territories.

District Roads: These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These roads are maintained by the Zilla Parishad.

Other Roads: Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns, are classified under this category. These roads received special impetus under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana. Under this scheme special provisions are made so that every village in the country is linked to a major town in the country by an all season motorable road.

Border Roads: Apart from these, Border Roads Organisation a Government of India undertaking constructs and maintains roads in the bordering areas of the country. This organisation was established in 1960 for the development of the roads of strategic importance in the northern and northeastern border areas. These roads have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the economic development of this area.

The exchange of goods among people, states and countries is referred to as a trade. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was constituted in 1988.It is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways. It was made operational in February 1995 and is currently undertaking the developmental activities under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) in phases. All the phases combined together are aimed at improvement of more than 25,000 km of arterial routes of National Highway Network to international standards. In addition to this, NHAI is also responsible for implementing other projects on National Highways, primarily road connectivity to major ports in India. Besides NHAI, State Public Works Department (PWDs) and Border Road Organisation (BRO) carry out the development of the National Highways.

Water transport can be divided into two categories-

Rail transport suffers from certain problems. Many passengers travel without tickets. Thefts and damaging of railway property has not yet stopped completely. People stop the trains, pull the chain unnecessarily and this causes heavy damage to the railway. 

The Inland Waterways Authority of India has declared five inland waterways as National Waterways. These are:

Railways are divided into three categories:

• Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
  
• The Indian Railway have a network of 7, 031 stations spread over a route length of 63, 221 km. with a fleet of 7817 locomotives, 5321 passenger service vehicles, 4904 other coach vehicles and 228, 170 wagons  as on 31 March 2004.
  

The total length of railways is 63,221 km.

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) was set up in 1960 for strengthening defence preparedness and accelerating economic development through improvement of roads along the northern and north-eastern boundary of the country. This organisation has constructed the world's highest road from Manali (Himachal Pradesh) to Leh (in Kashmir), at an average altitude of 4,270 metres. Apart from the construction and maintenance of roads in strategically sensitive areas, the BRO undertakes snow clearance in high altitude areas and construction of airfields, buildings and permanent bridges.

• Construction costs is much lower than that of railway.
  
• It provides door to door services.
  
• Road provides link between railway station, air and sea port.
  
• Road can transverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.
  
• Road can negotiate higher gradient of slopes  as such can traverse mountain such as the Himalayas.
  

• Most of the Indian roads are unsurfaced and are not suitable for use of vehicular traffic.
  
• Roads are not properly maintained. Poor road surfaces cause heavy loss in wear and tear of vehicles.
• There are multiple check-posts, toll-tax and octroi duties collection points on the roads which bring down the speed of the traffic, waste time and cause irritation to the commuters. 
  
• Many roads have inadequate capacity, weak pavement, unbridged level crossings and lack of wayside amenities and safety measures.
•  The roadways are highly congested in cities and most of the bridges and culverts are old and narrow.

Improvements made by the Indian Railways in its functioning are as follow:

Tuticorin is a major sea port in the south eastern part of India.

Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India. Railways also make it possible to conduct many activities like business, sightseeing, and pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over longer distances. Apart from an important means of transport the Indian Railways have been a great integrating force for more than $$150$$ years. The Indian Railway have a network of more than $$7133$$ stations spread over a route length of $$64,460$$ km with a fleet of $$9213$$ locomotives, $$53,220$$ passenger service vehicles, $$6,493$$ other coach vehicles and $$2,29,381$$ wagons as on March $$2011$$. The Northern plains with their vast level land, high population density and rich agricultural resources provided the most favourable condition for the growth of railways. The development of Konkan railway along the west coast has facilitated the movement of passengers and goods in this most important economic region of India. Thus, it has been rightly said that Railways in India bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of industry and agriculture. 

West Bengal

Broad gauge railways line on the west coastal lowland is known  as the Konkan Railway Line, is an engineering marvel of the Indian Railways. It is 760 km long railroute connecting Roha in Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka. It crosses 146 rivers, streams, nearly 2000 bridges and 91 tunnels. It also passes through 6.5 km long tunnel which is Asia's largest tunnel. The states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa are partners in this project.

 The north-eastern part of the country is marked with the presence of big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers, etc. 

Railways are divided into three categories:

Unigauge System of Railways has larger capacity, higher speed, cheaper transportation and reduction in trans-shipment. 

India had paved roads from ancient times as is evident from the ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The earlier emperors connected their capitals with other parts of their territories. The Mughal rulers were noted for building roads. Sher Shah Suri built the famous Grand Trunk (GT) road to strengthen and consolidate his empire. This road connected Kolkata and Peshawar. However, road transport was quite limited in India before the Second World War.

Railways were first introduced to India in 1853 when a line was constructed from Mumbai to Thane covering a distance of 34 km. Since then Indian Railways have grown into a vast network. By 1947, the year of India's independence , there were forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. 

The construction cost of roadway is much lower than that of the railways.

Its maintenance is also cheap and easy.

(b) Roads can be built in mountainous areas. The roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography. Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse mountains such as the Himalayas.

(c) Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and  can carry relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances.

(d) It provides door to door services, which results in lower cost of loading and unloading.

(e) It is used as a feeder to other modes of transport as they provide a

link between railway stations, air and sea ports.

(f) Road transport connects fields with markets and factories.

(g) Road transport is useful for transport of perishable commodities.

Inland waterways include rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks which are deep enough to allow the ships and boats to navigate safely. India has 14,500 km of navigable waterways, contributing about 1% to the country’s transportation.  At present, 3,700 km of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels, out of which only 2,000 km are actually used. Cargo transportation in an organised manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration and regulation. The backwaters (Kadal) of Kerala has special significance in Inland Waterway. Apart from providing cheap means of transport, they are also  attracting large number of tourists in Kerala.

Since time immemorial, India was one of the seafaring countries. Its seamen sailed far and near, thus, carrying and spreading Indian commerce and culture. Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport. India has inland navigation waterways of 14,500 km in length. Cargo transportation in an organised manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. Inland waterways Authority of India is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India.India has a long coastline of 7,517 km forming one of the biggest peninsulas in the world. It has 12 major and 187 Minor and Intermediate ports. Oceanic waterways constitute an important role in the transport sector of India's economy. Ocean routes handle 95 percent of India's foreign trade by volume and about 70 percent by value. 

International trade is referred to as the exchange or trade of goods and services between different nations. This kind of trade contributes and increases the world economy. International trade is classified as export trade, import trade. Country’s position in world economy is largely determined by its position in global trade.

Open sky policy was introduced by the government in April 1982, in order to help Indian exporters so that their exports become more competitive in the world market. Under this policy, foreign airlines or association of exporters can bring can freighters to the country.

One of the important achievements of Indian Railways has been the construction of Konkan Railway in 1998. It is 760 km long rail route connecting Roha in Maharashtra to Mangalore in Karnataka. It is considered an engineering marvel. It crosses 146 rivers, streams, nearly 2000 bridges and 91 tunnels. Asia’s largest tunnel which is nearly 6.5 k m long, also lies on this route. The states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are partners in this undertaking.

The National Highway A connects Leh to Kashmir valley through the Zojila pass.