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TRADE |
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TRADE
ROUTES
THE MIRAJ-KOLHAPUR BRANCH OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY is
the only railway line which connects Kolhapur district with Poona
and Bombay. The main items of export from Kolhapur are gul
and sugar.
"Till 1845 when the British took over the
superintendence, the State had no metalled roads. Of the path-ways,
those that led west down the Sahyadris to the coast were hardly fit
for even lightly laden cattle, and those that went inland were
beaten cattle tracks". Even today the district, detached by a long
range of the Sahyadri whose western scrap is precipitious has no
road communication to sea ports except the State Highway which
passes through Amba Ghat. Starting at Amba and ending at Udgaon, it
covers 61 miles and passes through Shahuwadi, Panhala, Karwir,
Hatkanangale and Shirol talukas of Kolhapur district.
Bounded on the north, by Varna river, the
Poona-Bangalore Road is the only National Highway passing through
Kolhapur district. It covers in all about 29 miles in this district,
passing through the talukas of Hatkanangale, Kolhapur and Kagal. The
same road connects Kolhapur with Belgaum in the south. On the east,
Kolhapur is well linked with Satara and Belgaum districts. Most of
the taluka headquarters are connected now by roads with Kolhapur
city which is the main trade centre.
The Kaladgi-Devagad Road (State Highway) passes
through the talukas of Bhudargad, Kagal and Radhanagari. The length
of the road in the district is about 46 miles and 5 furlongs. The
other State Highway is the
Mirya-Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Miraj-Bijapur-Hyderabad Road entering the
district of Kolhapur near village Amba (Shahuwadi taluka) and passes
through the talukas of Hatkanangale, Shahuwadi and Shirol and
Panhala mahal. The total length in the district is 66 miles and 7
furlongs.
The Major District Roads are:-
(1) Kolhapur-Bavada Road (34.4 miles) passing
through the Karvir taluka and Panhala and Bavada mahals.
(2) Kolhapur-Wasi-Parite-Ghotwade-Gaibi Road (24
miles and 5½ furlongs) running parallel to the river Bhogawati,
passes through Karvir and Radhanagari talukas.
(3), Waghabil-Panhala Road (4 miles) starts from
"Mirya-Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Miraj-Bijapur-Hyderabad Road" and runs
west throughout its length.
(4) Gadhinglaj-Ajra-Savantwadi Road (27 miles) runs
south-west till the village Amba on the south-western border and
enters Ratnagiri district. It passes through Gadhinglaj taluka and
Ajra mahal.
(5) Kolhapur-Bavada Road (34 miles, 4 furlongs)
passes through the Karvir taluka and Panhala and Bavada mahals.
(6) Ichalkaranji-Hatkanangale Road '(5 miles, 5
furlongs) emanates from the Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Bijapur State Highway
and passes through the Hatkanangale taluka only.
(7) Jaisingpur-Shirol-Kurundwad Road emanates from
the "Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Bijapur State Highway. The total length in
the district is 12 miles and 6 furlongs.
(8) Bambavade-Shirale Road (8 miles) emanating from
the Kolhapur-Bijapur-Ratnagiri State Highway, enters the district at
Bambavade in Shahuwadi taluka and runs north upto Shirale in the
same taluka and then runs north-west upto Kapashi also in Shahuwadi
taluka.
(9)
Bhadgaon-Channekupi-Nool-Basarge-Halkarni-Khanapur Road (14 miles
and 2 furlongs) starts from Bhadgaon, a village on the
Gadhinglaj-Bhadgaon-Mahagaon-Nesari-Adkur Road and goes south-east
upto Halkarni and then goes east upto Khanapur (Bijapur district).
The old Gazetteer narrates- "Of the imports and
exports, at Kolhapur, grain, cloth, earthenware, baskets and cattle
largely come from neighbouring places; most of these articles find
their way to Nipani in Belgaum and Chiplun and Rajapur in Ratnagiri.
From Sangrul, rice is largely sent to Nipani and other places. At
Kadoli grain is largely sold; from Kadoli, cotton, molasses and
chillies, and from Panhala rice are largely sent. At Sarud, grain is
brought in large quantities and cloth is exported. At Vadgaon, which
is a large trade centre, dates, cocoanut, kernel, sugar and English
yarn are brought from the seaports and a number of cattle from
neighbouring places for sale; and besides chillies, tobacco and
wheat and other grains, molasses is largely exported. At Gadhinglaj
the chief trade is in grain, coarse cloth and cattle. At Kapasi the
local dealers take grain, chillies and other articles for sale to
Islampur, Miraj, Sangli and Tasgaon; at Malkapur grain and cattle
come from neighbouring villages and cocoanuts, dates and other
articles from Ratnagiri ports. The chief exports are rice,
jvari, wheat, grain and chillies. At Murgud grain comes in
large quantities from neighbouring villages and rice is exported. At
Ichalkaranji grain and cattle are brought for sale. Besides, at the
large trade centres, forty-seven small weekly markets are held.
"The chief imports are salt, metal, cocoanuts,
dates, groceries, oil, hardware, twist and piecegoods. Salt was
formerly brought entirely by pack bullocks from the Konkan. Under
metal come gold, silver, copper, brass and iron. During the American
War (1862-65) gold and silver were largely imported; during the
scarcity of 1876-77 a large amount of gold and silver in ornaments
left the State; and since the return of prosperity in 1881 and 1882,
gold and silver have again been imported. Sheets of copper and brass
are brought in small quantities, and ready-made vessels and drinking
mugs in large quantities chiefly from Poona. Formerly iron was
locally smelted and it is now largely brought from Bombay by Vanis
and Bohoras. It is much used for cart tiers and axles and in making
iron pots. Dates, groceries, kerosene and cocoanut oil, iron buckets
and water-pots are brought from Bombay. Steam-spun twist, both
English and Bombay-made, is brought and sold to hand-loom weavers.
Piece-goods are hand-made and steam-made. Of hand-made goods, the
chief are turbans and women's robes from Poona, Shahapur, Sholapur
and Yeola, waist-cloths or dhotars from Nagpur and Shahapur
and silk waist-cloth or pitambars and robes or
paithanis and turbans from Burhanpur and Poona. Of the
steam-made cloth the coarse strong-cloth is Bombay-made and the
finer-cloth is from England. The chief exports are of grains, rice,
jvari, bajri, nachni, wheat and gram; of
groceries and spices coriander, turmeric and chillies; of oilseeds
sesamum, linseed and earthnut; and of other exports cotton, cotton
tape, hemp, tobacco, molasses and sugar." [Page Nos. 204, 206-207.]
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