Country India District Godda Telephone/STD code 06422 Population 187,489 (2011) | State Jharkhand Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Elevation 38 m Area code 06422 | |
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PIN 814153 (Poraiyahat)
814156 (Sarouni Bazar) | ||
Sunderpahari (also spelled Sundarpahari, Sundar Pahari) is a community development block that forms an administrative division of Godda district, Jharkhand state, India. It is located 15 km from Godda, the district headquarters.
Contents
Geography
Sundar Pahari, the CD Block headquarters, is located at 24°45′18.2″N 87°21′43.6″E.
Sunderpahari CD Block has 14 panchayats and 127 villages.
The Rajmahal Hills cover most of the Boarijore and Sunderpahari CD Blocks in Godda district.
Demographics
As per 2011 Census of India Sundarpahari CD Block had a total population of 65,463, all of which were rural. There were 32,895 (50%) males and 32,568 (50%) females. Population below 6 years was 11,724. Scheduled Castes numbered 1,399 and Scheduled Tribes numbered 50,133.
In 2011 census Sundar Pahari (village) had a population of 888.
Literacy
As per 2011 census the total number of literates in Sundarpahari CD Block was 23,441 (43.62% of the population over 6 years) out of which 14,662 (63%) were males and 8,779 (37%) were females.
As per 2011 census, literacy in Godda district was 57.40.Literacy in Jharkhand (for population over 7 years) was 66.41% in 2011.Literacy in India in 2011 was 74.04%.
Agriculture
Around 80% of the population depends on agriculture, the main economic activity of the district but lack of irrigation facilities is a major constraint in raising the existing low levels of productivity. A sizable population is also engaged in animal husbandry and cottage industries.
Coal mining
Godda district is rich in coal. A major coal mining project of Eastern Coalfields Limited (Rajmahal open cast project, a part of Rajmahal coalfield) is going on in Boarijore, Mahagama and Sunderpahari CD Blocks.
Rajmahal open cast project (earlier known as Lalmatia Colliery) supplies coal to the 2,100 MW Farakka Super Thermal Power Station (located in Farakka (community development block)) and the 2,340 MW Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station. Both the power stations are owned by NTPC and the mines are operated by Eastern Coalfields Limited. Opened in 1985, the mine presently produces 10.5 million tonnes annually and efforts are on to raise it to 17 million tonnes per annum.
The two public sector power stations located nearby in West Bengal and Bihar have been facing coal supply problems. Essel Mining and Industries, of the Aditya Birla Group, is likely to take over the opearations of the Rajmahal open cast project. It is amongst the larger mines in operation in the country.
Power plant
The foundation stone of Jindal Steel and Power’s 660x2 MW power plant at Nipania under Sunderpahari CD Block was laid in 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee. The coal requirement is estimated to be 6.5 million tonnes annually, out of which 2.5 million tonnes will come from the Jitpur Block locally, and 4 million tonnes imported from Mozambique (70 %) and Indonesia (30%).