Road Transport in 19th Century Colonial Odisha

Abstract

Transport is an important means through which civilization progresses. Since the dawn of civilization, men have consistently tried for the development of transportation to expedite their movement. The invention of wheel in the Stone Age was one of the powerful boosters of the pace of civilization. It made man faster and compelled him to invent vehicles. Road also has been one of the important means of communication. They are the arteries of the body of any nation. No scheme for improving the lot of common man has any chance of success, unless roads are properly developed. Modern wide and all-weather roads are the indicators of the worth of any powerful and rich nation. Before the advent of the British rule, roadways in the modern sense were practically unknown in India. Even long after its establishment, there were few quality roads which indicate the utter backwardness of India under British rule.