Chas

Wikipedia:

Chas is a municipality in Bokaro district in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is the twin city of Bokaro, and is included in the urban area of Bokaro Steel City. Chas is notable for a large wholesale market.

History

Once a small grain trading hub of the region, Chas became notable during the Second World War when the British government used it as a base to supply soldiers fighting in the eastern front against the Japanese. After the decision of Government of India to establish the Bokaro Steel Plant, the economic activity of Chas gathered momentum. It was the administrative headquarters of the area when Bokaro was a part of Dhanbad district, and later when Bokaro became a district itself. Later the headquarters were moved to the Bokaro steel city.

Geography

Chas is located at 23°38′N 86°10′E / 23.63°N 86.17°E / 23.63; 86.17. It has an average elevation of 210 metres (688 feet). It is situated on the junction of National Highway 23 and National Highway 32. Som places of interest include Check Post, Bhootnath Mandir, Joda Mandir.

Demographics

In the 2001 India census, Chas had a population of 96,923. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Chas has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 77% and female literacy of 58%. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. The languages spoken include Hindi, Bengali, Kurmali, Khortha language and Santhali.