Means of Communication

Introduction

The most recent communication advancements aim to facilitate communication across large distances without requiring the sender or recipient to relocate. Transportation is a facility or service that transports people and things from one location to another utilising humans, animals, and other vehicles. Loading, unloading, and delivery are all handled by this well-organised service business. Road transportation of people and products is not a new concept in India. Pathways and unmetalled roads have been used for this purpose since prehistoric times. With technical advancements, metalised roads, trains, cableways, and pipelines are now available to transport enormous products and persons.

What is the significance of communication channels?

Transportation and communication systems are referred to as a country’s and economy’s lifelines. The world is changing at a breakneck pace, and communication tools are critical in that evolution.

• Communication channels function similarly to the nervous system in the human body
• These aid in the transmission of improved technology from one country to the next or from one location to the next
• They ensure that the economy’s demand and supply are in balance
• These are extremely important for a country’s defence
• Communication aids traders in maintaining connections with other traders, while transportation facilitates the delivery of needed goods
• Common people are transported from one location to another using transportation

Various means of communication

Roadways

It is the most cost-effective mode of transportation for short distances and is gaining popularity in freight transport due to its door-to-door service. Due to their basic design, metalled roads are functional in all seasons, whereas unmetalled roads are not.

Heavy rains and flooding have rendered both routes impassable. Road quality, building, and maintenance are better in wealthy countries than in developing countries since it necessitates a significant investment.

Short-distance travel is best accomplished by road. With the ‘Nagpur Plan,’ the first attempt to repair and modernise the road network was launched in 1943. It was never implemented due to a lack of collaboration between princely kingdoms and British India.

• The advantage of road transportation is that it provides personalised service
• Agriculture can only be expanded by using road transit
• These may be constructed at any altitude and any location
• The expense of maintenance is very inexpensive
• It is simple and written in a language accessible to the average person

Density of Roads

The country’s road network is not evenly distributed. Comparing the network of roads of one region to another is the density of roads (length of roads per 100 sq km of land). The national average road density is 125.02 kilometres per square kilometre (2008).

The character of terrains and the amount of economic development have an impact on road density. The Himalayan area, North-Eastern region, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan have low road density, but most Northern states and major Southern states have high road density (e.g., Uttar Pradesh has the greatest road density of 532.27 km).

Railways

Railways are ideally suited for long-distance transportation of large cargo and passengers. Railways connect highly industrialised places, urbanised regions, and mineral-rich areas to convey ores, cereals, lumber, and machinery.

All continents have dense railway networks, with Europe having the highest density. Africa’s, Asia’s, and South America’s railway networks connect mineral-rich and fertile areas and are built largely to exploit natural resources.

• India possesses one of the world’s largest railway networks. It promotes the flow of passengers on the one side, and it adds to economic growth on the other. Mahatma Gandhi said the Indian railways “brought people of diverse cultures together to contribute to India’s freedom struggle”
• The first Indian railway, which ran from Bombay to Thane and covered a distance of 34 kilometres, was inaugurated in 1853
• The Indian Railways network is 64460 kilometres long, making it India’s largest government operation (31st March 2011)

• The Indian Railway system has been separated into seventeen zones to relieve the load on this large-scale railway from a centralised railway administration system

Water Transport

This is the most cost-effective form of transportation since there are no building costs and very low maintenance costs. The connecting of the oceans has allowed for more navigation with ships of all sizes. Sea routes and inland waterways are the two types of waterways.

There are two basic forms of water transportation:

• Inland waterways
• Oceanic Waterways

Routes by Sea

Seas and seas provide a smooth roadway that may be travelled in all directions and requires no maintenance. Modern passenger and freight ships use a variety of navigational aids.

Canals for shipping

The Eastern and Western worlds are served by two canals that function as trade hubs. They are as follows:

• The Suez Canal is a waterway in Egypt
• The Panama Canal is the longest in the world

Inland Waterways 

Inland waterways for commercial and passenger transit include rivers, canals, lakes, and coastal locations. Navigability, water flow, and transportation technology all play a role in developing inland waterways. The following are major inland waterways:

• Waterways of the Rhine
• The Danube Waterway is a major waterway in Europe
• The Volga River is a major waterway in Russia
• The St. Lawrence Seaway connects the Great Lakes with the Saint Lawrence River
• Mississippi River Waterways

Air Transport

It is the quickest mode of transportation, but it is also the most expensive. Air travel has revolutionised connection in hostile deserts, hilly regions, and snowy regions where other modes of transportation are unavailable. Air transport is more developed in highly industrialised countries due to high building and maintenance costs. Supersonic aircraft go over great distances in a short amount of time.

Conclusion

Humans use a variety of modes of transportation to transfer goods, commodities, ideas, and other items from one location to another. Humans use transportation and communication to overcome the barrier of physical distance. It’s a powerful approach to connect with individuals regardless of geographical distance.

The movement of people or things from one location to another via a mode of transportation is known as transportation. On the other hand, communication is the transfer of information or data from one source to another.

Transportation and communication have played critical roles in our progress and advancement in the last few decades. Thanks to some remarkable technological developments, transportation and communication quality, speed, and accuracy have improved dramatically over the previous five decades.