Patratu

Patratu is located at 23.67°N 85.28°E / 23.67; 85.28.[1] It has an average elevation of 405 metres (1328 feet) Patratu Dam was constructed under the planning of the greatest Indian engineer and father of Indian engineering, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.[2] This dam is only 40 km away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, from where it can be reached by road in less than an hour. It is directly connected to Ranchi, Patna, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Varanasi, Jammu, Jabalpur, Allahabad, Delhi and Kolkata by train.

According to the 2011 Census of India, Patratu had a total population of 32,899, of which 17,305 (53%) were males and 15,594 (47%) were females. Population in the age range 0-6 years was 3,999. The total number of literate persons in Patratu was 24,382 (84.37% of the population over 6 years).[5]

As of 2001 India census,[6] Patratu had a population of 32,132. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%.Patratu has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 61%. In Patratu, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.[6]

According to the District Census Handbook 2011, Ramgarh, Patratu covered an area of 1.392 km². Among the civic amenities, it had 25 km roads with both open and closed drains, the protected water supply involved tap water from treated sources, uncovered wells, overhead tanks. It had 5,822 domestic electric connections, 120 road lighting points. Among the medical facilities, it had 4 hospitals, 1 dispensary, 1 health centre, 1 family welfare centre, 8 maternity and child welfare centres, 6 maternity homes, 16 nursing homes, 10 medicine shops. Among the educational facilities it had 14 primary schools, 6 middle schools, 5 secondary schools, 2 senior secondary schools, 1 general degree college. It had 1 non-formal educational centre (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan). Among the social, recreational and cultural facilities it had 1 stadium, 1 cinema theatre, 3 auditorium/ community halls, 3 public libraries, 1 reading room. An important commodity It produced was electricity. It had the branch offices of 3 nationalised banks, 1 agricultural credit society.[7]

Schools in Patratu include:

• S.S High School was established on 1 January 1963. It is located in Steam Colony. It is a 10+2 school with a large area and a big playground.
• Kendriya Vidyalaya Patratu
• D.A.V. Public School Patratu
• O P Jindal School Patratu
• Patratu School of Economics
• Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir,Patratu

• 
  S.S. High School 2

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on 13 July 2015 inaugurated the Patratu unit of Burnpur Cement.[8]

The dam was made to store water of the Nalkari River for supply to the Ramgarh cantonment area as well as being the main reservoir for the Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS). There have been plans to turn it into a tourist attraction[9]

• 
  View of Nalkari River
• 
  Dam
• 
  On a cloudy day

During recent changes, the area's coal pulling bicycles have gotten the support of local motor bikers on a profit sharing basis.[10]

View of Patratu valley

The attraction of this city is its natural habitat and scenic beauty. The city is developed as a residential area for employees of the Patratu Thermal Power Station. This thermal power station was made by Russian collaboration in 1962. It has two chimneys made by a Russian firm, which are called the Russian side. The other two chimneys were made by an Indian firm, so it is called the Indian side. The plant has a power generation capacity of 840MW.[11][12]