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Dhanbad, a district once in undivided Bihar and today in Jharkhand, has always been famous for its coal mines. Its mobility was assessed in a 2015 survey which predicted that if no action was taken to improve traffic conditions, the average network speed could drop from 23.54 kilometres per hour (km/h) to 14.89 km/h by 2035.
However, Dhanbad has already met this prediction a decade ahead. Currently, the average network speed has plummeted to just 10-12 km/h. This conclusion was drawn after Down To Earth (DTE) visited the city’s main entry points, about 10 kilometres from its centre.
According to the 2011 Census, Dhanbad city, with a population of 1,560,394 (58.13 per cent of the total population), faces narrow, poor-quality roads and heavy vehicles that force traffic to crawl. It is a problem that both daily labourers and regular commuters face. For decades, auto rickshaws have remained the primary means of public transport, with nearly 10,000 autos and over 2,000 battery rickshaws navigating the city’s streets, according to municipal officials.
“If there is a medical emergency, it’s almost impossible to reach Dhanbad’s central hospital quickly,” said Babloo Singh, who has been living in Belgadia, about 12 kilometres from the city centre, since 2009. He adds, “Auto rickshaws are the only option here.”
In 2014, the Jharkhand Urban Development Department (UDD) entrusted L&T Infrastructure Engineering Limited with the task of preparing a Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Dhanbad Municipal Corporation. This was part of a tripartite agreement between UDD, Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, and the company. The final draft of this CMP was ready in 2015, but it remains only a draft, with no follow-up action. Surprisingly, local authorities appear unaware of it.
When asked about mobility and related plans, Dhanbad’s district transport officer, Diwakar C Dwivedi, responded, “I have no knowledge of any such draft of a CMP. All such matters fall under the department’s jurisdiction. My job is to fine vehicles that violate the Motor Vehicle Act.”
The final draft of L&T’s CMP presents statistical data on the city’s travel behaviour. It reveals that the most common mode of travel (38 per cent) is shared autos, followed by personal two-wheelers (31 per cent), and non-motorised modes such as walking and cycling (28 per cent). Cars account for a mere 1.9 per cent of the total trips.
Babloo Singh, a daily labourer, shared the details of his transport expenses: “To earn a daily wage of Rs 300-400, I travel across the city, spending around Rs 50—more than 12-15 per cent of my earnings—on shared autos.”
Rajkumar, who works at one of the busiest locations in the city, Bank More, commented, “Noise and chaos are the norm in Dhanbad. You can park anywhere, there’s no parking system, and there’s no space to even walk on the roads. Autos, e-rickshaws, and traffic jams are Dhanbad’s fate.”
According to the Regional Pollution Control Board, noise levels in the city’s main areas such as Bartand, Hirapur, Sarai Dhela, Bank More, Purana Bazar, Phus Bangla, and Digwadiha exceed the prescribed industrial norms of 75 decibels during the day and 70 decibels at night. This finding is corroborated by a study published in Springer Nature Link titled Assessment and Mapping of Traffic Noise Levels in the Coal Capital of India, Dhanbad: Implications for Noise Pollution Management. The study revealed that “the noise pollution in Dhanbad exceeds permissible limits, with 36 per cent of monitored sites having daytime average noise levels above 75 decibels, and 100 per cent exceeding 70 decibels, indicating severe traffic-induced noise pollution.”
Ravi Singh, who operates a private transport business, observed, “Traditional bicycles are almost nonexistent in the city now, except for coal transporters. Even if I wanted to ride a bike, the roads are too dangerous. A few minibuses, like the Swaraj Mazda, were introduced, but they have all stopped.”
In Dhanbad, no kitchen can function without coal. The coal mines and fossil fuel usage have made the atmosphere hot and polluted, but the residents have become accustomed to it. Daily wage worker Kiran Ram remarked, “Where else can we go? It is a matter of livelihood.”
Dhanbad’s largest wholesale market area, Rangatad Chowk, sees a congregation of private buses bound for destinations outside the city. Abhijeet Majila, waiting for a bus to Govindpuri, said, “My bus is late. It usually arrives around 6 PM.” Abhijeet works at a private company in Govindpuri and commutes frequently. He explained that an auto charges Rs 30, while the private buses cost just Rs 15. A 12-kilometre journey takes about 45 minutes.
In another busy area, Shramik Chowk, traffic jams continue to be a problem. Shailendra Verma, seated on his two-wheeler, commented, “The main issue here is the violation of traffic rules. Nobody follows them.”
He added, “I’ve been hearing for years that government buses will operate in the city, but I wonder where they will park. There’s no space.” Verma further shared, “I stopped riding a cycle five years ago because cycling here feels like courting death. My office is about 7 kilometres away, and now I commute by bike. Out of my Rs 10,000 salary, I end up spending Rs 3,000 on fuel.”
According to the final CMP draft by L&T, Dhanbad, which spans 275 square kilometres, uses 47 per cent of its municipal area for coal mining, while 14.7 per cent is for agriculture, 36.3 per cent for residential use, and smaller portions for commercial, institutional, and mixed-use areas.
This means that a very small portion of land accommodates the urban population and their transportation needs. However, the city is now expanding. Bank More, one of Dhanbad’s oldest commercial areas, is being developed into a city centre market, seven kilometres from the original hub.
The CMP draft predicted that by 2035, passenger kilometres could triple, and while the number of passenger kilometres has indeed increased, affordable and accessible public transport remains absent.
Although shared autos are the mainstay of Dhanbad’s transport system, the registration of new vehicles shows a different trend. The number of motorised cycles has grown rapidly. Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 112,181 motorised cycles (over 25cc) were registered. However, these cycles are hardly seen on the roads. A cycle vendor explains that their use is primarily popular among children, while traditional bicycles are barely sold anymore.
Moreover, in the past five years, 57,335 motorcycles were registered, indicating that two-wheelers remain the most preferred mode of transport. The number of cars has also risen alarmingly, with 35,820 cars registered over the same period. This points to a growing preference for private vehicles and potential challenges related to traffic congestion and pollution.
The state of public transport remains weak. For instance, only 233 private buses were registered in the last five years, and smaller commercial vehicles like maxi cabs (229) and motor cabs (937) remain limited. This highlights the lack of growth in large public transport options like buses.
E-rickshaws have seen a sharp increase, with 6,546 individual e-rickshaws and 120 e-rickshaws with carts registered between 2021 and 2025. This signals a growing interest in last-mile connectivity and clean energy alternatives. However, the number of freight vehicles, which contribute to traffic and air pollution, has also grown, with 8,754 vehicles registered in the last five years.
In January 2019, the Indian government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to improve air quality across the country, aiming to reduce key pollutants like Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 by 20-30 per cent by 2024, with a revised plan to cut pollutants by 40 per cent. Dhanbad is one of the 102 non-attainment cities in India with high air pollution levels.
In November 2024, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, acknowledged that PM 10 levels have decreased in several cities under NCAP, but pollution remains a significant issue in coal-producing areas. Dhanbad Municipal Commissioner Ravi Raj Sharma claimed that due to environmental regulations, PM 10 levels had dropped by around 50 per cent in the city.
The municipal corporation has installed pollution display boards at some locations but acknowledges that data collection is irregular due to technical issues.
Dhanbad’s oldest and most important overbridge, Bank More Overbridge, was inaugurated in August 1972 and still serves as a crucial link between the city’s Hirapur area and Bank More. Currently, repair work is underway on this bridge.
According to the 2015 CMP draft, had road network improvements been carried out, the city’s traffic speed could have reached 30.09 km/h. Public transport improvements could have reduced private vehicle use from 71 per cent to 53 per cent. However, registration data shows this has not happened.
Proposals for bus stops near the railway station, separate pick-up points for shared autos and taxis, bicycle tracks, pedestrian pathways, removal of road encroachments, and increased greenery remain confined to paper.
Municipal Commissioner Ravi Raj Sharma told DTE that a new CMP for the next 20 years has been prepared with a consultancy and has been sent to the state department for approval. Discussions are ongoing about the approval of the CMP draft, with a demand for buses at a cost of Rs 22 per kilometre. However, senior officials are trying to reduce this cost to Rs 18 per kilometre. Once the draft is approved, tenders will be issued.
The proposal includes 192 buses, with 20 per cent CNG buses and the remaining diesel city buses. Additionally, a proposal for the construction of an Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) near Lilori, spanning 18 acres (7.3 hectares), is also part of the plan.
The proposal includes providing buses on 26 essential routes at 10-20 minute intervals, with fares ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20. The administration has stated that it aims to phase out auto rickshaws in the city, though this remains a challenging task.
According to the draft CMP by L&T, a survey of 4,410 households was conducted in the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation study area in 2015. Based on this, it was found that the total number of trips in the city averages 34,924 per day. This means that the residents of the area make approximately 1.748 million trips daily. The average per capita trip rate (PCTR) is 1.5, with the vehicle-based PCTR (excluding walking and cycling) at 1.08. The general meaning of PCTR is how much an individual travels; on average, this number suggests that a person makes 1.5 trips instead of 2.
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns