Baloda Bazar

Baloda Bazar is a nagar palika parishad in Baloda Bazar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Its PIN code is 493332. On 15 August 2011, it was declared as a district. Baloda Bazar is also called Cement hub of Chhattisgarh because there are many reputed cement plants like Ambuja Cement Rawan, Nuvoco Cement (Earlier Lafarge Cement) Sonadih, Nu Vista Cement ( Earlier Emami Cement) Risda, Shree Cement Khapradih, UltraTech Cement Hirmi, UltraTech Cement Rawan (Earlier Place Named Grasim), Ultratech Cement Kukurdih (Under Construction), etc.

Geography
Baloda Bazar is located at 30.67°N, 82.17°W. It has an average elevation of 254 m. There are several tourist places in Balodabazaar like Sirpur, Turturia, Giroudpuri, Siddheswr Mandir Pallari and many more.

Education
The town has two government run colleges, one polytechnic college, a government run high school and over 50 private educational institutions. Some of the prominent schools are Ambuja Vidya Peeth, Sacred Heart Convent School, Vardhman Vidya Peeth, Gurukul English Medium School, Tata DAV Public School ( Located In Sonadih Nuvoco Plant), Bangur Public School (Shree Cement Township). There are no engineering colleges at present. Government Pandit Chakrapani Shukla Multipurpose Higher Secondary School formally known as Government High School was the main high school of the region established in the year 1948. It was inaugurated by Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla.

Demographics
As of the 2008 India census, Baloda Bazar had a population of 27,853. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Baloda Bazar has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. It is 84 km from Raipur, 75 km from Mahasamund via Samoda & 60 km from Bilaspur. Total area is about sq. 16 km. Basic facilities like schools, electricity, water, and hospitals are available. There is a temple of "Mahamaya Mata". The largest pond (talab) of Chhattisgarh is situated at Palari which is about 15 km from Baloda Bazar.

Economy
There are abundance of cement plants, in which there are international plants established in District such as Ultratech in Gram Hirmi and Ravan, Ambuja in Village Ravan, Lafarge in Village Sonadih and Emami in Risda. There has also been a confirmation of getting golden powder in Sonamkhana’s Bagmara village, under Kasdol tehsil, but due to the high cost of production, progress in this direction has not progressed. In Birligarh, Kasdol tehsil and Simga weavers are also made from handloom saris and other fabrics. Various Rice Mill, Dal Mills, Poha are operated in Balouda Bazar, Bhatapara. Rice is also exported abroad, as well as power plants, brass factories and other small and medium industries. The establishment of industrial park after district creation has strengthened the prospect of new industry.

History
During the British rule from 1854 to 1864, Baloda Bazar and Tarenga (Bhatapara) were part of Raipur district. Later these areas were included in the Bilaspur district in 1864. After the difficulties arising from the administrative point of view, it was given the status of a district in 1903 by the British officials by shifting the Tehsil headquarters located at Simga to Baloda Bazar. Since that time, the development blocks Simga, Bhatapara, Baloda Bazar, Palari, Kasdol and Bilaigarh were included under it. Those who were given status of separate tehsil in 1982 From the administrative point of view, the British constructed a rest house, church, hospital and residence in village Parsabhader (mission) situated 2 km away from Balauda Bazar. In 1920, the Panchayat was formed in the Baloda Bazar by implementing the Sanitation Act. After independence, in 1949, Baloda Bazar was created as a Gram Panchayat under the Local Government Act. After the general elections were held for the Gram Panchayat in 1955. Out of which 11 members of the Congress and 4 members of the Socialist Party came out. The local board formed for the management of the regional system changed after independence in 1947 as a district assembly. Bajirao Bihari and Chakrapani Shukla in the Bhatapara-Sitapur Biennial Assembly in 1952, Nandas and Brijlal Verma won the Balouda Bazar Biswasial Assembly in 1957. In 1962, Manohar Das, 1963 by-election and Brijlal Verma in 1967 elections, Daulat Ram Verma in 1972, Dynaraj Tiwari in 1977, Ganesh Shankar Vajpayee in 1980, Narendra Mishra in 1985, Satyanarayan Kesharvani in 1990, Karuna Shukla in 1993, 1998 And Ganesh Shankar Vajpayee in 2003 and Mrs. Lakshmi Baghel decorated the MLA in the year 2008. In the first general election of 1952, Bhupendranath Mishra and Agamdas emerged from the biennial Lok Sabha seat, including Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg. Afterwards, in 1957, the Vidyacharan Shukla and Minimata were elected in the Bicameral Baloda Bazar Lok Sabha Constituency. After that the Raipur was included under the Lok Sabha. In 1973, Baloda Bazar was given the status of Municipality.