Durgapur

Durgapur (/ˈdʊrɡəpɔːr/) is a tier-II city and a municipal corporation in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri in West Bengal[5] and was planned by two American architects, Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk in 1955. Durgapur is the only city in eastern India to have an operational dry dock. Durgapur has been aptly nicknamed as the Ruhr of Bengal.

This article is about the city in West Bengal. For the administrative subdivision, see Durgapur subdivision. For other uses, see Durgapur (disambiguation).

Durgapur
Metropolitan City
Clockwise from top: Durgapur Station, Durgapur Barrage,view of Durgapur Skyline, Durgapur Haat, NIT Durgapur,view of City Centre, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport
Nickname(s): 
Ruhr of India
Durgapur
Location in West Bengal, India
Durgapur
Durgapur (India)
Coordinates: 23.55°N 87.32°E / 23.55; 87.32
Country India
State West Bengal
DistrictPaschim Bardhaman
EstablishedLate 1950s
Founded byBidhan Chandra Roy (former chief minister of West Bengal)
Named forDurgadas Chattopadhyay
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • Body
 • MayorDilip Agasty
 • Commissioner of Police (CP)Sukesh Kumar Jain, IPS (Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate)
Area
 • Metropolitan City154 km2 (59 sq mi)
 • Metro1,615 km2 (624 sq mi)
Elevation
65 m (213 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Metropolitan City580,990
 • Rank4th in West Bengal
 • Density3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi)
 • Metro3,000,000
Demonym(s)Durgapurbashi, Durgapurians
Languages
 • OfficialBengali[3][4]
 • Additional officialEnglish[3]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
713 2xx
Telephone code+91 343
Vehicle registrationWB-39 / WB-40
Lok Sabha constituencyBardhaman-Durgapur (MP - S.S. Ahluwalia  - BJP)
Vidhan Sabha constituencyDurgapur Purba (MLA - Santosh Debray - CPI(M)), Durgapur Paschim (MLA - Biswanath Pariyal (CPIM & INC)
ClimateAw
Websitedurgapurmunicipalcorporation.org

Geography

Location

Durgapur is located at 23.55°N 87.32°E / 23.55; 87.32. It has an average elevation of 65 metres (213 ft).

Durgapur is in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, on the bank of the Damodar River, just before it enters the alluvial plains of Bengal. The topography is undulating. The coal-bearing area of the Raniganj coalfields lies just beyond Durgapur; some parts intrude into the area. The area was deeply forested till recent times, and some streaks of the original Sal and eucalyptus forests can still be seen.

Durgapur
R: temple, mosque, P: park, F: facility, N: neighbourhood, W: works, factory
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Places marked on this map, which have a separate page, are linked in the larger full screen map

Civic administration
Map of Paschim Bardhaman district

Police stations

Durgapur police station, located on Aurobindo Avenue, Durgapur Steel Township, has jurisdiction over parts of Andal CD Block. The area covered is 80 km2 and the population covered is 292,841.[6][7]

Coke Oven police station, located near Durgapur railway station, has jurisdiction over parts of Durgapur municipal corporation. The area covered is 49 km2 and the population covered is 136,181.[6][7]

New Township police station, located in MAMC township, has jurisdiction over parts of Durgapur municipal corporation and Faridpur Durgapur CD Block. The area covered is 23 km2 and the population covered is 160,411.[6][7]

Children enjoy a ride in Anand Amusement Park at Durgapur City Centre
At the entrance of Durgapur Steel city from NH-2

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Durgapur Urban Agglomeration had a population of 581,409 out of which 301,700 were males and 279,709 were females. The 0–6 years population was 51,930. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 87.70.[8] Durgapur Urban Agglomeration included Durgapur (M. Corp) and 2 census towns: Bamunara and Arra.[9]

See also: List of cities in West Bengal

In the 2011 census, Durgapur Municipal Corporation had a population of 566,937 out of which 294,349 were males and 272,588 were females. The 0–6 years population was 50,512. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 87.84.[10]

Religions in Durgapur
Religion Percent
Hindus
 
 91.63%
Muslims
 
 6.34%
Sikhs
 
 0.44%
Others†
 
 1.59%
Distribution of religions
†Includes Christians (0.36%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

Religion

According to Census of India 2011, Hinduism is the predominant religion in this city, followed by Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and others. Out of 5,66,517 people living in Durgapur (Municipal Corporation); 5,19,122 are Hindus (91.63%), 35,923 are Muslims (6.34%), 1889 are Christians (0.36%), 2346 are Sikhs (0.44%), 513 are Buddhists, 382 are Jains, 906 are other religions and 5436 (1.04%) did not state their religion.[11]

Economy

Durgapur is one of the biggest industrial hubs of West Bengal and was planned as an integrated industrial town. It lays on the banks of Damodar river and coalfields of Raniganj. Durgapur was a dream of former prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru and chief minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy.[12] The first project in Durgapur was Damodar Valley Corporation's Durgapur Barrage which attracted many public sector units. Durgapur Steel Plant was the first PSU established in the region in 1955 with the help of U.K which was later undertaken by SAIL. Later, an alloy plant was established by Hindustan Steel.Ltd in 1965 which was also acquired by SAIL. Mining and Allied Machinery Corp (MAMC) established in 1964 (now closed but reviving with J.V of Bharat Earth Movers, Coal India & DVC).[13] Hindustan Fertilisers Corporation (HFC) was also operational but got closed down (now RCF showed interest to reopen it).[14]

Durgapur is also an emerging IT and real estate hub have many proposed residential areas like DLF's Durgapur Township.[15]

Transport

Road

Durgapur is the preferred gateway to the districts of Bankura, Birbhum ( Bolpur, Rampurhat, Suri ), and Purulia. NH 19 (old numbering: NH 2) passes through the city jurisdiction and SH 9 originates from Muchipara in the city. NH 14 (old numbering NH 60) passes through the north-western suburb of Pandabeswar and finally passes through Raniganj and heads away towards Odisha. It happens to be one of the very few cities that have an Asian Highway (AH) passing directly through the city jurisdiction. The AH1 links Japan with Turkey, through Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Durgapur has bus terminus at Benachiti-I, Benachiti-II (commonly referred to as Prantika), City Center, and Station More. Within the city, private mini-buses operate from Prantika to Station terminus, via different routes through the city, including the popular 8B route.

Auto-rickshaws ply between City Center, Benachity, Bidhannagar, Railway Station and other parts of the city in a number of routes. Pre-paid taxis are available in the city from Station and City Center Terminus. Additionally, cab and auto-rickshaw services for the city are offered online.

Only one Bus (Abhishek) is available for the Kalyani-Bansberia route and it departs from Benachity at 4:40 am and from Kalyani at 10 am every day.

SBSTC and various other private buses ranging from sleepers to premium Volvo's are available from City Centre, Durgapur for Kolkata, Asansol, Barddhaman, Barakar, Bhubaneswar and other nearby cities.

Air

The domestic airport of the city is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport. The airport is roughly 15 kilometres from Durgapur's City Centre. It is India's first private-sector Greenfield airport. It is located in a place called Andal.[16] The airport has direct flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, which are operated by Air India and Spicejet.

An air force station at Panagarh (16.3 km from Durgapur City Centre), belonging to the Indian Air Force, is used as a base for a C-130J Hercules squadronal.[17]

Rail

Durgapur is served by Durgapur railway station. It is one of the most important station of Eastern Railways where almost all express trains give a stop, except a few long-distance trains like the Howrah - New Delhi Rajdhani express and Duronto express. It falls in the Bardhaman-Asansol section of Eastern Railways and Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line of Indian Railways.

Climate
Durgapur
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
14
 
 
26
11
 
 
19
 
 
29
15
 
 
25
 
 
34
19
 
 
31
 
 
38
24
 
 
87
 
 
39
26
 
 
275
 
 
39
26
 
 
334
 
 
32
26
 
 
338
 
 
32
25
 
 
239
 
 
32
25
 
 
78
 
 
31
22
 
 
15
 
 
29
17
 
 
24
 
 
26
12
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

Durgapur experiences a somewhat transitional climate between the tropical wet and dry climate of Kolkata and the more humid subtropical climate further north. Summers are extremely hot and dry, lasting from March to the middle of June, with average daily temperatures near 40 °C. They are followed by the monsoon season with heavy precipitation and somewhat lower temperatures. Durgapur receives most of its annual rainfall of around 52 inches during this season. The monsoon is followed by a mild, dry winter from November to January. Temperatures are quite moderate, with average daily temperatures near 16 °C. There is a short autumn at the end of October and a short spring in February, both of which have relatively moderate temperatures of around 20 °C.

Industrialisation
Durgapur Steel Plant
Queen Elizabeth at Durgapur[18]

Durgapur is by far the most industrialised city in eastern India and the second planned city in India. It started with the first prime minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru. His dream of transforming the backward agricultural country into an industrially advanced nation was picked up in West Bengal by Dr. B.C. Roy. At the earlier stages for the selection of a proper site for a new industrial township, Jnananjan Niyogi, a great business organiser and planner, was involved. The modernist American architect Joseph Allen Stein, invited to head the newly formed Department of Architecture and Planning at the Bengal Engineering College in Calcutta, plunged into a major project as soon as he reached India in 1952 – the designing of Durgapur city with Benjamin Polk, another American architect already living in Calcutta. Thereafter it was the task of local leaders such as Ananda Gopal Mukhopadhyay and bureaucrats such as K.K. Sen to get Durgapur going.

Before independence, only one small refractory plant of the Martin Burn group was located at Durgapur: the abandoned chimney is visible near the station. Damodar Valley Corporation constructed Durgapur Barrage in 1955 and shortly followed with the Durgapur Thermal Power Station.

There was a massive follow up – Durgapur Steel Plant (commissioned 1960), Alloy Steels Plant (commissioned 1965), Durgapur Projects Ltd. (established 1961), Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation, ACC-Vickers Babcock (later ACC-Babcock and Alstom Power Boilers Ltd, now GE Power India Ltd.), Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation, Philips Carbon Black Ltd., Sankey Wheels (a unit of GKW), Bharat Ophthalmic Glass Ltd, Durgapur Cement Ltd. (now Birla Cement) (established 1975), Graphite India Ltd. (established 1967), Durgapur Chemicals Ltd. (DCL) was incorporated on 31 July 1963, Ispat Forgings and many others, large and small.

Administrative changes

The administrative setup came in stages. In 1837, when Bankura district was formed, Durgapur area was part of it. In 1847, Raniganj subdivision was formed with three police stations – Raniganj, Kanksa, and Neamatpur - and it was made a part of Bardhaman district. In 1906, the subdivisional headquarters was shifted to Burdwan and the subdivision renamed accordingly. In 1910, the police stations in Asansol subdivision were Asansol, Ranigunj, Kanksa, Faridpur, and Barakar. On 14 April 1968, Durgapur subdivision was carved out of Asansol subdivision. In 2011, the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate (ADPC) was formed by the State Government.

Education

Colleges
Garden of the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, West Bengal, India

Durgapur is home to National Institute of Technology, Durgapur,[19] an autonomous institution in eastern India of national importance. It is one of the 31 N.I.T.s in the country. N.I.T. Durgapur is one of the 8 old Regional Engineering Colleges established in 1956.

Durgapur Government College is the only government college not only in the home district of Burdwan but also in the neighbouring districts of Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum. It was established on 15 September 1970 and was affiliated to the University of Burdwan which later got affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University.

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (also known as CSIR-CMERI Durgapur or CMERI Durgapur) is a public engineering research and development institution in Durgapur, West Bengal, India. It is a constituent laboratory of the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).[20] The institute is dedicated to work in the mechanical and allied engineering disciplines.[21]

The National Power Training Institute (Also known as NPTI(ER) and formerly known as PETS, Durgapur) is an institute under Ministry of Power, Government of India which offers postgraduate education in the field of power plants. This institute is also associated with several industrial bodies for imparting training to plant personnel.[22]

Durgapur Institute of Advanced Technology and Management, Dr. B.C. Roy Engineering College and the Bengal College of Engineering and Technology are affiliated to West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) offers engineering degrees. Durgapur Women's College and Michael Madhusudan Memorial College are general degree colleges affiliated to Kazi Nazul University.

Schools
Jawaharlal Nehru with schoolchildren at Durgapur

Durgapur houses a large number of government aided and public schools in addition to two Kendriya Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (under the Government of India). Notable schools include St. Michael's School, St. Xavier's School, Carmel Convent High School, Pranavananda Vidyamandir and Amrai High School.

Sports facilities
  • Nehru Stadium is the biggest sports stadium in the city. It has a huge football ground, basketball and volleyball courts, athletic tracks, modern fully equipped gymnasium etc. It is managed by Durgapur Steel Plant Authority.
  • ASP Stadium is another sporting centre with a large ground, with all facilities for cricket, football, gymnastics, etc. It is managed by the Alloy Steel Plant Authority.
  • Shahid Bhagat Singh Kridangan is a newly developed stadium, which is run by the Durgapur Municipal Corporation. Its football ground is one of the best in West Bengal. Teams like Mohun Bagan A.C. conduct their pre-season training camps here.
  • Sidhu Kanu Indoor Stadium houses many sporting organisation and sporting association of Burdwan district, including Durgapur Sub-divisional Women's Sports Association, School Sports Association-Durgapur Sub-division, Burdwan District Badminton Association, Burdwan District Table Tennis Association and Burdwan District Physical Culture Association.

Media

Durgapur has several electronic media houses. Express News, Axes Info Media, DSTV (owned by DSP), Hallow India, TV Bangla are some of them., are printed from the city. Anandabazar Patrika is published from Ghutgoria, near Durgapur, in Bankura District, and has a separate Asansol-Durgapur edition. Samay Sanket is another newspaper published from Durgapur. Dainik Jagaran has a Durgapur Edition, too. Durgapur does not have any F.M. stations. However All India Radio 100.3 FM, 92.7 Big FM, 93.5 Red FM and Radio Mirchi 95 FM has stations at Asansol[23] and serve both Asansol and Durgapur.

Notable people

References
  1. "Durgapur City".
  2. "Asansol Durgapur Development Authority". sudawb.org. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  4. "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Bardhaman". Tables 2.1, 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  7. "Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate". Find your police station. Asansol Durgapur Police. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  8. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  9. "Constituents of urban Agglomerations Having Population 1 Lakh & above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  10. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  11. "Durgapur City Population Census 2011 | West Bengal". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  12. Rattan, Kamaljeet (31 December 1988). "Public and private industries in dire straits in Durgapur". India Today. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  13. "Joint venture to revive MAMC". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  14. "RCF eyes Durgapur fertiliser unit". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  15. "DLF bags Durgapur project". The Economic Times. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  16. "KNIAIRPORT- Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport". www.kniairport.com. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  17. "Panagarh to be IAF's second hub for C-130J Super Hercules planes". The Economic Times. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  18. British Pathé. "The Royal Tour Of India - Reel 3". britishpathe.com.
  19. "NIT DURGAPUR". nitdgp.ac.in.
  20. "Council of Scientific & Industrial Research | CSIR | GoI".
  21. "Welcome to CMERI". cmeri.res.in. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  22. "Welcome To NPTI Durgapur". www.nptidurgapur.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  23. https://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/fm/pvt.htm
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