Kalyani, West Bengal

Kalyani is a city and a municipality & Community Development Block of Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located around 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Kolkata — the capital of West Bengal. Kalyani is the administrative headquarters of Kalyani subdivision. It resides on the eastern banks of Hooghly River. It is a part of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).

Kalyani
City
Kalyani Municipality Office
Kalyani
Location in West Bengal, India
Kalyani
Kalyani (India)
Kalyani
Kalyani (Asia)
Coordinates: 22°58′30″N 88°26′04″E
CountryIndia
StateWest Bengal
DistrictNadia
RegionGreater Kolkata
Foundation stone laid24 February 1951
Founded byBidhan Chandra Roy
Government
 • TypeMunicipality / BDO
 • BodyKalyani Municipality / BDO
Area
 • Total29.21 km2 (11.28 sq mi)
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total106,000
 • Density3,600/km2 (9,400/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali[2][3]
 • Additional officialEnglish[3]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
741235, 741245, 741234, 741250, 741251
Telephone code+91 33
ISO 3166 codeIN-WB
Vehicle registrationWB-90 & WB-89
Sex ratio978 ♂/♀
Lok Sabha constituencyBangaon
Vidhan Sabha constituencyKalyani
Websitewww.kalyanimunicipality.org

During the period of World War II, Kalyani was the site of an American Airbase, known by the name of Roosevelt Town or Roosevelt Nagar.[4] It was developed as a planned town in the early 1950s by the Government of West Bengal on behest of Bidhan Chandra Roy – the second Chief Minister of West Bengal – for hosting the Indian National Congress meeting and to accommodate the housing needs of the growing population of Calcutta. Kalyani, being a planned town, is characterized by underground sewage system, paved roads forming rectangular grids, tree-lined avenues and community parks.

Kalyani Picnic Garden

Kalyani has a dedicated industrial zone including Andrew Yule and Company, Kalyani Breweries (UB Group), Black Label beer and Dabur, TDK-EPCOS, though many of the industries have closed or stopped production. It is an important centre of education in West Bengal, with two universities (University of Kalyani and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya), IISER, JNM memorial medical College, Kalyani Government Engineering College and other institutes of higher education and research. Kalyani Stadium has emerged as an alternative location to Kolkata for holding numerous I-League football matches and other sporting events. The Bengal Cricket Academy and a stadium have been established by Cricket Association of Bengal in Kalyani for promotion and development of cricket.[5]

History

Kalyani, located in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, is a relatively young town. During the Second World War, Kalyani, was the site of an American military airbase, formed out of 45 villages in the district of Nadia.[6]

The military garrison town was named after the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt as "Roosevelt Town" or "Roosevelt Nagar". Hangars and other reminders of the airfield are still visible in the 'A' Block and some areas around Kalyani University, whose buildings were built on or over the runways.[6] After World War II, the American military left the base, and the airfield and hangars went into disuse.

The development of modern Kalyani is credited to former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy. After Independence of India, in 1950, the master plan of the town was developed and the foundation stone for the town was laid by the then Governor of West Bengal, Kailashnath Katju, on 24 February 1951.[6] This town was built in a short time in order to host the 59th Indian National Congress meeting in 1954. In memoirs of that conference, a road of the city was named as 'Congress Road'. In the same year, the name of the current Kalyani railway station, was changed from "Chandmari Halt". In 1957, the Kalyani police station was formed. In 1979, the rail line was extended from Kalyani main to Kalyani Simanta station and also established direct connectivity to Kolkata through Kalyani Simanta local EMU trains.[6]

In 1995, Kalyani Municipality was established, which has been crucial in the development of infrastructure in Kalyani.[6] In 2014, Kalyani was selected as a candidate for "Smart City" project.

Geography and urban structure
A-B Connector

Kalyani is located in the Nadia district of West Bengal, within the Kolkata metropolitan area. Kalyani lies along the east bank of the Hooghly River, within the upper Ganges Delta. As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kalyani is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin.[7] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III;[8] according to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".[8]

Kalyani Post Office

Kalyani is a planned city, having underground drainage systems, tree-lined avenues, community parks, paved roads intersecting each other at 90-degree angle. The city itself is divided into four blocks — Block A, Block B, Block C and Block D, which are further divided into sub-blocks. Block A and B are mostly residential in character with commercial markets. Main Post Office, Industrial Training Institute, Government offices and the Public Library along with offices of major Banks are situated in Block B. Whereas the Kalyani main station, State General Hospital, Medical college are situated in A Block. Block C and Block D are located to the north of Kalyani Simanta branch line. Block C is reserved for institutional use and is largely occupied by the Kalyani University and Kalyani Government Engineering College. Block D is the industrial zone, consisting of many small and medium-sized industries.

In June 2015, the Government of West Bengal declared establishment of an "Analytics City" name Sambriddhi in Kalyani, besides Uditi Government Housing Project which was projected to attract investments of more than Rs 3,000 crore in next three years.[9] In the first phase, being developed over 52 acres off Kalyani Expressway, the hub will accommodate academic, residential and commercial centers apart from real estate projects.[9]

New Kalyani Block Consists of 7 Gram Panchayat's, viz. Saguna, Madanpur - 1, Madanpur - 2, Chanduria - 2, Simurali, Kanchrapara, Sarati.

Police station

Kalyani police station under Ranaghat Police District has jurisdiction over Kalyani, Gayespur municipal towns and Saguna Panchayat areas.[10][11] The total area covered by the police station is 64 km2 and the population covered is 201,871 (2001 census).[12]

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Kalyani has a population of 100,620.[13] Males constitute 50.55% of the population and females 49%. Kalyani has an average literacy rate of 88.75%, higher than the national average of 69.5%: male literacy is 92.79%, and female literacy is 84.65%.[13] In Kalyani, 7.55% of the population is under 6 years of age. The sex ratio of Kalyani is 978.[13] As per 2001 Census, the average household size of Kalyani is approximately 4.61. Percentage of main workers out of total population is 29%.[14]

Civic administration and utility services
Kalyani Court

The town is within the Bongaon Lok Sabha Constituency and elects one member to the Lok Sabha (the Lower House of the Indian Parliament). The town area is covered by one assembly constituency, Kalyani that elects one member to the Vidhan Sabha, which is the West Bengal state legislative assembly.[15] Kalyani town comes under the jurisdiction of the district police (which is a part of the state police); the Superintendent of Police oversees the town's security and matters pertaining to law and order. Kalyani is also the seat of the Subdivisional Court.

Kalyani quickly registered itself as a self-sufficient township. Its gradual development continued as a notified area. In 1995, it was upgraded to a municipality.[16]

Transport
Kalyani railway station

Kalyani railway station is on the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line of the Kolkata Suburban Railway. Apart from Kalyani main station, there are three different stations on the branch line which goes deeper into the Kalyani town — Kalyani Silpanchal, Kalyani Ghoshpara and Kalyani Simanta.

A Sealdah bound train at Kalyani railway station

Kalyani is connected directly with Kolkata through Kalyani Expressway, which is currently being expanded to four-lanes. An extension of Kalyani Expressway connects the National Highway 2 near Bansberia through Iswar Gupta Setu. Kalyani is also accessible through National Highway 12, which is around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away. Rickshaws, E- rickshaw and Auto-rickshaws are used for local conveyance. Intra-city buses to important cities and towns in West Bengal, including Kolkata and Siliguri are operated by both Government and private operators. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located around 45 kilometres (28 mi) south, operates domestic and international flights.

Picnic Garden Bus Stop, Kalyani

Education

Kalyani's schools are run by the state government or private organisations. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction.[17] Schools in Kalyani follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE.[17] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.[17] Among the schools in Kalyani whose mode of instruction is English includes Julien Day School, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya; while Kalyani University Experimental High School and Pannalal Institution instructs in Bengali.

Kalyani has two universities — University of Kalyani and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (near Mohanpur), two central institutes of higher importance – Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kalyani, AIIMS Kalyani, three engineering colleges – Ideal Institute of Engineering, JIS College of Engineering and Kalyani Government Engineering College. There are 11 colleges out of which there are 2 universities and 3 research centers], one medical college – College of Medicine & JNM Hospital and other institutes of higher education and research, including National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Eastern Regional Station of National Dairy Research Institute. Kalyani Mahavidyalaya – a general degree college under University of Kalyani and Snahanshu Kanta Acharya Institute of Law are among the other institutes of higher education.

The main campus of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata (IISER-K) is located close to Kalyani, in Mohanpur. The main campus of BCKV, University college of West Bengal University of Technology is also located at Mohanpur near Kalyani. Clinical training of the students of West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences are imparted at Mohanpur campus.

Healthcare
College of Medicine & JNM Hospital

Healthcare system in Kalyani consists of both government and private healthcare facilities. The Army hospital established during WWII by the American and British alliance was the first hospital in Kalyani. Later former Chief Minister of West Bengal Dr. B.C. Roy converted it into a hospital for tuberculosis patients in the 1960s, currently known as Netaji Subhash Sanatorium. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, a 500-bed hospital, is one of the major hospitals in the town. A medical college, College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, established in 2009, which acts as the University college of West Bengal University of Health Sciences.[18] Gandhi Memorial Hospital has a dedicated cardiac surgery and cardiology department.[19] ESI Hospital provides healthcare to workers under Employees' State Insurance MB Scheme. There is also a branch of National Institute of Homoeopathy with 25 acres herb garden which was established in 1975.

ESI Hospital, Kalyani

In June 2014, the central government gave in-principle clearance for setting up All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani at Basantapur village in the Saguna Panchayat in Kalyani.[20] This project was shifted from earlier plans of setting up the AIIMS at Raiganj because of problems in land acquisition. The project will cost nearly Rupees 850 Crores.[21]

Sports
Bengal Cricket Academy Ground

Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, a cricket ground, hosts national level and club level cricket matches. It is also the home ground of Bengal cricket team. Kalyani Stadium hosts national level football matches. The Kolkata Giants Mohun Bagan, East Bengal FC and Mohammedan S.C. use Kalyani Stadium as their home ground in some national level matches. A swimming pool and well-equipped gymnasium are also attached with the Stadium.

Kalyani Stadium

References
  1. "Kalyani City". sudawb.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. "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 28 August 2019.
  3. "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  4. Lee, Terence R. (1969). Residential water demand and economic development. University of Toronto Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780802032454.
  5. "CAB's first cricket academy inaugurated". Times of India. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  6. Bhattacharya, Bitan (13 January 2015). "সামরিক শহরের স্মৃতি নিয়ে বেড়ে উঠেছে কল্যাণী". Ananda Bazar Patrika. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  7. Das, Diptendra; Chattopadhyay, B.C. (17–19 December 2009). Characterization of soil over Kolkata municipal area (PDF). Indian Geotechnical Conference. 1. Guntur, India. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  8. "Hazard profiles of Indian districts" (PDF). National Capacity Building Project in Disaster Management. UNDP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
  9. "West Bengal to develop analytics-themed city near Kalyani township". Economic Times. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  10. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Nadia". Table 2.1. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  11. "Nadia District Police". Police Unit. West Bengal Police. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  12. "Kalyani Police Station Details". Nadia Police. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  13. "Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Census of India, Government of India. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  14. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  15. "Press Note, Delimitation Commission" (PDF). Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal. Delimitation Commission. pp. 4, 23. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  16. "Category, Year of Establishment, Area, SC, ST and total population in ULBs in West Bengal" (PDF). Department of Municipal affairs, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  17. "Annual Report 2007–2008" (PDF). Department of School Education, Government of West Bengal. p. 69. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  18. "College of Medicine & J.N.M.Hospital". West Bengal University of Health Sciences. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  19. "CM shows off state's sound cardiac care". Times of India. 5 December 2003. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  20. India, Press Trust of (25 March 2015). "Centre approves AIIMS-like project at Kalyani in WB". Business Standard India. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  21. Debashis Konar. Centre gives nod for AIIMS in Kalyani. Times of India. 21 June 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.