Bidhannagar
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Bidhannagar or Salt Lake City, is a planned city in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal and the main IT hub of Eastern India. It is a part of the city of Kolkata and is under the municipal administration of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC). Designed by Yugoslav architect Dobrivoje Tošković, the development of Salt Lake commenced from late 1960s onwards from reclaimed wetlands and was developed into a major IT hub for the city Kolkata by the state government through the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Keeping with its original name, it is commonly referred to as Salt Lake City.
It is the headquarters of the Bidhannagar subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), located on the north-eastern side of Kolkata. The Nabadiganta Industrial Township Area and Sector V of Bidhannagar is one of the main economic hubs of the city with approximately 1,500 companies residing in Sector V as of 2021.
Etymology
The city is named after Bidhan Chandra Roy, the founder of Salt Lake area of the city, the second Premier of West Bengal (1948–1950) and the first Chief Minister of West Bengal.
History
During the Salt Satyagraha, the people of Mahishbathan between present day Salt Lake and Rajarhat Newtown joined the Salt Satyagraha movement by preparing salt using indigenous methods. The main initiator of the movement was Lakshmikant Pramanik, the zamindar of Mahishbathan.
Bidhannagar's Master Planner and Chief Architect was Dobrivoje Tošković from SFR Yugoslavia, now Serbia.
Bidhannagar's architecture has modern landmarks, such as the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan or Salt Lake Stadium.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 33,175 | — |
| 1991 | 100,048 | +201.6% |
| 2001 | 164,221 | +64.1% |
| 2011 | 215,514 | +31.2% |
| Source: Government of India |
At the 2011 census, Bidhannagar Municipality had a population of 218,323 (males 111,363; females 106,960) in an area of approximately 13.16 square km with a density of about 16,590 persons per square kilometre. However, the area of Bidhannagar Municipality was 33.50 square km (much bigger than Salt Lake City) because it includes East Kolkata Wetlands area, where very few floating people live. Bidhannagar Municipality has an average literacy rate of 90.44% (higher than the national average of 74%), with male literacy of 93.08% and female literacy of 87.69%.
Geography
Salt Lake is located in the southeastern part of West Bengal. The city area sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India. The Salt Lake area of Kolkata city was formed by land reclamation, which was done in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the growing population. Salt Lake is located on the north eastern area of Kolkata, the state capital; 65.2 kilometres (40.5 mi) west of Ghojadanga, a border checkpoint; and 128 kilometres (80 mi) north of Bakkhali.
According to the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, the city area has a total area of 55.51 square kilometres (21.43 sq mi), with approx 30.51 square kilometres (11.78 sq mi) of it being land, and approx 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi), or 45.5% of the total, being covered by water. It has an average elevation of 11 metres (49 ft).
East Kolkata Wetlands, located within the city limits of Bidhannagar, lies across the southern part of the city. It is one of the two Ramsar sites in West Bengal, the other being the Sundarban Wetland.
Civic administration
Bidhannagar is administered by several government agencies. The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, or BMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 6 boroughs, which together encompass 41 wards. Each ward elects a councilor to the BMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets. The functions of the KMC include water supply, drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, and building regulation.
Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) was created in January 2006. It supplies water; maintains sewerage, roads, street signals; furnishes important buildings and collects property tax and fees in Sector - V (excluded from the jurisdiction of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation).
Police
The Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate is responsible for law enforcement in the city area. Out of 13 police stations of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, 9 police stations are engaged in controlling law and order in city area.
Transport
Bidhannagar has a bus terminal named Karunamoyee Bus Terminus. A variety of AC & Non-AC Buses depart from this terminus.
WBTC Bus
- AC-9 (Jadavpur 8B - Karunamoyee)
- AC-38 (Dum Dum Stn - Karunamoyee)
- AC-23A (Rajchandrapur - Karunamoyee)
- AC-14 (Baruipur - Karunamoyee)
- EB-12 (Barasat - Karunamoyee)
- S-22 (Shakuntala Park - Karunamoyee)
- S-46 (Rabindra Nagar - Karunamoyee)
- S-4 (Parnasree - Karunamoyee)
- S-9 (Jadavpur 8B - Karunamoyee)
- S-14 (Garia - Karunamoyee)
- S-16 (Thakurpukur 3A - Karunamoyee)
- S-23A (Rajchandrapur - Karunamoyee)
- 14A (Ramnagar - Karunamoyee)
- AC-30S (Ultadanga - Ecospace)
- S-12N (Karunamoyee - Nabanna)
- S-30A (Ultadanga - Ultadanga)
- S-64 (Naihati - New Town)
Other WBTC buses which ply on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and Biswa Bangla Sarani are as follows:
- AC-9B (Jadavpur 8B - Ecospace)
- AC-4B (Joka Tram Depot - Newtown)
- AC-12 (Howrah Stn - Shapoorji)
- AC-37A (Airport - Garia 6 no Bus stand)
- AC-43 (Airport - Golf Green)
- AC-47 (Kudghat - Shapoorji)
- AC-49 (Parnasree - Ecospace)
- AC-4A (Parnasree - Ecospace)
- EB-3 (Tollygunge Tram Depot - Ecospace)
- EB-14 (Santragachi - Ecospace)
- EB-16 (Joka - Hatisala)
- C-8 (Barasat - Joka)
- C-23 (Dankuni - Park Circus)
- M-14 (Behala - Newtown)
- S-3W (Joka Tram Depot - Ecospace)
- S-4D (Parnasree - Ecospace)
- S-9C (Kamalgazi - Ecospace)
- S-12 (Howrah Stn - Newtown)
- S-12E (Howrah Stn - Ecospace)
- S-30 (Ultadanga - Ecospace)
- AC-37 (Barasat - Garia)
- AC-50A (Rajchandrapur - Garia)
- V-1 (Tollygunge Tram Depot - Airport)
The modes of transportation like other parts of Kolkata includes air conditioned/non-ac government/private buses, Yellow taxi and other popular options like auto rickshaw and e-rickshaws. The Howrah Maidan - Salt Lake Sector V - Teghoria (Haldiram) Line (Green Line) of the Kolkata Metro is in operation since 14 February 2020, now connects Salt Lake Sector V and Sealdah. The New Garia – Dum Dum Airport Line (Orange Line) of the Kolkata Metro, which passes through the Salt Lake Bypass, is under-construction with cost inflation and delays.
Education
Colleges
- All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health (Second campus)
- Bidhannagar Government College
- Bose Institute
- Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology
- Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata
- Institute of Engineering and Management
- International School of Business and Media
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology
- National Institute of Fashion Technology
- National Institute of Homoeopathy
- National Council of Science Museums
- Institute of Health Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata
- Rabindra Bharati University
- Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
- S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences
- Techno India University
- Jadavpur University's Second Campus
- University of Calcutta's Technology Campus
- Unitedworld School of Business
- Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre
- West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
Schools
Schools in Salt Lake include the:
- Pearl Rosary School, Affiliated to CBSE, BK Block, Near Tank 8
- Bidhannagar Government High School,
- Bidhannagar Municipal School, a combined primary and high school and
- a branch of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, named Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir,
- Salt Lake School,
- Kalyani Public School near CK Market, formerly Mother International School,
- Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education near Sector V Metro Station,
- Laban Hrad Vidyapith.
- Also, there are two Kendriya Vidyalaya in Salt Lake viz. K.V. No. 1 Salt Lake and K.V. No. 2 Salt Lake.
- Apeejay School Saltlake
Catholic schools include:
- St. Joan's School,
- Our Lady Queen of the Missions School and
- St. Francis Xavier School.
See also
External links
- Kolkata/East travel guide from Wikivoyage
- 20 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine