Salt Lake City
Kolkata
Sector-5 skyline
Salt Lake Stadium, largest football stadium in India
Omega and Infinity Benchmark office buildings
Nicco Park
View of Mahishbathan
Salt Lake City is located in West Bengal
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Location in West Bengal, India
Salt Lake City is located in India
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (India)
Coordinates: 22°35′N 88°25′E / 22.58°N 88.42°E / 22.58; 88.42
Country India
State West Bengal
DistrictNorth 24 Parganas
RegionKolkata Metropolitan
Founded byBidhan Chandra Roy
Named forBidhan Chandra Roy
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyBidhannagar Municipal Corporation
 • MayorKrishna Chakraborty
 • Deputy MayorAnita Mondal
 • ChairpersonSabyasachi Dutta
 • Police CommissionerGaurav Sharma, IPS
Area
[1]
 • Total55.51 km2 (21.43 sq mi)
 • Rank5th (in West Bengal)
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total670,000
 • Rank4th (in West Bengal)
 • Density12,000/km2 (31,000/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
700064, 700091, 700097, 700098, 700105, 700106, 700059, 700091, 700101, 700135, 700102, 700157, 700159
Telephone code+91 33
Vehicle registrationWB
Vidhan Sabha constituencyBidhannagar
PoliceBidhannagar City Police
Website

Bidhannagar[lower-alpha 1], also known as Salt Lake City, is a planned satellite city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The population within city limits was 2,18,323 at the 2011 census, it has increased since 2001 census. After a successful extension of the city limits in June 2015, Bidhannagar's population increased to 6.7 lakhs residents. It is now the fourth-most populous city in West Bengal, after Kolkata, Howrah and Asansol.[1]

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.[2]

Bidhannagar's Salt lake is a planned region of Kolkata. It was planned and developed between 1958 and 1965 to accommodate the burgeoning population of Kolkata. Bidhannagar (including Salt lake) in Kolkata metropolitan area is under the administration of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. Keeping with its original name, it is commonly referred to as Salt Lake City.[3]

Bidhannagar's architecture has modern landmarks, such as the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan or Salt Lake Stadium.

The city is considered the main IT hub of Eastern India and Kolkata, West Bengal. Bidhannagar is located on the north-east side of Kolkata. The Nabadiganta Industrial area of Bidhannagar has always played a key role in the economic health of the city area. As of April 2019, Sector V of Bidhannagar had approx 1,500 company.[4] The East Kolkata Wetlands is recognized as a Ramsar site, located within the city limits of Bidhannagar.[5]

Etymology

The city is named after Bidhan Chandra Roy, the founder of Salt Lake area of the city, and the second Premiers of West Bengal (1948–1950) and first Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1981 33,175—    
1991 100,048+201.6%
2001 164,221+64.1%
2011 215,514+31.2%
Source: Government of India[6]

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.[7] 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.[8][7] Bidhannagar Municipality has an average literacy rate of 90.44% (higher than the national average of 74%),[9] with male literacy of 93.08% and female literacy of 87.69%.[10]

Geography

An example of the many wetlands and lakes that surround Bidhannagar

Salt Lake is located in the southeastern part of the Indian state 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 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.[5]

Government and public services

Civic administration

Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation

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.[1]

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).[11]

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.[12][13]

Transport

Ring road along the eastern periphery of /Salt Lake Sector-V
Entrance gate of Karunamoyee Bus Terminal

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 (Line 2) 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 (Line 6) of the Kolkata Metro, which passes through the Salt Lake Bypass, is under-construction with cost inflation and delays[14][15]

Education

Colleges

Schools

Schools in Salt Lake include the Hariyana Vidya Mandir, Apeejay School, 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, Mother International School, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education, 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.

Catholic schools include St. Joan's School, Our Lady Queen of the Missions School and St. Francis Xavier School.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Bidhannagar city limits was extended in June 2015. Rajarhat-Gopalpur Municipality and Mahishbathan II Gram Panchayat were included in the new city limits.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "BMC Profile". www.bmcwbgov.in. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Aryabhatta Khan (10 September 2023). "ভেড়ির জল থেকে লবণ তৈরি করে শুরু সত্যাগ্রহ". Anandabazar (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation". Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Soon, smart composting units at Sector V offices". The Times of India. Kolkata. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 "East Calcutta Wetlands". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Census Tables". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. 1 2 Chatterjee, Anjan (5 April 2016). "An overview — the drainage aspect of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation area, Bidhannagar, Kolkata". Medium.
  8. ↑ "Kolkata Overview" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "6. State of Literacy" (PDF). Census of India 2011. p. 98. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Census of India. 2011. p. 7. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "NDITA Overview".
  12. ↑ "Bidhannagar City Police". bidhannagarcitypolice.gov.in. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Bidhannagar City Police". bidhannagarcitypolice.gov.in. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "Rail set to take over East-West". The Telegraph. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Hidco clears route for Garia-airport Metro". The Times of India. 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
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