Durgapur

This article is about durgapur the city in West Bengal. For other uses, see Durgapur (disambiguation).
Durgapur
দুর্গাপুর
Metropolitan City / Urban Agglomeration
Clockwise from the top :
At the entrance of Durgapur Steel city from NH-2
Durgapur Steel Plant, Durgapur Railway Station
Durgapur Expressway, Durgapur Railway Station plate
Nickname(s): Ruhr of India
Durgapur

Location in West Bengal, India

Coordinates: 23°33′N 87°19′E / 23.55°N 87.32°E / 23.55; 87.32Coordinates: 23°33′N 87°19′E / 23.55°N 87.32°E / 23.55; 87.32
Country  India
State West Bengal
District Barddhaman
Established Late 1950s
Founded by Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (former chief minister of West Bengal)
Named for Durgamohan Chattopadhyay, former Zamindar of Sagarbhanga
Government
 • Type Durgapur Municipal Corporation
 • Body DMC
 • Mayor Apurba Mukherjee
 • Commissioner of Police (CP) Vineet Kumar Goyal, IPS (Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate)
Area
 • Total 154 km2 (59 sq mi)
Elevation 65 m (213 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 566,517
 • Rank 77th most populated city of India
 • Density 3,700/km2 (9,500/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Durgapurbashi, Durgapurians
Languages
 • Official Bengali, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 713 2xx [713 201-713 216(city proper);713 217 & 713 219 (suburbs)]
Telephone code +91 343
Vehicle registration WB-39 / WB-40
Lok Sabha constituency Bardhaman-Durgapur (MP - Mamtaz Sanghamita Choudhury  - AITC )
Vidhan Sabha constituency

Durgapur Purba (MLA - Santosh Debray - CPI(M)),

Durgapur Paschim (MLA - Biswanath Pariyal (CPIM & INC)
Website durgapurmunicipalcorporation.org

Durgapur (/dʊərɡɑːpʊər/ or /-ɡæ-/) is a city in the Bardhaman District, in the state of West Bengal, India. Durgapur is the third largest city in West Bengal in terms of both area (154.20 km2 / 59.54 sq. miles) and population (5,66,937) (2011 census & excluding the urban agglomeration). Durgapur is the second planned city of India after Chandigarh and has the only operational dry (inland) port in Eastern India. It is one of the six Municipal Corporations in West Bengal.

History

Jawaharlal Nehru with schoolchildren at Durgapur

Geography

Durgapur is located at 23°29′N 87°19′E / 23.48°N 87.32°E / 23.48; 87.32.[1] It has an average elevation of 65 metres (213 ft).

Durgapur is in the 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 subdivision is surrounded by Asansol subdivision on the west, Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision on the east, Bankura district across the Damodar in the south, and Birbhum district across the Ajay River to the north.

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 M.Corp had a population of 522,517 out of which 294,255 were males and 272,262 were females. The 0–6 years population was 51,930. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 87.70.[2]

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.

Road

Durgapur is the preferred gateway to the districts of Bankura, Birbhum ( Bolpur , Kirnahar , Suri ), and Purulia, which are not well connected. NH 2 and SH 9 pass through the city jurisdiction. NH 60 passes through the north-western suburb of Pandabeswar and finally passes through Raniganj and heads away towards Orissa. 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 termini at Benachiti-I, Benachiti-II (commonly referred as Prantika), City Center, and Station Morh. One bus terminus is coming up at Nadiha, but only for inter-city commuting.

Intra-city Transport

Within the city private mini-buses are the cheapest and most convenient mode of transportation. They operate from Prantika to Station terminus, via different routes through the city. Some of them operate to other termini from Prantika, like Nadiha, Madhaipur, Kasba, Sillyaghat, etc. CNG auto-rickshaws ply between City Center, Benachity, Railway Station and other parts of the city in a number of routes. They are non-polluting, environment friendly, convenient, less time-consuming, and cheap mode of transport. Cycle-rickshaws are available for travelling smaller distances, as a preferred commute. Pre-paid taxis are available in the city from Station and City Center Terminus. From 2015, OLACABS, the country's most popular App-based luxury cab app, has also started operating within the city boundaries as well as from the city to the Durgapur Airport. A new auto rickshaw service provider dAutowale have also started in the city.

Air

The nearest domestic airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam International 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

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.

Climate

Durgapur
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
14
 
 
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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, lasting from March to the middle of June, with average daily temperatures near 32 °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 20 °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 25 °C.

Industrialisation

Durgapur Steel plant
Queen Elizabeth at Durgapur[3]

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. 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 Mukherjee 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 now Alstom Power Boilers 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. A great new industrial city was bubbling with enthusiasm.

I.T.E.S. firms like Hinduja Global Solutions Limited have already made Durgapur their Eastern Developmental Centre.

Administrative changes

Durgapur is a new industrial city. The administrative setup came in stages. Once the British settled down to ruling the country in the nineteenth century, they started effecting administrative changes. In 1837, when Bankura district was formed, Durgapur area was part of it. In 1847, Ranigunj subdivision was formed with three police stations – Ranigunj, 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. After TMC Government came to power in West Bengal in 2011, the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate was formed by the State Government in order to improve the law and order situation in the Asansol -Durgapur belt and to curb the menace of illegal Coal Smuggling

Education

Colleges

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

Durgapur is home to National Institute of Technology, Durgapur,[4] an autonomous institution in eastern India of national importance. It is one of the 30 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, India, 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. Now it is affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University. It is funded and administered by the Government of West Bengal. Direct administrative control lies with the Director of Public Instruction, Higher Education Directorate, Government of West Bengal.

Apart from these government colleges, numerous privately managed colleges and universities have been set up in and around Durgapur.

Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute

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).[5] The institute is the only mechanical engineering research and development institution in India, dedicated to work in the mechanical and allied engineering disciplines.[6]

National Power Training Institute (ER)

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. The Institute offers post graduate education in the field of power plants and also offers B. Tech. in Power Engineering. This institute is also associated with several industrial bodies for imparting training to plant personnel.[7]

Important Schools

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). The most renowned private schools are St. Michael's School; St. Peter's School; Delhi Public School; Carmel Convent High School, Fuljhore;DPL Boys' School , DPL Girls' School, Carmel School, Durgapur Steel Township; Aurobinda Vidya Mandir (D.H.B Road); Amrita Vidyalayam; D.A.V Model School; Pranavananda Vidya Mandir; Hem Sheela Model School; Bidhan School; Bidhan Chandra Institution for Boys and Bidhan Chandra Institution for Girls (both imparting Higher Secondary education only); Narayana School; Techno India Group Public School, Durgapur Public School; Guru Teg Bahadur Public School; St. Xavier's School; MAMC Modern High School and Assembly of God Church School. Besides, there are several other private schools which have achieved many laurels over the years.

There are schools run by the West Bengal Government and the Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) as well, across the city.

Sports facilities

Media

Durgapur is home to a large number of electronic media houses. In fact, it is next, only to Kolkata and Guwahati, in serving as the operation bases and headquarters for the largest number of electronic media channels in Eastern India. Express News, Axes Info Media, TV 7, Shaan (formerly HTV, DSTV (owned by DSP), Hallow India, TV Bangla are some of them., Ganashakti, I-Core Ekdin, Sakalbela, Good Morning Asansol, Shilpanchal Express, 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 the most controversial news paper published from Durgapur .Dainik Jagaran has a Durgapur Edition, too. Durgapur Adda[8] - the online news portal of Durgapur with daily news updates for all that is happening in and around the city of Durgapur is catering to all those who rely on online channels for news updates. Durgapur does not have any F.M. stations. However 92.7 Big FM and 93.5 Red FM has stations at Asansol and serve both Asansol and Durgapur.

Places of interest

Suhatta Mall

Non-governmental and charity organisations

  1. ↑ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Durgapur, India". fallingrain.com.
  2. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  3. ↑ British Pathé. "The Royal Tour Of India - Reel 3". britishpathe.com.
  4. ↑ "NIT DURGAPUR". nitdgp.ac.in.
  5. ↑ http://www.csir.res.in
  6. ↑ "Welcome to CMERI". cmeri.res.in. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  7. ↑ http://www.nptidurgapur.com
  8. ↑ "Durgapur Adda". durgapuradda.com.
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