Barrackpore

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name=Barrackpore
type = town
latd = 22.76 |longd = 88.37
state_name=West Bengal
district=North 24 Parganas
leader_title=Municipality Chairman
leader_name=Salil Banerjee [ [http://north24parganas.nic.in/municipality.html Official District Administration site] ]
altitude=15
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 144331
population_density =
area_magnitude = 9
area_total=
area_telephone=91 33
postal_code= 743101
vehicle_code_range=
footnotes =
website = http://www.barrackpore.gov.in/
website_caption = www.barrackpore.gov.in

Barrackpore or Barrackpur ( _bn. ব্যারাকপুর) sub-division, under District of North 24 Parganas in the state of West Bengal, is an old and famous administrative territory of India, populated by people from almost all provinces of India. The town was a military and administrative center under British rule, and was the scene of several acts of rebellion against Britain during the 19th century. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. [cite web
url = http://www.cmdaonline.com/kma.html | title = Base Map of Kolkata Metroploitan area | accessdate = 2007-09-03 | last = | first = | work = | publisher = Kolkata Metroploitan Development Authority ]

Origin of name

The name Barrackpore originates from the word the English word barracks. Barrackpore acquired the name as the site of the first major military base of the British East India Company. Prior to that time, Barrackpore was known as Chanak, and is mentioned by that name in the "Manasa Mangal".

Arguably, it is also believed that during the regime of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, this place has been a major collection centre of "khajna" - Taxes and then it was named as Barbakpur. With time the name changed to Barrackpore.

History

The earliest references to the Barrackpore region are found in the writings of the Greek navigators, geographers, chronicles and historians of the 1st century BC to the 3rd century A.D. These authors generally referred to the country of a people variously called the Gangaridae, Gangaridai, Gandaritai etc.

By the 15th and 16th century, Chanak and the other towns in the region became populous river towns. [De, Barun. "W.B. District Gazetteer, 24 Parganas ed." 1994.] The Statistical Account of Bengal by W.W. Hunter in 1857 mentions the towns and villages of this subdivision on the banks of the Hooghly river as chief trading and marketing centres: "On The Hugli- Calcutta , the chief seat of commerce in India. ..Baranagar, Dakhineswar, Agarpara, Panihati, Sukchar- Khardah, Barrackpur, Nawabganj, Ichapore, Shyam Nagar, Naihati and Halisahar contain large bazaars for sale of miscellaneous goods."

Under the Mughal Empire, Bengal was divided into Circars, or administrative subunits, each of which was ruled over by a "Mahal". The name "Barbuckpur", another name for Barrackpore, is associated with a Mahal in the "Ain-e-Akbari". From the 1600s, the area was ruled over by a line of Zamindars from the Nona Chandanpukur, Barrackpore.

The first British barrack or cantonment in India was built here in 1772, providing the town with its name. After the British crown assumed direct control of India, the sprawling Government House and the Government Estate were built in Barrackpore to provide the viceroy with a suburban residence 15 miles outside of Calcutta.

Two rebellions against British authority took place in Barrackpore in the 19th century; the first of these came in 1824, under Sepoy Binda Tiwary. In 1857, Barrackpore was the scene of an incident that some credit with starting the Indian rebellion of 1857; an Indian soldier, Mangal Pandey, attacked his British commander, and was subsequently court-martialled. His regiment was disbanded, an action which offended a number of sepoys and is considered to have contributed to the anger that fueled the rebellion

Geography

Barrackpore is located at coord|22.76|N|88.37|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Barakpur.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Barrackpore] ] . It has an average elevation of 15 metres (49 feet). It is located in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta region in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal state. The city is about 23 km from Kolkata (previously Calcutta), and 115 km from the border with Bangladesh. The city is on the eastern bank of the river Ganges.

Economy

The subdivision is served by road, rail and air transport. Moreover, it enjoys the benefit of the Hooghly river, which flows through the western part of this subdivision. The presence of the river paved the way for the establishment of a large number of industries on its banks early in India's industrial development, including jute, engineering, paper, and cotton mills. Barrackpore has also traditionally had a strong small scale cottage industry and handicraft sector.

Agriculture is the main base of the subdivision's economy, with a variety of crops being produced. Floriculture, pisciculture and horticulture have also flourished to a large extent. Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute has been established at Barrackpore to promote production of fishes mainly in ponds and rivers. A well developed irrigation system has been constructed in the subdivision to promote agriculture. Low interest loans have also been used to encourage the expansion of farming and the development of agricultural infrastructure.

The primary industry in Barrackpore is jute processing, centered in a number of jute mills on the side of the river. Ishapore Rifle Factory is one of the most important arms factories of India, supplying the requirements of the security forces. Mulazore Thermal Power Plant at Shyamnagar was one of the oldest power plants in India, but was shut down in 2004. Dry cells produced by Exide, and cables produced by Nicco are other noteworthy industrial products.

The subdivision also has a strong human resource connected with many colleges and technical institutions, universities. Barrackpore is one of the most developed regions in West Bengal. The literacy rate in the sub-division is above the average standard of the state and district.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census [GR|India] , Barrackpur had a population of 144,331. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Barrackpur has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. 8% of the population is under 6 years of age. majority of the population is Bengali and Hindu.

Administration

Barrackpore sub-division is divided into 16 Municipalities and 2 Blocks. These are administered by a Cantonment board and municipal chairmen. Rural areas are administered by 'Gram Panchayats' (Village Committees), which are elected every five years. The sub-division contains eleven Assembly Constituencies and two parliamentary constituencies.

Each municipality has a government headed by its municipal chairman. The chairman is elected by the municipal councillors, who are in turn elected by the constituents of the districts within the municipalities that they represent. The Gram Panchayats in the rural areas follow a similar structure. Both rural and municipal governments are responsible for providing services to the inhabitants by supplying drinking water, maintaining of the roads and streetlightsThe municipalities on the bank of the river are also under the GAP (Ganga Action Plan) to control water pollution and release of pollutants to the river for protecting its plant and animal habitats.

The only Military Cantonment and Police Training Academy in West Bengal are both located in Barrackpore.

Barrackpore is also the seat for the Sub-Divisional Court of Northern 24 Parganas District.

Politics

The dominant political parties in the subdivision are the CPI(M) and other leftist parties such as the All India Forward Bloc.

Tarit Baran Topdar of CPI(M) won the Barrackpore (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2004 defeating Arjun Singh of AITC.

Roads and transport

The Barrackpore sub-division is well connected both by road and railways. With the two National Highways, NH-34 and NH-35, and several major State Highways passing through the area, most towns are well connected with Kolkata, its airport and port, and other important urban and commercial centres of the state. The only International Airport in West Bengal, Netaji Subhas International Airport at Dum Dum, is located in the sub-division. Transport up and down the Hooghly river is available by ferry.

The Barrackpore Trunk Road (B. T. Road), one of the oldest metal roads in India, connects Barrackpore to Kolkata. The Ghoshpara Road connects the city of Barrackpore with Kanchrapara, a town on the boundary of the subivision, and goes on to link Barrackpore with the adjacent district of Nadia.

Barrackpore has been serviced by rail since 1862. Located as they are in a suburban region of Kolkata, most municipalities of Barrackpore are connected by local train with Kolkata. The railway line in Sealdah Section extends through this sub-division to Ranaghat, Bongaon, Dankuni, Howrah, Burdwan, Bandel. It is part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway system. The Circular and Metro Railways of Kolkata also offer an accessible means of transit to and from the sub-division.

Plans are currently in place to lay double Railway line to Hasnabad to improve connectivity. In January 2002 the rail connection to Bangladesh was reopened for goods movement to Benapole.

Accessibility by road is currently being improved by the development of the Barrackpore-Dum Dum Expressway, a project to widen the Jessore Road and widen and strengthen the B. T. Road, and the widening of NH-34 under the North-South Corridor Project. In terms of rail transport, meanwhile, the Metro Rail has proposed to extend its operations to the Airport from Dum Dum.

Heritage and culture

Barrackpore was home to a number of significant members of the Indian independence movement, many of whom have memorials in the subdivision. He has a memorial in the subdivision. Another significant leader of the movement who lived in Barrackpore is Rastraguru Surendra Nath Bandyopadhyay, who was called the father of Indian Nationalist Movement. The house of Surendranath at Monirampur of Barrackpore has now been converted to Rastraguru Surendranath Institute and Netaji Open University. Gandhi also spent time in the area, and the famous Gandhi Ghat is located on the west bank of the Hooghly. A Gandhi museum nearby has rare collection of books, articles used by Gandhi.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya, the author of India's national song Vande Mataram, was born at Naihati, in Barrackpore subdivision. Vande Mataram is credited to him. Another noted literary figure of the post independence era, Samaresh Basu, also hailed from Naihati. His noted work 'Ganga' vividly depicts the life of the fishermen of the Hooghly (Ganges) rivers.

Earlier in the area's history, noted Bengali author Bharat Chandra Ray Gunakar lived at Mulajore . He is famous for his 'Annadamangal Kavya' written in the medieval period.

The subdivision is inhabited by people from a broad range of cultures, with people of various religions, customs, castes and states living together. Mandirs, Masjids, Gurdwara, ashrams and churches coexist there.

The Durga puja a festival held annually in the autumn, is the major festival in the area. There is a monthlong fair in December-January(Bengali month of Pousha) at the temple of goddess Kali at Shyamnagar on the bank of Ganges.

A famous"Kali Sadhak" (Saint devoted to Kali), Ramprasad Sen, who authored many religious songs, was born at Halisahar in this subdivision. The towns of Panihati and Khardaha are also famous for having been visited by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu some 500 years ago. Annual festivals and melas are held at these places and draw large numbers of devotees. Later on these places were further enriched with presence of Sri Ram Krishna Paramahansa, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, and Mahatma Gandhi.

For entertainments, there is one good theatre hall "Sukanta Sadan" (named after the revolutionary poet Sukanta Bhattacharya) in the main town Barrackpore. There are many cinema halls in Barrackpore and ita adjacent loaclities. There is a very beautiful park "Sahid Mangal Pandey Uddan" facing the Ganges at Barrackpore. The famous "Gandhi Ghat" is also situated in Barrackpore town, on the bank of Ganga river. "Gandhi Ghat" and its adjacent "Jawahar Udhyan" are very popular place for picnics and short getaway trips.

(Khardaha), and various social and cultural organizations.

Education

Barrackpore is home to numerous schools, colleges and madrashas. The world famous schools of Ramakrishna Mission, Rahara,Ramkrishna vivekananda mission, Barrackpore, Ramakrishna Mission Baranagar, Barrackpore Govt. High School are situated here. A number of high schools in the district have a history of performing well in national standardized testing. Among the colleges located in Barrackpore are Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College, Mahadevananda Mahavidyalaya, BKC College Bonhooghly, Bhairab ganguly College, and Panihati College. The district also has 2 engineering colleges, several polytechnic institutes and an international boarding school, Adamas international School.

There are numerous educational institutions in Barrackpore imparting higher education, notable being National Institute of Management & Technology (NIMT). NIMT is affiliated to Sikkim Manipal University and offers graduate and Master degree programs.This state of the art institute located next to Barrackpore Municipality offers 3 years and 2 years degree programs in IT, Computers, Management, Journalism & Fashion. Students are offered campus placements at the end of the degree program.

The most popular schools in Barrackpore town are SANTI NAGAR HIGH SCHOOL, ANANDAMATH VIDYAPITH, Barrackpore Govt. High School,Monirampur High School, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission Vidyabhawan, Debi Prasad Higher Secondary School, Barrackpore Cantonment Girls' High School, Army School, DAV School, 2 Kendriya Vidyalayas (Army and Airforce), Bholananda National Vidyalaya, Manmatha Nath High School, Barrackpore Girls High School,Assembly of Angles, St. Augustine's Day School, Modern School,Modern English Academy,Douglas Memorial Higher Secondary School,Kalyani Central Model School, Assembly of Christ School.

There are two Colleges within the city of Barrackpore, namely Barrackpore Rastraguru Surendranath College and Mahadevananda Mahavidyalaya, and few others like P.N. DAS College, Palta within the Barrackpore Sub-Division.

Healthcare

Dr. B. N. Bose (S.D.) Hospital, is an advanced diagnostic and treatment facility in Barrackpore run by the West Bengal Govt. Both in-door and out-door patients receive treatment here and it serves a large population of the North 24 Parganas Dist. The Army base in Barrackpore, maintains a hospital primarily for military and Central (Indian) Government employees. There are also numerous physicians who do private practise - notable among them are Dr. Ananada Talapatra, Dr. Saibal Adhikary, Dr. H.S.Pathak, Dr. T.K.Mitra, Dr. Madhushudan Samanta, Dr. Sadananda Guha, Dr. Chanchal Saha(Gyno), Dr. Jaysree Aich(Gyno), Dr K.G.Ghosh(dermatologist), Dr.Avik Bandyopadhyay(cardiologist), and Dr. N.G.Ghosh (Dentist).
Air pollution and Ganges water pollution are well recognized problems in this area. [cite web | url = http://www.ceers.org/ijest/issues/full/v5/n1/501014.pdf
title = Assessment of heavy metal pollution in surface water | publisher = CEERS] Barrackpore is also one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination. [cite web | url = http://www.soesju.org/arsenic/wb2.htm
title = Groundwater Arsenic contamination in West Bengal-India (19 years study ) | accessdate = 2007-08-24 | last = | first = | work = Groundwater arsenic contamination status of North 24-Parganas district, one of the nine arsenic affected districts of West Bengal-India | publisher = SOES]

References

ee also