Basirhat
Encyclopedia
Basirhat is a city and a municipality
in North 24 Parganas district
in the state of West Bengal
, India
. Basirhat subdivisional town is located on the banks of Ichamati River
.
Freedom fighter Dinesh Chandra Majumder was born here in 1907.
Basirhat was connected to Kolkata
by a narrow gauge railway (the Martin company railway) for a long time; it is non-existent now.
Not far from Basirhat is Sikra-Kulingram the birthplace of Swami Brahmananda, the first president
of Ramakrishna Mission
.
Basirhat situated near the Ichamati River
which is a branch river of Ganges. It is well connected with Kolkata
by rail (65 km) as part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway
system and road. It is very near to Bangladesh. It is 42 km from Barasat on the Barasat-Basirhat-Hasnabad branch line of Eastern Railway
.
is the main source of income. Other industries like brick making and fisheries are also dominant in this area.
Two other things are very popular from Basirhat
1. Sweet called nolen gurer sandesh, also patali both from local date-palm syrup
2. Hand made towel called gamcha
Barasat Basirhat Railway
of Martin's Light Railways
. It was closed in 1955 and subsequently converted to broad gauge
.
Railways had been electrified and EMUs are running frequently from Sealdah and Hasnabad.Connectivity by bus is also there from Kolkata and other places.
India census
, Basirhat had a population of 113,120. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Basirhat has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the literates being male and 46% being female. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
.
The Municipal vision statements of Basirhat Municipality are:
The Municipality is divided into 22 wards covering 22.5 km², with population of 113,120 as per 2001 census, out of which 30% are currently under the below poverty level (whereas, BPL average percentage in West Bengal as per 2001 census is 31.58%). The current population growth rate of Basirhat Municipality is approximately 25.17% per decade. If this growth rate does not incline, by the year 2025 the population density will be 6782 persons per square kilometre. In Basirhat Municipality the density of slum population is about 30%. Nearly 97% of the populace of the Municipality is Bengali speaking and the rest 3% speaks other language.
Basirhat Municipality has recently launched its Official Website as http://www.basirhatmuniciplity.in
According to Dr. Sukumar Sen, Basirhāt is named after a person named 'Basi'. Referring to Bengali Dictionary, the word Basi means—Indriya Basbān, Jitendriya, Āprādhin, Sādhin, Swatantra. From this it may be concluded that Basirhat was an independent tax-free business centre. Like present day's Free Business Centres. Basirhāt is named after a person named Basir Muhammad or Basir Khan. In spite of this if we consider Basir Khan's market then it should be around medieval period. But from the records it is clear that Muslim intrusion didn't take place before 1200 AD. Basirhāt's Sahi Masjid was constructed in 1466 AD.
. He had contributed substantially for the development of Basirhat. Bhyabla station is 2 km from Basirhat station.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the [tropical zone] from latitude 22º11'6" north to 23º15'2" north and from longitude 88º20' east to 89º5' east...
in the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Basirhat subdivisional town is located on the banks of Ichamati River
Ichamati River
Ichamati River , is a trans-boundary river which flows through India and Bangladesh and also forms the boundary between the two countries. The river is facing the problem of siltation leading to thin flow of water in the dry season and floods in the rainy season...
.
History
Basirhat has a long history of farmer's movement like 'Tevaga Andolan'.Freedom fighter Dinesh Chandra Majumder was born here in 1907.
Basirhat was connected to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
by a narrow gauge railway (the Martin company railway) for a long time; it is non-existent now.
Not far from Basirhat is Sikra-Kulingram the birthplace of Swami Brahmananda, the first president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
.
Geography
Basirhat is located at 22.66°N 88.89°E. It has an average elevation of 6 metres (19 feet).Basirhat situated near the Ichamati River
Ichamati River
Ichamati River , is a trans-boundary river which flows through India and Bangladesh and also forms the boundary between the two countries. The river is facing the problem of siltation leading to thin flow of water in the dry season and floods in the rainy season...
which is a branch river of Ganges. It is well connected with Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
by rail (65 km) as part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway
Kolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is the rail system for the suburbs surrounding the city of Kolkata . Railways such as this are important and heavily-used infrastructure in India....
system and road. It is very near to Bangladesh. It is 42 km from Barasat on the Barasat-Basirhat-Hasnabad branch line of Eastern Railway
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
.
Economics
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is the main source of income. Other industries like brick making and fisheries are also dominant in this area.
Two other things are very popular from Basirhat
1. Sweet called nolen gurer sandesh, also patali both from local date-palm syrup
2. Hand made towel called gamcha
Transport
Basirhat was connected with Barasat by the narrow gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Barasat Basirhat Railway
Barasat Basirhat Railway
-History:Barasat Basirhat Railway was a gauge railway line started by Martin & Co. in 1914 as part of their wide network of narrow gauge operations under the aegis of Martin's Light Railways...
of Martin's Light Railways
Martin's Light Railways
Martin's Light Railways was a private company operating railways in India. The routes on which trains were run by Martin's Light Railways are as shown below: gauge Howrah Maidan-Amta and Howrah-Shiakhala lines ....
. It was closed in 1955 and subsequently converted to broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
.
Railways had been electrified and EMUs are running frequently from Sealdah and Hasnabad.Connectivity by bus is also there from Kolkata and other places.
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Basirhat Urban Agglomeration had a population of 144,891, out of which 73,491 were males and 71,400 were females. The 0-6 years population was 12,578. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 86.88 per cent.India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Basirhat had a population of 113,120. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Basirhat has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the literates being male and 46% being female. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Healthcare
Basirhat is one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contaminationArsenic contamination of groundwater
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a natural occurring high concentration of arsenic in deeper levels of groundwater, which became a high-profile problem in recent years due to the use of deep tubewells for water supply in the Ganges Delta, causing serious arsenic poisoning to large numbers of...
.
Basirhat Municipality
- Chairman: Krishna Majumdar
- Year of Establishment of Municipality: 1 April 1869
The Municipal vision statements of Basirhat Municipality are:
- To provide all its citizens a humane social order based on truth, justice, freedom, equity and integrity in which basic human rights and the dignity of every individual is upheld, with sustained access to improved health, adequate and equitable basic services,
- To provide livelihood opportunities in an environmentally sustainable urban area, which upholds social justice and practices democratic and secular values, including human rights
- To provide right to information coupled with balanced development supported by an advanced, transparent and sustainable Urban Local Body, making Basirhat Municipality an attractive and secure place for investment and to eradicate poverty.
The Municipality is divided into 22 wards covering 22.5 km², with population of 113,120 as per 2001 census, out of which 30% are currently under the below poverty level (whereas, BPL average percentage in West Bengal as per 2001 census is 31.58%). The current population growth rate of Basirhat Municipality is approximately 25.17% per decade. If this growth rate does not incline, by the year 2025 the population density will be 6782 persons per square kilometre. In Basirhat Municipality the density of slum population is about 30%. Nearly 97% of the populace of the Municipality is Bengali speaking and the rest 3% speaks other language.
Basirhat Municipality has recently launched its Official Website as http://www.basirhatmuniciplity.in
Administrative boundaries
On 1 January 1861, Basirhat Sub-division was constituted as per order of the Government. Before that Basirhat was under the jurisdiction of Barasat Sub-division. Initially this subdivision was not named as Basirhāt, it was Basurhāt. This subdivision covered an area of 352 km² with 473 villages. The population was 268,146. In 1861, as per the order of Indian Government, Basurhāt Sub-Division was formed consisting of Balia Pargana's Basurhāt, Kalingā, Hāruā, Husenābād Police Stations. The name Basurhāt continued to exist till 1896. Afterwards it became Basirhāt.Etymology
The sources which are considered till now behind the naming of Basirhat are as follows:- Bahurhāt—market for various items
- Banserhāt—market for buying and selling bamboos
- Bastirhāt—low land market
According to Dr. Sukumar Sen, Basirhāt is named after a person named 'Basi'. Referring to Bengali Dictionary, the word Basi means—Indriya Basbān, Jitendriya, Āprādhin, Sādhin, Swatantra. From this it may be concluded that Basirhat was an independent tax-free business centre. Like present day's Free Business Centres. Basirhāt is named after a person named Basir Muhammad or Basir Khan. In spite of this if we consider Basir Khan's market then it should be around medieval period. But from the records it is clear that Muslim intrusion didn't take place before 1200 AD. Basirhāt's Sahi Masjid was constructed in 1466 AD.
Bhabla
Bhabla (also spelt Bhyabla) near Basirhat is the place of birth and ancestral home of pioneering industrialist, Sir Rajen MukherjeeRajen Mookerjee
Sir Rajen Mookerjee, KCIE, KCVO was a pioneering Indian industrialist.-Early life:...
. He had contributed substantially for the development of Basirhat. Bhyabla station is 2 km from Basirhat station.