Batanagar
Encyclopedia
Batanagar is a town in South 24 Parganas district
in the state of West Bengal
, India
. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
. It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata
. There is a plant of the Bata company here. The employees mostly reside in Batanagar.
. The Bata brand was established on August 24, 1894 in Zlín
, then in Austria-Hungary
(now in Czech Republic
). The company first established itself in India in 1931 by renting a building to start an experimental shoe production plant in Konnagar, West Bengal with 75 Czech experts. Jan Antonin Bata then built up an industrial manufactuing city called Batanagar in 1934, as well as other factories in Digha near Patna, and elsewhere in India, employing more than 7,000 people.Later Batanagar became one of the bigger sub-urban towns near Kolkata.
or Nangi, the nearest rail station, is 23 km from Sealdah
on the Sealdah
-Budge Budge section of Eastern Railway
.and just 9 km from Taratala.
This feature was born out of necessity, as most of the families residing in Batanagar are dependent on the Bata factory for their livelihood, hence whenever the factory gets locked-out, these families are very severely affected. Hence shoe making from their homes has given them an alternate source of earning.
South 24 Parganas district
South 24 Parganas district is an important district of West Bengal State with its district headquarters in Alipore. It has the urban fringe of Calcutta on one side and the remote riverine villages in the Sundarbans....
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...
. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority is the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata Metropolitan Area in the state of West Bengal, India. The organisation was previously known as Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and still retains the previous logo...
. It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
. There is a plant of the Bata company here. The employees mostly reside in Batanagar.
History
Batanagar was established to start the first shoe factory in India by Czech industrialist Thomas BataThomas Bata
Thomas Bata may refer to:* Tomáš Baťa , founder of Bata Shoes* Thomas J. Bata , his son who led the corporation through the 1980s.-See also:* Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic* Club Deportivo Thomas Bata, Chile...
. The Bata brand was established on August 24, 1894 in Zlín
Zlín
Zlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
, then in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
). The company first established itself in India in 1931 by renting a building to start an experimental shoe production plant in Konnagar, West Bengal with 75 Czech experts. Jan Antonin Bata then built up an industrial manufactuing city called Batanagar in 1934, as well as other factories in Digha near Patna, and elsewhere in India, employing more than 7,000 people.Later Batanagar became one of the bigger sub-urban towns near Kolkata.
Geography
Batanagar lies near the river Ganges. NungiNungi
Nungi is a rail station, 23 km from Sealdah, on the Sealdah Budgebudge section of Kolkata Suburban Railway. It serves as the railway station for the industrial town of Batanagar. It is under Budge Budge police station of Alipore sadar subdivision in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state...
or Nangi, the nearest rail station, is 23 km from Sealdah
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
on the Sealdah
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
-Budge Budge section 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...
.and just 9 km from Taratala.
Economy
Not only the Bata India Shoe factory, another very remarkable feature of Batanagar, is that shoe-making is a pre-dominant cottage industry in Batanagar. Countless houses and families are dedicated to manufacturing shoes of various makes - leather, PVC, jute, etc. for some of the leading shoe brands in India. For example - Khadim's, SreeLeathers, Titas and Liberty which are some of the most renowned shoe makers in India, have outsourced a major portion of their shoe making process to the various entities in Batanagar. Every alternate home in Batanagar houses a small unit which is manufacturing shoes.This feature was born out of necessity, as most of the families residing in Batanagar are dependent on the Bata factory for their livelihood, hence whenever the factory gets locked-out, these families are very severely affected. Hence shoe making from their homes has given them an alternate source of earning.