Gosaba
Encyclopedia
Gosaba is a village in the Canning subdivision
of South 24 Parganas district
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. It is the last inhabited area before the deep forests of the Sundarbans
start. It has a police station, a community development block, and an assembly constituency. The area symbolises man’s struggle against nature and predators.
, had travelled to Kolkata
to work for MacKinnon & McKenzie, a company with which he had family connections. The company sold tickets for the P&O
shipping line, then one of the largest in the world. Hamilton became head of the company and master of an immense fortune, one of the richest men in British India. Another man may have taken his money and gone away but Hamilton set his eyes on the deltaic islands in south Bengal. In 1903, he bought 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of the tide country from the government – it included such islands as Gosaba, Rangabelia, and Satjelia. His efforts at developing these places brought in other people into these islands. They were people who dared not only to struggle against nature but also the predators that lived there – tigers, crocodiles, sharks and lizards. They killed so many people that Hamilton gave rewards to people who killed them.
to Sonakhali (opposite Basanti) is 100 km, it takes about three hours by road. Sonakhali to Gosaba is about 1½ hours by powered boat. Sundarbans are home to some 270 man-eating tigers. Sixteen of them have entered the villages of Gosaba between 2001 and 2004.
(local self-government) under South 24 Parganas district. Village panchayats under it are – Amtali, Bali I and II, Bipradaspur, Chhota Mollakhali, Gosaba, Kachukhali, Kumirmari, Lahiripur, Pathankhali, Radhanagar-Taranagar, Rangabelia, Satjelia and Sambhunagar.
, Joynagar
, Basanti, Gosaba and Canning are honey collectors. The number of honey collectors has dwindled from around 1,500 a few years back to around 700 in 2007. From 1985 through 2004, about 75 honey collectors were killed by tigers in the forests. Now all honey collectors are insured for Rs. 50,000. The forest department has also intensified vigilance during the honey collection period. The range officers and guards are on full alert. No deaths have been reported since 2004.
Plans are afoot to set up a 3.6 MW power plant in Durgaduani creek utilising tidal water. The Durgaduani creek is between the rivers Bidyadhari and Gomdi Khal. It is about 8.5 km long and has an average width of 145 metres. Tidal water will be stored and then let out to generate electricity using four turbines. There will be two gates at either end at Gosaba and Sonagaon to form a low head.
, in Gosaba all the tubewells analyzed were arsenic
safe (below 10 µg/L). The probable reason may be that being a coastal area most of the tubewells draw water from less contaminated deep aquifers.
World Wildlife Fund has organized workshops on the treatment of snakebite victims in Gosaba block with the local quacks, ojhas and gunins, people who attend the local patients, to enhance the scientific knowledge of such people.
Four launches with doctors carrying medicines, sophisticated portable X-ray and echo-cardiograph machines, provided by the French author Dominique Lapierre
move along the waterways of the Sundarbans to its furthest corners. Residents of such places as Sandeshkhali
, Basanti, Gosaba and Kultali have felicitated him when he came in 2004.
Canning subdivision
Canning subdivision , is a subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of four community development blocks: Basanti, Canning–I, Canning–II and Gosaba. The four blocks contain 46 gram panchayats...
of South 24 Parganas district
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 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...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
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...
. It is the last inhabited area before the deep forests of the Sundarbans
Sundarbans
The Sundarbans [Sundarban Tour Booking-9051115228] is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language...
start. It has a police station, a community development block, and an assembly constituency. The area symbolises man’s struggle against nature and predators.
History
Sir Daniel Mackinnon Hamilton, a ScotsmanScotsman
Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
, had travelled 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...
to work for MacKinnon & McKenzie, a company with which he had family connections. The company sold tickets for the P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
shipping line, then one of the largest in the world. Hamilton became head of the company and master of an immense fortune, one of the richest men in British India. Another man may have taken his money and gone away but Hamilton set his eyes on the deltaic islands in south Bengal. In 1903, he bought 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of the tide country from the government – it included such islands as Gosaba, Rangabelia, and Satjelia. His efforts at developing these places brought in other people into these islands. They were people who dared not only to struggle against nature but also the predators that lived there – tigers, crocodiles, sharks and lizards. They killed so many people that Hamilton gave rewards to people who killed them.
Geography
Gosaba is located at 22.16°N 88.80°E. It has an average elevation of 4 metres (13 feet). Gosaba is one of the main deltaic islands in the Sundarban region, bounded by the Matala and Zilli rivers/ creeks. It is the last inhabited area before the deep forests start. KolkataKolkata
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...
to Sonakhali (opposite Basanti) is 100 km, it takes about three hours by road. Sonakhali to Gosaba is about 1½ hours by powered boat. Sundarbans are home to some 270 man-eating tigers. Sixteen of them have entered the villages of Gosaba between 2001 and 2004.
Demographics
In the 2001 census, Gosaba community development block had a population of 222,764 out of which 113,827 were males and 108,937 were females. The entire population is classified as rural.Administration
Gosaba is an intermediate panchayatPanchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
(local self-government) under South 24 Parganas district. Village panchayats under it are – Amtali, Bali I and II, Bipradaspur, Chhota Mollakhali, Gosaba, Kachukhali, Kumirmari, Lahiripur, Pathankhali, Radhanagar-Taranagar, Rangabelia, Satjelia and Sambhunagar.
Economy
Honey collection
Around 20,000 kg of honey is collected every year from forests of Sundarbans. Mostly people from the KultaliKultali
Kultali is a town with a police station in Baruipur subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. While the poverty-stricken area is struggling for development, it is beset with crime. Violent clashes mark out the area as politically volatile.-Geography:Kultali is...
, Joynagar
Jaynagar Mazilpur
Jaynagar Majilpur is a town and a municipality in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Both the places are also identified separately a Jaynagar and Majilpur...
, Basanti, Gosaba and Canning are honey collectors. The number of honey collectors has dwindled from around 1,500 a few years back to around 700 in 2007. From 1985 through 2004, about 75 honey collectors were killed by tigers in the forests. Now all honey collectors are insured for Rs. 50,000. The forest department has also intensified vigilance during the honey collection period. The range officers and guards are on full alert. No deaths have been reported since 2004.
Tourism
The main tourist centre in the region is Sajnekhali in the heart of the Sundarbans tiger reserve, where the state tourist department has a lodge with basic amenities. Sajnekhali is about 1½ hours by boat from Gosaba. Most tourist boats go past Gosaba. Some tourists travel to Gosaba on their way to Pakhiralay (the home of the birds). Foreigners need a special permit to enter Sunderbans, which is issued in Kolkata by the Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal. Help Tourism's small Jungle Camp is at Bali island, outside the tiger reserve. Sunderban Tiger Camp at Dayapur, Gosaba has 14 rooms.Power
Villages in the deltaic region of Sundarbans do not have access to conventional forms of energy. A 5x100 kW biomass based power plant was installed at Gosaba island, in June, 1997 and has been running successfully, serving about 650 consumers through a network of distribution lines. The power plant is being run on a commercial basis by the Gosaba Rural Energy Cooperative. A 500 kW gasifier based power plant was commissioned in the remote island of Chhotomollakhali in June, 2001.Plans are afoot to set up a 3.6 MW power plant in Durgaduani creek utilising tidal water. The Durgaduani creek is between the rivers Bidyadhari and Gomdi Khal. It is about 8.5 km long and has an average width of 145 metres. Tidal water will be stored and then let out to generate electricity using four turbines. There will be two gates at either end at Gosaba and Sonagaon to form a low head.
Education
Educational institutions in Gosaba - Sundarban Hazi Dasarat College (Pathankhali), Gosaba Rural Reconstruction (Government sponsored) Institution, Rangabelia High School, Sambhunagar High School, Bipradaspur High School (Manmathanagar), Mongol Chandra Vidyapith (Chotomollakhali),Satjelia Natavar Vidyayatan(satjelia). satjelia santigachhi high school.Health
Although in South 24 Parganas district groundwater 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...
, in Gosaba all the tubewells analyzed were arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
safe (below 10 µg/L). The probable reason may be that being a coastal area most of the tubewells draw water from less contaminated deep aquifers.
World Wildlife Fund has organized workshops on the treatment of snakebite victims in Gosaba block with the local quacks, ojhas and gunins, people who attend the local patients, to enhance the scientific knowledge of such people.
Four launches with doctors carrying medicines, sophisticated portable X-ray and echo-cardiograph machines, provided by the French author Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre is a French author.-Life:Dominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he traveled to America with his father who was a diplomat...
move along the waterways of the Sundarbans to its furthest corners. Residents of such places as Sandeshkhali
Sandeshkhali
Sandeshkhali I is an administrative division in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sandeshkhali police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Najata Hatkhali.-Geography:Sandeshkhali is located at .The area is full of creeks...
, Basanti, Gosaba and Kultali have felicitated him when he came in 2004.