Rajarhat
Encyclopedia
Rajarhat Gopalpur (renamed from New Town on 7 October 2010), a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district
of West Bengal
, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are investing in the township. The place is an impressive information technology
and computer engineering
hub.
This new industrial and residential hub is being developed on the north-eastern fringes on Calcutta, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal
. It consists of the two erstwhile villages Rajarhat and Gopalpur, which is now a city and municipality named 'Rajarhat Gopalpur'. The area mainly consisted of huge acres of cultivable lands and water bodies. The process of investing for residential and industrial facilities and infrastructural development of the area has mainly started under the leadership of the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
in the late 1990s. The governmental master plan envisions a township here at least three times bigger than the neighbouring planned Salt Lake city of Bidhannagar. According to governmental proposals, the township will be extended up to the extreme south of the state, i.e., up to the Sunderbans near the Bay of Bengal
.
.
, the Rajarhat Gopalpur Municipality had a population of 271,781. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%. In 2001, the area also had an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 81%, and female literacy was 72%. Ten percent of the population were under 6 years of age in the area. Muslims comprised about 45% of the population, the rest being mainly Hindus.
With the completion of the establishment and development of the township, the population of the area is poised for a significant increase. The sex ratio, literacy rate and every other regional statistics will therefore see radical changes within a few years. The existing populace is mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and skilled and unskilled labour. The population intended to be settled there is the upper-middle and middle-classes of West Bengal.
.Couple of new hospitals like UMRI (Uma Medical related Institute), Zoom healthcare and Charnock City exist here.
The area needs more healthcare facilities of its own, to be established both by private organisations, and by government which will ensure good health facilities at a reasonable price.
(CBD), institutional plots, IT Business Parks like DLF
and Unitech
, and plots for large apartment complexes, it will also house the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art, a open Maidan
with recreation area along a large wetland/lake; Action Area - III mainly consists of high rise residential complexes and mini sub-townships like Uniworld City and Sukhobristi.
. Apart from private clubs of every offices and estates, the area has a good number of children's parks and clubs. Notable mention among those will be a water park called Aquatica; a good children's park called Nicco Park
; a huge picnic spot consisting of waterbodies called Nalban; and a club for adults with traditional Indian yoga
and spa
facilities, called Vedic Village.
Several international shopping malls are being constructed in the area, a few of them being already completed. Notable malls are Axis Mall and City Centre. Also, nearing completion is DLF
Galleria mall. The Rajarhat - New Town area is a shopper's paradise in the real sense of the term, but all these malls have been planned especially keeping in mind the needs of the elite class.
Some of the shopping malls in Rajarhat include (complete as well as planned):-
International five-star hotels like ITC Sonar and Hyatt Regency are situated nearby. These hotels have good multicuisine and pub facilities. Some more five-star and super luxurious hotels are planned, including one being recently announced in 2007 by Ratan Tata
for his chain of Ginger hotels. The only operational five star hotel being Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista. Construction work of other five star hotels such as Novotel
and Westin have begun. But in general, the Rajarhat - New Town area till date seriously lacks good restaurants and pubs of reasonable prices.
includes Air Conditioned / Non-AC Government and Private Buses, Taxi, and other popular India transports like Auto Rickshaw
. However, the buses are sporadic and the routes originating out are very few. The New Garia
- Airport
line of the Kolkata Metro is supposed to pass through Rajarhat by 2014. There is also a plan to extend the Circular Railway from Bidhannagar Road (Ultadanga) to Rajarhat. The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is very near to the township, providing air connectivity to the rest of the World.
, Bengal Unitech of Unitech group
, Shapoorji Pallonji, Singapore based Keppel Land, Ambuja Realty, Bengal Peerless etc. are developing Commercial/Retail/Residential projects,some of which are largely operational today.
Some of the operational IT Companies in Rajarhat includes IBM
, Genpact
, Capgemini
, Tech Mahindra
, Ericsson
, Accenture
, Phillips
, HCL Technologies
, eRevMax, Aegis, Xoriant Corp. and many mid-to small cap Tech firms. IT majors like TCS
, Infosys
and Wipro
have also acquired prime land in Rajarhat and their facilities will be ready by late 2011 or early 2012.
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...
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...
, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are investing in the township. The place is an impressive information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
hub.
This new industrial and residential hub is being developed on the north-eastern fringes on Calcutta, the capital of the Indian 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...
. It consists of the two erstwhile villages Rajarhat and Gopalpur, which is now a city and municipality named 'Rajarhat Gopalpur'. The area mainly consisted of huge acres of cultivable lands and water bodies. The process of investing for residential and industrial facilities and infrastructural development of the area has mainly started under the leadership of the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is an Indian politician and a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India . He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011...
in the late 1990s. The governmental master plan envisions a township here at least three times bigger than the neighbouring planned Salt Lake city of Bidhannagar. According to governmental proposals, the township will be extended up to the extreme south of the state, i.e., up to the Sunderbans near the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
.
Geography
Rajarhat Gopalpur is located at 22.61°N 88.52°E. This city covers an area of 28 km2, and is located in Barasat Sadar subdivision of North 24 Parganas districtNorth 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...
.
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusCensus
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...
, the Rajarhat Gopalpur Municipality had a population of 271,781. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%. In 2001, the area also had an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 81%, and female literacy was 72%. Ten percent of the population were under 6 years of age in the area. Muslims comprised about 45% of the population, the rest being mainly Hindus.
With the completion of the establishment and development of the township, the population of the area is poised for a significant increase. The sex ratio, literacy rate and every other regional statistics will therefore see radical changes within a few years. The existing populace is mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, and skilled and unskilled labour. The population intended to be settled there is the upper-middle and middle-classes of West Bengal.
Health Facilities
Though major hospitals are yet to be built, this area has good connectivity with other parts of Calcutta which have sophisticated health centers. A handful of million dollar healthcare facilities are under projection, and most of them will be completed within the years 2010-2012. The most notable to mention is intensive care hospital and state-of-the-art Tata Cancer Centre by industrialist and international steel-baron Ratan TataRatan Tata
Ratan Naval Tata is the present chairman of Tata Sons and therefore, Tata Group. Also, he is one among the few in the world...
.Couple of new hospitals like UMRI (Uma Medical related Institute), Zoom healthcare and Charnock City exist here.
The area needs more healthcare facilities of its own, to be established both by private organisations, and by government which will ensure good health facilities at a reasonable price.
City Areas
Being a planned township, Rajarhat, has been divided into three Areas, Action Area - I, mainly consisting of Malls, a Sub- CBD, and planned residential and commercial plots; Action Area - II is supposedly planned to have a main Central Business DistrictCentral business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD), institutional plots, IT Business Parks like DLF
Dlf
DLF may refer to:*DLF Limited, India's largest real estate firm, formerly known as Delhi Land and Finance*Darfur Liberation Front*Dhofar Liberation Front, a Marxist movement based in southern Oman*Development Loan Fund, former lending arm of the U.S...
and Unitech
Unitech
Unitech may refer to:*Unitech Group, real estate developer based in Delhi, India*Papua New Guinea University of Technology*UNITECH International Society*2006 Unitech Cup*Infogix, Inc. formerly known as Unitech Systems, Inc....
, and plots for large apartment complexes, it will also house the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art, a open Maidan
Maidan
Maidan or Maydan is a Persian word meaning "town square". It may refer to:- Squares and parks :* Maidan , a park in Kolkata, India* Maidan Nezalezhnosti, "Independence Square", the central square of Kiev, capital of Ukraine...
with recreation area along a large wetland/lake; Action Area - III mainly consists of high rise residential complexes and mini sub-townships like Uniworld City and Sukhobristi.
Leisure & Entertainment
The area has, though not internationally excellent, one of the best entertainment facilities in the state of West BengalWest 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...
. Apart from private clubs of every offices and estates, the area has a good number of children's parks and clubs. Notable mention among those will be a water park called Aquatica; a good children's park called Nicco Park
Nicco park
Nicco park is an amusement park in Salt Lake City, Kolkata.This park has a variety of fascinating and interesting rides including Asia's largest wooden roller coaster. Other notable rides include Kolkata's longest cable car ride and India's first "4D" movie experience...
; a huge picnic spot consisting of waterbodies called Nalban; and a club for adults with traditional Indian yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
facilities, called Vedic Village.
Several international shopping malls are being constructed in the area, a few of them being already completed. Notable malls are Axis Mall and City Centre. Also, nearing completion is DLF
Dlf
DLF may refer to:*DLF Limited, India's largest real estate firm, formerly known as Delhi Land and Finance*Darfur Liberation Front*Dhofar Liberation Front, a Marxist movement based in southern Oman*Development Loan Fund, former lending arm of the U.S...
Galleria mall. The Rajarhat - New Town area is a shopper's paradise in the real sense of the term, but all these malls have been planned especially keeping in mind the needs of the elite class.
Some of the shopping malls in Rajarhat include (complete as well as planned):-
- City Centre, New Town
- Axis Mall
- The Terminus
- DLFDlfDLF may refer to:*DLF Limited, India's largest real estate firm, formerly known as Delhi Land and Finance*Darfur Liberation Front*Dhofar Liberation Front, a Marxist movement based in southern Oman*Development Loan Fund, former lending arm of the U.S...
Galleria Mall - Home Town
- Block-By-Block
- Unitech Downtown Mall
- Xtra Mall
International five-star hotels like ITC Sonar and Hyatt Regency are situated nearby. These hotels have good multicuisine and pub facilities. Some more five-star and super luxurious hotels are planned, including one being recently announced in 2007 by Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata
Ratan Naval Tata is the present chairman of Tata Sons and therefore, Tata Group. Also, he is one among the few in the world...
for his chain of Ginger hotels. The only operational five star hotel being Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista. Construction work of other five star hotels such as Novotel
Novotel
Novotel is a mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group. Novotel has close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the business districts and tourist destinations of major international cities.-History:...
and Westin have begun. But in general, the Rajarhat - New Town area till date seriously lacks good restaurants and pubs of reasonable prices.
Transportation
The main mode of transportation, like other parts of 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...
includes Air Conditioned / Non-AC Government and Private Buses, Taxi, and other popular India transports like Auto Rickshaw
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
. However, the buses are sporadic and the routes originating out are very few. The New Garia
Garia
Garia is a posh neighbourhood in south Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Naktala, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Boral, Sreenagar,...
- Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
line of the Kolkata Metro is supposed to pass through Rajarhat by 2014. There is also a plan to extend the Circular Railway from Bidhannagar Road (Ultadanga) to Rajarhat. The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is very near to the township, providing air connectivity to the rest of the World.
Second IT Hub of Kolkata
Newtown-Rajarhat being 3 times the size of Saltlake have been alloted as the second IT Hub of Calcutta. Already several IT majors are operational, while others like TCS (alloted 40 acres ) and Wipro (allotted 45 acres) have been alloted space. Real Estate Companies like DLFDlf
DLF may refer to:*DLF Limited, India's largest real estate firm, formerly known as Delhi Land and Finance*Darfur Liberation Front*Dhofar Liberation Front, a Marxist movement based in southern Oman*Development Loan Fund, former lending arm of the U.S...
, Bengal Unitech of Unitech group
Unitech Group
The Unitech Group is India's second largest real estate investment company, and has recently claimed to be the largest real estate builder in the country.....
, Shapoorji Pallonji, Singapore based Keppel Land, Ambuja Realty, Bengal Peerless etc. are developing Commercial/Retail/Residential projects,some of which are largely operational today.
Some of the operational IT Companies in Rajarhat includes IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Genpact
Genpact
Genpact Limited is a global business process and technology management company. It was formerly a GE owned company called GE Capital International Services or GECIS. It operates from India, China, Guatemala, Hungary, México, Morocco, the Philippines, Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, South...
, Capgemini
Capgemini
Capgemini is a French global IT services company, one of the world's largest management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies with a staff of 114,274 operating in 40 countries. It is headquartered in Paris and was founded in 1967 by Serge Kampf, the current chairman, in...
, Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra Limited is a provider of information technology , networking technology solutions and business process outsourcing services to the global telecommunications industry. Headquartered at Pune, India...
, Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
, Accenture
Accenture
Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
, Phillips
Phillips
-Places:In the United States:*Phillips, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Phillips, Maine, town in Franklin County*Phillips, Nebraska, village in Hamilton County*Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota, community in the city of Minneapolis...
, HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies Limited is a leading global IT services company headquartered in Noida, India. It is primarily engaged in providing a range of software services, business process outsourcing and infrastructure services. HCL Technologies is fourth largest IT company in India and is ranked 48 in...
, eRevMax, Aegis, Xoriant Corp. and many mid-to small cap Tech firms. IT majors like TCS
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services Limited is a global IT services, business solutions and outsourcing company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is the largest provider of information technology in Asia and second largest provider of business process outsourcing services in India...
, Infosys
Infosys
Infosys Limited, formerly Infosys Technologies Limited is a global technology services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It is the second largest IT exporter in India with 133,560 employees as of March 2011. It has offices in 33 countries and development centers in India, China,...
and Wipro
Wipro
Wipro Limited formally Western India Products Limited is a global IT services and consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, India. As of 2011, Wipro is the second largest IT services company by turnover in India and employs more than 120,000 people worldwide as of March 2011...
have also acquired prime land in Rajarhat and their facilities will be ready by late 2011 or early 2012.
Civil administration
Rajarhat Gopalpur municipality was established in 1994. Current chairman is Tapas Chatterjee.External links
- New Kolkata township sees boom in real estate: article on KolkataScoop.com
- Rajarhat may turn Salt Lake into swamp: The Times of India, 25 November 2004
- Olive Gardens Land at Rajarhat
- Elita Garden Vista at Rajarhat by Keppel Magus