Barasat | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Streets of Barasat | |
  Barasat Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Barasat Barasat (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:22°43′N88°29′E / 22.72°N 88.48°E /22.72; 88.48 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  West Bengal |
| Division | Presidency |
| District | North 24 parganas |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Barasat Municipality[1] |
| • Chairman | Asani Mukhopadhyay |
| • MP | Kakali Ghosh Dastidar |
| • MLA | Chiranjeet Chakraborty |
| Area | |
• Total | 34.06 km2 (13.15 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 278,435 |
| • Density | 8,175/km2 (21,170/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 700124, 700125, 700126, 700127 |
| Telephone code | +91 (0) 33 |
| Vehicle registration | WB-25, WB-26 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Barasat |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Barasat |
| Website | north24parganas |
Barasat is a city and a municipality ofNorth 24 Parganas district in theIndianstate ofWest Bengal. It is the headquarters ofBarasat Sadar subdivision. It is a part of the area covered byKolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).[2]
During theMughal Empire period, Sankar Chakraborty (a commander of thezamindarPratapaditya and king ofJessore in present-day Bangladesh) came to Barasat, Kolkata in 1600 and established himself. In 1700, Hazarat Ekdil Shah moved to the town and was known as a social reformer. His tomb, in Kazipara, is a pilgrimage site for the Muslim community. Pratapaditya made his way to Kolkata from Jessore; Sirajudullah went to Kolkata from Murshidabad via Barasat on a road which became two national highways.
Under theBritish Raj,East India Company officials from Calcutta (Kolkata) made Barasat a weekend retreat and built houses with gardens.Warren Hastings built his villa in the heart of Barasat andBankim Chandra Chatterjee was the town's first Indian deputy magistrate.
Indigo cultivation was a major industry and indigo merchants were known for their inhumane treatment of farmers.Titumir, a farmer, fomented a revolution against indigo merchants in Barasat.Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar,Pyari Charan Sarkar andKalikrishna Mitra were known for social reformation in the town, including women's education and widow remarriage. During the early nineteenth century, Barasat Cadet College trained new recruits and cadets from Europe; the college closed in 1811.[3][4]
From 1834 to 1861, Barasat was the seat of Barasat District. The district became a subdivision of the Twenty-four Parganas district in 1861,[3] and Barasat is the headquarters ofNorth 24 Parganas district.[5]
Barasat is located in eastern India'sGanges Delta. The Bangladesh border, atPetrapole, is 70–80 kilometres (43–50 mi) from the city.
Its average elevation is 11 metres (36 ft). The nearest river is theGanges, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west, and it is on theGangetic plain.
The area covered in the map alongside is largely a part of the north Bidyadhari Plain, located in the lowerGanges Delta.[6] The area is flat. It is a little raised above flood level and the highest ground borders the river channels.[7] 54.67% of the people of the densely populated area lives in the urban areas and 45.33% lives in the rural areas.[8]
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Barasat has atropical climate similar to the restWest Bengal. The region experiences amonsoon from early June to mid-September. The climate is dry in winter (mid-November to mid-February) and humid in summer. January is the coldest month and May is the hottest month in Barasat. Months of July and August produces most rainfall in Barasat.[9]
| Climate data for Kolkata (Alipore) 1991–2020, extremes 1901–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.8 (91.0) | 38.4 (101.1) | 41.1 (106.0) | 43.3 (109.9) | 43.7 (110.7) | 43.9 (111.0) | 39.9 (103.8) | 38.4 (101.1) | 38.9 (102.0) | 39.0 (102.2) | 34.9 (94.8) | 32.5 (90.5) | 43.9 (111.0) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) | 33.9 (93.0) | 37.5 (99.5) | 38.8 (101.8) | 39.0 (102.2) | 37.8 (100.0) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.3 (95.5) | 35.5 (95.9) | 35.3 (95.5) | 33.1 (91.6) | 30.0 (86.0) | 39.8 (103.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 33.7 (92.7) | 35.4 (95.7) | 35.5 (95.9) | 34.1 (93.4) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.3 (90.1) | 30.2 (86.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 31.7 (89.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 28.2 (82.8) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.4 (84.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 28.3 (82.9) | 25.1 (77.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 27.3 (81.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.3 (57.7) | 18.1 (64.6) | 22.9 (73.2) | 25.7 (78.3) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.3 (79.3) | 24.4 (75.9) | 20.1 (68.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 22.9 (73.2) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.8 (71.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.9 (75.0) | 20.9 (69.6) | 16.9 (62.4) | 11.9 (53.4) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7.2 (45.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.2 (45.0) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 15.4 (0.61) | 24.6 (0.97) | 36.8 (1.45) | 55.0 (2.17) | 118.5 (4.67) | 276.7 (10.89) | 371.6 (14.63) | 372.1 (14.65) | 325.0 (12.80) | 179.6 (7.07) | 32.6 (1.28) | 5.6 (0.22) | 1,813.3 (71.39) |
| Average rainy days | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 6.2 | 12.6 | 17.5 | 16.8 | 13.6 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 84.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 62 | 55 | 51 | 61 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 76 | 68 | 65 | 69 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 213.9 | 211.9 | 229.4 | 240.0 | 232.5 | 135.0 | 105.4 | 117.8 | 126.0 | 201.5 | 216.0 | 204.6 | 2,234 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 6.1 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| Source 1:India Meteorological Department (sun 1971–2000)[10][11][12][13] Weather Atlas[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)[15][16] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kolkata (Dumdum Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1939–2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.5 (90.5) | 37.3 (99.1) | 40.6 (105.1) | 42.8 (109.0) | 43.1 (109.6) | 43.7 (110.7) | 39.2 (102.6) | 37.7 (99.9) | 37.5 (99.5) | 36.8 (98.2) | 36.0 (96.8) | 33.0 (91.4) | 43.7 (110.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.3 (77.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 33.6 (92.5) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.1 (97.0) | 34.8 (94.6) | 33.2 (91.8) | 33.0 (91.4) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.5 (90.5) | 30.1 (86.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 32.0 (89.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) | 22.9 (73.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.3 (84.7) | 27.9 (82.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 26.7 (80.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) | 16.9 (62.4) | 21.9 (71.4) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.2 (79.2) | 24.1 (75.4) | 19.3 (66.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 22.2 (72.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 16.6 (61.9) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 15.7 (60.3) | 11.7 (53.1) | 6.1 (43.0) | 5.0 (41.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 15.8 (0.62) | 20.2 (0.80) | 31.9 (1.26) | 53.4 (2.10) | 140.5 (5.53) | 247.5 (9.74) | 366.5 (14.43) | 355.4 (13.99) | 282.1 (11.11) | 170.2 (6.70) | 21.3 (0.84) | 6.8 (0.27) | 1,711.5 (67.38) |
| Average rainy days | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 6.6 | 12.4 | 17.6 | 17.1 | 13.0 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 83.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 08:30IST) | 61 | 53 | 49 | 58 | 66 | 76 | 81 | 82 | 81 | 75 | 67 | 66 | 68 |
| Source 1:India Meteorological Department[16] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)[17] | |||||||||||||
Barasat has atropical climate similar to the restWest Bengal. The region experiences amonsoon from early June to mid-September. The climate is dry in winter (mid-November to mid-February) and humid in summer. January is the coldest month and May is the hottest month in Barasat. Months of July and August produces most rainfall in Barasat.[9]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 8,634 | — |
| 1911 | 8,790 | +1.8% |
| 1921 | 8,211 | −6.6% |
| 1931 | 8,672 | +5.6% |
| 1941 | 11,230 | +29.5% |
| 1951 | 16,027 | +42.7% |
| 1961 | 43,138 | +169.2% |
| 1971 | 64,097 | +48.6% |
| 1981 | 101,395 | +58.2% |
| 1991 | 160,044 | +57.8% |
| 2001 | 231,521 | +44.7% |
| 2011 | 278,435 | +20.3% |
| Source:Government of India[18] | ||
According to the2011 Indian census, Barasat had a total population of 278,435; 140,822 (51%) were males and 137,613 (49%) females, and 22,605 were under age six. The literacy rate was 89.62 percent of the population over age six (229,279 people).[20][21] The town's population increased from 231,521 in 2001.[22] The literacy rate that year was 76 percent, higher than the national average of 54.5 percent.[23] Of the literate population, 52 percent were male and 48 percent female.[24][21] Barasat was part of theKolkata Urban Agglomeration in the 2011 census.[25]
According to the 2011 census, 97.64% of the population spokeBengali and 1.82%Hindi as their first language.[26]
Cotton weaving is Barasat's major industry, and the town is a trade centre for rice, legumes, sugarcane, potatoes, and coconuts.[27] Now it is becoming a shopping destination with various malls including all major brands and multiplexes.
About 32,00,000 people commute daily from around the city to Barasat. Fifty-eight trains transport commuters from 24 stations in the town's Sealdah-Bangaon section and 32 trains carry commuters from 30 stations in the Sealdah-Hasnabad section. Barasat is well connected withBongaon,Basirhat andHabra by train.[28]
NH 12 (previously NH 34) running fromDalkhola toBakkhali, locally popular asJessore Road, passes through Barasat.[29] Barrackpore-Barasat Road (part ofSH 2) goes up toBarrackpore viaNilganj. Many buses ply along these roads.
Although Barasat Municipality was established on 1 April 1869, it had no independent existence until 1882. It was controlled by the magistrate office (and its magistrate), without a chairman. In 1882, Barasat Municipality was formed and a local government was created. Barasat Association, a citizen organization, donated land for the construction of municipal buildings.
Barasat is divided into 29mouzas. There were originally four wards, later increasing to 18. After surroundingpanchayats were incorporated in 1995, the number of wards increased to 32. In 2015, before the municipal election, the number of wards increased to 35.[5]Barasat is part of theKolkata Metropolitan Area, for which theKMDA is the statutory planning and development authority.[30] The KMDA manages the area's infrastructure development.[31]
The district court handles local and national cases. The Barasat police have a jurisdiction of 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 sq mi), and serves a population of 417,663 in the Barasat municipal area. There are two police outposts (in Barasat and Badu), and a women's police station (in KNC Road, near Barasat Govt College) in the town.[32]
The Zilla Parishad of North 24 Parganas was founded on 26 June 1986, with the north–south bifurcation of the24 Parganas district. The highest tier of the three-tierpanchayati raj system, its headquarters are at Barasat. It has six riverinepanchayat samitis in theSundarbans, which has a saline tract on one side and rich alluvial tracts of theIchamati River basin and industrial belt of Barrackpore on the other side. Its territory extends on the east to the Bangladesh border.[33]
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was the deputy magistrate of 24 Parganas during the 19th century.
Graves Haughton became acadet in 1808, and received his first commission on 13 March 1810 from Barasat cadet institution.
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Kolkata/Northern fringes travel guide from WikivoyageCities, towns, locations and neighbourhoods inNorth 24 Parganas district,Presidency division | |||||||||
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| Municipalcities/ towns andcensus towns |  | ||||||||
| Locations other than cities and towns |
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| Neighbourhoods of other cities and towns in the district | |||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||
