Development of the first planned township in West Bengal- A Geo-historical study of Kalyani
Abstract:
Kalyani township is in Nadia district of West Bengal with around 26 sq.km area
situated on the eastern bank of River Hugli, like Kolkata. Second Chief minister of
West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Roy had dreamt of a satellite as well as industrial and
residential township to reduce the pressure of population from the City of Calcutta
and then Kalyani was born. This study tries to explore the historical journey of
Kalyani from a village of Nadia to a military base ‘Roosevelt Town’ to a modern
township of India with the demographic evolution and geographical analysis of
the area. History of the township reveals series of events which turned the rural
area into military town to urban area and then to a modern planned township. The
phases of development in the history of planning in West Bengal along with the
unique planning strategy adopted by the Indian planners have also been
highlighted for understanding the geo-historical and socio-political background of
the present municipal area. The urban morphology created though government
initiative is indeed an example of modern satellite township development in postindependent
India.
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