
West Bengal is the state with the second highest population density in India. The state is dotted with several large and medium cities and towns. Historically, the main source of income of the people of West Bengal has been farming, and, as a consequence, the state previously had a large rural population skew. At the turn of the 20th century, however, the role of industry in West Bengal increased substantially, leading to a population move into urban areas.[1]
In 1947, when India gained independence, the erstwhile British Indian province of Bengal was divided into two parts: the eastern region formed East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh in 1971, and the western part joined India as the state of West Bengal. Scores of refugees from the eastern part came to West Bengal, leading to the start of new urban areas, and contributing to the congestion of already established cities like Kolkata.[2]
Current scenario
According to the 2011 Census of India, 127 cities and towns in West BengalTemplate:Efn are classified into the following categories:[3][4]
Municipal Corporation
| Sl. No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Asansol |
| 2 | Bidhannagar |
| 3 | Chandannagar |
| 4 | Durgapur |
| 5 | Howrah |
| 6 | Kolkata |
| 7 | Siliguri |
Municipality
Notified Area
| Sl. No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cooper's Camp |
| 2 | Mirik |
| 3 | Taherpur |
Major cities
| Rank | Name | District | Type[7] | Population 2011[8] | Male | Female | Population below 5 yrs |
Literacy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata | Kolkata, North 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly |
UA | 14,112,536 | 7,319,682 | 6,792,854 | 1,063,394 | 88.33 |
| 2 | Asansol | Paschim Bardhaman | UA | 1,243,008 | 647,831 | 595,177 | 132,560 | 80.00 |
| 3 | Siliguri | Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri | UA | 701,489 | 359,750 | 341,739 | 72,252 | 82.05 |
| 4 | Durgapur | Paschim Bardhaman | UA | 581,409 | 301,700 | 279,709 | 51,930 | 87.70 |
| 5 | Bardhaman | Purba Bardhaman | UA | 347,016 | 177,055 | 169,961 | 25,069 | 88.62 |
| 6 | English Bazar | Malda | UA | 324,237 | 175,073 | 149,164 | 44,186 | 81.32 |
| 7 | Baharampur | Murshidabad | UA | 305,609 | 156,489 | 149,120 | 23,182 | 88.38 |
| 8 | Habra | North 24 Parganas | UA | 304,584 | 154,861 | 149,723 | 23,023 | 91.03 |
| 9 | Kharagpur | Paschim Medinipur | UA | 293,719 | 150,487 | 143,232 | 25,130 | 85.61 |
| 10 | Shantipur | Nadia | UA | 288,718 | 147,299 | 141,419 | 24,006 | 82.67 |
| 11 | Dankuni | Hooghly | UA | 249,840 | 128,139 | 121,701 | 22,956 | 85.69 |
| 12 | Dhulian | Murshidabad | UA | 239,022 | 119,151 | 119,871 | 45,483 | 60.06 |
| 13 | Ranaghat | Nadia | UA | 235,583 | 119,578 | 116,005 | 18,575 | 86.10 |
| 14 | Haldia | Purba Medinipur | City | 200,762 | 104,852 | 95,910 | 21,122 | 89.06 |
| 15 | Raiganj | Uttar Dinajpur | UA | 199,758 | 104,966 | 94,792 | 22,028 | 81.71 |
| 16 | Krishnanagar | Nadia | UA | 181,182 | 91,583 | 89,599 | 13,663 | 88.09 |
| 17 | Nabadwip | Nadia | UA | 175,474 | 90,810 | 84,664 | 13,049 | 84.57 |
| 18 | Medinipur | Paschim Medinipur | City | 169,127 | 85,362 | 83,765 | 14,365 | 90.01 |
| 19 | Jalpaiguri | Jalpaiguri | UA | 169,013 | 85,226 | 83,787 | 14,522 | 86.03 |
| 20 | Balurghat | Dakshin Dinajpur | UA | 164,593 | 82,466 | 82,127 | 10,349 | 91.66 |
| 21 | Basirhat | North 24 Parganas | UA | 144,891 | 73,491 | 71,400 | 12,578 | 86.88 |
| 22 | Bankura | Bankura | City | 138,036 | 70,734 | 67,302 | 10,760 | 87.27 |
| 23 | Chakdaha | Nadia | UA | 132,855 | 67,135 | 65,720 | 9,829 | 90.95 |
| 24 | Darjeeling | Darjeeling | UA | 132,016 | 65,839 | 66,177 | 7,382 | 93.17 |
| 25 | Alipurduar | Alipurduar | UA | 127,342 | 64,898 | 62,444 | 10,545 | 89.16 |
| 26 | Purulia | Purulia | UA | 126,894 | 65,334 | 61,560 | 12,116 | 81.53 |
| 27 | Jangipur | Murshidabad | UA | 122,875 | 62,734 | 60,141 | 16,299 | 75.71 |
| 28 | Bangaon | North 24 Parganas | City | 110,668 | 56,416 | 54,252 | 8,452 | 90.25 |
| 29 | Cooch Behar | Cooch Behar | UA | 106,760 | 53,803 | 52,957 | 7,910 | 91.75 |
List of urban areas (district-wise)
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ India at a glance: Population Density. Census of India, 2001.
- ↑ List of Million Plus Cities of India. Census of India.
- ↑ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional). Census Commission of India.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Category, Year of Establishment, Area, SC, ST and total population in ULBs in West Bengal. Department of Municipal affairs, Government of West Bengal.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Push for two new municipalities in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar(2021-02-13). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 রাজ্যে ২ নয়া পুরসভা. Bartaman(2021-10-23). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
- ↑ Urban Agglomerations and Cities. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
- ↑ Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ List of Census Towns, West Bengal, 2001. Census of India, Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal.