Basirhat

Basirhat Basirhat
city
Government
• Municipality Chairman	Jamini Bhusan Roy
Population  (2001)
• Total	113,120

Basirhat (In Bengali: বসিরহাট)is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. Basirhat is a river side subdivisional town.

History

Basirhat has a long history of farmer's movement like 'Tevaga Andolan'.

Freedom fighter Dinesh Chandra Majumder was born here in 1907.

Basirhat was connected to Kolkata by a narrow gauge railway (the Martin company railway) for a long time; it is non-existent now.

Not far from Basirhat is Sikra-Kulingram the birhplace of Swami Brahmananda, the first president of Ramakrishna Mission.

Geography

Basirhat is located at 22.66°N 88.89°E / 22.66; 88.89. It has an average elevation of 6 metres (19 feet).

Basirhat situated near the Ichamati River which is a branch river of Ganges. It is well connected with Kolkata by rail (65 km) as part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway system and road. It is very near to Bangladesh. It is 42 km from Barasat on the Barasat-Basirhat-Hasnabad branch line of Eastern Railway.

Economics

Agriculture is the main source of income. Other industries like brick making and fisheries are also dominant in this area. Two other things are very popular from Basirhat 1. Sweet called nolen gurer sandesh, also patali both from local date-palm syrup 2. Hand made towel called gamcha

Transport

Basirhat was connected with Barasat by the narrow gauge Barasat Basirhat Railway of Martin's Light Railways. It was closed in 1955 and subsequently converted to broad gauge.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Basirhat had a population of 113,120. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Basirhat has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the literates being male and 46% being female. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

There is Basirhat College, and six famous schools: Basirhat High School ,Basirhat Town High School for Boys & H.M.D. School, P.C.M. School for Girls & Raghunath Pur High school & also Kholapota Sri Aurobindo Tapaban Path Mandir.Basirhat High School head master is Swapan Roy. Sourav Bachhar is good student in Basirhat High School.Football coach Tapan Ghosh.............

Healthcare

Basirhat is one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.

Politics

Current MP[Member of the PARLIAMENT (India)]from Basirhat lokshava constituency is Hagi Nurul Islam of TMC(Trinamool Congress), who won the seat huge vot against ajay chakrobarti in State elections of 2009. Ajoy chakrobarti who also won the seat in State elections of 2006 and also earlier in 2001, 1996, 1991, 1987, 1982 and 1977.

Basirhat assembly constituency is part of Basirhat (Lok Sabha constituency).

Basirhat Municipality

• chairman: Narayan mukherjee
• Year of Establishment of Municipality: 1 April 1869

The Municipal vision statements of Basirhat Municipality are:

• To provide all its citizens a humane social order based on truth, justice, freedom, equity and integrity in which basic human rights and the dignity of every individual is upheld, with sustained access to improved health, adequate and equitable basic services,
• To provide livelihood opportunities in an environmentally sustainable urban area, which upholds social justice and practices democratic and secular values, including human rights
• To provide right to information coupled with balanced development supported by an advanced, transparent and sustainable Urban Local Body, making Basirhat Municipality an attractive and secure place for investment and to eradicate poverty.

The Municipality is divided into 22 wards covering 22.5 km², with population of 113,120 as per 2001 census, out of which 30% are currently under the below poverty level (whereas, BPL average percentage in West Bengal as per 2001 census is 31.58%). The current population growth rate of Basirhat Municipality is approximately 25.17% per decade. If this growth rate does not incline, by the year 2025 the population density will be 6782 persons per square kilometer. In Basirhat Municipality the density of slum population is about 30%. Nearly 97% of the populace of the Municipality is Bengali speaking and the rest 3% speaks other language.

Administrative boundaries

On 1 January 1861, Basirhat Sub-division was constituted as per order of the Government. Before that Basirhat was under the jurisdiction of Barasat Sub-division. Initially this subdivision was not named as Basirhāt, it was Basurhāt. This subdivision covered an area of 352 km² with 473 villages. The population was 268,146. In 1861, as per the order of Indian Government, Basurhāt Sub-Division was formed consisting of Balia Pargana’s Basurhāt, Kalingā, Hāruā, Husenābād Police Stations. The name Basurhāt continued to exist till 1896. Afterwards it became Basirhāt.

Etymology

The sources which are considered till now behind the naming of Basirhat are as follows:

• Bahurhāt—market for various items
• Banserhāt—market for buying and selling bamboos
• Bastirhāt—low land market

According to Dr. Sukumar Sen, Basirhāt is named after a person named ‘Basi’. Referring to Bengali Dictionary, the word Basi means—Indriya Basbān, Jitendriya, Āprādhin, Sādhin, Swatantra. From this it may be concluded that Basirhat was an independent tax-free business centre. Like present day’s Free Business Centres. Basirhāt is named after a person named Basir Muhammad or Basir Khan. In spite of this if we consider Basir Khan’s market then it should be around medieval period. But from the records it is clear that Muslim intrusion didn’t take place before 1200 AD. Basirhāt’s Sahi Masjid was constructed in 1466 AD.

Nearby place

Bhabla

Bhabla (also spelt Bhyabla) near Basirhat is the place of birth and ancestral home of pioneering industrialist, Sir Rajen Mukherjee. He had contributed substantially for the development of Basirhat. Bhyabla station is 2 km from Basirhat station.

This place Basirhat developmed by 2 families basically. Jhine's Ghosh,Mir's of Mirbati. At the time of war the sultan came and fight there in a place whose name become Sangrampore... This Mir are Syed of this location came long time ago and built shahi Masjid Mosque and spread over the locaton... Still 3 families of Mir's are there in this location and were the Landlord(Jamindar's) of entire locality

The oldest place in this place is Shahi Masjid(Shahi Mosque) built in the year of 1466.Thoug the the place is unknown to others people. This Mosque is sorrounded by Basirhat Town High School which was earlier a MAKTAB and the land was donated by Syed family.This location is situated in the bank of river Ichchamati.