In 1757, the East India Company obtained the zamindari or land-holders rights of the 24 Parganas Zamindari from Mir Jafar, the new Nawab of Bengal. Full proprietary status was handed over to Robert Clive in 1759 by a sanad or deed granting him the 24 Parganas as a jagir. After Clive's death in 1774, full proprietary rights of the 24 Parganas zamindari reverted to the East India Company. In 1814, the district consisted of two parts – the suburbs of Kolkata (referred to as Dihi Panchannagram) and the rest. In 1834, several parganas of Jessore and Nadia were added to the 24 Parganas. The district was divided into two divisions. The Alipore division comprised territories originally ceded to the company and the Barasat division comprised territories added from Jessore and Nadia. The two divisions were replaced by eight subdivisions in 1861 – Diamond Harbour, Baruipur, Alipore, Dum Dum, Barrackpore, Barasat, Basirhat and Satkhira. The Satkhira subdivision was transferred to the newly formed Khulna district in 1882, the Baruipur subdivision was abolished in 1883 and the Dum Dum and Barrackpore subdivisions in 1893. Barrackpore subdivision was reconstituted in 1904 with portions of Barasat and Alipore subdivisions.[1]
Geography
Basirhat subdivision is part of the Ichhamati-Raimangal Plain, one of the three physiographic regions in the district located in the lower Ganges Delta. It contains soil of mature black or brownish loam to recent alluvium. The Ichhamati flows through the eastern part of the district.[2]
Subdivisions
North 24 Parganas district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:[3][4]
Cities, towns and locations in Basirhat subdivision, North 24 Parganas district M: municipal town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Religion
Given below is an overview of the religion-wise break-up of the population across the subdivisions of North 24 Parganas district, as per 2011 census:[5]
North 24 Parganas district with 24.22% Muslims (in 2001) has been identified as a minority concentrated district by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. A baseline survey on religious minority population has been carried out under the aegis of Indian Council of Social Science Research and funded by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.[6] For information on the survey see North 24 Parganas: minority concentrated district.
Population movement
North 24 Parganas district is densely populated, mainly because of the influx of refugees from East Pakistan (later Bangladesh). With a density of population of 2,182 per km2 in 1971, it was 3rd in terms of density per km2 in West Bengal after Kolkata and Howrah, and 20th in India.[7] According to the District Human Development Report: North 24 Parganas, "High density is also explained partly by the rapid growth of urbanization in the district. In 1991, the percentage of urban population in the district has been 51.23."[8]
As per the Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department of the Government of West Bengal, the census figures show the number of refugees from East Pakistan in 1971 was nearly 6 million and in 1981, the number was assessed at 8 million.[9] A district-wise break-up in 1971, shows the main thrust of the refugee influx was on 24-Parganas (22.3% of the total refugees), Nadia (20.3%), Bankura (19.1%) and Kolkata (12.9%).[10]
The North 24 Paraganas district has a 352 km long international border with Bangladesh, out of which 160 km is land border and 192 km is riverine border.[11] Only a small portion of the border has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border. There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators.[12][13][14][15] The CD Block pages carry Decadal Population Growth information.
An estimate made in 2000 places the total number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India at 15 million, with around 0.3 million entering every year. The thumb rule for such illegal immigrants is that for each illegal person caught four get through. While many immigrants have settled in the border areas, some have moved on, even to far way places such as Mumbai and Delhi. The border is guarded by the Border Security Force.[16] During the UPA government, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, had made a statement in Parliament on 14 July 2004, that there were 12 million illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators living in India, and West Bengal topped the list with 5.7 million Bangladeshis. More recently, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs in the NDA government has put the figure at around 20 million.[17]
Gram panchayats in Baduria CD Block are: Aturia, Chatra, Jadurhati Uttar, Sayestanagar–II, Bagjola, Jagannathpur, Raghunathpur, Jadurhati Dakshin, Bajitpur, Jasikati Atghara, Ramchandrapur Uday, Chandipur, Nayabastia Milani and Sayestanagar–I.
Gram panchayats in Basirhat I CD Block are: Gachha Akharpur, Itinda Panitore, Pifa, Sankchura Bagundi, Gotra, Nimdari Kodalia and Sangrampur Shibati.
Gram panchayats in Basirhat II CD block are: Begumpur Bibipur, Dhanyakuria, Kholapota, Ghorarash Kulingram, Rajendrapur, Chaita, Shrinagar Metia, Champapukur and Kachua.
Gram panchayats in Haroa CD Block are: Bakjuri, Haroa, Shalipur, Gopalpur–I, Khasbalanda, Sonapukur Sankarpur, Gopalpur–II and Kulti.
Gram panchayats in Hasnabad CD Block are: Amlani, Bhabanipur–I, Hasnabad, Patlikhanpur, Barunhat Rameswarpur, Bhabanipur–II, Makhalgachha, Bhebia and Murarisha.
Gram panchayats in Hingalganj CD Block are: Bishpur, Hingalganj, Rupamari, Dulduli, Jogeshganj, Sahebkhali, Gobindakati, Kalitala and Sandelerbil.
Gram panchayats in Minakhan CD block are: Atpukur, Chaital, Dhuturdaha, Minakhan, Bamanpukur, Champali, Kumarjole and Mohanpur.
Gram panchayats in Sandeshkhali I CD Block are: Bayermari–I, Kalinagar, Sarberia Agarhati, Bayermari–II, Nazat–I, Sehera Radhanagar, Hatgachhi and Nazat–II.
Gram panchayats in Sandeshkhali II CD Block are: Bermajur–I, Durgamandop, Khulna, Manipur, Bermajur–II, Jeliakhali, Korakati and Sandeshkhali.
Gram panchayats in Swarupnagar CD Block are: Balti Nityanandakati, Bithari Hakimpur, Kaijuri, Swarupnagar Banglani, Charghat, Saguna, Bankra Gokulpur, Gobindapur, Sharapul Nirman and Tepur Mirzapur.
Municipal towns/ cities
An overview of the municipal towns and cities in Basirhat subdivision is given below.[5][22]
North 24 Parganas district had a literacy rate of 84.06% (for population of 7 years and above) as per the census of India 2011. Bangaon subdivision had a literacy rate of 80.57%, Barasat Sadar subdivision 84.90%, Barrackpur subdivision 89.09%, Bidhannagar subdivision 89.16% and Basirhat subdivision 75.67%.[23]
Given in the table below (data in numbers) is a comprehensive picture of the education scenario in North 24 Parganas district for the year 2012-13:[23]
Note: Primary schools include junior basic schools; middle schools, high schools and higher secondary schools include madrasahs; technical schools include junior technical schools, junior government polytechnics, industrial technical institutes, industrial training centres, nursing training institutes etc.; technical and professional colleges include engineering colleges, medical colleges, para-medical institutes, management colleges, teachers training and nursing training colleges, law colleges, art colleges, music colleges etc. Special and non-formal education centres include sishu siksha kendras, madhyamik siksha kendras, centres of Rabindra mukta vidyalaya, recognised Sanskrit tols, institutions for the blind and other handicapped persons, Anganwadi centres, reformatory schools etc.[23]
The following institutions are located in Basirhat subdivision:
The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the medical facilities available and patients treated in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2013 in North 24 Parganas district.[35]
Baduria municipality, and Aturia, Bagjola, Bajitpur, Chandipur, Chhatra, South Jadurhati, North Jadurhati, Jagannathpur, Jasikati Atghara, Nayabastia Milani, Raghunathpur and Sayesta Nagar II GPs of Baduria CD Block
Falti Beleghata, Dadpur, Kiritipur I, Kiritipur II, Shashan GPs of Barasat II CD Block, Champatala, Deganga I, Deganga II, Hadipur Jhikra II GPs of Deganga CD Block and Gopalpur I, Gopalpur II, Haroa and Khasbalanda GPs of Haroa CD Block
Hingalganj CD Block, and Barunhat Rameshwarpur, Bhabanipur I, Bhabanipur II, Hasnabad, Patli Khanpur GPs of Hasnabad CD Block, and Khulna GP of Sandeshkhali II CD Block
^ abcd"District Statistical Handbook". North 24 Parganas 2013, Tables 2.1, 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
^ abc"Population by Religious Community". West Bengal - North 24 Parganas. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Government of India. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
^"District Human Development Report: North 24 Parganas"(PDF). (1)Table 3.3.2: Population densist and other features of municipalities in North 24 Parganas, Pages 42-43 (2) Table 3.3.8: Slum population, slum children and literacy rates in slum, Page 51 (3) Table 3.3.10: Distriution of BPL households in uraban North 24 Parganas and (4) Table 3.3.7 Literacy rates in urban North 24 Parganas, Page 49. Development & Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
^ abc"District Statistical Handbook". North 24 Parganas 2013, Basic data: Table 4.4, 4.5, Clarifications: other related tables. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"District Statistical Handbook". North 24 Parganas 2013, Table 3.1, 3.3. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2018.