Kalyani, located in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, is a relatively young town. During the Second World War, Kalyani, was the site of an American military airbase, formed out of 45 villages in the district of Nadia.[6]
The military garrison town was named after the then-sitting President of the United StatesFranklin D. Roosevelt as "Roosevelt Town" or "Roosevelt Nagar", with "nagar" meaning "town" in many Indo-Aryan languages, including Bengali. Hangars and other reminders of the airfield are still visible in the 'A' Block and some areas around Kalyani University, whose buildings were built on or over the runways.[6] After World War II, the United States Army Air Force left the base, and the airfield and hangars went into disuse.
The development of modern Kalyani is credited to the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy. After the independence of India in 1947, the master plan of the town was developed and the foundation stone for the town was laid by the then Governor of West Bengal, Kailashnath Katju, on 24 February 1951.[6] The town was built quickly in order to host the 59th Indian National Congress meeting in 1954. In memoriam of that conference, a road of the town was named as 'Congress Road'. In 1957, the Kalyani police station was formed, and in 1979, the rail line was extended from Kalyani Central to Kalyani Simanta station, and also established direct connectivity to Kolkata through Kalyani Simanta local EMU trains.[6]
In 1995, the Kalyani Municipality was established, which has been crucial in the development of infrastructure in Kalyani.[6] In 2014, Kalyani was selected as a candidate for a "Smart City" project. Although this project has since been abandoned by the State Government.
Kalyani is a planned city, having underground drainage systems, tree-lined avenues, community parks, paved roads intersecting each other at 90-degree angle. The city itself is divided into four blocks — Block A, Block B, Block C and Block D, which are further divided into sub-blocks. Block A and B are mostly residential in character with commercial markets. Main Post Office, Industrial Training Institute, Government offices and the Public Library along with offices of major Banks are situated in Block B. Whereas the Kalyani main station, State General Hospital, Medical college are situated in A Block. Block C and Block D are located to the north of Kalyani Simanta branch line. Block C is reserved for institutional use and is largely occupied by the Kalyani University and Kalyani Government Engineering College. Block D is the industrial zone, consisting of many small and medium-sized industries.
In June 2015, the Government of West Bengal declared establishment of an "Analytics City" name Samriddhi in Kalyani, besides Uditi Government Housing Project which was projected to attract investments of more than Rs 3,000 crore in next three years.[9] In the first phase, being developed over 52 acres off Kalyani Expressway, the hub will accommodate academic, residential and commercial centers apart from real estate projects.[9]
New Kalyani Block consists of 7 Gram Panchayats: Saguna, Madanpur - 1, Madanpur - 2, Chanduria - 2, Simurali, Kanchrapara, and Sarati.
Police station
Kalyani police station under Ranaghat Police District has jurisdiction over Kalyani, Gayespur municipal towns and Saguna Panchayat areas.[10][11] The total area covered by the police station is 64 km2 and the population covered is 201,871 (2001 census).[12]
†includes irreligious and religion not stated (~0.5%).
As of 2011 Census of India, Kalyani has a population of 100,620.[2] Males constitute 50.55% of the population and females 49%. Kalyani has an average literacy rate of 88.75%, higher than the national average of 69.5%: male literacy is 92.79%, and female literacy is 84.65%.[2] In Kalyani, 7.55% of the population is under 6 years of age. The sex ratio of Kalyani is 978.[2] As per 2001 Census, the average household size of Kalyani is approximately 4.61. Percentage of main workers out of total population is 29%.[14]
Kalyani quickly registered itself as a self-sufficient township. Its gradual development continued as a notified area. In 1995, it was upgraded to a municipality.[17]
Transport
Kalyani railway station is on the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line of the Kolkata Suburban Railway. Apart from Kalyani main station, there are three different stations on the branch line which goes deeper into the Kalyani town — Kalyani Silpanchal, Kalyani Ghoshpara and Kalyani Simanta. Bandel Junction railway station is 12 kilometres from the city.Other railway stations which are near about 10 Kilometres from the city can also be accessed via the Iswar Gupta Bridge over Hooghly River. They are Adisaptagram Railway Station, Magra Railway Station on the Howrah - Barddhaman Main Line ; Tribeni and Bansbaria Railway Station on the Bandel- Katwa Line.
Kalyani is connected directly with Kolkata through Kalyani Expressway, which is currently being expanded to four-lanes. An extension of Kalyani Expressway connects the National Highway 2 near Bansberia through Iswar Gupta Setu.Kalyani is connected directly to Magra and Tribeni Railway Stations via Public Transport and also from Bandel Junction Railway Station by Private Auto and Personal Vehicles. Kalyani is also accessible through National Highway 12, which is around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away. Rickshaws, E- rickshaw and Auto-rickshaws are used for local conveyance. Intra-city buses to important cities and towns in West Bengal, including Kolkata and Siliguri are operated by both Government and private operators. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located around 45 kilometres (28 mi) south, operates domestic and international flights.
The campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani.
Healthcare system in Kalyani consists of both government and private healthcare facilities. The Army hospital established during WWII by the American and British alliance was the first hospital in Kalyani. Later former Chief Minister of West Bengal Dr B C Roy converted it into a hospital for tuberculosis patients in the 1960s, currently known as Netaji Subhash Sanatorium. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, a 500-bed hospital, is one of the major hospitals in the town. A medical college, College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, established in 2009, which acts as the University college of West Bengal University of Health Sciences.[19] Gandhi Memorial Hospital has a dedicated cardiac surgery and cardiology department.[20] ESI Hospital provides healthcare to workers under Employees' State Insurance MB Scheme. There is also a branch of National Institute of Homoeopathy with 25 acres herb garden which was established in 1975.[citation needed]
In June 2014, the central government gave in-principle clearance for setting up All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani at Basantapur village in the Saguna Panchayat in Kalyani.[21] This project was shifted from earlier plans of setting up the AIIMS at Raiganj because of problems in land acquisition. The project was completed in 2019.[22]
