Jalpaiguri district

Jalpiaguri district
জলপাইগুড়ি জেলা

Location of Jalpiaguri district in West Bengal
State West Bengal, India
Administrative division Jalpaiguri
Headquarters Jalpaiguri
Area 6,245 km2 (2,411 sq mi)
Population 3,403,204 (2001)
Population density 547 /km2 (1,420 /sq mi)
Urban population 603,847
Literacy 63.62 per cent[1]
Lok Sabha Constituencies Alipurduars, Jalpaiguri
Assembly Seats Kumargram, Kalchini, Alipurduars, Falakata, Madarihat, Nagrakata, Dhupguri, Maynaguri, Mal, Dabgram-Phulbari, Jalpaiguri, Rajganj
Major highways NH 31, NH 31A, NH 31C, NH 31D
Average annual precipitation 3160 mm
Official website

Jalpaiguri district (Bengali: জলপাইগুড়ি জেলা) is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between 26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes. The district was established in 1869.

The headquarters of the district are at Jalpaiguri town, which is also the divisional headquarter of north Bengal and has its special importance in respect of tourism, forest, hills, tea gardens, scenic beauty and a wide variety of tribes like the Totos, etc.

Contents

Etymology

The name Jalpaiguri came from the Bengali word jalpai meaning "olive" because of the olives which grew in the town and were seen even in 1900. The suffix guri means a place. The name can also be associated with Jalpesh, the presiding deity (Shiva) of the entire region.

History

Jalapaiguri is one part of the ancient Koch Rajbongshi Kingdom, i.e., Kamatapur.

Geography

Presently Jalpaiguri is the part of West Bengal which is situated in North Bengal.

The district situated in the northern part of West Bengal has international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh in the north and south respectively and district borders with Assam and the Darjeeling hills in the east, west and northwest.

Climate

The average annual rainfall is 3160 mm and the average temperature ranges from 30.9 to 10.8 degrees throughout the year. The average relative humidity is about 82%.

Topography

The entire topography is crisscrossed with rivulets, rivers and hills. Jalpaiguri - this narrow stretch of land lying between the Sikkim - Darjeeling Himalayas and Gangetic West Bengal has more than often evoked a sense of both eerie and romanticism in many a heart since the early British Rule. Veined by mighty rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, Raidak, Dyna, Neora, Sankosh etc. this piece of land has been aptly named as the land of 'Tea, Timber and Tourism'. A major stretch of area is bordered in the north by Bhutan and hence the name - Dooars/Duars which mean - Door of Bhutan.

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Jalpaiguri one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[2] It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[2]

Divisions

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises three subdivisions: Jalpaiguri Sadar, Malbazar and Alipurduar.

Jalpaiguri Sadar consists of Jalpaiguri and Rajganj municipalities and Jalpaiguri Sadar, Dhupguri, Maynaguri and Rajganj community development blocks.

Malbazar subdivision, also known as Mal subdivision, consists of Malbazar municipality and three community development blocks: Mal, Matiali and Nagrakata.

Alipurduar subdivision consists of Alipurduar municipality and six community development blocks: Madarihat–Birpara, Alipurduar–I, Alipurduar–II, Falakata, Kalchini and Kumargram.[3]

Jalpaiguri is the district headquarters. There are 17 police stations, 13 development blocks,[4] 4 municipalities.

Each subdivision contains one municipality each along with community development blocks which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns.[5] Siliguri municipal corporation, which lies mainly in Darjeeling district, has 15 out of 47 wards in Jalpaiguri district. In total there are 17 urban units: 4 municipalities, 12 census towns and 146 gram panchayats in this district. Also, Alipurduar city, Alipurduar Railway Junction, Sobhaganj, Chechakhata and Paschim Jitpur are part of a urban agglomeration.

Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision

Malbazar subdivision

Alipurduar subdivision

Assembly constituencies

The district is divided into 12 assembly constituencies:[6]

  1. Kumargram (ST) (assembly constituency no. 10),
  2. Kalchini (ST) (assembly constituency no. 11),
  3. Alipurduars (assembly constituency no. 12),
  4. Falakata (SC) (assembly constituency no. 13),
  5. Madarihat (ST) (assembly constituency no. 14),
  6. Dhupguri (SC) (assembly constituency no. 15),
  7. Nagrakata (ST) (assembly constituency no. 16),
  8. Maynaguri (SC) (assembly constituency no. 17),
  9. Mal (ST) (assembly constituency no. 18),
  10. Kranti (assembly constituency no. 19),
  11. Jalpaiguri (assembly constituency no. 20) and
  12. Rajganj (SC) (assembly constituency no. 21).

Kumargram, Kalchini, Madarihat, Nagrakata and Malbazar constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Falakata, Dhupguri, Mainaguri and Rajganj constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with one assembly constituency from Cooch Behar district, Kumargram, Kalchini, Alipurduar, Falakata, Madarihat and Nagrakata constituencies form the Alipurduars (Lok Sabha constituency), which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). Dhupguri, Mainaguri, Malbazar, Kranti, Jalpaiguri and Rajganj constituencies form the Jalpaiguri (Lok Sabha constituency), which also contains one assembly constituency from Cooch Behar district.

Impact of delimitation of constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 12 assembly constituencies:[7]

  1. Kumargram (ST) (assembly constituency no. 10),
  2. Kalchini (ST) (assembly constituency no. 11),
  3. Alipurduars (assembly constituency no. 12),
  4. Falakata (SC) (assembly constituency no. 13),
  5. Madarihat (ST) (assembly constituency no. 14),
  6. Dhupguri (SC) (assembly constituency no. 15),
  7. Maynaguri (SC) (assembly constituency no. 16),
  8. Jalpaiguri (SC) (assembly constituency no. 17),
  9. Rajganj (SC) (assembly constituency no. 18),
  10. Dabgram-Phulbari (assembly constituency no. 19),
  11. Mal (ST) (assembly constituency no. 20) and
  12. Nagrakata (ST) (assembly constituency no. 21).

Kumargram, Kalchini, Madarihat, Malbazar and Nagrakata constituencies will remain to be reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. Falakata, Dhupguri, Mainaguri, Jalpaiguri and Rajganj constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with one assembly constituency from Cooch Behar district, Kumargram, Kalchini, Alipurduar, Falakata, Madarihat and Nagrakata constituencies will continue to form the Alipurduars (Lok Sabha constituency), which will be reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). Along with one assembly constituency from Cooch Behar district, Dhupguri, Mainaguri, Jalpaiguri, Rajganj, Dabgram-Phulbari, and Malbazar constituencies will form the Jalpaiguri (Lok Sabha constituency), which will be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC).

Police stations

There are 16 police stations in the district, viz.:[4]

  1. Alipurduar
  2. Banarhat
  3. Bhaktinagar
  4. Birpara
  5. Dhupguri
  6. Falakata
  7. Jaigaon
  8. Jalpaiguri (Kotwali)
  9. Kalchini
  10. Kumargram
  11. Madarihat
  12. Malbazar
  13. Matelli
  14. Mainaguri
  15. Nagrakata
  16. Rajganj

Samuktala

Telephone districts

There are six telephone area codes of Jalpaiguri district. They are 03561, 03562, 03563, 03564, 03565, 03566.

Transport

It is well connected by rail, road and air from any part of the country. One can avail train up to Jalpaiguri / Jalpaiguri Road / New Jalpaiguri Stn. By road it is well connected with rest of the country. Air travel is available up to Bagdogra (Siliguri) and from there it is well connected by a 58 km. road.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Jalpaiguri district has a population of 3,869,675,[8] roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[9] or the US state of Oregon.[10] This gives it a ranking of 66th in India (out of a total of 640).[8] The district has a population density of 621 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,610 /sq mi) .[8] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.77 %.[8] Jalpaiguri has a sex ratio of 954 females for every 1000 males,[8] and a literacy rate of 73.79 %.[8]

It is mainly inhabited by the Rajbongshi community of this area.

Languages

Languages include Bijori, a Munda language distantly related to Khmer and Vietnamese, spoken by about 25 000.[11]

Flora and fauna

In 1992 Jalpaiguri district became home to Buxa National Park, which has an area of 117 km2 (45.2 sq mi).[12] It is also home to Gorumara National Park, which was established in 1994 and has an area of 79 km2 (30.5 sq mi).[12]

Apart from the national parks, the district contains three wildlife sanctuaries: Buxa (located adjacent to its namesake national park), Chapramari, and lastly Jaldapara, which it shares with Cooch Behar district.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "District-specific Literates and Literacy Rates, 2001". Registrar General, India, Ministry of Home Affairs. http://www.educationforallinindia.com/page157.html. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
  2. ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme". National Institute of Rural . The largest city of the district is Siliguri though the more than half part of Siliguri falls at Darjeeling still the rest area is 4 times larger than the district head quarter Jalpaiguri town. That is why the population of Jalpaiguri district is distributed towards north west part that is Sila region. It is said that the 3rd half of Siliguri is equal to if all the small towns + jalpaiguri itself is combined together.Development. http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf. Retrieved September 27, 2011. 
  3. ^ "Directory of District, Sub division, Panchayat Samiti/ Block and Gram Panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008". West Bengal. National Informatics Centre, India. 2008-03-19. http://wbdemo5.nic.in/writereaddata/Directoryof_District_Block_GPs(RevisedMarch-2008).doc. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
  4. ^ a b "Administrative setup". Official website of the Jalpaiguri district. http://jalpaiguri.nic.in/MAP2.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
  5. ^ "Population, Decadal Growth Rate, Density and General Sex Ratio by Residence and Sex, West Bengal/ District/ Sub District, 1991 and 2001". West Bengal. Directorate of census operations. http://web.cmc.net.in/wbcensus/DataTables/02/Table4_2.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
  6. ^ "General election to the Legislative Assembly, 2001 – List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies". West Bengal. Election Commission of India. http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S25/WB_ACPC.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-16. 
  7. ^ "Press Note, Delimitation Commission". Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal. Delimitation Commission. http://www.wbgov.com/e-gov/English/DELIMITATION.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-16. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
  9. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html. Retrieved 2011-10-01. "Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est." 
  10. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php. Retrieved 2011-09-30. "Oregon 3,831,074" 
  11. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed (2009). "Bijori: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th edition ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bix. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
  12. ^ a b c Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Sikkim". http://oldwww.wii.gov.in/envis/envis_pa_network/index.htm. Retrieved September 25, 2011. 

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