Basirhat is a city of West Bengal, India. It is located on the banks of the Ichamati (Ichhamati) River.
Geography
8km 5miles
B
A
N
G
L
A
D
E
S
H
Bidyadhari River
Burokalabati River
Raimangal River
Ichhamati River
Sarapul
R
Sandeshkhali
R
Sandelerbil
R
Nazat
R
Murarisha
R
Matia
R
Malancha
R
Kalinagar
R
Iswarigachha
R
Hemnagar
R
Hasnabad
R
Haroa
R
Ghojadanga check post
R
Bamanpukuria
R
Swarupnagar
R
Taki
M
Basirhat
M
Baduria
M
Uttar Bagundi
CT
Sadigachhi
CT
Raghunathpur
CT
Mathurapur
CT
Minakhan
CT
Itinda
CT
Hingalganj
CT
Dhanyakuria
CT
Deora
CT
Dakshin Chatra
CT
Dandirhat
CT
Balihati
CT
Bankra
CT
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
The area shown in the map is a part of the Ichhamati-Raimangal Plain, located in the lower Ganges Delta. It contains soil of mature black or brownish loam to recent alluvium. Numerous rivers, creeks and khals criss-cross the area. The tip of the Sundarbans National Park is visible in the lower part of the map (shown in green but not marked). The larger full screen map shows the full forest area.[3] A large section of the area is a part of the Sundarbans settlements.[4] The densely populated area is an overwhelmingly rural area. Only 12.96% of the population lives in the urban area and 87.04% of the population in rural areas.[5][6]
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full-screen map.
Civic administration
Police station
Basirhat police station covers an area of 267 km2 and serves a population of 637,538. Basirhat PS has under it Basirhat town outpost and two other outposts at Panitor and Boatghat. The police district has a 22 km border, out which 14 km is land border and 8 km is riverine border. 11 km of the border remains unfenced. Basirhat PS has jurisdiction over Basirhat municipal area and Basirhat I CD Block.[7]
Around half of the 4,095 km long India-Bangladesh border has been fenced and vigil along the border has been tightened up. As of 2017, Cattle smuggling across the border was unofficially estimated to be a Rs. 4,000 crore business, half of it across the Basirhat border and the balance through Malda and Murshidabad.[8]
Basirhat railway station
In 2017, The Sunday Guardian reported, “The crackdown by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the illegal, but lucrative, business of cow smuggling along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, resulted in immense resentment among a section of the area’s minority community. This culminated in the communal flare-up in the state’s Basirhat sub-division earlier this month. A source close to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress told The Sunday Guardian over phone, “Cow smuggling to Bangladesh, through the riverine border in Basirhat, Taki and other adjoining areas, has taken a hit as the BSF has become very strict and is maintaining a constant vigil. This has hurt the locals, who were earning crores from these illegal activities. Rendered jobless, they blamed the situation on the majority community.””[9]
CD block HQ
The headquarters of Basirhat I CD block are located at Basihat.[10]
According to the 2011 census, Basirhat Municipality had a population of 125,254. Basirhat had a sex ratio of 981 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 87.35%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 18.94% and 0.41% of the population respectively.[12]
Bengali is the predominant language, spoken by 99.77% of the population.[13]
Education
Basirhat College was established in 1947. Affiliated with the West Bengal State University, it offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Sanskrit, philosophy, political science, history, geography, education, accountancy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, physiology and economics. It also offers general courses in arts, science and commerce, and a post-graduate course in Bengali.[14][15]
The Front Gate of Bhabla Tantra Sir Rajendra High School
Healthcare
Basirhat District Hospital functions with 300 beds.[16]
^"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.
