Santragachhi

Coordinates: 22°34′49″N 88°16′11″E / 22.58017°N 88.26963°E / 22.58017; 88.26963
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Santragachi
Neighbourhood
Shibpur

Santragachi is a residential neighbourhood in

South Eastern Railway. Kona Expressway in Santragachi is one of the major and fastest roads to enter Kolkata
.

Santragachi also has sizeable railway colonies along with minor industries, including a privately owned railway goods wagon making unit and a railway cabin. Santragachi is also popular for its large lake, known as Santragachi Jheel, which attracts migratory birds in the winter months. Santragachi is under the jurisdiction of Jagacha Police Station and Santragachi Police Station of

Howrah City Police
.

History

In the early twentieth century, Santragachhi was a large village, with a part within Howrah Municipality.[1] According to a legend, the principal family there, the Choudharys, who were Barendra brahmins,[2] started staying here 300 years from now.[clarification needed][1] Inspired by them, other Barendra families moved to the place.[1] The railway station of Santragachhi was named after this place, though this place is closer to another railway station at Ramrajatala.[1] The Ramrajatala area was considered a quarter of the area under this village.[1]

The first vernacular school of the Howrah district was established in Santragachhi in 1857 with the help of a government grant.[3] Afterwards the school was amalgamated with "Santragachi Madhya Engreji School" making it an English and Bengali dual medium school and later in 1925, the school transferred to Santragachi Kedarnath Institution.[4] The first girls' school of the Howrah district with Indian management was established in Santragachhi in 1863, with a small grant from the government.[5]

Santragachhi produced good quality of arums (ol: Bengali: ওল).[6] There is a variety of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (elephant-foot yam of arum family) which is named Santragachhi after this place.[7][8]

Education

High schools

There are several secondary and higher secondary schools for boys and girls. Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee laid the foundation stone of Santragachi Kedarnath Institution,[9] whilst Jagacha High School is another notable school in this area. Other government schools include Santragachi Bhanumati Balika Vidhyalaya, S.E. Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School, Santragachi Mixed High School, Santragachi Railway Colony High School, Baksara High School, Surendranath Girls' School . Private schools include St. Marys Convent School, Maria's Day School. There is also a branch of Kendriya Vidhyalaya, which is affiliated to CBSE Board.

Colleges

Colleges in the area include Dr. Kanailal Bhattacharya College and Bijoy Krishna Girls' College.

Santragachi Jheel

Western side of the Santragachhi Lake
The lesser whistling ducks dominate the entire lake

Santragachi Jheel is a large lake,

northern shoveller, northern pintail, garganey from north of the Himalayas[13] and many other local migratory birds such as cotton pygmy goose and knob-billed duck are spotted here during this season.[13] However, the lesser whistling duck is the most dominant species visible here.[13]

The lake area is owned by South Eastern Railway, though the Forest Department of West Bengal also looks after the place.

Water hyacinth from the lake, though leaving some portion of it which adds up to an environment suitable for the birds.[13][14] Efforts are made by local residents, Forest Department and Railways to improve the environment for the birds.[13][14]

Migratory birds in Satragachhi Jheel

The Forest Ministry of the State Government of West Bengal intends to convert the lake to a wildlife conservation centre.[15]

Transport

Railways

See also: Santragachi Junction railway station

The erstwhile

Shalimar Station was also created for redirecting heavy traffic of export goods, for further carrying them to Kidderpore dock in Kolkata via large ferry steamers.[16]

Santragachhi is the main railway coaching yard of South Eastern Railway's Kharagpur Division. Maintenance of more than 50 long or short-distance trains has been done here. The class-one flat yard consists of a diesel locomotive shed, an electric locomotive shed, washing and sick lines and a railway turntable.

Howrah Station.[17]

Roadways

Kona Expressway
, Santragachhi

Santragachi is crossed by

B.B.D. Bagh/Belgachia), E6 (Amta - Esplanade), E7 (Bagnan - Esplanade) etc.[18]

Kolkata Central Bus Terminus, spread over 12.38 acres (5.01 ha) of land, is the result of the joint efforts by the state transport department, HRBC and KMDA. While Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) contributed in handing over land to install the facility, Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) remained the implementing authority. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the terminus on 27 May 2015. The terminus has a parking capacity for 169 buses, 100 other vehicles and 85 two wheelers.

Santragachhi Rail Overbridge

Metro Rail

A 10 km (6.2 mi) east-west Metro extension project from Howrah Maidan up to Santragachi bus terminus has been planned and up to Dhulagarh has been proposed. Rites, the implementing agency for this project, was set to start work on the corridor early in 2017, but the work is still halted due to land acquisition and fund issues.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 172
  2. ^ Barendra or Varendra was a region in northern Bengal.
  3. ^ O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 140
  4. ^ "Sknionline.in - Our History". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  5. ^ O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 141
  6. ^ O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 73
  7. ^ O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 74
  8. ISBN 81-86623-75-2
    . Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Santragachi Kedarnath Institution | School | Howrah".
  10. ^ Jheel (Bengali: ঝিল) is a Bengali word for a lake.
  11. ^ a b Romila Saha (8 January 2008). "Bird draw at jheel". The Telegraph, Kolkata. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Migratory birds no longer keen to nest at Alipore Zoo". Indian Express. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Suchetana Haldar (15 December 2006). "Birds of many feathers flock to Santragachi". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  14. ^ a b Bhajan Ganguly (8 December 2004). "Welcome, winter friends on wing". The Telegraph, Kolkata. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  15. ^ "Protected Area Update: News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia". Wildlife Institute of India. February 2005. Archived from the original (DOC) on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  16. ^ a b O'Malley & Chakravarti 1909, p. 126
  17. ^ "Santragachi to be developed into terminal in 3–4 years". Times of India. Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  18. ^ Google maps
  19. ^ "2017 start for Howrah EW Metro | Kolkata News - Times of India". The Times of India.

Citations

  • O'Malley, L.S.S.; Chakravarti, Monmohan (1909), Bengal District Gazetteers: Howrah, Bengal Secretariat Book Depot.
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