Bidhannagar or Salt Lake City, is a planned city in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal and the main IT hub of Eastern India. It is a part of the city of Kolkata and is under the municipal administration of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC). Designed by Yugoslav architect Dobrivoje Toà ¡koviÃÂ, the development of Salt Lake commenced from late 1960s onwards from reclaimed wetlands and was developed into a major IT hub for the city Kolkata by the state government through the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Keeping with its original name, it is commonly referred to as Salt Lake City.
It is the headquarters of the Bidhannagar subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), located on the north-eastern side of Kolkata. The Nabadiganta Industrial Township Area and Sector V of Bidhannagar is one of the main economic hubs of the city with approximately 1,500 companies residing in Sector V as of 2021.
The city is named after Bidhan Chandra Roy, the founder of Salt Lake area of the city, the second Premier of West Bengal (1948âÂÂ1950) and the first Chief Minister of West Bengal.
During the Salt Satyagraha, the people of Mahishbathan between present day Salt Lake and Rajarhat Newtown joined the Salt Satyagraha movement by preparing salt using indigenous methods. The main initiator of the movement was Lakshmikant Pramanik, the zamindar of Mahishbathan.
Bidhannagar's Master Planner and Chief Architect was Dobrivoje Toà ¡koviàfrom SFR Yugoslavia, now Serbia.
Bidhannagar's architecture has modern landmarks, such as the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan or Salt Lake Stadium.
At the 2011 census, Bidhannagar Municipality had a population of 218,323 (males 111,363; females 106,960) in an area of approximately 13.16 square km with a density of about 16,590 persons per square kilometre. However, the area of Bidhannagar Municipality was 33.50 square km (much bigger than Salt Lake City) because it includes East Kolkata Wetlands area, where very few floating people live. Bidhannagar Municipality has an average literacy rate of 90.44% (higher than the national average of 74%), with male literacy of 93.08% and female literacy of 87.69%.
Salt Lake is located in the southeastern part of West Bengal. The city area sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India. The Salt Lake area of Kolkata city was formed by land reclamation, which was done in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the growing population. Salt Lake is located on the north eastern area of Kolkata, the state capital; west of Ghojadanga, a border checkpoint; and north of Bakkhali.
According to the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, the city area has a total area of , with approx of it being land, and approx , or 45.5% of the total, being covered by water. It has an average elevation of 11 metres (49 ft).
East Kolkata Wetlands, located within the city limits of Bidhannagar, lies across the southern part of the city. It is one of the two Ramsar sites in West Bengal, the other being the Sundarban Wetland.
Bidhannagar is administered by several government agencies. The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, or BMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 6 boroughs, which together encompass 41 wards. Each ward elects a councilor to the BMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets. The functions of the KMC include water supply, drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, and building regulation.
Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) was created in January 2006. It supplies water; maintains sewerage, roads, street signals; furnishes important buildings and collects property tax and fees in Sector - V (excluded from the jurisdiction of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation).
The Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate is responsible for law enforcement in the city area. Out of 13 police stations of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, 9 police stations are engaged in controlling law and order in city area.
Bidhannagar has a bus terminal named Karunamoyee Bus Terminus. A variety of AC & Non-AC Buses depart from this terminus.
WBTC Bus
Other WBTC buses which ply on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and Biswa Bangla Sarani are as follows:
The modes of transportation like other parts of Kolkata includes air conditioned/non-ac government/private buses, Yellow taxi and other popular options like auto rickshaw and e-rickshaws. The Howrah Maidan - Salt Lake Sector V - Teghoria (Haldiram) Line (Green Line) of the Kolkata Metro is in operation since 14 February 2020, now connects Salt Lake Sector V and Sealdah. The New Garia â Dum Dum Airport Line (Orange Line) of the Kolkata Metro, which passes through the Salt Lake Bypass, is under-construction with cost inflation and delays.
Schools in Salt Lake include the:
Catholic schools include: