Ghoraghata railway station

The nearby areas around Ghoraghata railway station are called by "Ghoraghata" by the people. This article describes the area surrounding the station.

Ghoraghata railway station

Ghoraghata
Ghoraghata railway station
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 22.457995°N 87.943786°E / 22.457995; 87.943786
Country India
StateWest Bengal
DistrictHowrah
Elevation
1 m (3 ft)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
711303
Telephone code03214

Ghoraghata
Kolkata Suburban Railway station
LocationBagnan, Howrah district
Owned byIndian Railways
Line(s)Howrah–Kharagpur line
Platforms2
Construction
Structure typeStandard on-ground station
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Other information
Station codeGGTA
Fare zoneSouth Eastern Railway
Services
Preceding station   Kolkata Suburban Railway   Following station
toward Midnapore
South Eastern Line
Location
Ghoraghata
Location in West Bengal
Ghoraghata
Ghoraghata (India)

Ghoraghata railway station is a station of the South Eastern Railway of India. It is located in Uluberia subdivision in the Howrah district in the Indian state West Bengal. It is located between Howrah and Kharagpur on the South Eastern Railway, approximately 49 kilometers from the Howrah station. This railway halt is located between the stations Bagnan and Deulti. This place and its surroundings are called as Ghoraghata Town. This area includes the areas of Durlavpur, Ghoraghata, Brindabanpur, Pipulyan, Kantapukur, Nabasan and Barunda. This station is located at a town called Barunda in the record of Bagnan II CD Block as of the Census of India, 2011.

Geography

Ghoraghata has an average elevation of 5 m (16 ft). It is situated about 3 kilometers away from the bank of the Rupnarayan River. The main road passing through the heart of the town is Station Road, commonly referred to as the "baadh" (a kind of breakwater created to protect the villages from floods). It is also connected to National Highway 6, called the Bombay Road. This is an unplanned town.

"Ghoraghata" refers to the railway station, including the surrounding localities. It includes wholly or partially a number of localities surrounding the railway station, such as Brindabanpur (Ghoraghata itself is sometimes referred to by this name for postal and electoral requirements), Durlluvpur, Nabasan, Pipulan, Kantapukur, and Madari.

  • The remodelled overbridge at the station

History

The Ghoraghata railway station was inaugurated in 1972.

The Sen para (suburb) was a prominent place in Ghoraghata. The Sen family has substantial arable land in the region; they were zamindars until the mid-twentieth century.

Historically the Sen family were the direct descendants of the Sen dynasty who ruled Bengal from 1070 AD to 1230 AD. The Sens were originally from Karnata in South India who immigrated to Bengal. Prominent rulers of Bengal were Hemanta Sen, Vijay Sen, Ballal Sen, and Lakshman Sen. Lakshman Sen was succeeded by two of his sons, Vishwarup Sen and Keshab Sen. The family tree after the fall of the Sen dynasty is not easily available.

The name Ghoraghata came from the Bengali words 'ghora' (horse) and 'ghat' (river crossing). During British rule, horses used to be stationed at the Rupnarayan river crossing.

Demographics

As of the 2001 Indian census,[5] Ghoraghata has a population of around 9000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ghoraghata has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 58%. In Ghoraghata, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Hindus and Muslims together form about 99% of the population.

Transport

Located on the South Eastern Railway, it is close to the National Highway 6, also known as Bombay Road. It is about 50 km by rail and 60 km by road from Kolkata. Thus, proximity to Kolkata with good means of connectivity gives this place an added benefit and room for future growth.

Local transport exists in the form of rickshaws, rickshaw-vans, and trekkers (a kind of jeep). Recently, new routes have been started using trekkers from Ghoraghata station to neighboring regions such as Bakshi and Chakur. This has resulted in a significant growth in the number of daily commuters from these areas who use the trekker service to reach the Ghoraghata train station and then travel by train. These "daily passengers" (as referred to in the local parlance) is gradually making Ghoraghata a more happening and busy station.

Economy

Paper mill

The controversial Krishna Tissue paper mill was set up near the National Highway 6, 1 km from the Ghoraghata railway station. Initially, it was a welcome addition as it promised jobs and development for the region. However, it turned out that the paper mill was a source of huge pollution. Any paper mill uses huge amounts of water and is normally located close to a river. However, in this case it is located far from the nearest river, primarily because of its locational advantage near the highway. It draws a huge amount of underground water and environmentalists worry that this may lead to a drop in the underground water table level in the long run. The discharge of poisonous gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide was a cause of major concern for the neighboring people. A protest group was formed which demanded that the factory discharges must adhere to the pollution norms. Some even demanded the closing of the factory. The strife between the factory management and the locals ("Krishna Tissue Dushon Protirodh Committee") is still happening.

Market

The market is a major employment for the localities; as many as 250 shops cater to a population of 5000 (including suburbs and remote areas). The main market place is located close to the station and is known as Baadh or Station Bazar. This also becomes a place of 'adda' for all sections of the society.

All such shops are small retail stores which are often unable to apply economies of scale; rather they often charge a premium when compared with the larger markets in Bagnan or Kulgachia.

Shops
  • Gallery – the largest selling cosmetics and stationery shop in Ghoraghata
  • Sutanuti Book Store – the largest selling and popular book store near Ghoraghata Station Road (North)

Occupation

Agriculture

Agriculture was the primary occupation of the people in these parts. With declining margins in the agricultural sector, and increased risks, the poor have been more involved in outsourced labour with small but guaranteed wages. Gradually, with industrialization, small mills (such as rice mills) have started off.

Jaggery

Politics

Ghoraghata has a balance of power insofar as the local political parties are concerned. In 2008, the panchayet elections saw a major change ("Paribartan -er Hawa") similar to what happened in the rest of West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has gained considerable ground in the region.

Sultan Ahmed of the TMC has been the member of parliament for Uluberia since 2010. As a result, the TMC party wielded substantial power in the region.[6] With the defeat of Hannan Mollah, the new MP Sultan Ahmed has taken substantial steps in consolidating the party at the grassroots level.

The current MLA from Bagnan (SC) is Arunava Sen (Raja Da) of TMC, who won the seat in state elections of 2011.

Education
The Bagnan Ananda Niketan Vidyamandir on the Asian Highway 45, Howrah

Education in this region has been mainly centered around primary and secondary levels. This is because most students move to nearby colleges for higher education, such as Bagnan college (3 km), Bagnan High School, and Adarsha High School. The notable schools in Ghoraghata are Ananda Niketan School, the Ghoraghata Primary School, Pipulyan Primary School, and Ideal KG School, which caters to the beginners.

Places of interest

In spite being a small town located quite far off from Kolkata, Ghoaraghata has a number of places of interest.

Temple of Gangadhar

The Temple of Gangadhar, in West Pipulyan Village, is an old temple of Lord Shiva (Gangadhar). It is very "jaghgrata" and is known for doing miracles to its worshipers.

Anandaniketan School

Ananda Niketan started its health services to the people by establishing Seva Sadan in 1960. The then Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal was a great patronage of Ananda Niketan and Seva Sadan was renamed as "Bidhan Chandra Seva Sadan". At present it maintains an outpatient clinic and includes both allopathic medicine and homeopathy. Many patients from the locality and surrounding villages receive free medical consultant and treatment there.

House of eminent Bengali novelist Sharat Chandra Chatterji
Main article: Sarat Chandra Kuthi

This place of interest is not located in Ghoraghat but in a separate village called Samtaber. The house of eminent Bengali novelist Sharat Chandra Chatterji is about 3.5 km from Ghoraghata in Panitras's Samtaber near Deulti.

River beach in Kantapukur

The riverside at Kantapukur is about 3 km from the railway station and is frequented for picnics, parties and gatherings.

Bhiteberer Kali Mandir

This old temple of the Goddess Kali is very famous. This temple is situated at Kajibhuenrah, a village 2.5 km away from Ghoraghat railway station.

Festive seasons

The place starts buzzing during the Durga pujas and up to Kali puja. There are more than ten Durga puja pandals in this region.

Durga Puja

The oldest club in the neighborhood, Bandhab Samity (founded in the 1940s), celebrates Durga Puja with great pomp and show. The Ghoraghata Bazar Committee puja is a traditional puja in Ghoraghata. There are more pandals in Ghoraghata which have different styles and themes. Durga Puja of Bhattacharya para is very old from generation.

Kali Puja
  • The Kali Puja of Nabachakra Cultaral Society is one of the most attractions in Ghoraghata.

See also

References
  1. Google Maps
  2. Kharagpur-Howrah Local 38606 Indiarailinfo
  3. Howrah-Haldia Local 68689 ⇒ 38089 Indiarailinfo
  4. Santragachi-Digha EMU 78001 ⇒ 68687 Indiarailinfo
  5. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  6. Election results
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