Town Survey Report, Part X-B, Series-23, West Bengal

CENSUS OF INDIA 1981 WEST BENGAL

SERIES-23

'pART X-B

TOWN SURVEY REPORT

UTT ARPARA-KOTRUNG

Investigation and Drafting GOUR CHANDRA BAGCHI

Editing and Supervision SUKUMAR SINHA TOWN SURVEY REPORT

UTTARPARA-KOTRUNG

Assistance in Investigation Sri Samarendra Nath Mondal and Tabulation: Assistant Compiler

Preparation of Map : Sri Subir Kumar Chatterjee Draughtsman

Photography : Sri Manas Kumar Mitra Comput~r

Preparation of cover-design : Sri Birendra Nath Mullick Senior Artist

FOREWORD

Apart from the decennial enumeration of population, the Indian Census is steeped in the tradition of undertaking a variety of studies of topical interest. In fact, the publications brought out in connection with the earlier censuses contained veritable mines of information on racial, cultural, linguistic and a number of other aspects of life of the people of this country. With the advent of freedom, however, the scope and dimension of these special studies had to be restructured in a manner that would provide the basic feedbacks on the processes of development taking place in different spheres of life of the people especially under planned development.

Thus, in connection with the 1961 Census, a massive programme was launched inter-alia to conduct socio-economic survey of about 500 villages selected from different parts of the country. The main objective of this study was to know the way of life of the people living in Indian villages which accounted for 82 per cent of the total population as per the 1961 Census. There was, however,. an imperative need to extend the area of the study to urban centres as well, to provide a complete coverage of the people living in diverse socia-economic conditions. It was with this objective in view, ancillary studies on towns were launched as part of the social studies programme in connection with the 1971 Census.

The programme of social studies taken up in connection with the 1971 Census, was continued without any major change at the 1981 Census as well. A study on traditional rural based handicrafts was, however, added as a new item under the social study projects of the 1981 Census. For the conduct of urban study, 64 small and medium towns were selected from different parts of the country following the criteria such as (a) size, (b) demographic features, (c) functiona' characteristics, (d) specific industry or occupation dominating the

(viI) economy, (e) location, (f) concentration of different castes and communities, and (g) other social and 'cultural phenomenon like temple town, health resort etc.

The researcn design, 'tools for data collection and formats for data tabulation and report writing required for urban studies were originally formulated by Dr. B.K. Roy Burman, the then Deputy Registrar Generw, Social Studies \ Division. His successor, Dr. N. G. -Nag took considerable pains to revise all the formats to make them more comprel1ensi'le. Dr. K.P. Ittaman, the present Deputy Registrar General heading Social--Studies.. Divisi~~ ~oordinated these studies at different levels as well as rendered necessary guidance to the Directorates of Census Operations for their successful consummation. Shri M.'K. Jain, Senior Research Officer and Smt. Suman Prashar Assistant Director with the able assistance of an Investigator, Smt. Ranu Sabharwal and her colleagues did a commendable job in scrutinising the reports and communicating the comments thereon to the Directorates. I am grateful to all of them.

The present report is the out-come of a study on Uttarpara - Kotrung town undertaken by the Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. I am indebted­ to Shri Sukumar Sinha. Joint Director and his colleagues in the Census Directorate for their painstaking efforts in bringing out this report.

The 1st of June, 1988 V.S. VERMA New Delhi Registrar General, India

(viii) PREFACE

'The realist, if he is an artist, will endeavour not to show us a commonplace photograph of life, but to give us a presentment of it which-shall be more complete, more striking, more cogent than reality itself. To tell everything is out of the question; it should require at least a volume for each day to enumerate the endless insignificant incidents which crowd our existence. A-­ choice must be made -"

Guy De Maupassant

And the river Hugli runs into the Bay of Bengal, softly flowing by, as if like

"liquid 'istory", The historic highway I the Grand Trunk Road which 'e~ended for 1,000 kos from Sonargaon in Eastern Bengal to the Indus' during the reign of Sher Shah still survives as the witness. of the rise and fall of many kings and dynasties and the birth and death of many principalities and as the silent recorder of the ballad on the basis of retreating hoofs of the trotting horsemen. The railway lines provided the arteries to the transport through which the life-blood of industry has been flowing for more than hundred years. Even though 'the iron rail has been called a stake which pierced through the heart of the village community and slowly drained its life blood away, it was also a pile driven into the marsh of a static community upon which a new and forward-looking society could be founded',

Uttarpara-Kotrung situated on the river Hugli with one of the efficient means of mass transport, the waterway, was already seeded with one of the most effective factors stimulating urban growth. It is a universally historic phenomenon that the growth of cities and towns has taken place on river-banks not by accident. The rise of the towns along the river Hugli is contemporaneous with improved navigation and the advent and settlement of the European traders. The

(ix) Portuguese had established their settlements in Hugli, the Danes in Serampore, the Dutch at Chinsurah, the French at Chandernagore and the English at Sutanuti (later known as Calcutta). All these settlements except Calcutta were situated on the western bank of the river Hugli and all of them later flourished as towns.

The ~commencement of traffic along the Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Delhi through Uttarpara-Kotrung in 1839 not only widened the province of transportation and made -the- movement of goods possible, even though in bullock wagons, but also made it feasible for the rural settlements in Uttarpara-Kotrung to get access to distant specialities, social, economic, cultural, commercial and intellectual.

ThuS, the mobilisation of goods and services for rapid transportation and distribution with the help of waterway and the arterial road serving as the chief means of transportation and communication ushered in the age of market economy and also of the capitalist urban economy. The advent of the railways was undoubtedly decisive for economic development in India in general and in the region around Calcutta in particular. The railroad was instrumental in paving the way for the systematic development of the jute, the coal and the iron industries. It also initiated a new phase in capital import and reorganised traqe and commerce in new lines-along which the people acquired a new mobility and opportunity to organise themselves in building up a new society.

Against this backdrop one finds the founder of Uttarpara-Kotrung, Ratneswar Roy Chowdhury being haunted by the new spirit of the imperialist marauders. Tethered to an old ideology and more concerned with social and aesthetic norms of his time, he settled down in Uttarpara to maintain a traditional, devout, religious life, far from the interference of the British trading class. Ratneswar had transplanted a multi-ethnic traditional self-sufficient village republic with all functional occupational castes in Uttarpara. Presumably, he wanted to delay the twilight over the seemingly invulnerable ancient Indian village which, he believed, would not succumb in future to the 'political and economic measures of a new type of political regime historically never experienced before and of the commercial and industrial forces of modern capitalism'. He dreamt of the inviolability of the self-sufficient village in his new sanctuary in Uttarpara. But history moved dialectically.

(xl Later, Joykrishna Mukherjee I an illustrious member of the Zemindar family of

Uttarpara, assured of a colossal fortune and with sway over a large territory I dedicated himself to the task of modernising an archetypal Bengal village, moving much ahead of his times. Revered as the architect of modern Uttarpara, Joykrishna Mukherjee representing the intellectual elite of his period was cognisant 01 his inherited religion and theology and had knowledge of his country's history and culture, its architectural treasures, its literature and philsophy, music and drama and its creative arts and crafts. But at the same time he stressed on a break with tradition, eradication of superstitious beliefs and illogical reasoning. His ideals of modernisation included improved institutions and attitudes, liberation from reliance on static customs, preparedness for a change, energetic enterprise, acceptance of responsibility of the community, willingness to take a long view and implant democracy at the grass-roots in the form of a local self-government and cooperation. The intellectual ferment in Joykrishna Mukherjee's mental world was the driving force behind the establishment of several modern institutions in Uttarpara like a government High School in 1846, a charitable dispensary in 1851, a public library in 1859 and a municipality in 1865. In 1887 Uttarpara had seen the foundation of a college, in 1906 the railway station at Uttarpara started functioning, in 1919 supply of filtered drinking water was introduced, in 1926 Uttarpara had its road lights electrified, in 1931 Willingdon Briage (Vivekananda Setu) connected Uttarpara with Baranagar across the river Hugli, the construction of the Hind Motor Company in 1948-49 in the adjacent village Makhla not only opened up opportunities of employment to the residents of the town but also added a new dimension to its growth and development and the electrification of the railways shortened the journey to Calcutta and Haara and made commutation from Uttarpara-Kotrung to and from the latter twa cities and other towns easier. Kotrung too had its municipality in 1869 and maintained its independent status till its merger with Uttarpara in 1964.

Interestingly, in 1872 Census, Uttarpara and Kotrung had registered their urban status as statutory towns (with a municipality each), the former with a population of 6,811 (class V town with size ,class between 5,000-9,999) and the latter with 4,389 persons (class VI town with population upto 4,999).

A decade later, Kotrung with its population of 5,307 in 1881 promoted itself to the status of a class V town in which category Uttarpara too maintained its

(XI) position with 5,747 persons. In 1901 both the towns had class V status (Uttarpara with a population of 7,036 and Kotrung with 5.944 persons). Both Uttarpara and Kotrung continued to grow as class V towns till 1931. But in 1941 Uttarpara with 13,610 persons outstripped Kotrung (with a population of 4,901 and still a class V I town) in sizei'"class, having found its status in class IV category (population between 10,000 to 19,999). Kotrung with a population of 14,177 in 1951 promoted itself to the class IV category to which Uttarpara had already belonged. In 1961 both the towns had elevated their status to class III size and in 1971 and 1981 Uttarpara-Kotrung enjoyed the status of a class II town (population between 50,000 and 99,999).

It is revealing that of 291 towns in West Bengal in 19a1~, 74 towns, all statutory, cou1d be )ocated 'In "'190"'1 and ~ ~ of them inc'uolng Uttarpara-'I<.otrung were in the district of Hugli. In 1981 there were 105 statutory towns in West Bengal, the district of Hugli accounting for 12 such statutory towns. Calcutta Urban Agglomeration which denotes the continuous urban continuum around Calcutta city in all directions, cutting across the boundaries of the districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas elnd Nadia on the eastern bank of the river Hugli and of the districts of Haors and Hugli on the western bank of the same river, has an area of 852.23 sq.kms, covering 107 towns with a population of 9,194,0.18 persons. The segment of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration in the district of Hugli has spread over 115.03 sq.kms (13.50 per cent of the total area of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration) with 20 towns (18.70 per cent of the 107 constituent towns) of which 12 are statutory, with a population of 1,218,156 (13.25 I per cent of the total p~pulation of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration). While the growth rates in the population of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration in the decades 1901-11,1911-21,1921-31,1931-41,1941-51, 1951-61, 1961-71, 1971-81 have been 15.58, 7.99, 13.48, 69.34, 28.94, 28.14, 24.01 and 23.90 per cents respectively, the same in the segment of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration in the district of Hugli have been 10.68, 16.70, 13.68, 43.11, 28.81, 53.26, 36.22 and 'V 41.40 per cent respectively in the corresponding decades. The population in the segment of Calcutta Urban Agglomereltion in the district of Hugli registered a faster growth-rate in the decades in 1951-61, 1961-71 and 1971-81 than in the parent body. This is indeed interesting and deserves further analysis. The town of Jttarpara-Kotrung constitutes an insignificant part of Calcutta Urban .~gglomeration as a whole from the point of area (0.85 per cent) and population.

(xlQ (0.87 per cent). The town, however, accounts for 6.30 per cent of the area and 6.53 per cent of the population in the segment of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration in the district of Hugli.

The rise and growth of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration has been discussed in \ detail in the Preface to the Town Survey Report on Krishnapur (Census of India 1981, Series 23, West Bengal, Part XB). It is appropriate, however, to bear in mind , certain basic facts behind the spurred development of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration, namely, t~e settlement of European traders and their factories in some places on the banks of the river Hugli, the stronghold of the British in Calcutta, the jute factories on both the banks of the river Hugli, development of a port in Calcutta, establishment of administrative and trading towns in the region, construction of roads and railways linking Calcutta with the administrative and trading towns and a vast rural hinterland, inmigration of population from distant places to Calcutta and distribution of labourers to va~jous plantations in different J states and abroad, influx of industrial workers in and around Calcutta, inflow of destitutes and distressed people affected by periodic famines and natural / calamities to Calcutta and the urban areas around in search of food and relief, huge concentration of Zemindars and absentee landlords fortified by purchasing power through the siphoning of rural surplus to Calcutta and last but not the least, the inmigration of displaced persons from former East Pakistan in the wake of Partition and Independence.

The consequential urbanisation followed a colonial model and ultimately, the city of Calcutta proper stopped growing, though not its periphery. The extension of the limits of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration into many small towns and forays of the urban sprawl into surrounding villages have transformed them into 'commuter settlements' with a large proportion of their resident population working in the city of Calcutta which have been dubbed by scholars as a 'network of outmigrating urban area with more people leaving the city than those coming in'. The explanations may be found in 'congestion, high price of land and rent, declining civic facilities, declining job opportunities etc' in the city of Calcutta. The gargantuan growth of the city of Calcutta as the economic, social, cultural and educational centre-piece of the metropolitan area around has been much due to factors externally imposed. The growth and development of other towns too were not spontaneous and based on indigenous factors. The eventual nexus between

(xiii) Calcutta and many other towns evolved into a patron-client relation. Not only the suburbanite residents in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration have to maintain a 'compulsory association or at least cohabitation at the economic level' with the core city of Calcutta but also for 'aesthetic and intellectual stimulus, the suburban towns look forward to the big city: the cinema, the theatre, the orchestra, the art gallery, the university, the museum, the public library, sports'. Many of the original functions of the city, natural monopOlies, 'demand the physical presence of all participants' .

Uttarpara-Kotrung, though a part of the urban milieu of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration and for that matter, one of its constituent units, has evinced in its socia-economic and cultural functions an individuality of its own. The town has not been swamped by the big city of Calcutta, even though many of its residents have hailed from the latter. The infra-structures in Uttarpara-Kotrung can vie with many cities in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration and have stolen a march over them in many respects. A close scrutiny of the statistics for 1981 presented below will support the observation. The average length of pucca roads~in the class I and class II towns of West bengal stands at 4.7 kms and 4.5 kms per sq.km. of area, but in Uttarpara-Kotrung the same is 8.1 kms (against 5.2 kms in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration) per sq.km. Whereas the average road light points in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration are 22.5 per km. of road, Uttarpara-Kotrung has 34.9 road light points on an average, per km. of road-tength .. The latrines of the water-borne type in Uttarpara·Kotrung constitute 69.9 per cent of latrines of all types (as against 38.5 per cent in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration. 48.5 per cent_in class I towns and 32.5 per cent in class II towns of West Bengal). The average number of hospital beds in Uttarpara-Kotrung per thousand population is 2.56 (against 2.30 in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration). The average number of higher secondary, secondary J junior and primary schools per one lakh population in Uttarpara-Kotrung is 13, 17, 19 and 57 respectively as against 5, 11, 13 and 17 respectively in Calcutta Urban Agglomeration.

Uttarpara-Kotrung can justifiably boast of being an elitist town- in as much as the percentages of literates among males and females are 81.6 and 71.0 respectively as against 70.9 and 58.5 in the Calcutta Urban Agglomeration. The municipal finance too in Uttarpara-Kotrung has reasons to instill optimism in the minds of its residents about the efficient performance of the city fathers. The per

(xiv) capita municipal receipt of Rs. 42.54p. in this town outbids that of the class I towns of the State with a per capita municipal receipt of Rs. 34.83p. The per capita municipal expenditure too is higher here (As. 35.52p.) than that in class I towns (Rs. 29.34) of West Bengal.

It is no wonder, therefore, that Uttarpara-Kotrung has carried on the Jegacy of the benevolent enlightened Zemindars of Joykrishna Mukherjee's ilk. Here is a town, which even being a component of a new urban constellation called Calcutta Urban Agglomeration, is capable of preserving the advantages of a smaller town and yet enjoying the fruits of a large-scale metropolitan city. Here lies a suburban town with a new way of life 'less effo rtfu I I less regimented. less sterile and less formalized in every way than that of the production-minded urban centres ......

That smug Victorian phrase, "We keep ourselves to ourselves", expresses the spirit of the suburb in contrast to the city'. Here lies ~ town, proud of its tradition and heritage bequeathed to it in course of the last hundred years I with a melting pot in which settlers from outside have assimilated the finer strands of its qualitative life and have imbued it with a sober personality to match, if not challenge, the flaunting supremacy of Calcutta. Ratneswar Roy Chowdhury's dream of a tranquil self-sufficient traditional village republic in Uttarpara-Kotrung has not remained a fancy unrealised. Uttarpara-Kotrung has been vigilant not to disrespect and humiliate the souls of Ratneswar and Joykrishna by allowing the town to degenerate into a parasitic satellite of Calcutta. As if under the fostering and protective care of these guardian spirits. the town still appears to forge ahead as a dignified, peaceful urban republic.

II

In accordance with a scheme sponsored by the Registrar General, India, three towns in West Bengal, namely Krishnapur, Uttarpara-Kotrung and Haldia have been selected for survey. The survey in Uttarpara-Kotrung town has been conducted in 1987-88 by Sri Gaur Chandra 8agchi, assisted by Sri Samarendra Nath Mondal, Assistant Compiler. The main survey with structured schedules on . the town and households was supplemented by few more enquiries in 1988-89. The present report is based on the findings of the survey. The opinions expressed here or elsewhere do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the State

(xv) or Central Governments. They are made in our personal capacities.

Registrar General, India, in his Foreword has clearly delineated the objectives of the survey. The study of a town with more than seventynine thousand people of different socio-economic strata and with a rich historical background is a difficult task indeed. A set of structured schedules may beget some statistical data but very seldom invests the enquirer with an insight and perception about the human life in the town. Data and information collected in the field on the basis of schedules have often to be supported by impressions formed by observation of events as a detached onlooker. Sri D.P. Chatterjee, Assistant Director of Census Operations, West Bengali being a resident of the town, has at times proferred an insider's views and experiences to give a sharper edge to the enquiry.

Omissions, if there be any, are unintentional and the faults and blemishes that may still creep in are involuntary and deserve the apology of an understanding reader.

III

The present report' is the fruition of sustained help, cooperation and assistance from the residents of Uttarpara-Kotrung in general and the respondents in particular. All of them deserve grateful remembrance and so do the institutions in the town and agencies outside of the State and Central Governments. We have also received immense help from many voluntary organisations inside the town and outside its limits as also from leading political leaders, professionals and intellectuals.

But some personalities, lofty as they are because of their preeminence in social life, have not been frigid in their responses to the present enquiry. Warm-hearted and exuding interest in unravelling the past history of the town and in establishing a rapport with its present, Sri Lalit Mohan Mukherjee, a nonagenarian grand old man who treasures all the memories of days gone by, has been of immense help in the culling of invaluable materials. Sri Santasree Chatterjee, the present M.L.A. from the town, has thrown important light on some aspects of the SOCia-political organisation. Sri Santi Priya Dasgupta and Professor Basudev Pal, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality

(XVi) have not only extended full support to the enquiry by providing all data about the civic administration and civic amenities but made available to the enquiry all relevant information whenever demanded of them. The Municipal Commissioners too have always been cooperative in rendering us assistance during the enquiry. We owe a deep sense of gratitude to all of them and also to Sri Sakti Mukherjee, a scion of the Mukherjee family and a leading legal practitioner in Calcutta High Court, who has provided ir1Valuable materials about the history of the town. Sri Ashok Banerjee, a relation of the M,ukherjee famHy, provided us a few photographs and antiques for pictorial coverage.

Sri V.S. Verma, Registrar General, India, has been the prime-mover and guiding spirit behind the enquiry. His sweet reasonableness and anxious enquiries kept the wheel moving. With an indefatigable zeal he enthused us to complete the report without delay. It is an unforgettable experience to feel how warm and solicitous Sri Verma has been about the success of the present venture. The report itself is a tribute to his dynamic leadership.

Dr. K.P. Ittaman, Deputy Registrar General, India, Social Studies Division, Sri M.K. Jain, Senior Research Officer and Smt. Suman Prashar, Assistant Director, offered their critical comments, scholarly suggestions and appreciative views to heighten the quality of the report.

Dr. B.K. Roy, Deputy Registrar General, India, Map Division, has earned our respect by his technical scrutiny of the map of the town included in the report.

My colleague, Sri A.K. Dutta, Deputy Director of Census Operations, West Bengal, offered his critical comments and esteemed suggestions which we gratefully accepted.

Sri Gour Chandra 8agchi, with his seasoned experience plunged himself headlong into the enquiry with a remarkable zeal and impassioned interest. Sri Bagchi has brought to bear his intellectual stamp, exemplary analytical skill and collection of massive data, statistical and historical, on the report which attests to his remarkable qualities as a social scientist. Words are a poor tribute. He was assisted in the field during canvassing the schedules by Sri Samarendra Nath Mandai, Assistant Compiler, who also prepared the tables included in the

(xvii) report.

Sri Manas Kumar Mitra, Computer, added a new dimension to the report by his excellent photographic coverage. Sri Subir Kumar Chatterjee, Draughtsman, has drawn the map of the town. Sri Tapan Kumar Saha, Assistant Compiler, has ~ generated the tables from the establishment schedules canvassed during the housefisting operations and Sri Sanat Kumar Saha, Assistant Compiler, has copied the tables included in the appendix. Smt. Namita Roy, Librarian, has extended us bibliographic assistance. Sri Dipankar Sen, Investigator, patiently listened to the discussion al;»out the modalities of the enquiry and also unhesitatingly offered meaningful suggestions to the improvement of the write-up. Sri B.N. Mullick, Senior Artist, has very artistically prepared the cover-design of the report and also the lay-out of the colour scheme. Sri Manas Kumar Mitra, Computor, by taking the coloured photographs made the task easier. Smt Dipti Rudra, Senior Stenographer and Sri Dilip Banerjee, Junior Stenographer, typed out the manuscript, Sri Sunil Kumar Patra, Typist, has type-copied the contents. Sri Himangshu Saha Chowdhury, Printing Inspector, press-edited the manuscript and assiduously undertook the corrections in the printing stage. He was abJy assisted by Sm. Manjusree Saha Chowdhury, Proof Reader (Gr. I), Sri Uma ~ Sankar Bhattacharya, Proof Reader and Sm. Mili Bhowmick. Ptoof Reader.

The present report is a glowing tribute to the team work of all my colleagues here and in Delhi. The effort of everyone, however minuscule, has its own importance and greatness. As a captain of the team, I am gratefully beholden to all my colleagues.

Lastly, Sri B.P. Jain, Deputy Director i~ charge of Printing Cell of the Office of the Registrar General, India, and his dedicated colleagues have earned our unstinted praise and gratitude not only in overseeing the printing of the report in I press but al~o by meticulously attending to its printing from block-making to the binding of the volume.

SUKUMAR SINHA Calcutta Joint Director of Census Operations, The 7th January, 1989 West Bengal

(xvHf) CONTENTS •

Page FOREWORD vii

PREFACE ix-xviii

CHAPTER-I INTRODUCTION 1-17

Prelud e-Location-Populatlon-[ mportant Characteristics of the Town-Topograptly and Physical environment-Flora and fama-Crimate-Communication with other piaces-Morphology of the Town including streets-Functional areas-Residential area-Administrative area-Business & Commercial area-Industrial area-Important public places-educational institutions Residential Pattern-Location of slums and , other bligited areas-some socia economic characteristics including Density of Population

HISTORY OF GROWTH OF THE TOWN 19-31

Myths Legends and History-Prb-urbanisation days-Post-urbanisation days-some important events in the growth of the Town-Gradual development of the electrification of the railways-The construction of the willingdon bridge (Vivekananda setu)-Inauguration of Hind Motor Factory-Partition of India and its aftermath-The amalgamation of Two Municipalities-changes in site and boundary-changes in Land utilisation Pattern-Population characteristics of the Town-variation in Prices of Land-Extent of land speculation-History of Inmigration and outmigration-impact of Topography and other Factors on The pattern of growth and History CHAPTER ~ III AMENITIES.AND SERVICES - HISTORY OF GROWTH AND THE PRESENT POSITION 33-59

Administrative Offices-Statutory bodies-other Administrative Offices-Water Supply-Conservancy and Sanitation-Power-Road lighting-Transport and communications-Road Transport-Ferry service-Train service-communications-Fire fighting service-sources of finance of various amenities and other municipal affairs-General Administration of the Municipality-A brief resume of the working of the Municipality-Detailed account of educational facilities and educational institutions-Medical facilties-Other specialised agencies and institutions-West Bengal Co-operative Training Centre-Female vagrants Home-Destitutes Home for Girls-Bhadrakali Women's Home-Uttarpara production Centre-Deaf and Dumb School, Bhadrakali

CHAPTER -IV ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE TOWN 61-85

Introduction-working force (General) - working force among the Scheduled Castes and Tribes - working force in the sample Households - Industrial classification of the working population of the town - Industrial Categories of workers among Scheduled Castes and Tribes vis-a-vis residual population - workers by types of occupation, age-grqups and educational levels - workers

by age~groups and sex - types of occupations and segment-wise distribution

in the sample households ~ types of occupations by age-groups and sex -

types of occupations vis~a-vis educational level of workers - professional and private practitioners - Households with diversity of occupations - occupational mobility - occupation mobility with reference to the occupations of father and son - occupational diversity with reference to the occupations of the hUsband and the wife - Employment Departments - Employment status of workers - type of occupation and distance from p1ace of work - type of occupation and made of Transport - Hours of work - Unemployment and

relevant particulars ~ Establishments - Manufacturing Establishments - Broad types and Location - Industries by registered factories unregistered workshop and size of employment - Industries by type of power - Trade and Commercial establishment - Type and location - Commercial establishment by broad types and size of employment - Other establishments -

(xx) Management Activity, Physical structure and environment Capital, manpower structure, productions, Volume of Transactions etc. - Hindustan Motors Limited -Indian Yeast Company limited- (Shadrakall Unit) - Bangal Distilleries limited Bhadrakali - The Swil Limited - Kamala Motor Repairing Works - Dominion Metal Industries Private Limited - Joy - Jalaram Timer Company Private Limited - Mohini Bakeries - Panchanan Pal and Sons - A brief resume of the establishments - I ndustrial relations - particulars about banks - Land. Livestock and other resources - Land - Livestocks - Fishing activities - Land Revenue and Land Tax - Operational details of different type of economic activities - Brick manufacturing ind ustries - Operational details - Markets and fairs

CHAPTER - V ETHNIC AND SELECTED SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POPULATIONS 87-99

Ethnic composition of the population - Areas of origin and nationality - Religion - Mother tongue - Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Others - Others Estimates about specific castes - Houseless and Institutional population - Disabled population by type of disability - Distribution of population - Age, sex and Marital status - Age, Sex and education - Religion, age at marriage and trend - Education, age at marriage and trend - Age at marriage among the Hindus and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes - Inter religion marriage - Inter Caste marriage - widow re-marriage - Divorces and separation - Correlates of age at marriage - Education by religion - Education by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes - Literacy among individual caste Hindus - Mother tongue and educational level - Knowledge of subsidiary languages and educational score - non-enrolment in School - Discontinuation of Studies

CHAPTER - VI MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT OF FAMILIES 101-112

Introduction - Place of Births· Distribution of households by places of birth of heads of households - Distribution of Sample Population by place of birth -

Migrants by place of last residence and duration of residence - Migrant~ by place of last residence and educational level - place of last residence of heads of households and duration of residence - Occupational division of

(xxQ migrants workers - Number of members by place of birth and migration status of head of households and size of households - Number of members by size of households and place of last residence of heads - households by longest stay of any number - Last residence as related to place of birth - Migration stages of the households hailings from out-side - Broad outgoing of places of origin of the households and reasons of outmigration - Origin of the households and reasons of inmigration - characteristics of the places of successive migration - properly at the places of origin of migration - close relation of the place from, where migrated - Unit of migration - Help received from various sources during migration - problems faced during or after migration

CHAPTER - VII NEIGHBOURHOOD PATIERN 113-124

Localities Studied - Brief ethnic and socia-economic background of the localities - Banerjee Para - Shantinagar - Makal Tala - Marwari Patti - Udayan Palli - Problems faced by households - Identification of neighbourhoods and their characteristics - Banerjee para - Shantinagar - Makal Tala - Marwari Patti - The Udayan Palli - Socia cultural and religious activities inside and outside the neighbourhoods - Socia economic linkages within the locality and out side - Extent of interaction pattern in the neighbourhood - The town and its constituent neighbourhoods

CHAPTER - VIII FAMILY LIFE IN THE TOWN 125-130

Average size of households - Composition of household by number of members and age of heads - Households by relation-ship with head of household - Household by number of members - cOIJlPosition by age and sex - type of households. and correlates - Type of household and its correlation with castes - Type of households correlated to level of education - type of households and correlation with occupation of heads - type of households correlated with mother tongue of heads - composition by country, state, religion, castes and language - Members staying outside. reason, nature of link with the households

(xxii) CHAPTER - IX HOUSING AND MATERIAL CULTURE 131-139

Introduction - Age of houses ~ Relation of selected houses with adjoining houses in space - House-type according to religion, caste, community and migration states - Nature of use of houses - Floor position of houses and problems - House types in different segments - Predominant materials of houses - Number of rooms - Floor, space - amenities - Tenural status - Range of rentals - Availability of building materials and other ancillary details - Furniture - Utensils - light and fuel - costly and luxury items - Dress

CHAPTER -X SLUMS AND BLIGHLED AND OTHER AREAS WITH SUB-STANDARD LIVING CONDITIONS 141-148

Introduction - Identification of slum - Location of the slums by type - surroundings and environment - History and circumstances of growth - Ethno - linguistie and religious groups - settlement history and external linkages - Distribution of households by size - type of household - work partiCipation - type of occupation - House type and housing conditions - water supply and sanitation - Family life in the slum - crime and deviant behaviour' - Red light areas

CHAPTER XI ORGANISATION OF POWER AND PRESTIGE 149-167

Introduction - struggle for independence and emergence of revolutionary organisations - Socialist tilt: a new epoch - Power - Structure in post independence era - Emerging elite structure-organisation of political parties-Trade Union Organisation - Committees of educational and other public institutions - Elite structure as reflected in the functioning of municipal affairs - political awareness and activities - Trade Union fronts - Voting behavious of the population - Response Regarding persons considered prestigious and influential - Powerful and influential persons - local level - Town level - Respected persons - local level - Town level

CHAPTER XII LEISURE AND RECREATION SOCIAL AWARENESS SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, RELIGION AND CRIME 169-180

Introduction - Particulars of cultural and recreational centres - parks - play

(xxlii) grounds - lown Hall - Clubs - Libraries - Uttar Para Joy Krishna Public Library - Uttarpara Saraswata Sammalan - Uttarpara Pathagar - BhadrakaJi Association - Kotrung Sadharan Pathagar - Cinema and Theatre - Socia-cultural and musical activities - Sports tournament - News papers and journals - Recreation among different Categories of households­ Socio-religious institutions, functions and ceremonies - Siva Temples· Tara Temple - Muktokeshi Kali Temple - Twin Siva Temple - Rama Temple and adjoining Siva Temple - Bhadrakali Temple - Temple of Dharmaraj - Silaia Temples - Sidheswari Kali Temple - Sorashi Temple - Trisakti Temple - Jain Temple - Fairs- Crime statistics - Social awareness - Awareness of various social Legislation

CHAPTER XIII LINKAGES AND CONTINUA 181·192

Introduction - North-Western Metropolitan Region - Brief Socio-economic and Demographic characteristics of the Region - Urban centres - System of Transport and Communication - Main productive activities - Economic and Demographic Characteristics of the Urban centres in the region - Special Socio-economic and cultural relation of the referent town with the metropolitan city and other urban centres in the region - Marital Zone - Travel Index of the Population - particulars of places to and wherefrom people commute for: Earning livelihood - Marketing of commodities like milk, vegetables, fish and other items - participation in cinema and other entertainment - Reading in educational institution - obtaining medical facilities - particulars of places outside the town where rickshaws ply and newspaper vendors go - Demographic and other socia-economic characteristics of the villages in the periphery of the town

CHAPTER - XIV CONCLUSION 193-200

Socia-economic· Categorization of households

LIST OF TABLES

Table No. 1.1 • Population of Uttarpara-Kotrung (1872-1981) 1.2 - Density of Population in Uttarpara & Kotrung

(xxiv) .. 1.3 Density of Population in the three segments .. 1.4 Density of Population per sq. kilometre in the different Municipal wards .. 11.1 Variation in demographic characteristics of the town n 11.1 Consumption of electricity (1986-87) in the Town II 11.2 Dally flow of passengers traffic from the Railway Station in the town to outside places (Average from July to December 1987) .. m.3 Votume of transactions in post offices in Uttarpara-Kotrung in 1986-87 II 111.4 Annual receipts of the Municipality for 1986-87 .. 111.5 Actual Expenditure for 1986-87 n il1.6 Expenditure (in percentage) under different heads .. 111.7 Detailed informations on High and Higher Secondary Schools in the town In 1987 n IV.l Trend in Work-participation rates " IV.2 Percentage of workers among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes .. IV.3 Percentage distribution of workers in re-grouped Industrial Categories II IV.4 Percentage of workers in different Categories in 1971 .. IV.S Occupation mobility with reference to father and son " IV.6 bccupational diversity with reference to the occupation of the Husband and Wife .. IV.7 Livestock Particulars II IV.S Particulars about principal markets II V.l Progress of literacy in the different segments of the town .. V.2 Details of inter-caste marriages in the Sample Population .. V.3 Progress of literacy among the Scheduled Castes II V.4 Progress of literacy among the Scheduled Tribes .. V.S Percentage of literates among the Caste Hindus .. V.6 Scores according to education " VI.l Details of two-stage migration .. Vl.of - Details of three-stage migration II VI.3 Details of multi-stage migration (Four stages or more) .. XU - Commissioners of Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality (1986) .. XI.2 - Segment-wise representation of Political Parties in Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality .. XI. 3 - Office-bearers of Uttarpara-Bhadrakali local Committee of C.P.I.(M} XI. 4 - Office-bearers of Kotrung Local Committee of the C.P.I.(M)

(xxv) Table No. XI.5 Some eminent persons of the town " XI. 7 Voting behaviour of the electorate .. XI. 8 C<;>rrelates of powerful and influential persons-age and occu~tion " XI.9 Most influential persons in the town " XI.10 Correlates of respected persons-age and occupation " XI.11 Most respected persons in the town " XI1.1 Some important temples " XI1.2 Crime Statistics (1986-87) n XIV.1 Economic Categorisation of the households (segment-wise) " XIV.2 Economic Categorisation of the households as per Origin of households

LIST OF APPENDIX TABLES 201-335

Appendix Table 1 - Distribution of workers II 2 Distribution of workers in sample households " 3 Distribution of workers in Uttarpara-Kotrung by Industrial categories H 4 Distribution of workers by Industrial categories " 5 Workers and Industrial categories in sample households .. 6 Distribution of workers and non-workers by age-groups, 1971 Census .. 7 Distribution of workers by age-group and sex (Sample population) " 8 Distribution of workers by types of occupations in different segments (Sample households) " 9 Distribution of workers by types of occupations, sex and age-groups (survey data) II' 10 - Distribution of workers by types of occupation and levels of education by sex (sample households) 10 11 Distribution of households by Employment Depth (Number of workers in the households) " 12 Employment status of workers by Location and sex (survey data) " 13 Type of occupation and Distance from place of work (Survey data) .. 14 Type of occupation. mode of transport to place of work and time taken to reach place of work II 15 - Persons seeking Employment by age-groups, sex. Educational Level and Registered with Employment Exchange " 16 - Location of Manufacturing Establishments

{xxvi} Appendix Table 17 - Manufacturing establishments by registered factories, un-registered workshops and size of employment .. 18 - Industrial establishments by type of power used .. 19 - Trading and Commercial establishments by types and Location .. 20 - Trading establishments by broad types and size of Employments .. 21 Residua' estabUshments by broad types and number at workers .. 22 - Surveyed establishments according to managementt physical structure, manpower, volume of Transaction (Approximate) .. 23 - Particulars about Banks in the town for (1986-87) by Number of depositors .. 24 - Distribution of populatlofl accorOlng to religion .. 25 - Distribution of population by Mother tonge .. 26 - Distribution of population by scheduled tribes n 27 - Distribution of scheduled caste populatioh in sample households .. 28 - Distribution of Castes and Communities In the sample households .. 29 - Population by age and sex (1971 Census) .. 30 - Age sex and Marital status of persons (Sample households) .. 31 Percentage of Literates in different Censuses in the town .. 32 - Distribution of population by Age, sex and Educational level (Sample population) .. 33 - Age at marriage related to Educational level " 34 - Mean age at marriage as related to level of education and time of marriage .. 35 - Age at marriage as related to sex and present age .. 36 - Percentage of literates among individual Scheduled Castes (1971 Census) in Unarpara-Kotrung .. 37 - Percentage of literates aong individual Scheduled Tribes (1971 Census) in Uttarpara-Kotrung .. 38 - Educational standard among individual Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Sample populaticn) .. 39 - Level of literacy - Corelated with Mother tongue .. 40 - Knowledge of subsidiary languages and Educational Score .. 41 Distribution of defaulting households by Caste. Tribe and Community " 42 - Distribution of households by locality and place of birth of head of households " 43 - Distribution of sample population by place of birth

(xxvii) Appendix Table 44 - Migrants by place of last residence and duration of stay in the town II 45 Migrants by place of last residence and educational level II 46 - Place of last res\dence of heads and their duration of residence in the town fr 47 Classification of the migrant workers by occupational divisions and last residences 1/ 48 Migrants by size of households and place of birth " 49 - Households by size and place of last residence of heads and number of households having members JI 50 Distribution of households by migration status and duration of stay of any member wh(J has stayed longest " 51 Place of last residence ()f members related to place of birth and place of Jast residence " 52 - Migration stages of the households hailing from outside " 53 Broad category of places from where the households hail, time and reason for leaving the place of origin II 54 - Broad Category of places from where the households hail, time and reason of migration to the referent town " 55 - Segment-wise Size of households and Average Size of households II 56 - Composition of households by number of member and age of heads " 57 - Nature of relationship of members to head of household 58 - Households by number of members " 59 Number of households according to composition by age and sex of members " 60 Type of households by ethnic Groups " 61 Type of households according to level of education of heads of households " 62 Correlation of type of households with occupation of heads of households 63 Type of households correlated with Mother Tongue of heads II 64 Distribution of households by locality and District/State/Country of the origin of the households " 65 Particulars of family members staying outside by age and relation to head of household " 66 - Age of houses in different segments " 67 - Number of selected houses with adjoing houses by locality

(xxviii) Appendix Table 68 - Distribution of house-types in different localities .. 69 - Distribution of house-types by predominant materials .. 70 Households classified by numbers of members, number of rooms and localities " 71 Households classified by number of Married couples with and without members aged five and more and number of rooms occupied by them u 72 - Households classified by locality and percapita Floor Space " 73 - Availability of amenities by localities II 74 - Tenural status of households " 75 - Range of monthly rentals associated with numbers of rooms occupied by Locality, numbers of households " 76 - Existence of Furniture by Locality and durations of stay in the present Residence II 77 - Materials of utensils for serving food and also for drinking purposes by localities " 78 - Different items of light and fuel II 79 - Presence of lUxury & costly goods by locality " 80 - Location of slums by type II 81 Distribution of households in slums by number of members II 82 - Type of households in selected slums " 83 - Participation rate among slum dwellers " 84 - Type of occupation of the slum dwellers " 85 - Detailed activities of same important clubs H 86 - Selected dance, drama and musical groups II 87 - Details of newspapers and Journals circulated in the town " 88 - Demographic characteristics of the North Western Metropolitan Region (1981 Census) H 89 - Ecpnomic characteristics of the North-Western region (1981 Census) .. 90 - Economic and Demographic characteristics of adjoining Urban Centres " 91 Marital Zone II 92 - Travel Index H 93 - Characteristics of rural Zone " 94 - Type of households

(xxix) LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS WITH CAPTION

SI.No. 1 - Distance lends enchantment to the view of Uttarpara-Kotrung town on the West bank of the river Hugli

2 ~ Uttarpara-Kotrung from a distance-Bally Khal famng in~o the river Hugli, the dividing line between the town and Bally city in the district of Haora 3 - Bally Khal marks the southern boundary of the town which is in the background

4 - Vivekanada Setu I the rail-cum-road bridge, connects the town with Calcutta via Dakshineswar and Baranagar on the eastern bank of the river Hugli 5 - Gateway to the town along the historic Grand Trunk Road - a top view 6 - On way to Vivekanada Setu along the bypass from the Grand Trunk Road lying to the right 7 - Quiet flows the river Hugli to the Bay of Bengal spanned by Vivekananda Setu with the lonesome boat anchored ashore awaiting the high tide 8 - The river Hugli also the waterway for the transport of merchandise and cargo 9 - The improvised ferry-ghat of the town for journey to the eastern bank 10 - Grand Trunk Road along the Bally Bridge over the Bally Khal 11 - Uttarpara Railway Station on the Eastern Railway buzzing with commuters 12 Hind Motor Railway Station too serves the town 13 - Passengers crowd the hind Motor Railway Station after a change of shift in the Hindustan Motor Factory

14 - No time to stand a while and tarry a little - co~muters rush to get into the local electric trains at Uttarpara Railway Station during peak office-hours 15 - Buses too ply to carry the office-geers to Calcutta along the Grand Trunk Road 16 - No foothold there, yet the passengers jostle to elbow into the crowded bus

17 ~ Cycle-vans and cycle-rickshaws carry goods and passengers without distinction along the Grand Trunk Road 18 - A cycle bank? No. a cycle-stand for commuters by trains at Uttarpara Railway Station 19 - Extension of tradition into the modern eralumbering bullock cart coexists with lorry, tempo van, cycles, cycle-rickshaws, cycle-vans and pedestrian traffic along the main thoroughfare of the Grand Trunk Road

20 ~ Age. ache and penury - cruel marks of the passage of time in the homestead of the Subarna Chowdhury family - the founder of the town 21 - God bade farewell long ago but his sanctum remains in ruins - Chandi Mandap of the Subarna Chowdhuries in shambles

(xxx) SI.No. 22 - A relic of the past resplendent glory - the dilapldated palace of Joykrishna Mukherjee, the illustrious Zemindar of Uttarpara. maintains a precarious link with the present 23 - Splendid stately mansion of the cld Zemindar, of Uttarpara yet to be ravaged by time 24 - Gone are the days of the Zemindars, yet the touch of regality of the massive building is still towering

25 r - Dust-heap called history Into which has been tumbled down the cerebrated Tower House of Raja Jyot Kumar Mukherjee to give way to the rise of modern flats 26 - From the ashes of the 'Tower House' rise the multi-storied apartment flats

27 - A prize possession ~ antique of the corner slab of the Bharhut Temple in the collection of one successor of a Zemindar family 28 - Modernism blended with tradition - residence of Sri Sakti Mukherjee, a scion of the Zemindar family, and an eminent legal practitioner in the High Court of Calcutta 29 - Persistence and continuity - the house-type in an old residential locality of the town 30 - Rise of a middle-class residential settlement in the town 31 - An .interior view of the town road with pucca drain 32 - Work of architectural experiment does not spare a modern house in the town 33 - Ownership flats beside the railway tracks 34 - Not yet touched by a change - a cluster of houses in Bhadrakali 35 - A typical house of the Marwaris in Marwari Patti in Kotrung 36 - Rehabilitated and integrated. a colony of the displaced persons from erstwhile East Pakistan in Kotrung 37 - A cluster of houses of the Muslims in Kotrung

38 - The sJum of industria~ workers in Lawrence Street in Uttarpara - a top view 39 - A top view of the Harijan Colony in Uttarpara 40 I n the heart of the Harijan Colony 41 - A shallow tank for use of the residents around Dhobapukur 42 - Water-source for the poor residents arbund Ta/pukur 43 - Debaipukur. a big tank in Kotrung. used by the residents of the locality 44 - Water from the river HugH being pumped in for further treatment 45 - Water Treatment Plant, constructed by the Zemindar family, still functions 46 - Overhead reservoir of drinking water 47 - Scramble for drinking water around a public water·tap 48 - Covered tankers for dumping night-soil in the trenching ground SI.No. 49 - Institution of the city-fathers - the imposing building houses the office of Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality 50 - Pause a little for the letters - Uttarpara Post Office links hearts outside with those in the town 51 • Telecommunication brings the world nearer - Uttarpara Telephone Exchange also locates the Office of the Divisonal Engineer of Telephones 52 Last resort of all maladies - Uttarpara General Hospital 53 - Not for admission but for treatment - Outpatients' Department of Uttarpara General Hospital 54 - Medical treatment for the affluent fastidious - a private Nursing Home 55 - A peaceful town under the vigilant care of the custodians of law and order - Uttarpara Police Station 56 - Institution of financial transaction - a branch office of the United Bank of India 57 - Storehouse of mighty minds - historic Joykrishna Public Library provides mental pabul um to scholars

58 - Service Training Centre of the Cooperation Department,of the Governm~nt of West Bengal 59 - Shelter for the destitutes in Uttarpara Destitutes' Home 60 - Cloister of vagrants in uttarpara Vagrants' Home, as if a tryst with destiny· 61 - On the alen - Fire Brigade in the Town 62 - An open-air cowshed in Bhadrakali - dairying activity of the milkmen 63 - Digging of silt for the processing bricks 64 - Pugging operation - mixing of silt and clay 65 - Sun-drying of Kutcha clay bricks 66 - Firing of bricks in the kiln 67 - Bamboos transported down the river Hugli required for construction of houses 68 - Way side market in the town 69 - Not a fishy business - avid customers haggling with fish-mongers 70 - An automobile-repairing garage

71 ~ Workshop for the manufacture of btass and bellmetal utensils * 72 ~ Manufacture of cooking earthen ovens used by the people, tess solvent economically 73 - Sale of dried cowdung cakes by peddling women 74 - Cycle-rickshaws provide a means of internal transport and occupation to many 75 - View of SWIL Factory manufacturing wire-rope and employing more than two hundred and fifty industrial workers

, (XXXii) SJ.No. 76 Factories of Bengal Distilleries Company and Indian Yeast Company with four hundred workers prepare for ebriety of some and rejuvenation of many 77 - An eating house for the poor workers 78 - Unity is strength - an office of the Hindustan Motors Limited Workers' Union 79 - Nursery students brought home in the cage-like cycle-rickshaw van 80 - A view of an old Higher Secondary educational institution - Uttarpara Government High School 81 - Another institution of learning for high school students - Bhadrakali High School 82 - Portals of Raja Peary Mohan College 83 - Practice for the budding footballers in Sukanta Udyan, Kotrung 84 - A club-house of Kotrung Sporting Association in Sukanta Shavan, constructed by Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality 85 One-day cricket match in Manmohan Udyan, Uttarpara 86 - Playing children in Manmohan Udyan, Uttarpara 87 - Gana Shavan, the Town Hall, constructed by Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality 88 - A centre of mass recreation, Gouri Cinema in Uttarpara draws crowds of all classes 89 - Wayside recreation for the brick-field workers 90 - A chance encounter of a snake-charmer on the roadside 91 - Topsy-turvy? Children practising drill in the playfieJd of Tarun San_gha, Kotrung 92 - A careless afternoon of the women and children in Kotrung 93 - A marriage-booth in Uttarpara - car ready to carry bridal gifts 94 - A newly married couple after paying obeisance before the deity of Muktakeshi 95 - The deity of Muktakeshi in the temple, Uttarpara 96 - Temple of Trisakti (Manasa, SitaJa and Rakshakali) in Uttarpara 97 - Triple Siva temples, near the river Hugli in Uttarpara, said to have been erected in 1795 98 - A close view of terra-cotta work on the wall of the Siva temple 99 - The priest before the deity of the Goddess Ma Tara in Tara tempJe in Uttarpara 100 - Twin Siva temples, said to have been constructed about three hundred years ago in Uttarpara with the present priest in front 101 - Temple of BhadrakaJi in Bhadrakali

102 ~ The temple of Parswanath Deb in Uttarpara patronised by the Jains 103 - In the mosque in Dharsa in Kotrung congregrate the Muslim residents

104 ~ The Idga in Kotrung 105 • The statue of Biplabi Amarendra Nath Chatterjee revered by one and all

(xxxiii) SI.No. 106 - Civic. awakening among the youth anU-drug demonstration organised by school-girls in the town 107 - Students in a procession demanding the release of NeJ§on Mandela 108 - Demonstration against price-rise 109 - The bathing ghat in Bhadrakali by the river HugH 110 - To dust returnest - the crematorium on the river-bank - the temple of Smasman Kali to the left ;!- Ie'ii g~ <"> ~ 0- n C> 3: ~ Z -0 -0 :D Z g: 3: ... 3: n ~ ~" ,.. ... iii <> c:: <> C) c:: C) C) ,.. Z :!!; =... <> g~ C5 no ~ ~ ..z <> '" Z ;:: :D ~ z C ... z ! ~ 3: 3: <> 0 ~ ~ <> a _, a :D E ::; 0 ~ en ~ "f': z " .. ,.. C) z "" _,.. ~"" c:: "" ~ 'V ~ '" ~; -< -< :<: ~ ~ C).. ~ <> "" z :!!; "f': ~ ~ ~ "f': ", ..C) ... "f': c:: z: 0- a :!!; z z c:: H _"" ;= co z ~ .. c; ---~ z ~ ... a ~ ", ... <> ~~ ... ~ z: z '"", ~ ~ ~ -< ~- l! ~ ~ ~ :::; -< .". ". Z Z ~ I ~ <> ~ Z r- :!!; n ~" a <> rrI '"C) a C> ~ ""c:: z~ JZ li: ';l Z ... Z rrI :J: c:: "" ~ 3: = ~ <> <=> C> II: ,.. (f> c: :u :<: ~ r I f I 0 _ <® i I I ~~ @) §) ~ § ;; ~OO~ ~ 6J EJ 0 ~ ~ ~ 01 ! ~; 0 [} ~ 0 I ~ ·jl~ I I 0 I , L_j I

:z ~ -.- ... c:: z ~ -,-",,~~ ~"" -I ...<> c:: ~ -I ""z ..."" ." ~ :I> ""~ ... :D r-- 0 ~ ~ (J) =E :: :: :D z :::a :J> <> --t :J> :D :: ::; z ~ ::c I ? ~ 0 C) C5 _:&...... --t A en iii I .. '" <:> ~ :I: • I i;i ... -I \0 ~ u; _-C):;; = :D ~z r- c:: ~ :z C') -f <:> =E :z

~u______~~~~~~------~ CH~PTER -I

INTRODUCTION

PRELUDE illustrious Subarna Chowdhury family of Calcutta who may be acknowledged as the founder father of Bally canal, once excavated to demarcate the Uttarpara while Late Joy Krishna Mukherjee, a boundary of the estates of two warring overlords, has well-known Zemindar of Uttarpara, may be accredited become largely instrumental in shaping the destiny of as the founder of 'llodern Uttarpara. Uttarpara indeed Uttarpara, the northern portion of Bally, as a separate shot into prorr.;.lence for having been the seat of urban entity, independent of the mainland Bally. Hardly, residence of the erstwhile Zemindars with the title of eQuid anyone anticipate that the little creek would not Mukherjee. Unlike most other urban centres having only mark the final secession of the northern portion received the patronage of the Rajas and Zemindars (Uttarpara) from the mainland (Bally), but would also who were mostly absentee landlords living far away in mark the future boundary of two separate districts, their metropolitan palaces, Uttarpara was not abjured Haara and Hugli. by the Zemindars who stayed here permanently and dedicated themselves to nurture an urban culture and Uttarpara-Katrung is the composite name of the twin build up the necessary urban infrastructures. Naturally municipal towns of Uttarpara and Kotrung, therefore, Uttarpara is one of the oldest municipal towns amalgamated in 1964 to enable it to function as a more in the whole eastern region, the MunicipaliLY functioning viable municipal unit. With a fairly long urban history, there from as far back as 1853. the constituent towns found a place in the very first Census Report of Bengal, 1872 as one of the few urban Next to t:Jttarpara, the other two constituent units municipal units. The process of urban transformation of of the town, Bhadrakali and Kotrung, remained these twin towns is marked by growing urban maturity amalgamated in a separate municipal town of Kotrung and the fused Uttarpara-Kotrung has developed a from 1864 to 1964. Bhadrakali comprises the distinctive urban culture and way of life. Located within intermediate region beLWeen Uttarpara in the south and a distance of 10 kms. from the city of Calcutta and eight Kotrung on the north. The name Bhadrakali is derived kms. from the city of Haora, the referent town has not from a very old ancient temple of Bhadrakali. a variant been overshadowed by the giant metropolitan city, but name of the Goddess Kali. Said to be a very old village, has, on the other hand, maintained and developed its Bhadrakali finds mention in the map drawn by Captain distinctive elitist culture. Claude Martin in 1764, when most of the areas of the village Bhadrakali comprised marshy swamps, thickets Originally a part of Bally, Uttarpara, segregated from and bamboo groves and inhabited mostly by artisan the mainland by t.he excavation of Bally canal, was very communities like Tili, Tambuli, Kumbhakar and other thinly populated at the outset and was inhabited by communities like Pods, Sad gapes, Muslims etc. The "­ people belonging to the lower-pocio-economic strata, clayey soil of Bhadrakali and Kotrung was ideal for the such as the Tiyars, the Bagdis, the Pods, the Bauris etc. manufacture of bricks and titles and many a brick field It Was Late Ratneswar Roychowdhury. residing at and tile factories were located in BhadrakaJi and Channak near Barrackpur and belonging to the Kotrung. The popular saying goes: 'it kho/a tali, Railways t;>n the one hand and the Grand Trunk Road e tin niye Bhadraka/i' (National Highway 2) on the other. Again the river Hugli "Bricks, pantiles and tiles marks the long eastern boundary of all, the three these three constitute BhadrakaUU. segments and separates the referent town trom various other urban centres on the other side of the river. The Kotrung, the northernmost segment of Uttarpara­ Bally canal emanating from the Hugli river and marking Kotrung municipal town, is also located on the bank of the southern bou!ldary of the referent town also serves the river HugH as the two other segments, Uttarpara and to mark the district boundary. Konnagar, the adjoining Bhadrakali. Etymologically, Kotrung may be a distortion town marks the northern boundary of Uttarpara­ of the Sanskrit word Kudranga meaning a small room Kotrung. Uttarpara-Kotrung is within the jurisdiction of on a raised wooden platform, originally used by the the Uttarpara Police Station, headquarters of whieh is riparian inhabitants or it may be the corrupt form of located within the town. The subdivisional head­ Kudghar or a toll station in the river side. 1 Whatever the quarters is at Serampur (11 km). while the headquarters origin, Kotrung was a very ancient village, referred to in of the district is situated at Hugli-Chinsurah (28 kms). the Mangai Kavya (16th Century) in the context of the The town retains its urban status ever since the first sea-voyage of Dhanapati merchant thus - 'they pass Census was conducted in the country in 1872. along Konnagar and Kotrung. 2 The village Kotrung ~s also mentioned in the poem of Bipradas (1495 AD).3 It may be mentioned in this connection that the non-municipal town Kotrung, bearing Jurisdiction List No.8, Bhadrakali bearing Jurisdiction List No.9 and the LOCATION village Uttarpara bearing Jurisdiction List No. 12 is located on the eastern side of the railway lines are The unique locational advantage of the town with outside the limits of Uttarpara-Kotrung municipal town reference to different lines of communication has and as such, beyond the purview of the present study. marked it out as an ideal residential town, a little afar from the din and bustle, smoke and dust of the POPULATION metropolitan city. All the three segments of the town viz. Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and Kotrung are situated in The total population of the referent town since the between Haora-Barddhaman main line of the Eastern first Census of 1872 is shown in the Table 1.1

Table 1.1 - Population of Uttarpara-Kotru.ng (1872-1981)

Year Person Decadal variation Percentage decadalvariation

2 3 4

1872 11,200 1881 , 1,054 146 - 1.30 1891 11,653 + 599 + 5.42 1901 12,980 + 1,327 + 11.39 1911 13,947 + 967 + 7.45 1921 15,503 + 1,556 +11.16 1931 16,510 + 1,007 + 6.50 1941 23,011 + 6,501 +39.38 1951 31,303 + 8,292 +36.03

2 Year Person Decadal variation Percentage de~dal variation

1 2 3 4

1961 52,163 +20,860 +66.64 1971 67,568 + 15,405 +29.53 1981 79,598 + 12,030 + 17.80

In the second half of the preceding century, the IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TOWN referent town along with a vast stretch of land in the surrounding districts Hugli, Barddhaman and other The referent town, as pointed out earlier, is one of districts was under the grip of the Barddhaman fever the oldest municipal towns in the country. Being resulting in large-scale flight of population from Kotrung associated with the zeal and ambition of some municipal area. Hence the combined population of benevolent Zamindars to build up, on the one hand, a Uttarpara and Kotrung remained more or Jess self-sufficient urban centre with the maximum amenities I stationary. In 1931' a significant development of far- and services and the knowledge and erudition of a large reaching consequencE\ for the people of the twin number of Brahmans, who migrated here permanently, districts of Haora and Hugli was the completion of the on the other, the town emerged pre eminently as an Willingdon Bridge, renamed now a~ Vivekananda SeW, elitist cultural centre which ultimately took a leading part and the opening of the Sealdah-Dankuni line of the in the cultural renaissance of Bengal in the 19th Eastern Railways. The construction of the bridge ,had Century. Not only as a centre of oriental and occidental revolutionary implications for the people of BaUy­ learning and education but also as a centre of Uttarpara in so far as they became a suburb of the socia-political and cultural revival, Uttarpara - Kotrung metropolitan city of Calcutta. Uttarpara along with its drew the attention of the-then intelligentsia, so much so socio-cultural se~ing and urban infrastructure became that the small town witnessed a galaxy of socia-political more and more popular as a residential suburb of and literary people and intellectuals, visiting the town Calcutta and the growth of population became sometime or other in the 19th century. And much of the substantively high since 1941. cultural revival in the town centred round Jaykrishna Public Library founded in 1864, one of the oldest public The wave of immigration of displaced persons in the libraries in the country. From Sri Chaitanya Dev to Sri decade of 1951-61 had lashed Hu~1i as also other Ramkrishna and from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee to Sri districts in the State. The referent town has not been Aurobindo, noted personalities like Vidyasagar, Michael immune to the human on-rush. In fact, the Government Madhusudan Dutta, Bhudeb Mukherjee, Rabindra Nath of West Bengal had opened up several colonies in Tagore and foreign administrators and scholars like Bhadrakali and t<..otrung in the fifties, after acquisition of Governor Sir Ashley Eden, Lord Lawrence, Sir R;vers land and buildings. As a result, the fifties and the sixties Tomson, Sir William Hunter, James Long, Miss Mary saw phenomenal growth of population in the town. Carpenter had visited the referent town.

To cope with the ever increasing demand for As for the present, the town has turned out to be a residential plots of land, the recent trend of the settlers hubbing residential, industrial-cum-commercial centre. is to raise multi-stories ownership flats under the aegis Various factors like proximity to the metropolitan city of of some private house-building estate-agents and to fill Calcutta, the advantage of several lines of "- up all available tanks, ponds and marshy swamps communication like the river, the highway and the rail specially in Uttarpara and Bhadrakali,' where almost all lines coupled with various urban infra-structures and vacant plots have given way to residential buildings. facilities and the inherent cultUral heritage of the town

3 drewthe attention of the outside world to the small town predominantly rural with numerous trees and plants, and added fillip to the immigration of people from marshy swamps and ditches as far back as the early outside. Uttarpara-Kotrung was chosen by more and fifties, but the subsequent waves of immigration, °more people as an ideal residential town. The specially of displaced persons from erstwhile East establishment of three medium-sized industries in the Pakistan have changed the entire face of the landscape. town and the founding of the Hindustan Motor Works, Thus the predominantly rural landscape of Bhadrakali the largest automobile factory in the entire sub­ and Kotrung, in the brief span of the four decades in the continent, in the adjoining mauza aCross the railway post-independence era, has given way to numerous lines served to build up a formidable industrial base of residential enclaves <;>f iatest design and motifs while the area, While the commercial base of the population endless colonies of predominantly displaced population has been strengthened by growing momentum to the have sprung up in the vacant, fallow marshy lands. trading and commercial activities. Lastly, the sudden Vestiges of agricultural activities with substantial plots of influx of a substantial number of displaced persons land under cultivation have completely disappeared, served as a catalyst for their phenomenal increase of since the sixties of the present century. But one population in recent decades. redeeming feature of the physical landscape of the town under study is the existence of a large number o~ TOPOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT swamps, pools, ponds and large-sized tanks. The local municipality estimates the number of tanks in the town The town resembles a rather linear parallelogram in to be anything around three hundred. The recent trend shape extending from north to the south. The town is in the town is to fill up the swamps and tanks to make flanked by the Hugli river on the east Which separates it the most of ever-increasing demand for residential plots from the Barrackpur subdivision of the district of North of land. 24 Parganas and by the main line of the Eastern Railways on the west while the Bally canal on the south FLORA AND FAUNA of the town separates it from the district of Haom. To the north a number of riparian municipal towns extend The landscape of the entire town specially with all along the Hugli river as far as Tribeni and Bansberia. reference to vegetation and plantation has undergone a The general appearance of the tract of land is that of a rapid transformation mainly through the intervention of flat alluvial plain. On the whole, this part of the country human agencies. Thus numerous valuable trees and slopes gradually from the north and west towards the shrubs, once planted by the benevolent Zemindars and south and the east. The slope is followed by the course landlords, have succumbed to the merciless axes of the of the river HugH. In the district as a. whole, several later generations. Continued exploitation of land for new creeks fall into the Hugli river after draining the interior residential settlements, shops and establishments and ot the district. Bally canal is the southernmost of them the systematic extermination of the flora have and forms the southern boundary of the district for completely destroyed the green foliage from the town. several kilometres. It drains the Dankuni marsh and is The grinding wheels of the chariot of modernism and now chiefly used as the outfall of the Dankuni drainage urbanisation have crushed many an exotic plant and channel. 1n its lower reaches, it is fordable and is vegetation. Among the roadside trees, mention may be navigable throughout the year by fairly large~sized made of the Swietenia (mahogany), Polyalthia country boats. The river beds and banks of the river (debdaru) Pongamiya (karanja) , Samanea (rain troe) Hugli as also the Bally canal are generally clayey, Ficus lengna lensis (bat or banyan) Tamarindu iudica furnishing excellent material for brick manufacture, (iamarind), Azadirachta diospyros (Indi,an date plum). numeroL!s units of Which have sprouted up in the referent town, specially in the area of Kotrung. While some trees like Mangifera (mango or am), Aegle marmelos (wood-apple or bae~ Spondias (hog Among the three main segments of the town, a plum i.e. amrha) , Psidium guyava (guava), Cocos larger part of Bhadrakali and Kotrung were nucifera (Coconut - palm i.e. narikel), Phoenix sylvestris (Date-palm i.e. Khejur) , Borassus flabellifer (Palmyra COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER PLACES palm i.e. tal) and Artocarpus Oack fruit i.e. Kanthal) are found in Bhadrakali and Kotrung, their numbers are A ring of connections by rail, road and river between rather few. Again, Michelia (Champa), Murraya exotica the referent town and the city of Calcutta and other (Kamini), Saraca indica (asok) , Antocephalus cadamba important places has placed Uttarpara-Kotrung in an (Kadam) , Mimusops elengi (Baku!), Nyctanthes (Siull) , enviable position. Upto the middle of the last century, Gardenia (gandharaj) besides some varieties of water-transport by country-boat along the river Hugli marigold, rose and China rose are grown freely in the was the only means of communication, apart from gardens, attached to many houses. palanaguins and Sukhasans used by the well-to-do sections. The alternative to water transport was Just like different species of flora, almost all varieties provided by the construction of famous Grand Trunk of fauna have also completely disappe2:-~d. Only some Road in 1834-35 starting from Shibpur in Haora to varieties of stray faxes, jackals, squirrels, mongoo/se, Peshawar through Delhi touching the referent town on polecats, otters are occasionally found in the thickets its long route. and bushes of Kotrung. Likewise snakes both of poisonous and non-poisonous varieties are rarely Initially the movem~nt of persons and traffic, mostly visible. Birds of different popular varieties like the animal-driven vehicles, was disrupted by the absence of herons, the nightingales, species of parrots and finga a suitable bridge over Bally canal at the entrance of and the BuJbuls, the wood peekers and other common Uttarpara from Calcutta and Haora ends, but the birds like the crows, the pigeons, kites and vultures are inauguration of the Tension Bridge over the Bally canal quite common. As pointed out earlier, Bhadrakali and in 1846, mainly under the initiative of Joykrishna Kotrung abound in tanks and fishes of different varieties Mukherjee, the-then Zemindar of Uttarpara, redressed of Rohi, Katla are cultured there while Hilsas are netted the long-standing grievance of the people. There are in the Hugli river, specially in the rainy season. many stories of the-then Zemindars and Landlords moving along Grand Trunk Road in their phaetons, broughams and landflws, all horse-drawn. 0' Malley CLIMATE refers to the portion of the Grand Trunk Road from Uttarpara to Palta Ghat (20 km long) as the New Grand There is no meteorological observatory in Hugli Trunk Road and to the portion from Palta Ghat onwards District. The climate of the referent town is, more or as the Old Grand Trunk Road. 4 Uttarpara was less, similar to those of Calcutta (10 kms) and Haora (8 connected with railways as far back as 1854 when the kms). Generally the period from November to February East Indian Railways line from Haora to Hugli was is the cold dry season. January is the coldest month opened for passenger traffic on 15th August 1855.5 with a mean daily maximum temperature of 26°C and a According to some elderly informants, notwithstanding mean daily minimum of 13°C. The period from March to the introduction of the railways, the people at large June is the summer season. May is generally the hottest preferred the waterways and used the dingis and other month with the mean daily maximum at about 35.3°C country boats for day-to-day intercourse with Calcutta and the mean daily minimum at about 25.5°C. The and with different other parts of the district of 24 monsoons last from the middle of June to October Parganas, on the other side of the river Hug!i. Since the when the South-West winds blow with high velocity. The last quarter of the 19th Century. Calcutta Steam burst of the monsoons towards the middle of June Navigation Company Limited, ran a daily service of brings merciful relief. The maximum and minimum steamers from Hatkhola Ghat in Calcutta to Kalna in the temperatures recorded for the town (Statement II of district of Surd.wan (Barddhaman). Uttarpara happened Town Directory of West Bengal, 1981, Series-23 for to be the first halting station, on the steamer route at a West Bengal, pp. 99) in 1981 Census were 31.4° distance of 10 kms. It thus appears that even a century Centi'lrade and 22.1 ° Centigrade respectively while the back the inhabitants of the town had the twin option of rainfall was 1,339.3 mm. travelling either by steamers or by trains.

5 Again, the construction of the Wiflingdon Bridge, by private motor boats, connect the town with the now renamed Vivekananda Set~ across the river HugH district of North 24 Parganas across the river Hugli. in 1931 and the opening of the Sealdah-Dankuni Railway lines over the bridge brought the referent town It is worth noting that in the modern days of rapid closer to the heart of Calcutta and popularized transit, the good count(;Y poats even now are Uttarpara 'as a residential suburb of Calcutta,.6 In the patronised by the trading community as convenient post - independence era, the electrification of the main means of transport for me carriage of goods and lines of the Eastern Railways in 1957 and of the Haora­ merchandise from ,Calcutta to the town and vice versa. Barddhaman chord lines in 1964 made it possible for Medium sized country-boats also ply along the the inhabitants of the town to reach Calcutta within half adjoining Bally canal. On a. .resume, it appears that the an hour or so. It may be mentioned, in this connection, unique communicational adVantage has operated on that the residents of the town can avail themselves of making Uttarpara-Kotrung a thriving town as an any of the four railway stations, viz. Uttarpara and Hind extension of Calcutta but not its satellite. Motor Stations on the main line, Bally ghat on the Sealdah-Dankuni Section and Bally Halt Station of the MORPHOLOGY OF THE TOWN INCLUDING STREETS Haora and Barddhaman Chord lines. Generally, the residents of Uttarpara proper avail themselves of the The narrow linear-shaped town of Urrarpara-Kotrung Railway Station at Uttarpara while the residents of is delimited by the river HugJi on the east and the Bhadrakali and Kotrung frequent Hind Motor Station. railway lines of the Eastern 'Railways on the west. The New Grand Trunk Road (National Highway No.2), After independence, the new Grand Trunk Road has passing alongside the HugJi river, runs from the south of been named National Highway NO.2. All vehicular the town to the north, parallel to the railway lines. The traffics, from far and near, reach Calcutta along National !-iighway-2 and the railway lines constituting Highway over Vivekananda Setu. There are three bus the arterial lines of communication and transportation in routes at present. The private -bus-route from the town, all the major roads and streets, lanes and by - Serampore to Bagbazar in Calcutta is the most popular lanes emanate from the National Highway-2 and reach route with a fleet of 51 buses plying at the time of upto the railway line, thus stretching from the east to the survey. There are twenty one bus stops within the limits west. Next to National Highway-2, another important of the town. The second bus-route is from Serampur to street in the town, the Dwarik Jangal Road, runs parallel Haora, while in the third route mini-bus operates from to the National Highway-2 along the two segments of Serampore to Calcutta. Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Among the important roads emanating from the National Highway-2 towards the It is important to observe that the rail-route and the railway lines and passing from the east to the west in bus-route run parallel to each other lineally along the Uttarpara are the Shibtala Street, Banerjee Para Road, town over a distance of five kilometres; the average Mohan Lal Mukherjee Road, Chanditala Street, distance between these two tracks vary from 1.5 to 2.5 Joykissen Street, B.K. Street, Raja Peary Mohan Road, kms. The railway lines mark the western boundary while Raj Mohan Road and Bhupendra Nath Road; the last the river HugJi marks the eastern boundary of the town. named road, more or less, marking the boundary of Hence residents living close to the railway lines Uttarpara with Bhadrakali. The road leading to Uttarpara generally use the rail-route while those living in the Railway Station is Amar Nath Road originating from Eastern parts near the Grand Trunk Road (National Rajendra Avenue. The important roads in Bhadrakali Highways) generally prefer the bus-route to the r~nning from the east to west are Bhupendra Nath railways. Road, Sakher Bazar Lane, Haranathpur Road and Shibtala Street. There is also a ferry service under the name Uttarpara ~ Anriadaha Ferry Service in existence for A few other important roads in Bhadrakali are Ramlal more than two centuries. The ferry services, operated Datta Road, Shantinagar Street, Makal Tala Lane etc. Again, Bireswar Banerjee Street along with Sukanta there are two distinctive localities in Bhadrakali viz., Sarani more or less separates Bhadrakali from Kotrung. Shantinagar Colony around Shantinagar Street near the The important roads in Kotrung are B.B.D. Street, Bat­ railway line in Ward number X and Makaltala around tala Lane, Shitala tala Lane, Debai Pukur Road, Makaltala Lane in between Upper Hara Nath Pur Road Dharmtala Lane and S.M. Saha Road. It may be and Shibtala Street stretching as far as the railway lines mentioned that Dwarik Jangal Road running parallel to in Ward No. XIII. Besides, there are two rAfuopp the National Highway-2 and the Railway lines, is the colonies, one controlled by the Government of West most important road in Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Bengal and the other private, on both sides of Upper Haranath Pur Road - in Ward numbers X and XI Names of most of the streets and roads in the respectively. municipa_1 town have been changed from time to time in response to popular demands, after the names of great The localities in Kotrung, as in the other two personalities belonging mostly to the town. And in segments of Uttarpara and Bhadrakali, are also known naming the various roads and lanes, consideration has by the number of the streets or roads, but inhabited been paid to the memory of benevolent Zemindars, predominantly by the displaced persons. The localities political leaders, poets, writers, great men and great in Kotrung have some distinctive names, even though in social workers and thinkers and eminent persons from some cases, they are coterminous with some of the all walks of life. The twin municipalities of Uttarpara and named roads or streets. Needless to mention, a Kotrung were amalgamated in 1964, prior to which year relatively larger area around Hind Motor Station in the Municipality of Uttarpara had four wards while the Kotrung is generally known as Hind Motor Area. Various Municipality of Kotrung consisted of two wards, ward localities in Kotrung are Sukanta Nagar, MalWari Palli, number one comprising Bhadrakali proper and Ward Desh Bandhu Nagar and Radha Gobindo Nagar in No. 2 comprising Kotrung proper. But after the Ward Number XIV, Rabindra Nagar Colony, Debai amalgamation of the two muniCipalities the areas of the Pukur area and Bank Colony in Nandan Kanan in Ward Wards have been thoroughly reconstituted. Instead of No. XX and Ghosh Para and Udayan Palli in Ward No. four Wards, Uttarpara now comprises eight Wards from XVIII, Aswini Nagar Colony and part of Aryya Nagar one to eight, Bhadrakali comprises six Wards from nine Colony and Rabindra Nagar Colony and Muslim locality to thirteen and fifteen, while Kotrung comprises six in Ward No. XVII. Wards namely fourteen and sixteen to twenty. Thus even after the amalgamation of the two municipalities, FUNCTIONAL AREAS the three distinctive segments of the town viz, Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and Kotrung can still be identified Uttarpara-Kotrung is a very small-sized town of only with reference to Wards. 7.25 sq. km. but with an estimated population of nearly one lakh at present. Being a very old municipal town Apart from the three principal segments of the town and getting the patronage of some benevolent which are but nomenclatures of erstwhile villages, there Zemindars, the town, under study, has had the privilege are several colonies and localities within each principal of being endowed with various Urban infra-structures segment. So far as Uttarpara is concerned, various and facilities,. organizations and institutions, different localities or sUb-localities are named after the names of factories and establishments. But what with the the road or localities, namely Bannerjeepara, smallness in size and what with old age, no area in the Chatterjeepara, Bachaspatipara etc. The only two town can be distinctively identified strictly as named sUb-localities in Uttarpara are Harijanpara in administrative, commercial, residential or industrial. Ward N~mber V qnd Tal Pukur area around a big tank in Whatever luxury the old fathers of the town had Ward number VI. afforded in establishing various institutions and organizations has been, to a large extent, marred by Various named localities in Bhadrakali are, by and influx of a large number of immigrants. Residential large known by the names of the stretch of roads. But houses are now scattered all over the town being

7 interspersed with trading establishments, factories and subdivision at a distance of 11 kms from the town. The work3hops, recreational centres etc. referent town is quite close to the subdivisional headquarters. There are a few offices of local RESIDENTlAL AREA importance located on the main road, specially 00 the National Highway-2. Uttarpara-Kotrung is basically a residential suburb of Caicutta and no portion or area in the town can be Because of the prominent pc~!tion of Uttarpara identified as wholly non-residential. And the flow of vis-a-vis other segments in me iown and in view of the population, specially from the metropolitan city, greater locational advantage with regard to the continues unabated, as the survey would unfold in later availability of different communication zones of rail chapters. The gravity of residential congestion can be route, road transport and ferry service and its understood from Ute tact that the number of occupied association with some benevolent Zemindars, most of residential houses per sq. krn. in the town as a whole is the important offices and administrative centres of local 2,144 in 1981 Census. Residential congestion is the importance are located in Uttar para, some in Bhadrakali highest in Uttarpara proper with 2,380 houses per sq. but very few in Kotrung. Though most of the offices and km. followed by 2,088 in Bhadrakali and 2,017 in administrative centres are loo:::ated on or near the Kotrung. There being little vacant space left and the flow National Highway-2 in Uttarpara, there is by and large, of immigration still continuing in full swing, there is an no clear-cut administrative area as such. But Uttarpara all-out effort recently to construct multistoried Post Office, the Fire Station, the Office of the Circle ownership apartments, specially in Uttarpara where Inspector of Police, the Municipality, the Police Station, numerous such flats are being built specially in the the market and three banks, the outdoor section of Vicinity of the railway lines. The residential congestion Uttarpara General Hospital and the local cash office of varies from segment to segment and from ward to the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation are located on ward. In Uttarpara proper, residential congestion is or near the two sides of the National Highway-2 in Ward more marked in Ward numbers iV and VI, the former numbers I, 111 and IV and impart semblance of an being predominantly a market area, located in the administrative touch to the area. Some other important National Highway-2, while the latter is located just in the offices situated in Utlarpara are the Uttarpara Railway vicinity of Uttarpara Railway Station. In Bhadrakali, Station in Ward No.6, an extra-departmental post office Ward numbers IX and XI, both located on National in Ward No. VI on Rajendra Avenue, an Engineering Cell Highway-2, happen to be relatlvely more congested. of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority in Most cf the houses and buildings in these Wards are Ward No. VIII and camp office of the PWD in hospital rather old, congestion being an aftermath of the compound of Ward No. V. Another most important subsequent appendages to old residential houses. It office in Uttarpara ,is the divisional headquarters of may be mentioned in this connection that Ward number telephone of Haora (North) located on Rajmohan Road XI, located in between Sakherbazar and Haranathpur in Ward No. VII. Road, happens to be residentially the most congested Ward in the town. In Kotrung, Ward Nos. XIV and XVIII, Of the offices in Bhadrakali, mention may be made the former comprising the neighbourhood of Hind of the Circle Office of the Settlement Department and Motor Railway Station, and the latter being located on Employees' State Insurance on Upper Haranathpur the National Highway-2 happen to be most congested. Road in Ward No. XIII and Bhadrakali Post Office, Civil Defence Office and the local Rationing Office on ADMINISTRATIVE AREA National Highway-2 in Ward No. XII. In Kotrung the office buiiding of the erstwhile Kotrung Municipality now The referent town is not an administrative centre, the accommodating the conservancy and ambulance focal points of administration being located at section of Uttarpara Municipality is located on National Chinsurah, the headquarters of the district at a distance Highway-2 in Ward No. XV~ while the Hind Motor of 28 kms and at Serampore, the headquarters of the Railway Station and the Hind Motor Post Office are

8 located in Ward No. XIV of Kotrung. come and frequent the market. Apart from the numerous shops and stalls vending fish, meat, Except the small chunk of area on both sides of vegetables etc. in the market, various retail shops and National Highway-2 in Ward Nos. I, II, and IV in stalls, some well-decorated and magnificently arranged Uttarpara proper, accommodating most of the for window display add glamour to the market. The important offices and administrative centre in the town, market is mainly used by the residents of Uttarpara, a the remaining offices and administrative centres are part of Bhadrakali and a part of the adjoining city of strewn all over the town. Bally. This old bazar area may undoubtedly-be termed as the city centre of Uttarpara-Kotrung. Hind Motor BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL AREA Station market located mainly as the Station Road and extending along the Sattaia Lane and by lane, happens The refeient town is shaped lineally along the to be the second most important marketing and National Highway No. 2 passing also lineally in a commercial tirea of the town. It may be noted 1n this north-west direction. Hence, majority of shops, big and connection that Ward No. XIV, within which Hind Motor small, retail or whcJlesale, dealing in grocery, stationery, marketing area, is situated, happens to be the Ward textile, household utensils, medicines, hard-wares, having the highest density in the town. This is the Ward electrical goods, electronic goods, building materials, which nas witnessed the inmlgration of a substantial and few stalls etc. a:-e located on both sides of the number of people, in recent years including a large National Highway-2. However, as one gets past number of workers working in the adjoining Hind Motor Uttarpara and Bhadmkali and erlters the third segment Factory and a good number of Marwaris. This market f(otrung, the shops and stalis become graduaily few was established in the early fifties synchorising with the aild far between. The long lines of we!~ decorated shops opening up of the Hind Motor Factory. Besides the daily and stalls on both sides of the National Highway-2 with market, a large number of well-decorated shops and multitude of passers-by makes one uel;eve that the stalls on both sides of Battala Lane constitutes the referent town is a continuum of the metropolitan city of market area. The Kanthaltala market located in Calcutta. Bhupeodra Nath Road and its adjoining areas within a distance of 100 metres from Uttarpara Railway Station Though there is no distinctive trading or commercial in Ward Number VI is the third important commercial area as such in the town, certain well-marked pockets area in the town. The Sakher Bazar located at the or areas can be distinguished predominantiy as more junction of the Haranathpur Road and National commerc1al than others. In all, there are five principal Highway-2 in Ward No. XII in Bhadrakali, happens to be trading or commercial areas in the town, centering the fourth important marketing complex in the town. mostly round the daily market corners, viz. the This is also a very old market and is being Uttarpara old market area, (Ward No. IV) Hind Motor reconstructed as a super market in a new building. The Station Mark8t area (XIV) Sakher Bazar Super Market colony market (since named Vivekananda Market) area on Haranathpur Road (Ward No. XII), the Kanthal located on Simpukur Road in Ward No. XIX of Kotrung, Bagan Bazar (Ward No. VI) in between Uttarpara was established in the early sixties. It happens to be Railway Station and Shanti Nagar and lastly, the New chief marketing Centre of northern Kotrung comprising Market or Colony market in Ward No. XIX. The old a number of refugee colonies such as Udyan PaJJj, market area on National Highway-2 in Ward No. IV in Hanripukur Colony, Jayanta Nagar, Nandan Kanan, between Banerjeepara Street and Joykissen Street Bank Colony, Musalmanpara etc. This market is happen to be the principal market place of the entire accommodated in a number of improvised huts and municipal town. This old market, more than a century also in the adjoining open space. Compared to the four old, was originally established by the old Zemindars in other marketing centres in the town, this market is the first quarter of the 19th Century. Residents not only rather unsophisticated and resembles more or less an from all parts of the town but also from a part of the open air country-side market. Besides the five trading adjoining city of Bally, on the other side of Bally canal, marts, there are seven marketina centres all over the

9 town, each of which comprises a nUMber of vegetable far as the adjoining town of Konnagar. Two medium­ a~lisfi''$talls:frdhe jlrhttkm of some important toads,' , sized industries viz, the I:~di(:m Ye~st Comp~'ny Ltd, and Lat#fV:<;men\fbh itfay (be' ml:uJe 'af fhe evenirlg rharket at the Bengal Distilleries and more than a dozer other rvm14nIiFBiJia'r~H fh~ other ~iCt-e" tif Uttarpara RalfWay brick fields, p~ntile factori~s, Swki; (6~ick'-powoer)' ~Bls. '! ,. ~ 'j' '.~" ,t:, ~ .1',~)\ ~. ,,\"-_.\_ ;;':~-~ !,>, ,~~:;;r~_",~ S~:'OUtgj&eNhi#llffIMftS!brthe '{OWf1: Thfs has turned and a, score of sman~'sjzed enginee~!l1g factories, .q._r~, Olll:'to 113e1faT1 Wf~ Ct)oplJlar"h1arket it",' recent 'years; located j'n thi~'ion({ - " , ',' " . , , specf8,r"'Paffl$ng tW~: eOrnmut~ds" of the t6thh' who:' b~' th~r '4N§yrl5Wel{J~»em'ih~r\citY;· 'fr~ql)'ent 'the hazar ih the . Both' these i'ndustrial" 'pockets' are'!o'Gat'¢d, m.or~ or eJtti1Hi{f.j' €M aitreSt~rfie~'ift itniY blhdto~fth~farrri6st ak less, beyond the residential limit~ of th~ to~,;~ :~nd a~: thWjWadiffgHmt\ft~~trrr~thjj :town 'under swdy have such. they do not pose any, major Ib~2ard of , ,'0 < • ,: • d~tf~l1iFCiH(J~I'Ye"p~ntipal \ttiutes"of COrhtntihiCr)s'( 'of' factories, si1licon day f,adorles, . e~ch ,'~l1lpioyipg ~ev;ef) _" :-~-~_::':' /i'-_ ',;~·,."'c .~t ;'-;: jh~.'\_~ 'Lt-_~·: :'Ij,}~h·v ;;_ ~:"'l,,:·.'~ ,~h:-.·: Um:tfPararyna{.:HWidc~Ol~: to ten iNorkmen on an average, 'are strewn all over the ,_. ':<',1,_ ·-.~L\·"i :'-<)(1'- I ,I':i"1': =:.__,;;r.~~*.-;._; r~.·""~--;':1:.·(;(··;Tj _'''-:;.:;t.l(', town)' without anydefinite plan and purpose, •. , ',~, .' ...",.' .' -- • -._ , • .r.":. .-" __ " ~ .~ ~ .

IMPbRT,~Nt P:UBLIC PLI\CES A'ND EDLt9ATlqNA~}N.STIJJIT,IQN? lCJ1Rou~l1htAa\nwJ;n·1\1rh~1fir$t\iftdltstrjf!rpdcket din 'be traced i'h' the'. " Plant, "th~'old ~h~ritable ,di~'pen'sary; '~~w 'rec;on$titu'ted nai"lf?)'w'-Jgtrip 6lfilencFall along' Bally' canal in the South.' as' Uttprpar(;l Ge~er(ll H~spital..', 'SeinQ, 'tari,~ 'old ~~W,rl Westbr,ti'pltft'61 tffl(t<'M'h In 'Ward No: 1I'extendin'g 'as far" ' growin'g 'llnde~ the" patronC\,ge ,of 'the' p.n'ight~r)ed as\ ~17Mlviay'! nhe~:a 'Shafima~ Wire" tndustries' Limited' Zemindars ' :and Iqnd\()rds. )he" town "'~~n ,cate.~· to" it~ (SWlh)ijeMPlb~1rfg "2t~"perst)n$ ;alorrg witH two brick reSidents' almost 'all . conc~i~abie,', ~r'kiri to a rnitW.jf.tCKl$tflat!lJeftl'fia~)gfQwrt :all ~htlg the ilitfrow strip' Tl1~re" are ~t~'I6" irhpbrt~'~'t, r?Rw.~Y': s,tatio0S: "," viz, of ~rid>betweeniNatlon~I'Hlghway 2'and the'river' Hugli Uttarpara: Railway $t~ti6n' anleL Hin~ Motor Railwa~ ": .... - .' "~.'~.' _''r \,'-':,::'<.: 1, ,::_ . '-'j .- .; -,",,'r :.~: from 8afHowrah Barddharrian Main line' of thE extr~rhe1 hl3t1he¥rl btHJhCtary 'of ttie town, extending as , East~rn 'Rajlway~: 'B~si(Je5, B~I~IY Ghat Station \o(t~~ . I - . - , _.,' ~ , . , ;

10 Sealdah Dankuni Line and Bally Halt Station on rlaora­ RES:OENTIAL PATTERN Barddhaman Chord line of the Easter n Ra(lwi=1Ys are -situated at a distance of one to two km5 respectively The array of reSidences In the town can be ~ac~d from Uttarpara proper pnman!y aiong the two chiet routes of communlcatlon - • I. - viZ the railway lines and National HIghway 2 and The Municipal offiQe, the cash office of the Calcutta subsequently along the routes or near trade or main ttw , ElectriC Supply Corporation, the Police Station, the Fire mar k~t c~ntres. Among ,the t'('o routes, the rOfrlq !lnk>~s Service Station and one cinema hall are all located In IT'uch older and can be traced in the early. days of Uttarpara British Administralion. Rennel's Atlas-7 Plute VII" (AD 1779) srows that one road running from Salk~ia,and " ~~ Two Colleges, four Higher Secondary Schools> ten Bally passed along the referent town all along the ,river Secondary Schools, six JUnior or Middle~ Schools, forty bank to Serampore and farther north. Compared to t~e five primary Schools and a good number of public road link, the r3ilway ilnk was established much,Jpter _, \,) i t libranes are located in the town. Of the two colleges, 1 he main lin~ pr;l.ss!ng through the tovyn was estaqllsilE?d Raja Pe')ry Mohan Colipge established as far back as In 1864 while the first starion for the town U\~~~para , ' 1887, IS IClcated In Uttarr8ra proper, while Niswam - Railway Station \Nas estabUshed earlv in 1906. The town . ' , BalanandFl GI"18' College established in 1979, is located is very old and sons of thE: soU trace thel~ origin even to in Bhadrakali the early part of 18th century It is irter~$ting to note that the residenc;c:s of the earlier settlers, by and Ia_rge , Among the school') in tf"le refer9nt town, Uttarpara were and are still located along the old road", I.tne Urllon l-Hgh Sch'Jol established in 1845 and Uttarpara present National ~ighway 2. Another important aspect Goverrrnellt I-!lgh Sch')or' estalJlishec i'1 18.:16, happell IS that a good number of Brahmin residents in the two to be two of the few oldest institutions in the state segments of Uttarpara and BhadrakalJ chose to construct thpir houses lO close proximity to the nyer The town has also the pride of having constructed a HugH not onl;y for leading a pious life by hpving hoLy Town Hall or GaME! Bhawan recently Here is also a morning and 8venmg dips in the sa\:red riyer b~t 9i~o water wcrks L:ndfH the nl'Jnidpallt'y having a water for avalfif1g themselves of the riparian tr~nsport.. T,he treatl1'"1ellt pl8n! of its 'Jilin The"e is also a Djvlsional early settler~ like-wise followed the Brahmins in bullQlng Office of the Calcutta Tr?iephones Though there is ro their housl3S near the National Highway 2 and the HUgli engirel3nn g r'1erlicai or oolytecJ-"lnic institute, the town river. The construction of the Vivekananda Setu , ' has 0. C'c)-op:;rCltivt; Trcinillg Instit~te which ra:Jpens to (Willingdor Bridge) In 1931 ov~r the rjv~r HUgli drf3w the be thl=:! or'lly h-S8rvic'J in&titut8 ot its kind In th8 whole referent town closer to Calcutta. specially th~ northern State, a DestitlJtes' Horne 3nd a Val)rants' Home all ~part of Calcuttil and injtjated th~ movement of Situated il" Raj Mohan R03d in V'iarrj No. VII of UUarpara population w~o settled mostly near the a\(allable, plots proper There IS also 2. GI311eral Hosplt3.! in the town of the old re~Jdences near, the Highway. Il focatr::d 01"1 83;a Peary Moh:;'In Road in Ward No V The decade of the fifties saw the lomigratiQn of a There are abou~ 15 ~arks and playgrounds of which large number'5 of displaced persons into the town. By three or four are comp.:tratl\jely larger in size There arp then, Utt",rpara proper having already been congested, about 100 temples and several mosques. Some of the the new settlements of the displaced persons Eiprang up important temples are the Bhadrakali temple, Tara in the available vacant plots of Bhadrakali at,ld Kotrung

ori -" } .... " Mandir and S/~'a temple, .tie'71 temple, Slta/a templ8, The Goverml1ent of West Bengal had also founded a Jain tel"flple t.(f/fi t9m~le, OhMmfJraj terrple etc: T'lere is number of refugee colonies in Bhadrakali and Kotrung.. ~o C'hlJrch B~~irlr:)s tl-JAre 8re four cmmatorin or burnil19 ~hats Inr.t=ltAd hy the ~Ide of the fiver HugH and Inrnigratlon to the town recelveq a furth€r spurt after

two buriol grounds of tr9 t'Juslims, one ea~h In the establishment I)f the Hind Motor Factory near the 5hadrakali a'ld Kot~ung railway lines opposite to Kotrung There being no

11 residential arrangement in the factory sites at the outset, marshy swamp ot mosquitoes and flies, had long been most of the workers in the factory preferred to settle discounted as a residential place and had kept a low down in the referent town, and altogether near profile. Naturally therefore, nearly two-thirds of the residential enclaves began to grow near Hind Motor residences in Uttarpara belong to the original settlers, RaHway Station, specially in Kotrung. nearly forty percent of the residences in' Bhadrakali belong to the original settlers while the corresponding By the decade of the sixties, a new dimension to the figure for Kotrung is from 15 to 25 per cent. residential pattern was added by the electrification of the railway line whereby Calcutta could be reached by An examination ot the residential lay-out of the town half an hour's journey from the referent town. The from the standpoint of ethnicity reveals several scarcity of resicfential accommodation and exorbitant interesting features. Uttarpara, being the seat of rentals in 'Calcutta also left no option to the tenant permanent residence of the erstwhilp. Brahmin white-collar and blue-collar workers there, other than Zemindars, encompa.sses a number of settlements looking out beyond'the bournes of the city for cheaper inhabited predominantly by the Brahmins. accommodation elsewhere. Uttarpara-Kotrung was the cynosure of the people not only because of its unique Localities like Banerjeepara, Chatterjeepara, location but also because of its excellent infrastructural Bachaspatipara, Purohitpara , are reminiscent of the facilities. These people from the Metropolitan City ethnic mould that the original forefathers of the town purchased the sites near the railway lines and gradually had imparted to the residential areas of the town. The new residential houses raised their heads all along the Kayastha settlements can al<3o be traced in or near the railway tracks. The settlements of the displaced persons predominant Brahmin settlement. Thp. Zemindar of the are located mostly in ~otrung and Bhadrakali, specially town had allotted separate residential enclaves to the in the vacant spaces far from trle railway lines and the various artisan castes mostly in BhadrakaJi and in Highway too. The settlements of the neo-settlers, Kotrung. Traces of the residential segregation of the inmigrating mostly from the metropolis comprising artisan castes can still be found in the existence of houses, built in course of the last two to three decades, localities like Telipara, Kansaripara, Pa/para, Kumor­ are located all along the narrow strips of land along the para, Pataripara, in Bhadrakali and Tambulipara, the railway lines in all the three segments of the town and Goa/apara, (Ghose) Sutradharpara in Kotrung. But gradually making deeper inroads into the enclaves of nowhere the settlements of the artisan cCistes could be the original settlers. traced in or near the settlements of the Brahmans or the Kayasthas. ihe settlements of the so-called lower The three divergent strata of population comprising castes like Bagdi, Tiyar, Pod, .Kaibartta etc were located the original residents mostly in' Uttarpara ano far away from the settlements of the so-called higher Bhadrakali, the displaced persons concentrated in castes, in the farther corner of Bhadrakali and Kotrung. numerous refugee colonies in Kotrung and partly in From the very beginning, the Muslims have been living Bhadrakali and - the nee-settlers mostly from the in two separate segments in Ward numbers XVllI and metropolitan city of Calcutta have to some extent XIX in the farthest north-eastern corner of the town. moulded the tri-dimensional residential lay-out of the town. Among the three segments, Uttarpara has the The ethnic exclusiveness in residential lay-outs in the greatest locational advantage with reference to past was stamped immutably as to bear evidence of the transport and communication lines over and above same even now in the names of the localities. But later being the permanent seat of residence of the erstwhile immigrants who were instrumental in increasing seven Zemindars, with most of the organisations and folds the popUlation, in course of the last century, has institutions and other infrastructural facilities located completely altered the earlier design of the founder there. Bhadrakali, being the immedia~e segment fathers of the town. Part of Uttarpara proper has been, adjacent to Uttarpara also shares some of the facilities to some extent, comparatively immune from the while Kotrung, being further away and being originally a massive onrush of population. It still reflects the

12 caste-wise segregation of the higher castes specially and Uttar Pradesh, since the establishment of the the Brahmans and the Kayasthas, but in contrast, the automobile factory and the inauguration of the Hind residential enclaves of the newly built houses of the Motor Railway Station. But the most remarkable feature inmigrants do not evince any consideration of caste or is the establishment of a large Marwari settlement, ethnicity. Apart from the old Brahman settlements and locally known as Marwari Patti around New Station the few artisan settlements like Palpara, Kansaripara, Road, which is inhabited by about 500 Marwari Kumorpara, Telipara where the numbers of the households. Marwari Patti is an exclusive settlement of respective kindred groups still live together, nowhere the Marwari community, inmigrating mostly from else caste-wise segregation of settlements has been Calcutta for paucity of living space in the metropolitan observed in any part of the new-settlements in city. Here they have started their own schools, temples, Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Whether in Bhadrakali or in hospital and Dharam Sa/a. The lingua franca here is Kotrung or even in the V\oestern segment of Uttarpara, Marwari. the inmigrants belonging to heterogeneous ethnic groups migrated from different places at different points Lastly it may also be noted that apart from the few of time and constructed houses or hutments on plots stray households here and there, the Muslims in this wherever and whenever available. There are, however, town, who constitute slightly more than two per cent of several isolated pockets in all the three segments where the total population, still maintain their exclusiveness ." kinship alignments are identifiable in re8idential and live in two distinctive enclaves in Musalmanpara settlements. Likewise, there are several colonies of the (Ward No. XVII) and near Dharmatala (Ward No. XVIII) displaced persons both in Bhadrakali and in Kotrung in Kotrung. where numbers of diverse ethnic groups, but hailing from the same place of origin, be it a village, a police Another distinctive mark of differentiation between station or a d!strict, live together in some kind of a the quality, nature and age of residences can be noted sub-neighbourhood. Some such cases of territorial in the buildings and hutments in all the three segments affiliation in the residential lay·out can be identified in of the town. Utt3rpara proper is a town of palaces Rabindra Nagar Colony in Ward Nos 16 and 17 where (though some are in ruins), large and spacious households hailing from the districts of Faridpur and buildings, which distinguish Uttarpara from the other Chltlagong of the-then East Pakistan (now Bangia two segments. Again in contrast to majority of the Desh)\1ive in close association, and al£o in Udyan Pa!li outmoded old structures in Uttarpara proper and in Ward No. XVIII where the Namasudra communities southern Bhadrakali, the buildings in Bhadrakali and hailing from Barisal and Khulna huddle together and Kotrung are architecturally more modern. The housing attach a socio-religious tinge to their settlement there has deteriorated because of age, wear and tear, nature and lack of maintenance, while the same in the It is also interesting to observe sonie of the newer settlements have a much better look with latest communities belonging to the lowest socia-economic design and colotlr reflecting the economic prosperity of strata like the Muchis, the Bagdis, the Oraons still the owners. maintaining their residential exclusiveness from the people belonging to higher castes. That is why, the The residential colonies of the displaced persons like Harijan Colony and several pockets of Bagdis, Muchis Rabindra Nagar, Arya Nagar, Udayan Palli, Arabinda and Oraons are still conspicuous by their presence. Palli consist mostly of kutcha hutments on an average plot varying from 70 to 150 sq. metres with roofs of tiles A new dimension to the rssidential lay-out in the or asbestos and walls of bricks or split bamboo. But the town is observed in Ward No XIV of Kotrung, located in colonies are more or less planned and less congested close proximity to the Hind Motor Railway Station and than sim:lar colonies in other towns of the State. A clean just opposite to the Hind Motor Factory. It has and healthy living condition in most of the colonies has witnessed the settiement of a large number of been possible because most of the households non-Bengali population, specially from Rajasthan, Bihar received some subsidy from the government towards

13 the constru'ct'ron' 'of their hO'uses over and' above the Some other human 'sE:1ttl~mehts' cotlectively gfvin'g al~otmeht of the: v,'ee land. the appearance of a la.rge slum hav~ 'Sprouted in are~s adjacent to Hind ·Motor RaJi'way Station .. Mdsrof-tHe LOCATlON OF' SLUMS ANb OTHER BLIGHTEd AREAS hutments are raised QVeHlight on unaOth:(irrsed: a.nd ve'sted lands' beSide' the :'rallway :lines ahd' n16Stfy· bn No residential clusters in .the town have' been marshy an"d svvampy lands. fhg hutments are' ~(y~Hy clessined-as::h{bms ty theloc2! Mul1icipality. But some struCtures'with watls of spl1tbarnboo and pantile>r'bofs settlernent~· and pockets :nhablH~d' by peopleiof lower afid'witr,out any latririe or urlnarOT:WasHif,~Jfacl1lty»: : soclo:.conom:c statu$ like' tl1e' :;sWebpers, 'rickSl1aw- ' . ' . " .. ," ", ~ pullers, d'ay labourers and 'charactt3rized by obsdete, .. rh'e~ heads of :househofds' reSiding' in 'these' slums bH'gited ·a.nd: 'dilapldated 'huts: plagued ',by 'Squalor ~rid . near Hihtf fIfl6tOrAalJw~Y SfatioH'iri'Ward numde{XtV'of

stark poverty, sub~standa;-d and 5ub-hllma"Y" livirig ,lKdtrung 'art- i -/ri6stry" S:udlf (temporary ~siJb$thbtA) condition, car. be identified. WOrKerS working irH Hind: Motor W6'rks and:·alsb·thos'e 'awaltjnrfeinpJoym~rtf id'thE(fadory lanH 'ckifng ',~atne The sl,vef:pers' colony'compr!skiQ theqtJahe'r~ ot'the .bther'6dd jobS·f6H~e~fitfre:belri~. : .;,' , .' ',,~, ,> i' '-' sweepers mOstly workingdt; the locar-Nkrni2ir¥ctlif\j 'afid situated 'jff Chi:uidiUUa: rStreef1n mErLfa!" Sclutttwes!Eirn , , 'K(jthln-g::~iS' predoriijh~ht1~ :a;16Wn"-5f' c6ionl~~f"bf corner"bfTitt&i'pafa ·cat'!\'·bri"'rncH·k~c out as ::ne such ;(d1splacf:\(j p~rs6hs' iiviri~fih nrimerol:Js: :settlemerrts' h~~e slum. HEm~ th~ :l1nal51fa.hts bi!!;rlg from' Bihar live:!r'!::,yeiy

}-/ '(i " r; . _c _' at the' juriCtion of'LaWr9n'~ Street ca.na Netaji S'l1bhas

., ,__ • ~ ", • _r c, _., ""\_". , _ )_ , - _ •• - < • ; ~_,! , : -_ , , ./- ~ • " Rbt:'tcH~ WEird No. ;:·11, s~hin'g'jLJp ~r6utid :f~~ '$halim3r ,,' Last bl!t 'n1)t 'tl1e:ie'ast~" 'the labour 'qu3r't8f$"of'tlie . " !" ••. .• . • t:~. , - : 1 ~.-.." ' • •• -'0 T. c ~ -) ,. -' ,.-.: :: ~ ", '. Wkes: IndListry TWos 'is' 'a S!LHif {';f 'abot.;( 250 kdtdha 'brick4ieith in' KtjtrLlIlg: specially"irfWafd NbS. XVfan'd ntitm-etrrs' df vhrk'(!fs, J;-wbrki~g hlostly i6 the' SWiL XVi);' ar8 ~Jsc(aktntb slums.' There are ab6ut'a d~zkn fattor{ anti l1aitin.g \kom States" otitsid~ Wesf '8engal. sucfr setffet'r1e~tS:it{ K'6'trllllg,:; specialty' 'hear'th9 bHdk rrhe':Sll!)!~'staneard 11vH1g' COl'lditlbfts 'and"abjecf poverty and ~nr'-tlre;fa6t6rle'i,· just on the banl<~of+iiver'Hugli: THe 'dt, tniS; ;s18m centre of the sub'-Standard :ario congeSted Sett'fEHlie11ts,' inhabited by ;toWn. About 15 to:20 hutm~nts, inCluding 'some pucta the 'd1splaced 'persons"Whb tame 'here much iater, can struct'jres c(_\r'stitute thi's'fed-light an~a, det~f.s of whi'ch be identified·, ' wm be given in relevanfchapfer afterWards,

14 SOME SOCia ECONOM C CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDING T4Ible 1 2 - De"~Hty of Ppp.lIiatroll m Uu~rp~r'll¥o4un9 DENSITY OF POPULATION MumCH~~!lt~

The referent town IS one of the few oldest munlCloal towns In the State According to 1981 Census, It IS the Year Density OT population per sq kilometre fourth ~,:)pUlOllS town In the district of Hugil, preceded by Seralllpore the sub-divISional Headquarters of the Uttarpara Municipality Kotrung MUnlclpalltv town under study, hugh Chlnsurah the district headquarters and Chandan nagar another subdlvlslonal 2 headyuanerb and a MUnicipal Corporation From the standJ.)olnt ot density of population per bq kilometre 1872 ~ 120 1 315 uLtarpard Kotrung ai::,o happens to be the fourthmost 1881 2564 1 109 Jensely populated town In tbe district fOllOWing 1891 3135 997 Serampore (21,650 per bq km) R,shra (12,500 per 1901 3999 1 147 sq km) and Konnagar (11,827 per sq km) while the 1~11 3562 1269 density per sq kilometre In the referent town stands at 1921 4182 1322 10,979 1931 4517 1382 1941 6575 1 815 1951 8273 2,737 The percentage of scheduled caste population In the 1961 10209 5991 tONn stands at 3 69 while t'1at for ~cnedulea tnoe at o 34 iVlaJonty of the schedulea caste and sClleduled tnbe population of the town are engaged In bnck fields rhe density Of popula,tlon m Utt.arpar~ h~s alwa~$~ or elsewhere engaged as casual labourets and been much higher than thflt an Kotrung t1l~U1.ly ~alJ$fol rickshaw-pullers Among the three main segments, of the IOtra~tructwral facilities and UnJQlJB IQcatlonai Uttarpara IS Inhabited mostly by the anginal population advantage 9.f. the, former ov~r th~ lalter Beslq~~ of higher SOCia-economiC status Bhadrakafl the Kotrung, onglnally q marshy ::''{Jamp o( dense forests. second segment, adjacent to uttarpara IS mnablted was always dlscoura!ilec;l for resldenttal purposes, pno( predomll1antly by the onglrlCtl population (about 40 per to the onrush at the dl$placed person~ Asal"",, the fc;tl! In cent) and the neo-settlers (about 40 per cent) mostly density of population In Kotrung In the earlier Census from the Metropolltdn City The SOClo-economlC status years was probably a reflectIOn of the 8a{ciQtlamaJi) I of Bhadrakail may be rated as intermediate between fever which swept over the jen9th and breadth of the that of Uttarpara and Kotrung, While Kotrung dlslnc:t BeSides, the arrangem~nt Of treatroept of predammantly a town Qf numerous colonies of dlsec;l,ses In Uttp_rpara, ha$ always been satisfactory ~nd displaced person hom erstwhile Bangia Desh has the a cha(ltable dtSpensary was located here as ~r bpck.as. lowest SOCIO economic status compared to the same In 1665 I-tenpe the denSity of popujatlon In Uttarparq,rose Uttarpara and Bhadral-.all steadIly since 1872. Again the spurt m the densrry Qf population In Uttarpara In 1931-41 h

15 The relative change in the pattern of density of inmigrants in the several segments of the town. The population in the three distinct segments of tbe town in table 1.3 shows the density of population per sq. the period of 1951·81 is highly interesting in so far as it kilometers in the period of 1951-81. would highlight the volume and direction of the

Table 1.3 - Density of Population in the Three Segments

Year Density of population per sq, km. in Combined density per sq. km. Uttarpara Bhadrakali Kotrung in the town

2 3 4 5

1951 B,273 2,874 1,931 4,318 1961 10,209 6,115 5,873 7,195 1971 11,258 9,'25 8,040 9,320 19B1 12,397 10,392 10,407 10,979

The differential densities of population in the three Table 1.4 - Density of Populaiion per sq. kilometre in principal segments of Uttarpara, Bhadrakal1 and the different Municipal Wards Kotrung in the period of 1951-1981 highlight several Ward No. 1971 1981 interesting features relating to the residential congestion in the three segments. Taking 1951 as the cut-off year, it 2 3 appears that by that time, Uttarpara was relatively overcor:gested while Kotrung was the least congested, 11,508 12,674 segment. The 'more than doubling up' in the density per II 8,690 10,57Z sq. kilometer in Bhadrakali and three-fold increase in II! 15,118 11,137 IV 11,098 14,112 Kotrung in 1951-61 reflects that the flow of the V 8,387 11,784 displaced persons, by and large, and the inmigrant V! 11,625 15.022 workers in the Hind Motor Factory to some extent was VI! 9,956 11,630 largely directed to the two segments of Bhadrakali and VIII 15.386 14,184 Kotrung vis-a-vis Uttarpara which had already reached IX 24,869 24,577 X 9,536 7.252 ~ear saturation point. Again the comparative figures of XI 14,409 26,276 density in the three segments from 1961 to 1981 reveal XII 6,575 8,OB1 that Uttarpara has, more or less, stabilized its XIII 8,271 10,438 population While the other two segments viz Bhadrakali XIV 19,836 26,668 and Kotrung still remain the happy hunting grounds for )N 5,363 6,513 the inmigrant population, even though the scope here XVI 10.621 10.781 too is getting more and more limited. The local XVII 4.407 6,586 XVlll 21,452 21,170 authorities have divided the town, after its merger in IX 5,549 15,047 1964, into 20 wards. The density of population is not XX 4,697 5,529 uniform in the wards, as borne out by the Table 1.4 Town as a whOle 9,320 10,979

16 The inter-ward variation in population density leads happen to be located just in the middle of the town. one to make several interesting observations. First, the Again the comparatively less densely populated wards density is uniformly high in all the eight wards of like the Nos. XIV, XV and XII can be identified as those Uttarpara (I to VIII) and in none of the Wards density per wards having a large strip of lands near the river Hugli sq. kilometre is less than 10,000. There has been and are occupied by brick fields, factories and noticeable fall in density in three Wards viz. III, VIII & X. establishments. Likewise Ward No. XX, located in the Again the first three 'most densely populated' wards in far north-western part of the' town and containing a the town are Ward No. XIV, located in the vicinity of number of marshy swamps, happens to have the lowest Hind Motor Railway Station and opposite to Hind Motor density per-sq. kilometre. Factory and Ward Nos XI and IX respectively which

NOTES:

1. A brief review of Old Uttarpara-Bhadrakali-Kotrung-Mekhla by Prof. Ratindra Chatterjee in Souvenir of Uttarpara Amarendra

Bidyapith (Girls) Uttarpar~ - 1985. 2. Ibid 3. West Bengal District Gazetteers; Hooghly by L.S.S. O'Malley and M. Chakravarti, Calcutta, 1912. 4. Ibid, pp. 196-197 5. Ibid, pp. 204 6. A Mitra: Census of India, 1951, VoL VI, West Bengal, Sikkim and Chandernagore, Pt. IA report, pp. 229 7. Bengal District Gazetteers, Howrah-L.S.S. O'Malley 1909, and Monmohan Chakravarti, Calcutta 1909, p. 119 8. Ward nos. I and II of Kotrung Municipality in 1951 and 1961 represent Bhadrakali and Kotrung segments respectively. In 1971 and 1981, Ward Nos. I to Viti represent Uttarpara, IX to XIII and XV represent Bhadrakali while XIV and XVI to XX represent Kotrung respectively with the reservation that an insignificant part of Ward No. XIV is included in Bhadrakali.

17

CHAPTER .. II

HISTORY OF GROWTH OF THE TOWN

MYTHS, LEGENDS AND HISTORY colonialists from Satgaon (present Triveni) in the north to Serampore in the south. He had heard horrifying The origin of Uttarpara-Kotrung is, 'more or less, stbries of torture and persecution of the poor and syrichronous with the origin and establishment of the innocent villagers by the aggressive European settlers city of Calcutta and the name of Job Charnock is with their ulterior and nefarious deSigns. Naturally the associated with the origin of both the places. Soon after eyes of Ratneswar fell on Bally, a very famous, orthodox founding Calcutta in 1690, Charnock built a country and holy place with wide reputation of its scholastic and house in the village Chanak1 (present Barrackpore in elitist culture. T~e name of Bally was first mentioned3 in the district of North 24 Parganas) and later a contingent Chandi a poem composed by Kavikankan and also of British soldiers was posted in and near Chanak to appeared in Rennel's Atlas4 (Plates VII and XIX). protect and guard the countryhouse. Now Gandi, a Moreover, Bally was one of the eight places which village adjacent to Chanak, was the native village of supplied Bengal with hand-written almanacs, before the Ratneswar Roy Chowdhury, a very devout Brahmin and art of printing was introduced in the country. At that a famous Zemindar of the eminent Subarna Chowdhury time, the central and southern portions of Bally were dynasty, 2 whose sphere of influence had extended over densely inhabited predominantly by more than 1000 a large tract of land including Calcutta. Ratneswar had Brahmin households while the northern portion (present great social prestige and dignity. It is said that every Uttarpara) was very thinly populated because of large morning Ratneswar used to visit the river Hugli in swamps and dense forests. Castes with comparative palanquin with a large number of followers to bathe lower socia-economic status such as the Jelias, the there and returned home only after worshipping the Malos and the Tiyars, mostly fishermen by occupation, gods aAd goddesses and then only looked after lived in hutments on the bank al river Hugli while in the mundane affairs. Matters became worse in 1709, when in~erfor lived peasant communities like the Pods, the in the wake of the construction of the permanent Kaibartas, the Sad gapes and the Muslims. The largely structure for· the British troops near his village, uninhabited tract of land in the northern segment of Ratnewsar found himself in a very helpless and insecure Bally naturally caught the attention of Ratneswar who position, specially in the pursuit of his' religious practice. decided instantly to settle in the northern segment of He finally decided to leave his ancestral village once for Bally, after making necessary arrangements for his all. He was on the look out for an alternative place on suitable habitation. So' he approached the-then the bank of the river Hugli in peaceful and tranquil iemindar of SheoraphLJli holding 62.5 per cent of surroundings, far from the highhandedness and red ownership of the land and secured required land in eyes of the Britishers. From Palta to Calcutta on the exchange of villages nearhis native place. eastern bank of the river Hugli, there Were almost continuous lines of British establishments. Likewise on Having thus procured an alternatiVe homeland in a the western bank too, there' were almost continuous placid and tranquil enViron on the western bank of the lines of foreign settlements belonging ·to the BritisH, the river Hugli, Ratneswar had immigrated to Uttarpara (the Portuguese, the Danes, tlie French and the Dutch northern s.egment of Bally) along with a large retinue of preceptors and kinsmen including the priests and the In the middle of the 18th century, one Nandagopal learned Brahmins sometime in 1710. The incident of Mukhopadhyaya of Khamargachhi married the daughter migration of Ratneswar to Uttarpara is described in a of one Ramnidhi Chattopadhyaya, a son-in-law of the very interesting manner in a couplct thus: 8ubama Chowdhury in Uttarpara and became the founder of the Zemindary family of Uttarpara. "Kulin Brahmins in their hundreds Jogmohon and Joykrishna, son and grandson came and settled here. respectively of Nandagopal, accepted jobs under the Seing provided wah homelands and 14th Regiment of the East India Company in Uttar requisite occupations Pradesh and earned hLige sums of money.1i They also they were permanently placed there". took part in the siege of Bharatpur in 1825 and having secured considerable sums as their share of prize Subsequently Bally Canal, excavated towards the 18th money, they returned to their native home. Later, they century to mark the boundary between the Zemindars purchased different petty Zemindaris on auction in of Sheoraphuli and Bally became the final dividing line HugJi and other districts and thus assured considerable between Bally and its northern segment which, in fortunes. Gradually, the estate of Joykrishna was Bengali, denotes Uttarpara. This culminated in the elevated to the status of a Zemindary. Being thus emergence of Uttarpara as a separate and independent elevated to the lofty status of a Zemindar, Joy Krishna settlement. So in a way, Ratneswar Roy Chowdhury now dedicated himself to the task of building a more or may be called the primogenitor of Uttarpara. less, modern town in Uttar para. He was instrumental in setting up the Government High School in Urtarpara in After getting an assured foothold in Uttarpara, 1846, Uttarpara Charitable Dispensary in 1851, Ratneswar gradually contrived to bring different Uttarpara Municipality in 1853, Urtarpara Public Library, sections of people from different castes, communities one of the biggest of its kind in India. in 1859, and and occupations to weave the fabric of a more or less Uttarpara College in 1887 . To the foundation of self~sufficient village community. Then each of the numerous such institutions and organisations in the different categories of people like the pr~estly class, the towns, he as well as other Zemindar compatriots learned class and the different artisan groups like the contributed munificent donations of land and money so Kumors (potters), the Tilis (the oilmen), the as to pave the way for the emergence of a small but Kangshabaniks (the makers of brass and bell metals), self-sufficient modern town in Uttarpara. Joykrishna is had been apportioned different plots of land where they popularly believed to be the architect of modern had constructed their respective homes. The Subarna Uttarpara. "Popularly he was known as the Jarasandha Chowdhury families experienced difficulties in settling of Hooghly district and there was hardly any large the marriages of their daughters, because of the public movement in which he did not take part".7 It is prevalent rigours of the KuHn system and the caste also recorded in Encyclopaedia Britannica (11 th system. Edition) that 'Uttarpara is famous for the Public Library founded and endowed by Joikissen Mukherjee, which is specially rich in books of local topography'. In course of time, the Subarna Chowdhury families, taking recourse to their hold over landed properties and Compared to Uttarpara proper, Kotrung, another assets, gradually arranged the immigration of other important segment of the present composite town,_ Kulin bride-g!ooms like the Chatterjees from does not have any illustrious history nor is it noteworthy Garalgachha, the Banerjees from Khardaha and the for having been the permanent residence of any Mukherjees from Khamargachhi and Dhitra village to important landlord or Zemindar. Situated in a lonely and Uttarpara for sertling the marriages of their daughters. sequestered corner of the river Hugli and studded with Gradually the sparsely populated tract of land began to numerous large marshes and swamps of aquatic leaves be increasingly densely populated in the wake of and grasses, willow weeds and reeds, it is an antiquated immigration of so many people.5 place with no records of its past, worth the pen of a

20 historian's scribe. Kotrung is first mentioned in the on the bank of the river Hugli, as at present. Again, poem of Bipra Dasa (1495 AD). Again in connection with Bhadrakali was the permanent residence of the the voyage to the sea of the legendary bhanapati Zemindar Bireswar Banerjee and the office of the Sadagar, it is recorded in Mangal Kavya9 (16th century) Kotrung Municipality was housed in his residence. Sri in the following line: Ramkrishna visited Bhadrakali probably in 1883-84 and came to the house of one of his deVotees. Konnagar, Kotrung eraiya jai Bhadrakali is also famous for the peaceful I n other words, the ship passes away along co-existence of people of different castes and Konnagar and Kotrung, That Kotrung is very old in communities. The Darga of the Pir co-exists side by antiquity can also be proved by the fact that in old days side with the temple of the Lord Siva. The temple of the even Bally was sometimes referred to as Kotrung Bally Dharmaraj, specially worshipped by the Jugis, is also while Bhadrakali was referred to as Kotrung-Bhadrakali. claimed to be very old. Haranathpur in Bhadrakali is It is also popularly believed that in the 16th century, specially sacrosan:t to the Muslims, for being the site of Lord Sri Chaitanya had visited the villa'ge and took Manick Pir; and people of different castes and

shelter in the house of one Ram Chandra Khan. Even communities visit this shrine even today. Likewise, the I though the authenticity of the above claim is yet to be Doljatra festival of Bhadrakali is more than 250 years established, it is recorded in Chaitanya Charitramrita by 01d. 11 And lots of festivities and merry-making in Krishna Das Kabiraj that Nityananda Mahaprabhu had Bhadrakali centre round this festival. accompanied Lord Sri Chaitanya to the bank of the Ganges (river Hugli) in the Rarh Country.10 PRE-URBANISATION DAYS

Kotrung has since time immemorial had a Prior to the settlement of the Subarna Chowdhury considerable floating population of males who worked families in the referent town around 17 t 0, the riparian in the brick and tile factories by the side of river Hugli. It tracts comprising present Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and is claimed that the historical Fort William in Calcutta was Kotrung were remote villages of backward communities built of bricks manufactured in Kotrung. The like the Jelias, the Malos, the Tiyars. the Bagdis, the Corporation of Calcutta had also a large brick field here Kaibartas, the Patnis, the Majhis etc., who subsi~ted which has long been wound up. The Kumbhakars with mostly on fishing in the river waters and marshy the surname of Pal and Tambulis with the title of Sen swamps. Other agricultural communities like the Pods, claim to be the earliest settlers of Kotrung. Kotrung was the Sad gapes, the Muslims etc, thrived on cultivation. brought under municipal administration in 1869. Till the Vast tracts of land on the bank of the river Hugli were fifties of the present century, a large part of Kotrung full of aquatic plants, grasses and reeds and other wild comprised mostly swamps and thickets and wa.s herbs and shrubs of innumerable varieties. Agricultural consequently relatively uninhabited. land for the most part was infertile. Fishing being the main occupation of a large number of people, the Bhadrakali is the third main segment of the eastern part all aiong the river Hugli was inhabited by composite town of Uttarpara-Kotrung. The name is said the fishing communities while the agricultural to have been derived from the name of a very old Kali communities lived in the interior. Large parts of land temple, which, though renovated, exists even today. were mostly uninhabited. The fishing communities used This (emple of Goddess Bhadrakali is claimed to be to build indigenously country boats like dingi, panshi, more than a thousand years old. There is no doubt that bhauJia, not only for catching fishes but also for moving the place is very old and reference to the village is about far and near. found in the map of Captain Claude Martin, drawn in 1764. As in Kotrung, most of the places in Bhadrakali After the excavation of Bally canal around 1700 too comprised marshy lands, bamboo. groves and separating Uttarpara from the mainland Bally, the thickets while the brick fields and tile factories extended surrounding areas became a den of thieves. robbers

21 and dacoities whose depredations continued untill they Chowdhuris had entirely recast their new homeland and were finally checked by the Dacoity Department of the apportioned different areas to different strata of castes, Government of West Bengal in the middle of the 19th various artisan communities like the Kumars, the Century. Ratan, the legendary -Rabin Hood of the area, Karmakars, the Tilis, the Kangshabaniks etc., being and nicknamed as Ratna Pakhi used to live in the dense settled in the outer periphery of Uttarpara. The old forests by the side of Bally canal in Makhala, just to the riparian Unarpara-Kotrung of old-modelled, improvised west of Uttarpara Railway Station. 12 They used to and dilapidated hutments gradually became a town of c.ommitt, along with their associates, 9acoities in the magnificient buildings in picturesque surroundings. The riverside villages in fast-moving dinghy boats; they a}so Brahmin. overlords and Zemindars, built a number of used to ride on ranopas (long bamboo poles with joints temples and, srrines and initiated n_umerous religious below for placing the feet) for committing dacoities in ceremonies and yv-orships, fairs and festivals with their the interior countryside and vanished within the concomitant festivities like Jatra, Kabigan, Tarja, ,Putul twinkling of an ?ye- on their swiftly-footed bamboo nach, Krishna Jatra, Dol Durgotshab and Rashme/a poles. It is said that before committing dacoity, they which marked a new epoch in the socia-cultural history I - used to worship the Goddess Kali still known as Dakati of Uttarpara-Kotrung. But the few available records and Kali, tl)e, shrine of which exists even to-day in literatures of the pre-urbqn days are, more or less, sil,ent Muktokeshi Kali temple on the bank of the river. Hugli. about lots of the common people like the farmers and Numer9us legendary stories narrating the chivalry and fishermen. heroic deeds of robber Ratan are still recounted by the hoary-headed local gentry. Among the Subarna Chowdhuris, besides Ratneswar, the founder of Uttarpara, mention may be The migration of the Subarna Chowdhuri families to made of another viz Ramhari Roychowdhury, probably the referent town around 1710 is the most significant the fifth descendant of Ratneswar. In thinking and r:nilestone in the growth and development of Uttarpara­ practice, he was much ah,ead of the thinking process of Kotrung. The Subarna Chowdhuris had ushered in a his time. Without depending on the paltry income of new era and initiated a process whereby slowly but zemindary, he accepted the work of a Mutsudhi in a steadily rpodern Uttar para shot forth from the bounds of business firm in Calcutta and later switched over to an some stray settlements of rural and backward elevated position under the East India Company and communities of fishermen and peasants. Since then, the became one of the pre-eminent persons of his time. It is referent town gradually grew into a stronghold of said that the famous Duke of Wellington (Sir Arthur Brahmanism. TraditiQn relates that after Maharaj Wellesley) who had earned undying fame and glory Nandakumar, a pious and devout Brahmin, was hanged after the Battle of Waterloo, while in Calcutta, paid ,a visit in Calcutta in 1775 during the tenure ,of th~ Governor to Uttarpara and became his guest. 13 The visit of the General Lord Warren Hastings, some of the Brahmans Duke roused a great deal of stir and commotion in the thus got totally horrified by the execution of their fellow referent town. Brahmin, 'fled with loud wailings towards the HugH and plunged into its holy waters, as if to purify themselves In the pre-urban days, Uttarpara-Kotrung was, from the guilt of having lived in a city of such a ghastly more or tess, cut. off from the outside world with animal-. crime. A llumber of these Brahmans thus migrated to driven carts and country boats being the principal Bally and Uttarpara. mec:;.ns of transport. The cars were used by the landlords and the rich. The start of construction of The referent town grew iota a centre of Brahmanical Grand Trunk Road in 1804 and its completion by learning and scholarship with a number of to/s (School 1e34-35 make the town directly accessible by road from for the learning of Sanskrit) and inhabited Calcutta and Haora. A su~pension bridge over the Bally predominantly by the Rarhi Brahamins specially under canal built in 1828-45 connected the referent town with the initiative of the S,ubarna Chowdhuris in Uttarpara areas outside. But the bridge gave way soon after its proper and Banerjees in Bhadrakali. The Subarna construction and a committee was formed to probe into

1-.22 the cause of the collapse of the bridge. A new bridge from Bihar and Orissa. was constructed on pillars and opened to the public in 1846. 14 It is said that the inauguration ceremony of the The slow but steady efflorescence of urbanisation new bridge was the first public function in Uttarpara, of Uttarpara received patronising help from the attended not only by the high dignitaries of the Mukherjee families. The process of urbanisation of government but also by the common people in large Kotrung was hastened by the Banerjees of Kotrung. It numbers. A short ancedote around an episode in 1845 was the dream of Joykrishna Mukherjee to foster a throws same interesting light on the rigid social self-sufficient town around Uttarpara, with diverse structures of the-then Uttarpara with Brahmanical socia-cultural organisations and institutions and the hegemony. Around that time, Rani Rashmani, belonging requisite infrastructures. to the famous Zemindary dynasty of Janbazar in

Calcutta, was proceeding to holy Varanasi in a boat. 15 In 1851 cholera broke out in an epidemic form in While she was passing along the river Hugli in between Uttarpara and the adjoining areas. Joykrishna Uttarpara on the west and Dakshineswar in the east, Mukherjee appreciated the necessity of a neat and she dreamt of Goddess Kalijo have invoked her saying clean town with adequate drainage and conservancy "You need not proceed so far as Benares. I am just facilities. So he initiated a movement for the here. Construct a temple here by the side of the establishment of a local self-government institution in Bhagirathi (river Hugli) and establish me there Uttarpara for providing its inhabitants with necessary permanently". At once Rani Rashmani woke up from civic amenities. A petition was submitted to the sleep and found that the boat was passing somewhere Government of Bengal to apply Act XXVI of 1850, in between Uttarpara and Dakshineswar. She at first Bengal Municipal Act. Accordingly Uttarpara was prepared to build the temple on the western bank and brought under the provisions of the Municipal Act in went straight to Uttarpara and approached the local 1853. The municipality functioned till 1862 when it was Zemindar for a plot of land for building the temple of finally dissolved because of some internal strifes and Goddess Kali. It is said that the then Brahman Zemindar dissensions. But from 1865, the municipality of of Uttarpara could not stand the idea that a Sudra, Uttarpara Lontinued to function without further break. belonging to the Kaibarta caste, could be allowed to The post-urbanization era of Uttarpara commenced in erect a temple of Goddess Kali. He flatly rejected the the fifties of the last century while the municipal prayer. Thereafter, Rani Rashmani went to functions of Kotrung town started from 1869. Dakshineswar and built the temple which has turned out to be one of the foremost centres of pilgrimage of the The middle of the nineteenth century is specially Hindus all over India. marked by different currents and cross-currents of social and political awakening. This was mostly the POST-URBANIZATION DAYS belated reaction to and the repercussion of the Renaissance movement in the nineteenth century. The transformation of Uttarpara-Kotrung into an Though Calcutta was the nerve-centre of all these urban centre is not at all fortuitous. The process of thinking processes, the same got transmitted to the urbanisation was first initiated by the Subarna nascent town of Uttarpara with its respective Chowdhuris which gradually gained momentum during socia-cultural background and traditional elitist culture. the hey days of the Chatterjees and Banerjees having Joy Krishna Mukherjee turned out to be the lonely matrimonial alliances with the former. Different votary of this entirely new socia-cultural movement. It institutions and organizations were set up and roads was because of his passion and zeal with the support of and other communication facilities were also coming like-minded comrades that various institutions like up. The Ganges Bone Mill, the first large industry of its government school, girls' school, vernacular school, kind, was set up, a number of brick fields, pantile charitable dispensary, public library etc., were founded factories and rope factories were also formed to bring in in succession during this period. Apart from the their train, large hordes of inmigrant labourers, mostly educational institutions, various, cultural and intellectual

23 associations like Uttarpara Samaj (1853) Uttarpara Interestingly enough, the Zemindars and overlords Association (1857) etc., were also established. A of the time, specially Joykrishna Mukherjee had a fortnightly Journal named Uttarpara "Pakshik Patrika genuine concern tor the allround development of the started its circulation during this time (1856-59). A people in all directions. Joykrishna Mukherjee took a section of intellectuals of Uttarpara gathered under the leading part in the construction of the tension bridge banner or Brahma Samaj and efforts were made to start over Bally Khal in 1846 and of the road between Bally a branch of Brahma Samaj in Uttarpara in 1852, and Janal in 1853, of Uttarpara Charitable Dispensary in specially under the initiative of noted educationist 1851, and of Uttarpara Public LiiJrary in 1859. Different Ramtanu Lahiri. Finally the same was established in the relief operations were also undertaken during the adjoining town of Konnagar. The intelligentsia of periodic floods, epidemics, cyclones and famines and Uttarpara also rendered yeoman's service towards the during other natural calamities. Concerned with the lot spread of female e~ucation in the region. A p'roposal of the common peasants, Joykrishna Mukherjee was sent to the Government of Bengal in 1849 for a announced a cash prize of Rs. 50q / - for the best book girl's school in Uttarpara. But the Council of Education on the peasants of Bengal. Then Rev. Lalbehari De won decided to open a girl's school in Calcutta and the the prize for his excellent book named, Bengal Peasant same (later renamed Bethune School) was started in Life or Gobinda Samanta which continues to be widely Calcutta in 1849. However, in the opening ceremony of read even today. Uttarpara Hitakari Sabha also founded the said school (Bethune School), the sincerity and an Agricultural School in the adjoing village Makhla for magnanimity of Joykrishna Mukherjee were freely stressing the importance of peasant education. Different acknowledged by Mr. Bethune. 16 Uttarpara Hitakari movements were also initiated to restrict the free sale Sabha was founded in 1863 with the avowed objective and use of intoxicating liquors. Pari passu with different of encouraging female ed~tlon al)d to ameliorate the socia-cultural movements, some undt;)r currents of social, moral and intellectuaf condition of the political upsurge were active. On October 29, 1851, the inhabitants of Uttarpara and the places adjoining. The British Indian Association was inaugurated in Calcutta Sabha conducted Lower Primary, Upper Primary and with the objective of reforming local administration of Middle Vernacular Examinations among the girls of the the country and the system of Indian Government. Hugli and Haora districts. To encourage education Joykrishna Mukherjee became one of its office bearers, among the females and housewives who could not even though he did not belong to Calcutta. He was come out of the four walls of their houses, the Sabha re-elected Vice-President of the Association in 1882. In used to conduct Zenana Examination in several districts the second Indian National Congress held at Calcutta in till 1939. The Hitakari Sabha was nicknamed a mini 1886, Joykrishna Mukherjee took an active part and female university. proposed the name of Dadabhai Naoroji as President of the session.

During . the latter half of the 19th century, two The wide net-work of transport lines also opposite streams of liberalism and conservatism were accelerated the process of urbanization. The Grand also noticed here. The liberalism was manifested in the Trunk Road connecting Uttarpara~Kotrung with Calcutta urge for higher education, English education and and Delhi in 1834~35 and the opening up of the railway female education, while the conservatism was lines placing the referent town on the railway map in manifested in the existence of Tofs and different oriental 1854 were important landmarkS in the history of the schools for the learning of Sanskrit. Again the urge for town. Towards the close of the 19th century, Uttarpara liberalism was .amply exemplified by the movement for was also connected with Calcutta by steamer services widow re-marr\Cige (Joykrishna Mukherjee being a great under Calcutta Steam Navigation Company. By the turn protagonist), BraM,ma Samaj and female education. The of the twentieth century, Uttarpara-Kotrung had earned passion for higher, English education found expr&3sion an important place among the comity of towns in view in Bhadrakali and Kotrung where a number oOf of the series of developments described earlier. Very elementary schools were also established ...' few towns, in·the whole region of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa

24 and Assam have had the distinction of having figured were made available to the citizen. The town was from the very first Census conducted in 1872 till date. brought under the scope of independent filtered supply of water in 1919. Electric lights replaced the century-old From the point of population and area, the town kerosene lamps from the streets in 1926. More and gradually became one of the few wellknown urban more kutcha roads got tarmacadamized and areas in the State. That the referent town had, all along, conservancy system was also improved. held a very pre-eminent place in the socia-cultural and politico-intellectual spheres can be understood from the From the demographic point, the history of urban galaxy of personalities, administrators, intellectuals, growth in the present century is marked by stupendous political leaders, educationists who had visited the town growth in population. The population of the town had at one time or other. Apart from the spiritual personages multiplied six times from 1901 to 1981 in course of the like Lord Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramkrishna, Rishi last eighty years. While the population had nearly Aurobindo, internationally reputed Commander-in-Chief doubled in course of the 40 years or so, during 1901 - like Sir Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington), important 41, it had nearly redoubled (3 1/2 times) in the course statesmen, administrators and intellectuals like Sir John of the last forty years in the period, 1941-1981. Several Lawrence, Governor General of India, Governor R.G. factors with direct bearing on the rapid growth of the Casey, John H.S. Cunningham, Sir W.W. Hunter, R~y. J. town may be discussed. Long, Miss Mary Carpenter, Marquis of bufferine, Sir Ashley Eden, Sir Stewart Bailes had also visited the GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE town. For some time, poet Rabindra Nath Tagore is said RAILWAYS to have lived here in his famous Bajra (specially made country boat) and composed a number of poems. The referent town ~as placed in the railway map as Among other noted personalities and leaders, mention far back as 1854 but the first railway station in the town may be made of Poet Michael Mudhusudan Dutta, Iswar viz, Uttarpara Railway Station was inaugurated only in Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, 1906. But even then in the days of the steam Surendra Nath Banerjee, Bipin Chandra Pal, Bhudeb locomotives, it took nearly forty minutes for a person Mukherjee, Dinabandhu Mitra, Ramtanu Lahiri, Hem from Uttarpara to reach Haora by train. But after the Chandr~ Banerjee, Bagha Jatin, Rashbehari Ghosh, electrification of the Railways in 1957, the journey has Barin Ghosh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Harendra Nath been reduced to less than quarter of an hour. A Banerjee, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, etc., who had commuter from the town can reach the office complex graced the town by their visits and/or sojourns. in Calcutta in the same time that a resident of Calcutta from the extreme north or south takes in reaching the SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE GROWTH OF THE TOWN city centre. This has virtually nullified the gap between the referent town and the state capital and residents of The history of the town' in the first part of the present Calcutta gradually cast their eyes on Uttarpara-Kotrung. century centres roundtihe benevolent activities of the Zemindars like flaja Peary Mohan Mukherjee, Raja Jyot THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WILLING DON BRIDGE Kumar, the scramble for power during periodic (VIVEKANANDA SETU) municipal elections and increasing popular participation in the offices thereof, growths of popular movements Prior to the construction of the Vivekananda Setu and struggles against the foreign administration in 1931, the referent town had virtually no link with the specially under the leadership of local revolutionary northern part of Calcutta city and specially with urban leader Amarendra Nath Chatterjee and increasing centres like Baranagar, Dakshineswar, Anriadaha, Socia-cultural participation of the people in the festivals Kamarhati, Belghoria except by ferring across the river and ceremonies, dance, drama and music, sports & Hugli by country boats. But the construction of the ga~es, football, baich (regatta) etc. It is during ~~~rtfnt:~·~rw the opening of the Sealdha - Oankuni line of penod that more and more civic and urtla~itles the Easteln ~~ways, via Bally brought the referent town closer to northern Calcutta and made Uttarpara being maintained by subsidies. The effect pf attractive as a residential suburb of Calcutta. At present immigration of the displaced persons to the town is a commuter from the referent town can reach north reflected in the population figure of the town which shot Calcutta almost within half an hour along this route. up from 31,303 in 1951 to 52,163 in 1961. The decade added 20,860 persons to the town in registering an INAUGURATION OF HIND MOTOR FACTORY all-time record of decadal growth of 66.64 per cent.

The commisSioning of Hind Motor Factory in 1948-49, incidentally one of the largest industrial THE AMALGAMATION OF TWO MUNICIPALITIES establishments in the country, on the western periphery of Ward No. XIV (Kat rung) , is another significant event The amalgamation of the municipalities of in the growth and development of the .town. Apart from Uttarpara and Kotrung in 1964 is another important making the town economically more viable in event in the history of the town. Uttarpara MuniCipality employing a large number of residents of the town in had functioned independently from 1853 to 1862 and the factory, the automobile factory also brought a large from 1865 to 1964, while the Municipality of Kotrung number of labourers and office workers from all parts of had, functioned independently from 1869 till: 1964. The eastern and southern India. As the residential colonies merger of the two Municipalities into one composite in the factory cater for the housing needs of only a Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality brougot within its fold limited number of the workers, a large number of the entire area from Bally khal in th& south to Konnag~r workers settled in the referent town and the increasing town in the north and from railway lines in the west to demand for accommodation caused a hike in rentals for the river Hugli on the east. After the merger, the town houses. Prices of land also soured unimaginably high gained in status as a class II town (population varying as a consequence. between 50.000 to 99,999). There is a history behind the merger of the muniCipalities of Utl'arpara and Kotrung. PARTITION OF INDIAN AND ITS AFTERMATH In the Darjeeling co_nference of Chairmen and representatives of different Municipalities held in The Partition of India is another important milestone Darjeeling on 6th and 7th June, 1959, Late Dr. B.C. Roy in the history of the growth and development of the the-then Chief Minister of West Bengal gave a call to the town. Of the three segments of the town, Uttarpara smaller municipalities to get merged with the adjoining proper was already overpopulated. The direction of the Municipalities so as to become more- viable as a uprooted people from across former East Pakistan was functioning unit. He specially mentioned the, name of obviously towards Bhadrakali and Kotrung. But the Uttarpara Municipality and proposed that it should be referent town has had the unique distinction of receiving merged with the adj9ining Municipalities to thus thrive the displaced persons in a more befitting and ~ignified all the more. In the light of lhe above .recommendation, manner than in the case of most other refugees the issue was discussed threadbare in the meeting of colonies in the state. These helpless immigrants from the Uttarpara MuniCipality on 28th September, 1963 and beyond the borders were accommodated in colonies, it was resolved to merge tile Municipalities of Uttarpara, specially acquired for them by the Government on th_e and Kotrung along with the areas of the Hindustan khas lands, cleared-up jungles and forests and Motor Factory under the Makhla - Noapara Union Board specially-filled swamps and marshy lands. The work of and resolutions were sent to the concerned rehabilitation started mostly from 1955-56 in phases. ~epartments of the Government. SUQsequently the two Majority of the colonies in Bhadrakali and Kotrung have Municipalities of Uttarpara and Kotrung were merged been brought under scheme number I while the rest into one by Government order No. 4509/MIM1134..s3 under: scheme number II, extending over the adjoining dt. 3rd August, 1964. The amalgamated Municipality town, Konnagar. The Government have since been was named Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality, and twenty running its own colony in Bhadrakali where the old, members were nominated by the government to aet as disabled and infirm persons and their dependents, are municipal representatives pending the next ~ection.

26 CHANGES IN SIZE AND BOUNDARY CHANGES IN lAND UTILISATION PATTERN

In 1795 the district or Hugli was separated from the Time series data on land-use pattern for tht:: ~dlstrict or Barddhaman. At that time. the referent town referent town being not available from the concerned was included in the Police Station of Baidyabatl in the agencies. any statistical analysis is ruled out. The .district of 24 Parganas. But the Police Station of riparian strips of land on Bally canal on the one hand 8aidyabati was brought within the district of Hugli In and between the river Hugli and National Highway 2 on 181417 and since then Uttar para has been included in the other can be identified as industrial areas in the the present district of Hugli. Haora was created as a town. since all the three medium-sized industries and separated district after bifurcation from Hugli. in 1843 the numerous brick. pantile, surki (brick powder) and (Government order No. 268 dated 27.2.1843) and the saw mills are located in the zone for a very long time. In 8aIJy Khal. originally separating the northern segment the foregoing two or three decades, numerous (Uttarpara) from the main land Bally. became the final small-sized engineering. plastic. small tool and lathe dividing line of the two adjoining districts of Hugli and workshops have been established in all parts of the Haara. Then. Chakbali. a small tract of land near Bally town, without any definite plan or purpose. Again, few canal and included in Uttarpara was separated from marketing and shopping complexes have grown in Uttarpara and was lnc\uded in the town of Ba\\y. Aga\n a those areas which aTe mOTe OT \ess recent sett\ements separate village known as Kashibati existed as far back like the Kanthal Bagan area in Uttarpara. Sakher Bazar as the middle of the 19th century but at the time of the and Haranathpur Road in Bhadrakali and Hind Motor construction of the railway line of East I ndian Railways Station area and colony area in Kotrung. Further, the (now Eastern Railways) in 1854 the village was inmigration of outsiders since the fifties of the present bifurcated with the western part included in Makhla century obviously had set in changes in the use of land village and the eastern part of Kashibati finally merged from non-residential including agricultural and fallow with Uttarpara. There has been no change in the area lands to residential land. Thus vast tracts of land in and boundary of Uttarpara-Kotrung since then. The Bhadrakali (southern and western parts) and Kotrung referent town comprises three parts of three district have been converted into residential colonies, specially mouzas. part of Kotrung (JL No.8) part of Bhadrakali by the displaced persons and other inmigrants. No data (JL No. '9) and part of Uttarpara (JL No. 12). being available on this aspect, any further analysis has not been attempted. Again prior to 1845. the referent town formed a part of the Dwarhatta subdivision of Hugli. but in 1845 the POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TOWN East India Company purchased the whole of present Serampore from the Danes and the referent town was The singlemost important demographic feature of transferred to the jurisdiction of Serampore subdivision the referent town is the continuous accretion of and was included in the police station of Baidyabati, but population in the riparian tract of only 7.25 sq. kms. of in 1878 Baidyabati was transferred to Singur Police area leading to a rapid growth in population. The Station and Uttarpara was transferr~d to the Police density of population per sq. km, which stood at 4,318 Station of Serampore. in 1916 a separate Police Station in 1951 shot up. to 7,195 in 1961, reached 9.320 in 1971 was created in Uttarpara with the referent town within its and 10,979 in 1981., The growth of households has been jurisdiction. to the tune of 114.7 per cent in 1951-61, 28.9 per cent in 1961-71 and 23.5 per cent in the decade of 1971-81. A move is now afoot to include Makhla and Bhadrakali mouzas including the Hind Motor Factory The growth of population in the early census years area within the referent town. prior to the fifties was characterized by the stream of

27 immigration of labours mostly from Bihar, I Orissa and The sex-ratio of the town with 819 females, per Uttar Pradesh for working in various establishments in thousand males In 1961 has gradually Increased to 908 the town, but, that in the decades after the fifties has in 1981. With the stream of inmigration specially of the been characterized by the inmigration of displaced displaced persons and the neo-settlers from the persons. Again, the pattem of growth of population in metropolitan city and other municipal areas, the very recent years has been characterized by the semi-industrial town is assuming more and more the inmigration of the 'centrifugal spin-ofts' from the character of a residential town metropolitan city.

Table 2.1 - Variation In Demographic Characteristics in the Town

Reference Year becadal growth rate Density per sq. km. Sex-ratio Percentage of literates

1 2 3 4 5

1951, + 36.0 4,318 792 41.9 1961 + 66.4 7,195 819 58.8 1971 + 29.5 9,320 827 66.0 1981 + 17.8 10,979 908 76.5

Side by side with the change in sex-ratio, a gradual Nearly 98 per cent of the residents of the town are rise in the percentage of literates is also noticeable. The Hindus, a little over two per cent are Muslims, while percentage of literates which stood at 41.9 in 1951, person belonging to other religions are almost gradually changed to 58.8 in 1961, 66.0 in 1971 and insignificant. 76.5 in 1981 reflecting partly the educational attributes of the inmigrant population. The percentage of VARIATION IN PRICES OF LAND Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had all along, been insignificant in a town with traditional hegemony The single act of the electrification of the railways in of the so-called upper castes like the Brahmans and the 1957 brought the refer~nt town closer to the heart of the Kayasthas. But the settlement of a large number of metropolitan centr-e, and the attention of the outsiders Namasudra community in tile numerous refugee was drawn to Uttarpara-Kotrung and its surrounding settlements has considerably ~hot up the percentage areas. But by that time, most of the vacant residential figure of the Scheduled Castes to 3.69 of the total stretches of land, specially in BhadrakaJi and Kotrung, population of the town. There are only five Wards in the were taken over by the Government and converted into town viz. I, II, V, XI and XIX where the percentage of the colonies for the displaced persons. The never-ending Scheduled Castes exceeds five per cent of the total demand for a residential plot of land coupled with the population. It is interesting to note that about 25 per virtual non-availability of the same had raised the price cent of the Scheduled Castes mostly belonging to of land to dizzy heights. Namasudra community, are concentrated in Ward No. XIX. The percentage of Scheduled Tribes is 0.39 of the Among the three segments in the town, Uttarpara total population. There are only two Wards in the town has almost reached saturation point so far as availability viz. XIV and XVII having more than one per cent of the of residential plots is concerned. A few plots are population belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. The available here and there only in patches, and the most Scheduled Tribe population in the town can be recent trends is to fill up tanks, ponds and other identified as the Oraons, the Mundas and the Santals. low-laying areas, so as to convert them into residential

28 plots, the price of which varies from Rs. 40,000/- to Rs. Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority is 60,000/- per 67 sq. metres of lanet In Bhadrakali too, as engaged in the preparation of existing land-use map. in Uttarpara, most of the lands in Ward numbers IX, XI, But the same for Uttarpara-Kotrung has not yet been XII and IV have already been converted to residential prepared. plots where buildings have already been constructed. Only a few low-lying areas In Ward numbers X and XIII HISTORY OF INMIGRATION AND OUTMIGRATION are still vacant specially near the railway lines where the average price for 67 sq. meters of land varies from Rs. It had been mentioned in the earlier sub-section 2,5000/- to Rs. 40,000/- on an average. dealing with the growth history as to how the town, in its embryonic form, was formed by the illustrious Subarna In Kotrung, which was largely uninhabited in the Chowdhuries who had got Uttarpara-Kotrung resettled beginning of the fifties, all the available plots including in the beginning of the 18th century by full-scale low-lying swampy lands and jungles had already been migration of their entire clientele and patrons consisting converted into colonies for the displaced persons. of scholars, intellectuals, astrologers, priests and other However, a few plots are still available in Ward Nos. XIV artisan communities from the adjoining areas of the and XX and the average price per 67 sq. metres of land present town of 8arrackpur. The subsequent history varies from rupees 15,000 to rupees 40,000. But some has witnessed the gradual consolidation of different of the plots, in Ward No. XIV specially in the vicinity of castes and communities in different parts of the town. the Marwari Patti, fetch as high a price as rupees sixty The pattern of migration in the earlier years is reflected thousand rupees per 67 sq. metres. by the stream of inmigration of labours mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa, mostly in the brick EXTENT OF LAND SPECULATION fields, tile and pantite factories and Surki (brick powder) mills in the town. The growth rate of population is quite The unique locational advantage of the referent town significant 11.39 and 11.16 in the two Census decades coupled with its tranquil and peaceful surroundings as a 1891 - 1901 and 1911 - 1921 respectively. Most of the residential town gave a spurt to speculative activities in factories reportedly started their operation during these land, but the speculators have hardly had any scope two decades. here because of non-availability of vacant land. Among the dealers in land and real estates, special mention The first great spurt to the inmigration in the may be made of one Verma and Company which combined town was observed in the decade of 1931 - purchased a substantial area of land measuring about 41 'when population in the town registered a steep rise three to four acres by the side of the railway track of by 6,501 persons (39.38 per cent). Several factors Uttarpara in the seventies. At present, the company is contributed to the sudden influx of population. First, engaged in selling small-sized ownership flats at a price after the opening up of the Willingdon Bridge (present varying from rupees eighty thousand and to one lakh. Vivekananda Setu) connecting the referent town with No organised speculative activity has been observed in the northern metropolitan fringe and the subsequent any other part of the-town. Again, some of the original introduction of railway Jines over the bride during this residents of the town, having substantial excess of land, decade, the referent town became more popular as a are reaping abnormal profits by sale of land in the face residential suburb of Calcutta. Further the prospect of of its exorbitant price. No rules and regulations either the World War and its actual escalation in 1939 resulted for checking speculative activity in land have ever been in a large-scale flight of population from Calcutta, a framed. It is mentioned by the local Muhicipal good number of which had reportedly settled in the authorities that in giving sanction to plan for factories, calm and serene suburban town. due consideration is taken in seeing that they are located at a reasonable distance from predominantly The decade of 1941-51 shot up the population of Jhe residential areas. The Town and Country Planning Act, town by 36 per cent. The commiSSioning of the Hind 1979 has provisions for regulation of land-use. The Motor Factory in 1948-49 attracting a good number of

29 labourers and the Partition of the country in 1947 growth and history of the town, the river Hugli on the Initiating the process of inmigration of the displaced one hand and Bally canal on the other are specially persons are the other contributing factors to the important. Needless to mention, it was the location of Intensified growth rates. the river Hugll that had motivated the earty Subarna Chowdhuries to choose the present site of Uttarpara~ The post-Partition decade of 1951-61 registered an Kotrung. likewise, the excavation of Bally canal all-time record growth rate of 66.64 per cent by adding separating the northern part

30 Lastly, the physical landscape and topography develoPl'J1ent of the already congested town. There is including the railway lines on the extreme west, the river no scope for the referent town to expand within and Hugli on the extreme east, the Bally canal on the south outside. act9d as contributory factors to the future growth and

Notes:

1. Bengal District Gazetteers _ 24 Parganas _ L.S.S.O' Malley Calcutta 1914, p. 217. 2. Uttarpara Adikatha_ Lalit Mohan Mukherjee in 125th Foundation Anniversary Vol. of Uttarpara Public Library, 1984. p. 3. 3. Bengal District Gazetteers, Howrah _ L.S.S.O' Malley and Monmohan Chakravarti, Calcutta, 1909, p. 150. 4. Banshabali Grantha_B.C. Mukherjee, 1857. 5. Uttarpara Adikatha, op. it. p. 4. 6. Bengal District Gazetteers, Hooghly by L.S.S.O' Malley and M. Chakraborty, Hooghly, Calcutta 1912, p. 7. O'Malley, ibid, pp. 228. 8. O' Malley. ibid, p. 227. 9. A brief resume of Uttarpara-Bhadrakali-Kotrung-Makhla by Prof. Rattindra Chatterjee in the foundation magazine of Uttarpara

Amarendra Vidyapiths (Girls). ~985, pp. 11. 10. Prof. Rathindra Chatterjee ibid, pp. 11. 11. Census of 1961, Volume 16, Part Paschim Banger Puja Parban Mela Vol. 2, p. 822. 12. Uttarpara Adikatha by Lalit Mohan Mukhapadhyaya 125th Foul1dation Anniversary Volume of Joykrishna Public Library, 1984, pp. 2. 13. Uttarpara Bibaran by Abani Mohon Banerjee, Uttarpara, 1920, ceo pp. 14. A Bengal Zemindar by Nilmani Mukherjee, 1975, pp. 15. Param PurY$h Srj Ramkrishna by Achinta Kumar Sengupta; p-I, pp. 29, Calcutta 1952. 16. Joykrishna Mukherjee _A short life sketch (coUectioo) in 125th Foundation Anniversary Volume of Joykrishna Public Library 1984, pp. 6. 17. Uttarpara Pourasabhar Itikatha by Madhusudan Bandopadhyaya in 125th Foundation Anniversary of Uttarpara Joykrishna Public Library. 1984, pp. 15.

31

CHAPTER .. III

AMENITIES AND SERVICES ~ HISTORY OF GROWTH AND THE PRESENT POSITION

INTRODUCTION Uttarpara to improve and clear its roads, and to look after the health and sanitation. Accordingly as per Enlightened Joykrishna Mukherjee and son of his Gazette Notification dated 3rd June, 1~52, the friends from the early part of the nineteenth century MUnicipality of Uttar Para came into being and the first dedicated themselves to the building of all the meeting of the Municipality, was held on 14th April, nec~ssary infrastructures including roads, bridges, ferry 1853. Earlier Serampore Municipality, established in service and to the creation of all amenities like water­ 1851 at the in~tiative of the European community, supply, conservancy, transport and communications, ceased to function due to various deferences of opinion and setting up of various organizations and institutions between the European community and the local Bengali including schools, colleges, dispensary, cultural and community. Besides, unlike Uttarpara, it was not a voluntary associatitions so as to pave the way for a representative body, and as such, it could not be self-contained urban-centre in Uttarpara, so much so termed as a real local self government. It has been that the residents need not have to move outside. The recorded in the first Annual Report (1853-54) of Yeomen's service rendered by a long line of those Uttarpara Municipality: benevolent Zemindars, philanthropists of the towns laid down the foundation of the referent town so that it could ''This was the second town in Bengal in which the blossom into what iUs to-day. By providing its citizens Act (Act XXVI of 1850) has been voluntarily adopted by with all necessary anemities and services, for nearly the inhabitants. The first town was Serampore, but hundred and fifty years, it has become almost a Uttarpara was the first town having a purely native pioneering town. Endowed with a rich tradition of population in which the Act was introduced, and thus scholastic and elistist culture the fawn has had the rare the inhabitants have obviously gained great honour". distinction of having a long innings of municipal Again, in course of review of the functioning of the functioning and the heritage of an old institution of local XXVlth Act of 1852, it has been pointed out by Mr. E.E. government. The municipal town of Kotrung, on the Pargiter, an ex-judge of the High Court of Calcutta in other hand, had always been on a lower level of the preface of a book, "only one Municipality in Bengal development, compared to Uttarpara. (Uttarpara in the Hugli, district) dates its birth from this year." A ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, STATUTORY BOOtES The Municipality of Uttarpara was originally housed The referent town is rich in municipals tradition. The in a room provided by the local charitable djspensary. Municipality of Uttarpara, originally established in 1853, There were two permanent members of staff of the is claimed to be one of the oldest MuniCipalities in the Municipality, viz., a clerk on a monthly pay of Rs. &ix entire Sube BangIa comprising Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and a peon on a monthly pay of rupees four. and Assam.l In 1851, Joykrishna Mukherjee and a few Subsequently, two coolies at a monthly salary of rupees other leadering personalities of Uttarpara appealed to four and six chowkidars at a monthly salary of rupees the Government to apply the Act XXVI of 1850 to five were included in the pay rolls. The civic consciousness of the early town fathers is amply voters was 374. Women franchise was not yet reflected by the fact that four bhessiis (water-carriers) introduced. Again, the total number of rate-payers in were engaged in 1854 at a monthly salary of rupees five Uttarpara Municipality stood at 1350 representing 19.1 for cleaning the streets with water. per cent of the population in 1899-1900.3 The MUnicipal Committee consisted of 12 numbers, eight elected and By 1859, carts driven by bullocks were engaged for four nominated. The annual income during this period removing the garbages in the town. The annual income varied from rupees 13,675 to rupees 14,770. In 1907"()8, of Uttarpara Municipality in 1854 stood at Rs. 1021 and the annual income was rupees 16,567 against an annual 12 annas. In 1860, same differences of opinion cropped expenditure of rupees 14,282. It was also reported that up among the Commissioners on the issue of the the incidence of taxation per head was the highest in modus operandi of charging tax an income and some the district and stood at rupees Two, annas four and new proposals were sent to the Government of Bengal. one paisa. But at that time the Government were busy in framing a new set of Municipal Acts and hence, the proposals The average annual income in the Municipality of sent to the Government were not passed and as a Kotrung during the period of 1900 to 1905 varid result, the Municipality of Uttarpara ceased to function between Rupees 4,276 to Rupees 5,133, the number of from 1862. rate payers being 1,275 representing 21.5 per cent of the population. Out of the nine Commissioners, three In 1863, a Union Committee was temporarily set up were nominatted and six elected. In 1907-1908, the in Serampore covering all the thrEl,e segments of annual income rose to Rupees 7,588. Compared to Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and Kotrung to look after the Uttarpara Municipality the incidence of taxations per affairs of the civic administration. head was much lower and stood at rupee one and annas tour per head. The Municipalities of Uttarpara Hugli-Chinsurah and Serampore were set up in 1865 as per the Act No. III of It is interesting to note in this connection that in the 1864 along with two other Municipalities in the district election to the post of the president of Uttarpara In 1866 hackney curriages replaced the bhesstis for Municipality in 1900, the SUb-divisional Officer of washing the streets with water and street lamps were Serampore, who happened to be a European, was introduced in 1870. The Municipality was delimited into defeated by one Narendra Nath Mukhopadhyaya four wards. The Municipality of Kotrung was established belonging to the Zemindar family of Uttarpara by five in 1869 as per the provisions of Act. VI of 1868. It votes to there. This happened to be a very memorable comprised two wards, one representing Kotrung and incident and caused a sensation in the area and it was another representing Bhadrakali. reportedly the first instance of the defeat of a European in civic election. Birewswar Banerjee, the-then petty Zemindar of Bhadrakali, happened to be the first vice-President of By"the first quarter at the present century, the the Municipality while one European became the municipal administration became very popular in both President. The office of the Municipality, at the outset, the MuniCipalities of Uttarpara and Kotrung. Though was situated in the outhouse of the Kotrung Zemindar, separate, the two adjoining MuniCipalities co-operated compared to Uttarpara, the Municipality of had not with each other in various areas. The same lady Medical received the patronage of afflucut persons. The annual Officer worked in buth the Municipalities. There was receipts of Kotrung was also much lower. Hence as a also one joint Vaccinator for both the Municipalities. The Municipal town, Kotrung could not develop as fast as power structure in both the towns veered round holding Uttarpara did. Municipal offices and portfolios and the elites sections in both Uttarpara and Kotrung took a leading part in the In 1887-88, the total number of rate-payers in Municipal power structure. According to some elderly Uttarpara Municipality was 951 while the total number of persons, many a time the Municipal authorities shared

34 the vievJ$ of the British Government in totality and the Authorities against the proposal. title of Raja, Rai Saheb, Rai Bahadur etc. were profusely conferred or them. The sliver Jubilee celebration of the Since the formation of the new Municipality, two rule of GeQrge the V, King of England. was celebrated in Municipal election have taken place and the the town at the Initiative of the Municipal Authorities with Municipality is functioning quite smoothly and pomp and splendour. Likewise, the murder of Col. efficiently. An impressive new building has been Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons of Bengal constructed for the Municipality and a Gana Bhawan and the attack on Mr. Nelson, the-then Judicial (Town Hall) has also been recently opened. The Secretary to the Government of Bengal by the Municipality has a total staff strength of 278. revolutionaries were seriously condemned in the special resolutions adopted in the proceedings of Uttarpara OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES Munlcipci1ity in 1931. The Police Station of Uttarpara is located in The down of Independence injected new elements in Utlarpara town, on the National Highway 2. The first MuniCipal Administration and elections were held to the Police outpost in the town was set up as far back as MuniCipalities according to the principles of universal 1875 when Uttarpara was included in the Police station adult suffrage arid gradually the principle of Democratic of Serampore. In 1916 Uttarpara was formed into a Decentralisation was also introduced. separate police station and since then. the police station is located in the town. The present building The merger of the two altogether separate locating the police station was opened in 1983. The Municipalities of Uttarpara and Kotrung in 1964 is a very police station has a total staff of 49 including six \ significant event in the SOCia-political history of the sub-Inspectors of Police, six Assistant Sub-Inspectors, town. In course of annual conference of the twenty constables, three drivers and 14 Home Guards. Municipalities of West B~ngal in Oarjeeling in 1959, Dr. ~sides the Police station, there are also two police B.C. Roy, the-then Chief Minister of West Bengal outposts (Phanris) in the town, one located in Kotrung approved the proposal of the merger of several with a strength of 27 including 25 constables and 2 MuniCipalities on the bank of the river Hugli into a Head constables while the Uttarpara outpost in Riparian Municipality. The lead was taken by the two Uttarpara is named by 27 Constables including two Municipalities of Uttarpara and Kotrung and specific Head Constables. proposals for the merger of the two Municipalities in order to form a more viable and efficient Municipal The office of the Circle Inspector of Police is also Body, were adopted and sent to the Government of located in Uttarpara on Amarendra Sarani, by the side West Bengal. The two Municipalities were amalgamated of the river Hugli. The jurisdiction of the circle extends Int~ Uttar~ra-Kotrung Municipality in 1964 by the to three adjoining Police Stations of Chonditala, Government Order No. 4509/M-1 M-134/63 dated 3rd Jangipara and Uttarpara. The Circle Inspector August, 1964. The amalgamated Municipality was supervises the day-to-day activities of the police divided into 20 wards and 20 Commissioners were stations. The total strength of staff in the office is seven. nominated. In order to make the new Municipality more viable and self sufficient, the Co.mmissioners adopted The circle office of settlement operations in the unanimous resolution to extend the sphere of the Uttarpara police station is located in Upper Haranhatpur Municipality and to include the western tracts of land, Road in Bhadrakali. A Circle Officer is the head of the on the other side of the railway line. including Hind office. The total staff strength is approximately fifty. Motor Factory area and the mouzas of Makhla and Bhadrakali. The Government of West Bengal is said to There is also one Employees' State Insurance have accepted the proposals in principle, but the office located on Upper Hanathpur Road in Bhadrakali. Implementation of the same Is being delayed by a legal The jurisdiction of the office is co-terminous with the sult'filed in the High Court of Calcutta by the Factory jurisdiction of police station of Uttarpara. The staff

35 strengths including a Manager and twelve other schools, an office assistant and a Peon. The function of members. the office is to supervise the working of the Primary School in the town and other adjoining areas. A Section Office of the Public Works Department is located within the hospital compound of Uttarpara WATER-SUPPLY General Hospital. The total staff include one Sub-Assistant Engineer, three work assistants and The Water Treatment Plant was estabHshed in seventeen Mazdoors. It is under the office of the Uttarpara proper as for back as 1918 and the citizens Assistant Engineer, serampore SUb-division of the were supplied 28,000 gallons of filtered water daily from Public Works Department. It is entrusted with the 1st October, 1918. Some of the afflucent persons in the responsibility of maintenance of several roads including town, specially Raja Jyot Kumar Mukherjee, ~ade the National Highway and twelve Government buildings munificent contribution to the establishment of the in the town. The Rationing Office of Uttarpara Police Treatment Plant, some of the components of machinery Station is located an National Highway 2 in Bhadrakali. of which were imported from England. The staff strength is 18 including the RatioAing Officer. Even to-day students of Hydraulic Engineering of One Divisional Office of the Calcutta Metropolitan some of the neighbouring universities come to Development Authority (C.M.D.A.) named Hugli Uttarpara and visits and Uttarpara Water Plant. , Divisional Water Supply and Environmental Hygiene ('N.S. and E.H.) is also located in Uttarpara, a little far The responsibility of supplying filtered water to the from the National Highway. It is one of the three citizens lies on the Municipality. At present, out of Divisional Offices of C.M.D.A. in the district of Hugli. The estimated 18,000 households in the town (15,659) office was established in the town in ~ 974-75. household as per 1981 Census), there are only 4701 house connections of piped water and over 300 road The office is to supervise the different phases of tapes. Taking into account the fact that a number of Developmental Work undertaken in connection with households belonging to the economically weaker Calcutta Urban Development Project III (C.U.D.P.). It sections share a common tap, it is estimated that nearly also looks after the Water Treatment Plant at Ariadaha, 40 per cent of the households in the town come .under in North 24 Parganas. Jhe other areas of work include piped water-supply, while the remaining 60 per cent sinking and maintenance of deep tube wells, pipe lines, have to collect drinking water from the prjvate tube street taps and restoration of roads in its division. The wells and road-side cylindrical tubewells. There are staff of the office include one Divisional Engineer, four three sources of supply of drinking water to the town Assistant Engineers, and 4 ~ others members of the viz. river water, deep tube well and tube wells. staff. Besides the old water works, there are at present There are also seven branches of four nationalised seven deep tube-wells in the town, three of which are banks and one co-operative bank, details of which will located in Uttarpara proper, two in Bhadrakali and two be given in Chapter IV. in Kotrung. The present rated capacity of the water treatment plant works is ~ ,60,000 metric gallons per day Details of same more public utility offices would be (m.g.d.) _while that of the seven deep tube wells is dealt in the concerned sections dealing with various 13,20,0000 m.g.d. Because of the location of the water public amenities. works in Uttarpara proper, the position of piped water supply is said to be quite satisfactory in Uttarpara, more A circle office of the sub-Inspector of schools, or less good in Bhadrakali but not so in Kotrung where Government of West Bengal is located near the much work has to be done to bring the vast majority of crossing of Ram Lal Dutta Road and Parmer Road in the population living in various colonies under the Ward No. 10. The staffs include a sub-Inspecter of coverage of tapped water supply. On an average 15

36 lakh gallons of filtered water are suppllea aally. ljeSlaes MUnicipal Water Project has been undertaken by the there are approximately 387 shallow tube-wells. Calcutta Metropolitan Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (C.M.W.S.A.) at an estimated project cost of The total length of the distribution network comes to Rupees 15 crores. The project is expected to be a little more than 50 kilometres in length. The total staff completed by April 1989. The Trans Municipal project strength in the Water Supply Department of the envisages supply of drinking water to all the Municipality is 50 including one sub-Overseer, five Municipalities from Bhadreswar to Uttarpara-Kotrung pump operators, five assistant pump operators and one including the adjoining Panchayats and Blocks. electrician. The work is periodically supervised by the water-supply standing committee of the Municipality. CONSERVANCY AND SANITATION

In order to cope up 'With the ever-increasing demand The work of Sanitation and Conservancy in the for piped water-supply, efforts are beihg made by the town is in the charge of the Sanitation and Conservancy Municipal Authorities to tackle the problems effectively. Department of the municipality. The department is The number of domestic connections has been nearly manned by 183 members of staff including one Health doubled during period 1982-87. Two deep tube-wells Officer, two sanitary Inspectors, one conservancy have been sunk in 1985-86, one in Uttarpara and Supervisor, one garbage Supervisor, 3 Jamadars, 166 another in Kotrung. But the wear and tear of the old conservancy workers, four drivers, one mechanic, one machinery and parts coupled with the increased pharmacist, one night guard and five others. It is learnt pressures on them are posing big challenges to the from the old records of Uttarpara Municipality that the Municipality. Another problem has been posed by the streets of the town were regularly washed ever since the abrupt fall in the level of ground water after the drought functioning of the Municipality in 1853, but the system of 1982 when most of the tube-wells in the town has long ~allen into disuse. At present, the roads and became dry. Hence in recent years, the Municipality streets, lanes and by-lanes in Uttarpara proper are transformed the existing tube-wells into cylindrical regularly. washed. The conservancy department cleans tubewells and nearly 250 cylindrical tubewells have the drains, removes the nightsoil from the service already been transformed. The Municipality has also latrines, and also removes the garbage. acquired several tankers, each with a capacity of 330 gallans, for supplying water in case of an emergency. The existing drainage in the town runs to 91.32 The Municipal Authorities opine that once the water kilometres including 1.60 kilometres of underground projects undertaken under C.U.D.P. III are completed, drain in Uttarpara proper, 36.76 kilometres of pucca the crisis will be eased to a considerable extent. The open surface drains mostly in Uttarpara and partly in present scheme of water supply in the town is mainly Bhadrakali and 52.96 kilometres of Kutcha open drains dependent on the functioning of the deep tubewells. A mostly in Bhadrakali and Kotrung. The drains are few years back, same of the deep tube-wells ceased desited once a fortnight by rotation. Side by side with f..I.inctioning in case a motor pump got out of order. To desilting of drains, the garbages are also removed tackle this problem, the municipality, in recent years, regularly. For cleaning the the garbages are also has increased the number of pumps to 18. removed regulwly. For cleaning the garbage eight tractors (one of which is condemned), eight trailers for The main problem faced by the water-supply cleaning garbages, fourteen box typed wheel barrows, department crises mainly from occasional drop in the fourteen double-wheel barrows are mobilized. In recent voltage of electricity. Many a time, the pumps are years cycle vans are being used for cleaning the operated below 360 volts. Theft of transformer oil, garbage more efficiently from the narrow lanes and by occasional cable fault, bursting of transformer, etc. also lanes. make the problems complicated. In the town as a whole, 77 per cent of the latrines In April 1985, a water-supply project named, Trans are of the septic tank variety, nearly 14.5 per cent are

37 Pour-flush types while 8.5 per cent are service privies. with the existing service latrines in the tow.n within the course of next two years or so. The manual removal of At present, there are 13,116 latrines in the town night soils in the town has long been discontinued. including 10,201 sanitary latrines, about 1,100 service Night soli is now collected from door to door in push latrines and 1,815 Pour flush types latrines. According trolleys and then carried to a big trailer car and finally to an estimate of the Municipality, most of the 13,000 dumped into the municipal trenching ground at Makhla. odd buildings in the town have some kind of latrine. But The garbages in the town are usually dumped into the so far as households are concerned, it is found that trenching ground at Bhadrakali and also in the low nearty 73 per cent of the estimated 18,000 households lands in Kotrung. in the town have exclusive latrines of their own. As most of the households belonging to the economically weaker sections and living in near-blighted localities do In recent year. the Calcutta Metropolitan not have exclusively separate latrines and share a Development Authority is constructing Pour and flush common latrine jointly, it is presumed that the residual latrines in the town free of cost under the Ganga Action households (27 per cent) have to share latrines in Plan. common with other households. It has been observed that the number of households, not using any latrines The growth of population in the town is creating and defecating in the open space, is negligible. ever increasing demands for sanitation and conservancy. The staff at the disposal of the In recent years, the Municipal Authorities are Municipality is regarded as far too inadequate. Hence, encouraging the conversion of service latrines into inspite of best efforts of the MuniCipal Authorities, Flour and Flush types. Any citizen willing to convert the maintenance of high standards of satisfactory sanitation existing service latrines into septic tank latrines is and conservancy in the towns remain an granted a subsidy of Rs. 2215.00. Sometimes necessary unaccomplished task. Even though the cleaning cement is also sanctioned for construction. But operations are undertaken regularly in Uttarpara proper, households willing to convert existing service latrines the same are undertaken on a weekly or biweekly basis into Pour and flush types has to apply to the in Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Municipality and the same is converted free of cost by turn. Two areas in the town, viz., Uttarpara Station area and Hind Motor Station area are low-lying and get As a result of the various drives taken by water-logged after a smart shower. Again, the rain water Municipality, the number of services latrines in the town in Uttarpara flows down along the drains quite quickly, has come down from 1,970 in 1981 to 1,530 in 1986 and almost within an hour. This is possible because most of 1,1 ad in 1988. Still, the existence of so many service the drains were specially constructed in the preceding latri~~s, the authc:.>rities think, besides causing hygienic century but most of the drains in Bhadrakali and problems and environmental pollution, poses big specially in Kotrung are Kutcha drains and after a heavy challenge to the Municipalities. Members of the staff downpour, the roads and adjoining areas get who could have been utilised otherwise have to be submerged in water. Some times, it takes two to three deployed in the day-to-day operation for cleaning the days for the accumulated water to recede. night soil. The Municipal Authorities engage sixteen night soil trailers and 70 mini trolleys for remaining the Even after the merger of the two municipalities, the night soil. Again to cope with the problem of periodic pre-eminent pOSition of Uttarpara proper as an ideal cleaning of the septic tank latrine, the Municipality has town, so far as cleanings is concerned, is maintained. recently opened a Sanitary Privy Clearance Cell. The as many as nine sweepers are deployed for cleaning citizens can now get their sanitary privies cleared by the roads in Uttarpara proper regularly, but the roads in depositing a sum of Rs. 30/- with the authorities Bhadrakali and Kotrung are- not regularly cleared concerned. The Municipal Authorities hope to do away likewise.

38 Again, 54 drains coolies are deployed for cleaning POWER different drains in the eight wards of Uttarpc\ra proper, The town has been electrified since 1925. Calcutta while only 45 drain collies are deployed for the cleaning Electric Supply Corporation Limited is the agency operations in as many as 12 wards in Bhadrakali and responsible for providing the supply of electricity to the Kotrung. But this referential treatment of Uttarpara referent town. The town does not generate its own proper is not grudged and every citizen of the town electricity, but gets its supply mainly thermal, from wants to see that Uttarpara at least maintains its Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited. The pre-eminent position as a neat and clean town electricity supplied is of A.C. type. There is no separate zonal office or call-centre in the referent town, but there is a cash office for receiving payment of Electricity The Municipal Authorities hope that by the gradual charges on National Highway 2, near the Uttarpara conversion of the existing 1100 odd service latrines in Police station. The office of the District Engineer of the town, more and more sweepers, at present Electricity is located at Mahesh near Serampore, the engaged in cleaning night soils from the service latrines, SUb-divisional Headquarters of the town. would be deployed for the cleaning operations In Bhadrakali and Kotrung and then the present disparity The number of connections by type, rate for Unit, in the allotment of sweepers and drain coolies would be volume of consumption, charges due and charges evenly balanced In course of time realised etc are enumerated in the table below

Table No. 3.1 - Consumption of Electricity (1986-87) in the town

Type of Establishment Number of Volume of Charges per unit Charges due Number of application,

connections consumption dunng the penod If any, In the waiting list

2 3 4 5 6

1 Domestic (a) Llghtmg 474 190 KW 65 Paise Rs 3,60,620 00 Nil (b} Power

2 Industrial 17 85KW 90 Paise As 1,83,600 00 Nil

3 Irngatlon Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

4 Other establishment Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

5 Commencal 60 60KW 100 Rs 1,44,000 00 Nil

6 Road IIghttng Nil 3,79,800 Umts 25 Paise Rs 94,95000 Nil

39 No application is pen~ing with the office of the about ten to twelve thousand passengers in the town District Engineer, Mahesh for any type of connection, avail themselves of the private bus-route, about1500 whether domestic, industrial or commercial. persons board the state buses while about five to seven hundred persons patromise the mini bus-routes. On an ROAD· LIGHTING average about ten to fifteen thousand persons in the town avail the bus-routes. The type of street lights is mostly of the incandescent types, The average distance between two Besides, two bus-routes No. 51 between Haora and light posts on different types of roads is 35 metres. The Dunlop via Bally Khal and No. 56 between Haora and usual hours of street lighting are from 6 P.M. to 4 A.M. Bally Khal are also used by a humber of passengers The total number of light points in the town as in 1987 living in the southern segments of Uttarpara proper, were 2,135 with an average total consumption of 105.56 specially in case of suspension of bus services in the K. W,S. Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality is responsible for town. Another private bus route operates between providing street-lighting points and their maintenance, Uttarpara Railway Station and Chanclitala and thus The total annual expenses incurred by the Municipality serves as the link route with the rural hinterland. for providing stree.t-Iighting services vary from rupees two to three lakhs. On the whole, the private bus services of route number 3 is the principal bus service in the town, TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS enjoying same sort of seudo-monopolistic rights and privileges. Frequent alterations between passengers ROAD TRANSpORT and operators lead to suspensions of the bus services for two to three days at a stretch, thereby causing The town is connected by roads, railway lines and enormous hardship to the passengers on this route. ferry service along the river Hugli. The total length of Again, the width of the National Highways passing roads in the town comprises about 57 kilometres of along the town being mostly seven to eight metres, metalled road, 15 kilometres of unmetalled road, both there are frequent accidents and traffic jams, specially I maintained by the municipality and 5.15 kilometres of in the heavily congested areas, leading to frequent National Highway from Bally Kha/ to the northern end dislocation in the smooth flow of traffic. maintained by the Public Works Department of the Government of West Bengal. The road transport covers The inhabitants of the town press for the three b4s services including one private bus-route, one introduction of some more bus-routes in the town to state bus-route and one mini bus-route run by private curb the whims of the private bus operators. As the operators. The private bus-route No. 3 with an effective Highway passing through the town happens to be one strength of 51 buses connects the town with of the few principal roads connecting Calcutta, with Serampore,the-sub-divisional headquarters on the north various places in West Bengal and other states outside, and Bagbazar in Calcutta on the south. trucks and lorries add to, the congestion. Except in some parts of Uttarpara proper, there is no foot-path on The frequency of bus service on this route is one in the National Highway passing through the town. The every ten minutes. The state bus-route No. L 31 roads being frequented by pedestrians become prone connects the town with the SUb-divisional Headquarters to frequent road accidents which turn sometimes quite on one side and Esplanade, the city centre of Calcutta, fatal. on the other. The bus operates at a frequency of 20 to 30 minutes each way. The minibus-route connects the Besides the bus-routes, about a thousand cycle­ town with the sub-divisional Head-guarters on the north rickshaws ply along different roads, lanes and by-lanes and Alipore in south Calcutta on the south. There are connecting the National Highway with the two railway approximately 21 bus stoppage within the municipal station and other principal residential settlements in the limits of the town. It has been estimated that every day town. There are about two to three hundred motor cars, about , 50 motor scooters or motor cycles, fOllr assistants. in the referent town. cross. O\ier to auto-ric.l<&haws, apout fifty animal driven carts, (mostly Uttarpara-Kotrung in tlle ferrying country poat~. The drawn by bullocks) and. about seven to eight thousand ferry service eatimated t9 ~fry ijbout '200 passengers bi-cycles. dally.

FERRY ~RVICE TRAI.N SERVICES

There is al&o a ferry service connecting Uttarpara The Haora-BarddhC\man MC\in lines of the Eastern with Ari~o.aha in the North 24 P..arQanas district, across Railway pass (lIang tlle Western ~ide of the town, the riyer HugU. This servic~ is said to exist since the thereby marking the western boundary of the muntcip~1 early PCJrt of the nineteenth century. Every year, the town. The railways stqrted operating on this rout~ from highest bjdqer in an.. auct!pn is ,\ssjgned, the right of 1854, by Steam engines. V/hUe the traqk was electrified Operating tt)e ferry service with the help of in 1'957. A commlJter; fr90l ltJe referent town can reach country-boats operated by motors. The auctipn is B~NEY, ~ADAL alld. QINESH Bii9h, the heart of the arranged. altern~tely by the Municipalities of MetrQRolitan city of GalG.yttil within just half an hour. L!ttarpara-KQtrLlng and Konnagarh respectively. In The residents of tne towD ~an €lvail themselves either of 1986-87., the auction for the ferry service fetched an the two railway statipns located in the town viz., annual revenue Rs. 2QOO.00 U!tarpara. Railway Station established in 1906 and Hind Motor Railway Station established (around 1950). These II The ferry service js available between 6 A.M. to 9 two are the halting stations of most of the local A.M. Two cOl.tntry boats, run by motor engines, operate suburban trains plying betwe~n Haora-Barddhaman, simultaneously from bqth sides of the river. Each boat Haora-Tarakeswar and Haora-~atwa lines. carries 15 to 20 passengers, on an average in each trip, taking about 10 minutes to cross the river. The ticket for No mail or express train stops at elth~r of the two one-way trip costs twenty five paise. The commuters stations. On an average, 81 up trains and 89 down from the referent town. working mostly in different jute trains stop at these two st~tions. The f1rst up train mills and engineering industries is Kamarhati, Belghoria reaches Uttarpara at 4-40 A.M. and the last up train at and adjoining towns in the district of North 24 1'-48 P.M. Likewise, the first down train arrives here at Parganas avail of the ferry s~rvice while the inhabitants 3-44 A.M. while the last down train at 11.39 P.M. of Anriadaha, eelgporia, Sodepur, Kamarhati etc. Statistics about daily passenger traffic from both the Working mostly in Hindu Motor Factory and others railway stations in the town (for July to December 1987)

engineering industries or working as teachers or office are detailed• in the foJlowing> table.

Table 3.2 - Daily flow of passangers traffic from the railway stations In the to""{1 to outside places (Average from July to December, 1987)

Number of Passengers Travelling Number of Passangers Travelling on daity tickets from on Season tickets from

SINo Destination of Journey Utlarpara Station Hind Motor Station Uttar para Station Hind Motor Station

1 2 3 4 5 6

Hapra 3,100 2,850 5,800 2,700 2 U\uah 100 50 150 200 3 B~lur 100 30 50 100

41 1 2 3 4 5 6

4 Bally 200 SO 50 300 5 Konnagar 100 25 75 75 6 Rishra 100 50 150 250 7 Serampore 250 240 200 300

Table 3~ - Daily flow of passangers traffic from the railway stations In the town to outside places - contd. (Average from July to December, 1987)

Number of Passengers Travelling Number of Passangers Travelling on daily tickets from on Season tickets from

SI.No. Destination of Journey Uttarpara Station Hind Motor Station Uttarpara Station Hind Motor Station

2 3 4 5 6

8 SeoraphuU Junction 350 160 200 200 . 9 Baidyabati 170 150 40 75 10 Bhadreswar 100 30 60 100 11 Chandan Nagar 30 50 50 75 12 Chuchura 130 40 60 100 13 Hugli 75 20 50 100 14 Bandel Junction 296 40 80 100 15 Tarakeswar 112 25 30 25 16 Other Stations 300 195 150 155

Total 5,513 4,005 7,195 4,855

In view of recent rationalisation of railway fare down to the referent town. Besides Haora and Calcutta, the to the fraction of a rupee. the same denomination of other important places of destination happen to be fare holds good for a number of railway station in the Serampore, the sub-divisional head-quarters, close range. Hence it is not exactly possible to identify SheoraphuH. a commercial centre, Bally the adjoining the exact places of destination of the out going city, Rishra, another important manufacturing town, passengers. Still the table gives a general overview of Bandel, an important railway junction and Liluah, the places with which the residents of the town have the another important manufacturing centre where the maximum interaction. On the whole. Haora and for that railway workshop is also located. The average monthly matter, Calcutta happens to be the destination of earnings from the sale of railway tickets in the two __ two-thirds of the passengers. from the two railway stations vary from rupees seven to ten lakhs. There is stations in the town, the vast ..majority of whom belong no arrangement for booking of goods in either of thE;)

42 two railway stations jn the town. Formerty, goods could COMMUNICATIONS be booked from Hind Motor Railway station, but the The postal systems in the town was Introduced as system has beeR discontinued since 1978-79 because far back as 1856 when the first Post office was set up In of shortage of staff. The total number of ~taff in Uttarpara. At present there are five Post offices Uttarpara Railway station in February 1988 was 33 as including four sub-post offices and one Extra­ against 10 in Hind Motor Station. Each station has one departmental Post office In Uttarpara run by fully railway overbridge. There is also one Passengers' Union part-time staff not fully belonging to the department. in each station. Th~ main grievance of the Hind Motor Three of the Post office are located in Uttarpara Passengers' Union is the uncleanliness of HInd Motor compared to one each in Bhadrakali and Kotrung. The station while the Passengers' Union in Uttarpara want volume of transaction in the different Post offices In the an automatically operated level crossing gate. town in 1986-87 is given in the following table.

43 iab'e ~.3 -"\IoJume 'Of TrahUbUoft't n; wst Offle. In Uitarp8r.~Kotrui\srrn "'_~1

,-- SI. Name of the APproxlrm.m sale of Nuiflbtr of T~16grtmes Totart(;tephon~ calls Number otletters No. Post Offices po'§~\'Sta\'iO'i1:e:ry lr6'rn the public tete· cn,lfv@lred ~ Qn r\lpees) 'Rec'elv'a Issu6d phone bdo\tls

-s '4 5 6 .,

Uttatpara 33Ji;1fe.OO 12;5'01 ',~!sG ~'g:e N:A.

2 Bhaarakali i{)5,~.oo 2,?'60 205 ~75 648,000

3 Hifl'd Motor ~~,~ 'N11.. 'N:~. N."" 1Of900,lf1Q

~ ultMpata t3azar 1ijs,tIeO.bb NOtaenwl'y' s9%t&'M

5 RajEfil'tfra Mel'l\)'6 ''47,2'5t}.& o:!o do

Total transaction 'S13,626.bo 15,351 2,155 1,595 15,648,000

SI. Numbe( of Savings Receipt-of'Moneyorder Money order issl$d Total slaff strength No. Bank Account's (approximatefy Nu'ril):;er Amount Number Amount

(1n rupee) (In nl"P~e)

1 '9 10 i1 12 13

N.A. '~,657 1 ,6~1 ,26'S.OO <9,500 1 ;8~8,980.00 18

2 2,600 4,82'4 881,215.00 5,190 1 ,308,912.00 13

3 3,362 5,268 830,5013:Gb 1"0,1532 1,~93,8t4.00 15

4 '00 "No"'s'9~tem No systim; 3,tOO 710,'900.00 ~2

5 No syste'ffi No--t:y%Yem 'No syste'm 3,000 48E),~.OO 2

6,021,ti6.00

44 / A relatively larger alttount of mbney b~dt3rs is B. SOURCES OF FINANCE OF VARIOUS AMENITIES AND received by the Uttarpara Post office, reflecting the fact OTHER MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS that a large number of members of families here live dutside and remit money to their householi:fs by post. Most of the amenities and services in the town like Again, the amount of money issued by the different post water-supply sewerage, drainage. conservancy, offices exceeds that received by the same, by nearly road-lighting, etc. are provided by the Municipality in rupees 27 lakhs a year, signifying the exiSttJrtce of a the town. Hence the sources of finance for the various large number df rtif!!Jrahts in the town who remit money amenities and services in the town would be reflected to their klns by postal mohey order. from the various sources of income and expSnditure of the Municipality. The various sources of receipts and Besides the Post .offices, there is one Tetephbne expenditure of the Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality for Exnhange in the town which happens to -be the 1986-87 are given in the tables below. Divisional Telephone dffite of Howrah North.Division. It is tocated in an impressi'Je building en Rajrfrohan lewn. This Divisional office 'encompasses 'fi\ie teleplibne Table 3.4 - Annual receipts of the Municipality for 1986-87 exchanges, viz., Uttatpara, S~rampote, ChahtJan Nagar, Chihsurah and Tribeni. In bther Wbrds, 'the 81. No. Source of receipts Amount in Rupees juriSdiction tif the Divisional Office extSnds ftom aelur Station Road in the south to as far as tribeni in the 2 3 north. The exchange'is entirely automatic. The total 'staff of this office included ,112 regular staff and 37 baily Rate Opening balance 2,667,591 Mazdoors handed by the Divisional Engineer. 2 Total rates and taxes The referent town comes under Uttarpara Telephone (a) Tax on house and lands 2,226,776 Exchange with a capacity of 2000 lines and (b) Tax on professions and trade 1,42,670 encompasses Belur and Dankuni. In August 1987, the (c) House connection fees 1,71,824 Uttarpara Exchange had 1870 telephone lines including (d) Others 90,262 an estimated 900 lines for Uttarpara-Kotrung ·fown. The (e) Receipts from Octoroi 1,835,616 total number of telephOhe calls in the refarent towh during 1987 has been apP'rbximafely 1,10,000 calls. 3 Fees from hacncy carriages 1,365

FIRE·FIGHTING SERVICE 4 Revenue from municipal property (a) Land, building etc. 53,371 Uttarpara-Kotrung is provided with fire fighting (b) Conservancy receeipts 25,658 sehtice. A Fire Brigade station in Uttarpara was (c) From Auditorium 27,900 established in 1941-42 and is now located in a very ~Id (d) Fuel charges of ambulance 25,262 building in Amatehdra Sarani. The strength of staff at (e) Mutation fees 41,528 present is 60 including one station otfic~r and three (f) Building fees 333,567 SUb-station officers. Most of the calls of the Fire Brigade (9) Road Roller hire charge 30,785 come from the surrounding industrial belts where fite (h) Interest on Investment 46,918 mostly breaks eut in the factory premises. The 'brigade (i) Others 17,315 also responds to calls from neighbouring' towhs. The problem faced by the local Fire Brigade Cbncems 5 Grants and contributions mostly absolute and worn-out machineries and (a) Governmeent grant for DAs/A.D.As 1,821,822 appliances some of which have already fallen ihto (b) Motor vehicles grant 110,775 disuse. (c) Entertainment Tax 499,989

45 Table 3.4 - Annual receipts of the Municipality for 1986-87 Table 3.5 - Actual Expenditure for 1986-87 - contd. -contd

SI No Source of Income Amount In Rupees SI No Source of receipts Amount In Rupees 2 3 2 3 3 Public Health and Convenience (d) Tube well grant 10,000 (a) Water supply 1,474,607 (e) Rood grant· 225,000 (b) Conservancy charges 1,724,705 (f) Nlkashl Dram under dlstnct plan 250,000 (c) Medical charges, Health and sanitation 214,739 (g) Developmental Work 56,291 (d) Dram age 223,273 (h) Health Programme 72,826' (e) Improvement under COD P -lit 3,210,897 (I) Grant for repair of women's Home 255,486 (f) MU01clpal bUilding and Community Halt 353,088 (I) Grant from Calcutta Metropolitan (9) Improvement under Development Scheme 113,750 Development Agency for work (h) Improvement under G S Scheme 260,330 under CUD P -Ill ,,645,596 (I) Repair of roads 598,420

(k) Grant under Ganga Action Plan 90,000 ~) Other Establishment expenditure 194,430 (k) Other municipal bUlldmgs, 77,492. 6 MlscelleneoLls items 921,515 (I) Other Items of expenditure on Hohday Home, Roller Dnver charges, Insurance Premium, 7 Other Extra-ordinary receipts Registration of births & Deaths, (a) Term DepoSIts 551,987 expenditure on communication 226,200 (b) Loan from CMDA for CUD P -Ill works 1,763,180 (c) Income Tax 51,511 4 Public institutions 217,617 (d) Nommat,on fees 6,700 (e) Advance 49,727 5 Other miscellaneous Items (f) Deposits 353,768 (a) ParkS and Garden 48,Q10 {g) Deposits for cement etc 98,883 (b) AcqUISItion of land 45,876 (h) Transfer 3,568,799 (c) Pnntmg charges 46,401 (d) Legal charges 67821 Total 20,142,263 (e) Provident Fund 61,701 (f) FestIval Rehef 157,420 (g) Others 26,591

Table 3.5 ~ Actua' Expenditure for 1986-87 6 Extra-ordinary debt and investment • (a) Investment m secuntles 598,905 (b) Income Tax 70,063 SINo Source of Income Amount In Rupees (c) Advance 225,374 (d) Cost of matenals and vanous 2 3 other depOSits 4,361,559

1 General adrninistraqon, Office & Establishment Total 15,536,449 (a) General administratIOn 444,385 Actual balance 4605,814 (b) Collection establishment 448,458 Total 20,142,263 2 lighting and Public safety 244,337

46 A close scrutiny of various items of income and Again, so far as collection of property tax i.e. taxes disbursement of the Municipality for 1986-87 reveals an consolidated rates and holdings for 1986-87 are several interesting features. The total income of the concerned, . it has been estimated that net arrear Municipality for 1986-87 comes to Rs. 1,10,30,117 collection constitutes nearty 33 per cent of net arrear excluding the opening balance and overlooking various demand, net current collections constitute 72.8 per cent items of extra-ordinary debt. The total consolidated of net current demand while net total cOllection--in rates and taxation contribute 40.5 per cent, incomes 1986-87 constitutes 54.2 per cent of net total demand of from municipal properties constitute 5.5 per cent, the Municipality. incomes from miscellaneous items constitute 1.0 per cent while grants and contributions from various In recent years, substantial amount of development departments of the Government constitute as much as expenditure has been possible because of the 53 per cent of the total income of the Municipality. So, substantial contributions received from the Government for the major portion of the income, the Municipality under the "Calcutta Urban Development Programme, depends heavily an various grants, subsidies and Phase III. The work under this scheme in the contributions from the Government. The actual Municipality has been undertaken since August 1983. disbursements of the Municipality for 1986-87 stood at Already a number of projects relating to improvement of Rs. 1,02,80,548 overlooking various items of roads, drains and water-supply, improvement of local extra-ordinary debts and the clOSing balance. markets, development or parks and play grounds and conversion of service latrines has been completed. The percentage-wise distribution Of the various items of expenditure were as follows: It appears that the Municipality has no avenue to augment its income other than imposing higher rates of Table 3.6 - Expenditure (in percentage) under different Heads taxes on the municipal holdings. But the municipal authorities are quite reluctant to embarrass the already over taxed rate-payers. Again, from the political point of SI. Item of Expenditure Total expenditure Percentage of view, the commissioners as a whole never welcome No. (in rupees) expenditure such a move. It Is also pointed out by the authorities that in view of recent rise in dearness and other 2 3 4 allowances, a good sum of expenditure is incurred for the payment of salaries and wages of staff. So, the 1 General establishment 892,843.00 8.7 present trend is increasing dependence as grants and 2 Public safety and lighting 244,337.00 2.4 subsidies from the Government. The Municipal 3 Water-supply 1,274,607.00 12.4 Authorities also fear that in case of any abrupt cut in 4 Drainage 223,273.00 2.2 grants from the Government, the Municipal 5 Conservancy 1,724,705.00 16.8 Administration would be unable to pay its staff. 6 Medical and health 214,739.00 2.1 7 Public Works 5,002,911.00 48.6 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY 8 Education 217,617.00 2.1 9 Miscelleneous 485,516.00 4.7 The final decision-making body is the ",!unicipal Board comprising 20 Commissioners including a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman. Meeting of the Total 10,280,548.00 100.00 Municipal Board is held at-least once a month. There is no "nominated member on the Municipal Board.

Among various items of expenditure, as various For facilitating the worK of the Municipal Board, public works constitute nearly half of the total various statutory and non-statutory committees are expenditure of the Municipality. constituted. There are at present four statutory

47 committees viz .. Standing Committee on Public Health counteract inflation has created many problems for the and Sanitation consisting of six commissioners. Municipal Aqministration. With continuous incursion of standing committee on water-supply consisting of in migrants, there has been a spurt in the construction of seven commissioners and two experts. standing buildings and hutments, drains, accumulation of more committee on Public Works consisting of eight garbag~ ana refuse. Despite the augmentqtion in the Commissioners and two experts and standing strength of conservancy staff. it has not been Committee on Finance an~ Establishment consisting of comm~nsurate with the requirements. As a six commissioners and two experts. The Standing cons~quenQe some of the f&r-flung areas of the town, Committee on Public Works is entrusted with the specially in Kotrung, get inadequate attention from the implementation 'of various phases of work of the conservancy staff. Tremendous pressure is also exerted C.U.D.P. III. undertaken in the town. Likewise, the by the growing population on the present level of Committee on Finance and Establishment dea1s with supply of drinking water of nearly 15 lakh gallons per budget and municipal finance and deals with day. In rec~nt years the Municipality Sank three more promotion, confirmation and appointment of various deep tube-wells and ,\several hundred cylindrical I members of the staff of the Municipality. Among the tube-wells to tackle the problem. But the problem is yet non-statutery committees, mention may be made of the to be effectively solved and the citizens are looking Probe Committee and Tender Committees. There are forward to the completion of the 15-crore Trans several sUb-committees like the Ambulance sub­ Municipal Water-supply project. committee, the Building sub-committee, the Education sub-committees. The various committees and sub­ Besides, most of machineries and parts of the water committees each comprising several commissioners works are getting old and absolute and need to be hold periodical meetings and discussions and make immediately replaced. To this may be added the various observation and recommendations. The problem of health and pollution created by the recommendations, to be effective, are to be approved existence of nearly 1100 service latrines. The Municipal by the Municipal Board. Authorities hope to replace all such latrines in course of the next two to three years. Some colonies of displaced There are various sections of the Municipality like persons spepially in Kotrung had been hurriedly set up the General Administration and Accounts Sections both in the fifties and the early sixties with the sale motive of headed by the Finance officer, Assessment section providing immediate shelter to the uprooted people. headed by a senior clerk, collection section headed by Many of the hutments and building there were built a senior Tax collector, Building section headed by an without any plan and no adequate infrastructures of Oversear, water supply section headed by a roads, drains, latrines etc. were built in or around the Sub-oversear, Public work,s section headed by an coloniel) which now in the absence of proper drainage Assistant Engineer, Conservancy section headed by a facilities, get water-logged. A number of drains, roads Health officer and assisted try two Sanitary Inspectors and latrines have been built up in the regions since one for Uttarpara and another for Kotrung and August 1983 under the C.U.D.P. III and Ganga Action lBhadrakali. Besides, the Municipality has a Cash Plan, but muc~ more remains to be done to bring the \Department. an Ambulance SUb-section and a school people living there under effective sanitarY and 'section dealing with the two municipal schools. The conservancy protection. total. members of staff in the Municipality as on January " I 1988 stood ~t 273. The Municipal Authorities ascribe the lack of civic sense and consciousness of some citizens to the A BRIEF RESUME OF THE WORKING OF THE MUNICIPALITY aggra\(Cltion of the problems of the Municipality. As pointed out by the chairman of the Municipality, The growth of population bringing in its trail an urination on the open roads, defecation of the babies by ever-incurring demand for municipal amenities and the side of open drain, keeping the road taps open, services coupled with the rising salary bills of the staff to throwing of garbage in the oJ!)en drains in place of the

48 stipulated vats and heaping of garbage on the roads number of teachers varies from two to six. The average just after they have been cleared add to the problems of school fees per month vary from Rupees 10/- to Rs. the civic staff in keeping the town clean. 40/-. The Model Kindergarten School in Uttarpara, an English Medium Hign School, recently applied for ''The main sources of incomes of the Municipality are approval by the Central Board of Secondary Education from rates on holdings and various fees. The quantum in Delhi. There are 45 Primary Schools in the town of income on this score cannot be increased at will. The including 12 in Uttarpara proper 19 in Bhadrakali and 14 realisation of arrear taxes is often thwarted by in Kotrung. All these schools are Free Primary schools. 10ng..cJrawn litigations and legal proceedings. Taxes due Some of the schools specially those in Uttarpara and from the State and Central Governments are kept in Bhadrakali are very old and were established in the arrears for long. In spite of best efforts, half the amount previous century. Again some of the schools function as of taxes remain unrealised. The share from Octroi Duty Primary sections (Morning) of different High and Higher also varies from year to year. The result is that the Secondary schools in the town. There is an office of the Municipality is getting financially hard put and is getting sub-Inspector of schools in Bhadrakali responsible for dependent on Government grants and contributions. the day-to-day supervision of the flrimary schools. The assets created by the execution of the projects Among the 45 Primary schools, there are 29 Aided fmm grants and contributions from the Government are Primary schools, six Government sponsored Primary left to the charge of the Municipality for maintenance schools, three pre-Basic schools, two Municipal without any corresponding recurring grant. This schools, one Madrasa Primary and four privately run handicaps the Municipality financially. Primary schools. The total number of students in the Primary schools in the town in 1987-88 stood at 7,112 DETAILED ACCOUNT OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND including 3,907 boys and 3,205 girls. The total number EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS of teachers in three schools were 201, Six of the Primary schools teach in Hindi, one Madrasa in Urdu The amenities of education in the town are quite while the rest in Bengali. Again, two of the schools one satisfactory. There are 39 Nursery and Preparatory Municipal Primary school run by Uttarpara-Kotrung schools, 45 Primary schools, six Junior High schools, Municipality. One of the Municipal schools is located at ten High schools, four Higher Secondary schools and Sakher Bazar in Bhadrakali while another is located on two degree colleges. the National Highway in Kotrung. There are six Junior High schools in the town viz. Uttarpara Middle school in In recent years there has been a noticeable urge ward number III, Bhadrakali Junior Basic school in ward among the guardians to impart education to their wards number XII, Sishu Bikash in ward number XIII, Ram through the medium of English. In keeping with the Krishna Brahmyacharya Junior High school for girls in growing demand for the Kindergarten education, such ward number XIV, Sri Sankar Vidyalaya in ward number schools are growing like mush rooms even in lanes and XIV and Saradamoni Junior Girls schools in ward by-lanes of the town so much so that the exact number number XVI. Thus only one Junior High schools is of such schools is difficult to ascertain. Among them, 39 located at Uttarpara, two at Bhadrakali and three is schools are reportedly imparting education at a Kotrung. Hindi is the medium of instruction in two reasonably high standard, Junior schools.

There are 15 such schools in Uttarpara proper, 13 in There are, in all, ten High schools and four Higher Bhadrakali and 11 in Kotrung. The average number of Secondary schools in the town, details of which are students in each school varies from 40 to 100 while the presented in the Table 3.7

49 Table 3.7 - DetaHed Informations on High and Higher Secondary School. In the town In liS7

51. Name at School location Type of school 'Nhether boys/girls, Year of Type of No. 01 Co-eduoational establishment building

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Uttarpara Government Uttar Para Higher Secondary Boys' 1846 Impressive two High SeIlool storeyed Building 2 Uttarpara Girls' Uttar Para Higher Secondary Girls' 1940 Three storeyed High School Building 3 Uttarpar. Union High School Uttar Para High Boys "'1845 Very old Building for boys 4 Uttarpara Union High School Uttar Para High Girls' 1963 New SchoOl for girls Building 5 Uttarpara Amarendra ViCihyaplth Uttar Para High Girls' 1965 Old Building for girls

6 Children's ~wn home Uttar Para High Co-eduoational 1963 Impressive three storeyed Building 7 Uttar para Amarendra Vidhyapith . Bhadrakali Higher Secondary Boys' 1943 Three storeyed for boys Building 8 Parmar Uchha Balika Vidyalaya Bhadrakali High Girls 1968 Two storeyed Building 9 Bhadra Kali High School Bhadrakali Higher Secondary Boys' 1945 Impressive two storeyed Building 10 Deeshapriya Balika Bhadrakali High Girls' 1955 Two storeyed Vidyamandir Building 11 Kotrung Bhupendra Smrltl Kotrung High Boys' 1951 Impressive three Vidyalaya storeyed Building 12 Rajmohan Balika Kotrung High Girls 1958 Impressive three Vidyalaya storeyed building 13 Kotrung Adarsha Vidyalaya Kotrung High Boys' 1965 Two storeyed for boys Building 14 Kotrung Adarsha Vidyalaya Kotrung High Girls' 1967 Two storeyed tor girls Building

50 Table 3.7 - Detailed Informations on High and Higher Secondary Schools In the town In 1987 - contd.

Number of Students Number of Teachers Remakrs if any

Males Females Total Males Females Total

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1 1000 1000 27 27 Government School 2 850 850 8~'() 39 39 High School from 1948 3 414 414 19 19 High School from 1953 4 475 475 15 15 5 655 655 19 19 6 1050 650 1700 18 11 29 7 900 900 35 35 8 400 400 14 14 9 1200 1200 29 29 High School from 1948 10 697 697 23 23 11 700 700 19 19 12 450 450 16 16 13 425 425 14 14 14 400 400 13 13

Total 5689 4577 10,266 161 150 311

51 As many as ten are high while four are Higher accommodation of this institution. Again. Bhadrakali Secondary schools. Again, six of the school,s are meant High School is the oldest institution in the entire exclusively for boys, seven for girls While one is municipal town, having been established in BhadrakaJi co-education. Again. six of these schools are located in in 1824 as a Middle English school by the Christian Uttarpara, four in Bhadrakali and four in Kotrung. Some Missionaries of Serampore. The present schoof was of the schools started functioning as Primary schools, establishment in 1945 and got merged with the former gradually got upgraded to Junior ~igh and finally Middle school. The school got affiliated as Higher converted to High or Higher Secondary schools. Again, Secondary institution in 1976. Shri Binod Behari of the students in these institutions, 55.4 per cent are Bhattacharya, an ex-Headmaster of this school, was male while 44.6 per cent are female. Likewise, among honoured as a National Teacher. Shri Ajit Bugh. a 311 teachers in the institution, 161 are males while while teacher of this school, was elected as a Member 9f the the rest are femal~s. There is one teacher for every 33 Lok Sabha in 1982-87. Among other institutions in the students. town. Kotrung Bhupendra Smriti Vidyalaya has, in recent years. turned out to be one of the best schools in Three of the institutions viz. Uttarpara Government the region, so far as results of the Madhyamick High School, the Union High School for boys and Examination are concerned. A number of students of Bhadrakali High School are very old dating from the this school secured top places for a number of years. middle of the nineteenth century. In all, there are two Junior High and Six Primary That Uttarpara Government SchOOl is one of the schools with Hindi as the medium of instruction. But premier and most reputed educational institutions in there is no High Medium High school in the town. As the whole region is partly a reflection of the new sense there is a considerable number of Hindi-speaking of awakening in the wake of Renaissunce in undivided population in the town students in higher classes are Bengal. The then Zemindars, speCially Joykrishna enrolled in the neighbouring Hindi High schools in Hind Mukherjee and Rajkrishna Mukherjee took the main Motor Factory Area, in Belur or in Rishra. initiative in establishing this institution. This school has a specially cheque red career. Eminent educationalists like Primary, Junior, High and Higher Secondary Ramtanu Lahiri, Banamali Mitra (class-mate of Michael Schools in the town cater mostly for the educational Madhusudan Datta) and Kali Prasanna Bose had the reqUirements of the town but students from some of the distinguished record as Headmaster of this school. The neighbouring urban areas of Dakshineswar (North 24 results of the final examination of this schools have all Parganas), Bally, Konnagar, Rishra, Makhla etc. and along been spectacular. For three conscentive years village Raghunathpur on the other side of the railway from 1878-79 to 1881-82, students of this school town are also reportedly on the rolls in the schools, secured the first place in the Entrance Examination of specially in the reputed ones. Likewise, many students the University of Calcutta. of this town not only attend the adjoining schools like Debiswari Bidya Niketan, Makhla High School. Sreema As for recent years, student of this schools secured Balika Vidyapith, all in Makhla and Raghunathpur Girls the third, ninth and 16th place in the Madhyamik High School at Raghunathpur but also read in schools (Secondary) Examinations, 1983 conducted by the in Bally, Serampore. Haora and even in Calcutta. Board of Secondary Education, West 8engal. There are two degree colleges in the town viz .• Raja Likewise, Uttarpara Union High School is one of the Peary Mohan College in Uttarpara and Swami very premier institutions. It it one of the 100 Primary Niswambalananda Girls college in Bhadrakali. The schools established by Lord Hardings in Bengal in former is a co-educational college while the latter is a 1845. It attained its present status as a High School in college exclusively for girls. 1953. Sachindra Nath Banerjee, an ex-Headmaster of this institution, donated his house in Uttarpara for the Raja Peary Mohan College in Uttarpara has a very

52 Illustrious history Founded In June 1887, It IS one of the college holds Honours courses In almost all me oldest colleges In the State Once again Joykrishna principal subjects in Arts, Science and Commerce Mukherjee, a pioneer in the field of education and social streams. reformer in the nineteenth century Bengal, was the founder of the College. Since the establishment of the The college recently celebrated its contenary Government High School in Uttarpara, Joykrishna anniversary attended by many eniment persons Mukheriee had dedicated himself to the task of including the Governer and the Chief Minister of the founding a college In the area, so that the students did State Sri Jyoti Basu, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, not have to go to Calcutta for collegiate education But laid down the foundation stone of the centenary every time the effort of Joykrishna Mukherjee was bUilding Located in a picturesque surroundings on the turned down by the Government At least his sixth western bank of the river Hugh and connected application for a college was approved in 1887 and the excellently by roads and railways with all parts of Hugh college was formally opened on 20th June, 1887 It was and some parts of Haora and North 24 Parganas amalgamated With the Uttarpara Government High district, it meets substantially the educational needs of School In 1889, but eight years later, the management the students of a vast region, comprising both Urban of the school was resumed by the Government but not and rural areas of the college which was managed as a non-government Inst,tutlon by Raja Peary Mohan It IS a coeducational college with the total number of Mukherjee, son and successor of Joyknshna Mukherjee students In 1987-88 standing at 1844 comprising 1248 who made a substantial endowment to the college In male and 596 female students The total number of 1907 and handed over the management of the college Lecturers stood at 73 Including 12 female Lecturers At to a properly constituted Governing Body After hiS present, the college runs only one shift I e the Day shift death In 1923, hiS son Bhupendra Nath Mukherjee who The total number of non-teaching staff In the college took over the responsibility of running the college stood as 45 A Governmg Body of 15 members contributed a large sum of money toward Its manages the overall administration of the college There marntenance and continued eXIstence In 1953, the IS an elected students Union In the college college was re-named after Raja Peary Mohan Mukherjee, the patron and benefactor of the college Swami Nlswambalananda Girls' college IS the only The college has regulatly been sanctioned college for women In the town and is located as Blplabl grants-in-aid from the Government Since 1938 Besides, Phamndra Mohan Sara", In Bhadrakah It happens to be It gets a monthly grant of Rs 100 00 from a Trust, the first Girls' college In the entire sub-diVision of created by late J P Banerjee of Bhadrakah It also Serampore The college IS named after SwamI receives different grants from the University Grants Ntswambalananda (onglnal name Manmatha Pal) on Commission regularly for purchase of library books and whose residential plot the college has been laboratory eqUlpments constructed Swami Nlswanbalananda had registered hiS house as Brahyamcharya Ballkashram In 1927 The With a very modest beginning In the preceding college was Originally started as a Higher Secondary century In a small home With limited accommodatIon Arts college In 1976 The present building of the college and WIth a limited number of students, the college was constructed out of public donation, proceeds from rapidly grew Into a renowned centre of learning as one chanty functions and grants from Rotary Club of of the largest undergraduate colleges under the Serampore In 1979 It was elevated to a Degree College UniverSity of Calcutta In 1978 after It had received the necessary afflitatlon from the university of Calcutta, for Arts and Commerce The college was upgraded to Degree Level In 1956 streams Efforts are being made now to starr the With affiliation In Arts and SCience, the Degree In SCience courses and to open Honours classes In Commerce was Introduced from 1958 At present the different subjects

53 The strength of students in 1987-88 was 900 while till 1962 when the Government of West Bengal took the Teaching staff comprised one male, 17 female and over the magnificent mansion on Raja Peary Mohan two part-time Lecturers. The non-teaching staff included Road in Uttarpara belonging to the Mukherjee family of eight males and six females. A Governing Body runs the Uttarpara. This building was the erstwhile Andar Mahal affairs of the college. There Is also an elected students (the Inner private apartment) of the female members of Union. the Zemindars. The Uttarpara General Hospital, a State Level General Hospital started functioning from 1962. There is no facility .af medical or engineering the O.P.D patients, department of the Hospital is still education in the town and the town and the concerned located in the old hospital building on the Hospital is students have to go to Calcutta, Barddhaman or still located in the old hospital building on the National Durgapur for education in those facUities. Highway.

MEDICAL FACILITIES At present the total number of beds in the hospital is 204 including six paying beds at a charge of rupees A charitable dispensary existed in Uttarpara prOper three per day and four cabins at a charge of rupees from as far back as 1851. But here too as elsewhere, right per day. This is, more or less, a self-contained JO'l~t\sht\a Mu~het\ee \flas the p\ot\eet ~Q{ the ~ 'Ni.tl:\ \lati,Qus lrnrastxuctut:QS and. apeci.aliz.ed. establishment of the Dispensary. Concerned with department like Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology, Ear, protection of health and hygiene of the inhabitants of Nose, Throat (ENT) , Opthalmology etc. The total the town, Joykrishna Mukherjee proposed to the-then number of indoor patients in 1987 numbered 3,304 British Government in 1849 to hand over a property including 1,274 from within the town and 2,030 from yielding an annual income of Rs. 1800.00 tor outside. It is reported that the hospital cuters far the establishing a dispensary in Uttarpara. He also medical needs of a vast region, from Haara and volunteered to pay half the cost of construction of the Dakshineswar in the south to Serampore in the north proposed buiJding estimated at Rs. 8000.00. The and Chanditala, and Jangipara Police Station in the Government acceded to his request and the Dispensary West. started functioning from May 1851. A few years later, the dispensary was transformed into a hospital, thanks The out patient department (O.P.D) is located in the to the untiring efforts of the benevolent Zemindars old hospital building. Several doctors of the hospital specially Joykrishha Mukherjee and Rajkrishna including a Surgeon, General Physician, one E.N.T. Mukherjee. The hospital had 20 beds and the affairs of specialist, one Eye-specialist and one Dental Surgeon the hospital were managed by an Advisory Committee. attend the out-door sections which treat 150 to 200 Subsequently, a medical officer of the statuS of patients daily. Nearly 48,000 patients were treated in the Assistant Surgeon (a Medical Graduate) was appointed outdoor department in 1987. Apart from the residents of to the hospital. The hospital was equipped with a the town, patients from Bally, Belur, Dakshineswar, modern operation theatre where difficult operations Rishra, Konnagar, Singur, Chanditala, Begampur, Janai, were undertaken. There was also arrangement for Makhla, Raghunathpur and other adjoining areas attend treatment of infection diseases like cholera in the the outdoor department of the hospital. hospital. Since the early twentieth century, Senior doctors and civil surgeons from Serampore Hospital The total number of staff in the hospital in 1987 visited this institution. Since the establishment of the stood at 216 comprising 22 doctors, 44 nurses, 27 General Hospital in Uttarpara in May, 1963, the old Medical social workers, eight clerks, 83 general duty hospital has been turned into out-door Patients assistant and 32 sweepers. Department of the General Hospital. The hospital is faced with a number of problems. For more than a hundred years, the dispensary met The building is very old and dilapidated without proper the medical requirements of the inhabitants of the town drainage and sewerage facilities. The work of the

54 maintenance of the building also leaves much to be administering polio, triple antigens similar other desired. The existing number of beds in the hospital is vaccines. The Health workers visit different areas of the reportedly far too below requirements resulting in town, specially the areas predominantly inhabited by situation when patients, not infrequently, have to lie on the poorer sections of the society and enquire about the the floor. Again some of the present equipments and health and hygiene of the people and if necessary, alliances need replacement. The prolonged nOn­ arrange the treatment of the needy and the destitute. availability of some specialists like an Orthopedic Surgeon, and an Eye-specialists lead to resentment The Municipality has also two ambulance vans to among the patients. The ambulance in the hospital has attend to calls from serious patients for admission to been our of order for a prolonged duration. There is no Uttarpara General Hospital as also to different other blood bank too in the hospital. Recently, public hospitals in Calcutta in cases of emergency. subscriptions amounting to rupees one lakh have been raised for the establishment of a Chest Clinic in the Besides, there are twelve Nursing Homes in the Hospital. The vast open space of land in the hospital town including five in Uttarpara proper, four in compound are grazed on by cows, buffaloes, pigs and Bhadrakali and three in Kotrung. Of them, mention may a number of poultry birds. Again frequent non­ be made of Shyamali Nursing Home, Nilima Matri availability of essential drugs in the hospital is often the Sadan, Ananda Nursing Home in Uttarpara, Maternity cause of resentment among the patients who have to Lodge and Bhadrakali Seba Sadan in Bhadrakali. purchase them occasionally from the open market outside. Maternity cases are attended to in most of the Nursing Homes while in a selected few major The hospital also lacks in arrangement for Cardiac operations like Appendectomy, removal of Gal blooder, cases infection and parasitic diseases, diseases of the Toncilectomy are also undertaken. Bhadrakali Seba blood, mental and psychiatric diseases. Such cases are Sadan is the best equipped Nursing Home in the town referred to the hospitals in Calcutta. Uttarpara-Kotrung with 15 beds. The medical facilities is the Nursing Home Municipality also runs two welfare centres for the care are quite costly and as such, it is patronised mostly by of the mothers and the welfare of children, specially the afflucnt sections in the town. The Marwaris residing belonging to the economically weaker sections of the in Ward No. XIV have also taken the initiative of society. The Jasai Debi mothers' and childrens' welfare establishing a Marwari Hospital in that area. A voluntary centre was started in 1986 by the Municipality in association named, Lok Kalyan Samity in collaboration Nandan Kanan of Kotrung. This centre, entrusted with with the Lions' Club of Park Street, Calcutta and the pre-natal care of expectant mothers, offers them free local Marwari Community have already constructed the medicine and imparts free medical advice. There are building of the proposed hospital. Pending the four part-time doctors, one Pharmacist, one attendant, completion of the various inftaction in the hospital, a one sweeper and one night-guard. About four doctors homeopathic clinic under the banner of Nisulka Homeo of the town volunteer their services here free of cost on Chikitsha Kendra has already been started which part-time basis. The Pharmacist also distributes some renders free homeopathiC treatment. standard medicines to the poor people free of cost. The Bhadrakali Women's Home with nearly 150 The Mahamaya Matri Sadan and Sishu-Kalyan resident displaced families also runs a medical Kendra was established in 1987 by the Municipality near treatment centre with one doctor, one compounder and Sakherbazar in Bhadrakali. The Health Officer of the one staff nurse. The services of the centre are restricted Municipality is in charge of this Clinic. The staff to ttle displaced families only. comprise one part-time doctor, thirty Honorary Health Workers (at a consolidated monthly safary of Rs. 200.00 About 75 allopathic doctors including about 20 per month) a Store keeper, a night guard and a specialists in different fields, 30 homeopathic doctors, sweeper. This clinic immunises children by one Unani Hakim and Three Ayurvedic doctors practise

55 in the town. Some of the specialists doctors with a wide Dum and subsequently shifted to Uttarpara in 1957 after reputation have a large clientele of patients from the acquisition of the present building and site surrounding areas. Mention may be made In connection extending over six acres of land (24,120 sq. metres of Homeopathic Clinic named Niramoy run by Dr. M. approximately), belonging to the Mukherjee family of Hassan in ward number I of Uttarpara. This Clinic has Uttarpara. The inservice training is meant mainly for the wide reputation throughout the state and patients auditors of various co-operative institutions and specially suffering from chronic diseases visit this clinic societies and other Junior levels officials of the from distant places. Besides the hospital, the municipal department. The centre usually organises training in welfare Homes, the Nursing Homes and the private different courses such as Foundation Course (21 practitioners, some peripheral medical services are weeks), different sectional courses varying from one to provided by the various welfare agencies like people's two months, Leadership Development course (one Relief Centre, Uttargara and other voluntary association week) and different functional courses such as auditing, and clubs, some of which besides collecting and salemanship, arbitration etc. extending from three-day, distributing free drugs and medicines to the poor five-day to seven-day COijrse. The centre has hostel people, also arrange perioic medical camps and blood facilities for 55 trainees. Final selection of the trainees is donation centres, specially In collaboration with other usually made here after the names of the intending premier organisation like the Lions' Club in Calcutta and trainees are forwarded to it, mostly by different District Rotary Clubs. Co-operative societies. The training is imparted free of cost and a monthly stipend of rupees one hundred per Lastly, there is also a veterinary centre, known as month is awarded to the paid staff. The training Uttarpara Block Animal Health Centre, on Raja Peary personnel include a PrinCipal and four Lecturers while Mohan Road in Uttarpara, just by the side of the the office staff of 20 members. General Hospital. It was established in the fifties of the present century and is the veterinary health centre for Various problems, as mentioned by the Principal, the Serampore Uttarpara Development Block. The main include acute paucity of funds for conducting various Veterinary Hospital of the sub-region is the Veterinary courses, lack of proper maintenance of the building etc. Hospital at Mahesh, about five kilometers away. The The rate of monthly stipend is also quite low. Health Centre at Uttarpara is manned by a four officials including a Veterinary Surgeon, two Veterninery Field FEMALE VAGRANTS' HOME Assistants and one peon. The centre generally undertakes treatment of diseases of cows, goats, dogs, The Female Vagrants Home in Uttarpara under ducks, other poultry birds, buffaloes etc. The difficult Vagrancy Directorate, Govt. of West Bengal, was cases, however, are referred to the hospital at Mahesh. established in 1956 in a reqUisitioned building belonging The Health Centre open daily from 7.30 AM. to 12.30 to the former Zemindars. The Home originated in the P.M., and treats 40 to 50 animals on an average. fifties when the Government of West Bengal felt the urgent necessity, of opening.. more vagrants Homes, OTHER SPECIALISED AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS specially for reforming and rehabilitating the beggars and other distitutes who were produced in Juvenile Besides the formal schools, colleges and hospitals Courts and were referred by Hon'ble Judges to the in the town, there are several other specialised agencies Vagrants Homes. At the time of survey (1987) there and institutions. were 104 female vagrants, one aged 5, 30 aged between 30 years and 40 years while the rest (73) aged WEST BENGAL CO-OPERATIVE TRAINING CENTRE 41 years and above. Majority of the elderly inmates aged 41 years and above are mostly blind, Crippled, An in-service training centre under the Department deaf and dumb or otherwise physically disabled. of Co-operation of the Government of West Bengal, this Among the inmates. 60 are speakers in Bengalis While institutes was originally established in 1937 at Dum the rest are mostly speakers in Oriya, Hindi Telegu and

56 Assamese. An lmate here is entitled to free board and to be the twin criteria for the selection of the inmates of lading Including tiffin, three sets of dresses in a year, the Home. The total number of inmates in the Home free medical treatment etc. was 106 in 1987, out of whom two belonged to the age-group 0-5, 27 to the age-group of 6-10, 38 to the One of the main objectives of the Home Is to impart age-~roup of 11-18 and 39 were more than 18 years such vocational Training to the Inmates as to make old. The Home runs a non-formal school of 30 children. them self-dependent in life. Besides running a After passing the Primary Examination, the students are non-formal Primary school of 50 students Including sent to different High Schools in the town. As many as some students from outside, the Home also runs a 20 students are admitted in different High Schools in the weaving and a taHoring section where proper vocational town. Six more students were undergoing nursing training is Imparted under qualified instructors. After training in the hospitals in Calcutta and Chinshura. As getting necessary training. some of the inmates here the Home has no Vocational Training Centre, those with have taken up the profession of nurses, junior nurses, the required aptitude are sent to other vocational Anganwadi workers under Integrated Child institutions. Some of the inmate of the Home have been Development Services Scheme and are suitably placed rehabilitated as Nurses in hospitals, and as Anganwadi \n \\ie. 'Hm\

DESTITUTES' HOME FOR GIRLS BHADRAKALI WOMEN'S HOME

The Oestitutes Home for girls is located on Raj Bhadrakali Women's Home under Directorate of Mohan Road In Uttarpara, adjacent to the Vagrant Social Welfare, Government of Wee~ Bengal located on Home. Originally a part of the Vagrants' Home in Haranathpur Road in Bhadrakali and established in Uttarpara, it got separated as a Destitutes' Home for 1957, is meant for women camp refugees numbering girls in 1964 and Is under the Directorate of SOCial 170, the vast majority of whom are aged, without any Welfare, Government of West Bengal. The Home was other supporting member of the family and solely establishment with the avowed objective of bringing up dependent on the doles of the Government. All the the Dest\tute gins and giving them proper training and women inmates are adult members and comprise 145 guidance so as to help them in their proper households, accommodated in 132 improvished rehabilitation In society. Poverty and Destitution are said hutments in the old and requisitioned barrack-type

57 camps built by the military authorities in the forties. The local Zemindar families. There are several sections in fortnightly package of relief per member comprises the Production Centre like tailoring, hosiery, weaving rupees twenty and eighty paise in cash, four kilograms etc. with a total number of 128 workers engaged in wheat, three kilograms of rice and 850 grams of pulse. different items of production. The office staff comprises At the time of the survey one of the inmates of the 15 members including a Superintendent, one instructor, Home was reading in the local Girls' college. Some of one storekeeper and two supervisors. the inmates, who cannot maintain themselves with the stipulated fortnightly quota of reHef, surreptitiousJy work DEAF AND DUMB SCHOOL, BHADRAKALJ outside mostly as maid servants. A Superintendent assisted by an office staff of 15 members looks after the The Deaf and Dumb school in Bhadrakali, located on day~to-day administration of the camps. There is also a Parmer Road, is reportedly the only institution of its kind dispensary, located across the road, staffed by a in between Bandel and Haora. Established in 1983 very qualified doctor, a pharmacist and a staff nurse. There modestly with a handful of students, the institution has is also one community Hall in the campus where annual now 40 students, some from far off areas like Liluah, festivals are held with grants from the government. Singur, Atpur, Chandannagar, Rishra, and Sheoraphuli.

According to the Superintendent, most of the It is a co-educational school with a nominal fee of hutments, comprising the erstwhile military barracks, rupees ten per month. There is 'reportedly a great are completely dilapidated. Rainwaters leak through the demand from the public for admission. At the moment, opening of the asbestos roofs and the living space all the boys and girls have been accommodated in one become water-logged. class, though different standards from preparatory to Class VIII (on Deaf and Dumb standard) are maintained Frequent repairs and renovations are made, but for for different types of students. For efficient coaching, want of proper supervision they tail to serve the more classes are planned to be opened up. There are at purpose. Some of the latrines and tube-wells in the present four teachers, mostly on part-time basis. A camps remain out of order for quite long a time. But the Group hearing aid, a very costly appliance, has recently greatest problem, as pointed out by the Superintendent, been installed. The management of the school is is posed by encroachment of three to four hundred looking forward to procuring more sophisticated unauthorised displaced families adding to the problem instruments in the near future. The management of the of health, sanitation and security, within the campus. school is run by a voluntary organisations known as ' Siksha-O' Sanskrjtj Parishad, established in 1941 in the UTTAR PARA PRODUCTION CENTRE town.

Located in a requisitioned building on Raj Krishna Lastly, mention may be made of 17 Night Schools, Street in Uttarpara, Uttarpara production Centre was five Adult Education centres, and various other established, after the partition of the country, as a non-formal Schools. Most of these schools are run by Training centre for the displaced persons, but it was Voluntary organisations and associations with the subsequently turned into a Production Centre for the avowed objective of enlightening the poor people, displaced persons since 1961 by the Government of specially the adults among the economically weakers West Bengal. The building was formerly owned by the section. Lastly in keeping with the growing fascination for NOi~S: extracurricular activities, probably as an offshoot of the metropolitan influence, specially among the relatively affluent section of the society, a number of musical ,. Uttarpara poura Sabhar Itikatha-Madhusudhan 8andopadhyaya schools, dance schools and drawing schools have been in 125th Foundation Anniversary Volume of Joykrishna Ubrary, opened in recent years specially in Uttarpara and M-17. BhadrakaJi and their number is on the increase. In a 2. Ibid., p. 17. good number of them, specially trained teachers from 3. District Gazetteers, Hugli by L.S.S.O' Malley, Calcutta 1912, Calcutta are on the teaching rolls. Details of these p.227. institutions will be given in later chapters.

59

CHAPTER -IV

ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE TOWN

INTRODUCTION non-workers only, mutually exclusive of each other, the census of 1981 on the other hand, made a The economy of the town, as revealed from the trichotomous classification of population into main participation of the working force in different spheres of workers, marginal workers and non-workers. Any economic activities, is multi-dimensional with worker having worked for 183 days or more in a year manufacturing, service, trade and transport being the was treated as a fUll-time worker, while others as main planks of the economy. Close proximity to marginal. The discussion on working force is based on Hindustan Motors Factory, the biggest automobile aggregation of the main and marginal workers of 1981 factory in South-East Asia, the location of three Census into the total of actual workers and based on a medium-sized industries and 20 brick fields in the town comparative estimate of workers in the urban area of along with the mushroom growth of the numerous the subdivision of Serampore and the district of Hugli in small-sized factories and establishments have given course of the last three decades. manufacturing activities an edge ever other sectors in the economic superstructure of the town. The last The percentage of total workers in the town has vestiges of agricultural activities in the town been consistently lower compared to the same in the disappeared as far back as the mid-fifties soon after the urban areas of the subdivision 0 Serampore and the .- immigration of the displaced persons from the erstwhile district of Hugli, to which the town belongs, in all the East Pakistan when the land under cultivation along three preceding Census years. (Appendix Table 1 and with the__ low-lying areas specially in Bhadrakali and inset Table IV-1) Two contrasting trends are discernible, Kotrung werE!Changed into homesteads. The displaced while the percentage of male workers in the town has persons residing in different colonies are engaged in a been consistently lower than that in the urban areas of multiplicity of occupation like masonry, carpentry, trade the sub-division and the district, the percentage of and commerce, manual transport, household industry, female workers, on the other hand, has been day labour and domestic service while the neo-settlers consistently higher in all the three census years from In the town mostly from Calcutta and other adjoining 1961 to 1981. urban areas are largely engaged in white collar jobs in the metrop,olitan city and elsewhere., Again, majority of Again, compared to the decadal rate of growth of the original settlers are mostly engaged in various workers (1971-81) in the urban area of the sub-division indostrial es.tablishments including the Hind Motor and the district of 34.9 per cent and 33.8 per cent Factory. respectively, the workers in the town grew at the rate of 16.3 per cent. In other words, number of workers in the A. WORKING FORCE (GENERAL) referent town grew at the rate of 16.3 while population grew at the rate of 17.8. The population growth and The concept of working force has changed from workers growth had been higher in the urban areas of census to census. While the censuses of 1961 and 1971 the district and the sub-division because of higher categorised the entire population into workers and number of immigrant population and workers other than that of the referent town where residential space has of female workers grew at a much higher rate of 43.3 been extremely scarce. Again. while the number of ale per cent. workers in the town grew at the rate of 14.3, the number

Table 4.1 - Trend In Work participation rate in the town

Census Year Total Population Total Workl3rs

Perso(ls Males Females Persons Males Females

1961 52,163 28,682 23,481 16,063 14,581 1,482 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (30.8) (SO.8) (6.3)

1971 67,568 36,975 30,593 18,802 17,491 1,311 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (27.8) (47.3) (4.3)

1981 79,598 41,726 37,872 21,868 19,989 1,879 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (27.5) (47.9) (5.0)

Figures in brackets indicate percentages.

WORKING FORCE AMONG SCHEDULED CASTES AND TRIBES members of the various Scheduled Castes and Tribes residing in the town under study. compared to the members belonging to the general population. The It is now proposed to give a comparative estimate of table below shows the extent of participation in working the extent of participation in working force by the force by different sections of the people.

Table 4.2 - Percentage of workers among the Scheduled Castes and Tribes

Category of Census Percentage of working force among population Year All persons Males Females

1 2 3 4 5

Other than 1971 18,298 17,065 1,233

Schedul~d Castes (27.8) (47.4) (4.1) and Tribes 1981 20,930 19,210 1,720 (27.4) (47.9) (4.7)

Scheduled Castes 1971 504 426 78 and Tribes (29.6) (44.9) (10.3) 1981 938 779 159 (29.3) (47.7) (10.1 )

62 The work-participation rate among the Scheduled unemployed and non-workers. but when pressed Caste and Scheduled Tribe population is slightly higher further, disclosed their real occupations. The reluctant in the last two censuses, compared to that among the emanates from a sense of inferiority caused by residual population. The rate is more marked in the engagement in a job below expectation and not case of female participation; whereas the female befitting the qualification. In the case of females too, participation rate among the non-Scheduled Castes and albeit many of them housewives, there is a persistent Tribes veers between 4.1 to 4.7 per cent in the tendency to return as a non-worker housewife even preceding two censuses. that among the Scheduled though engaged in preparing paper packets at home or Castes and Scheduled Tribes population veers between working as maid servants in three to four households, 10.1 to 10.3 per cent. This is because the female augmenting the income of the family to the tune of members among the Scheduled Castes and Tribes do rupees one hundred fifty to rupees two hundred per not hesitate to pursue the manual work while their month. counterparts among the residual population have reservations against those types of pursuits. As regards the rate of participation in economic activity, there is considerable divergence among three The same trend of higher participation rates among segments town. Thus the rate of participation is the the Scheduled Castes and Tribes compared to those highest (35.3 percent) in Uttarpara proper, exhibited by among the residual population is also reflected in the comparatively well-off population. followed by 32.2 per sample population where the former have a cent in Bhadrakali holding economically an intermediate participation rate of little over 38 per cent compared to position among the segments while that among the a little over 31 per cent among the latter. population in Kotrung, predominantly inhabited by the displaced persons, is the lowest {29.3} per cent in the WORKING FORCE IN THE SAMPLE HOUSEHOLDS town (vide Appendix Table 2). The rate of participation in working force in the three segments seems to vary zr. It is now proposed to examine the extent of directly with the general economic affluence of the participation of the working force in the sample respective segments and this trend holds good, more households in the town (Appendix Table 2). It is or less, for both the sexes. interesting that the rate of participation of the working force among the sample population is (32.0 percent) INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE WORKING POPULATION OF much higher compared to that (27.5 percent) among THE TOWN the general population of the town in 1981 Census. The participation rate of the male sample population is 52.0 The distribution of the workers among the various against 47.9 among the male general population of the industrial categories (Appendix Table 3) shows the bulk town while that among the females in the sample of the workers in the town engaged in manufacturing population is 10.1 against 5.0 among the total female other than household industry, other service, trade and population of the town in 1981 Census. Thus the rate of commerce and transport, storage and communication. participation is uniformly higher among both the males These four categories accounted for 93.4 per cent of and the females in sample population of the town than the workers in 1961 Census and 94.5 per cent in 1971 l lose of the total male and the females of _the town in Census. Though there are no separate industrial 1981 Census. Does this higher participation rate in the category-wise data for 1981 Census, the figures seem sample population reflect a general economi~ progress to be more or less the same. So far as participation of over the last seven years. It has been observed during male workers is concerned, aU but 1. 1 per cent of them the survey of sample of households that there is a trend engaged in the five industrial categories of among the respondents to present an underestimated manufacturing other than household industry, working force in the households. To cite a few construction, trade and commerce, transport, storage instances, many educated adult males, in course of the and communication and other services in 1961 Census present survey initially returns themselves as and all but 3.1 per cent of them in the same five

63 categories in 1971 Census. Again the bulk of the female In the light of the re-grouping of various industrial workers in both 1961 and 1971 Census were mainly categories in 1981 Census, the following table shows engaged in the two main categories of other service the distribution of the workers In the town in the and manufacturing other than household industry. re-grouped categories in the preceding three Censuses.

Table 4.3 - Percentage distribution of workers in re-grouped Industrial categories

Census Year Cultivation Agricultural Household Other works Total Percentage Labour Industry (residual categories)

1961 7 87 15.969. (0.1) (-) (0.5) (99.4) 100.0 1971 9 188 253 18,352 (0.1) (1.0) (1.3) (97.6) 100.0 1981 29 61 690 20,607 (0.1) (0.3) (3.2) (96.4) 100.0

The economic structure of the town with generating industries in and around the town have preponderance of industrial, servke and trading almost stopped recruiting personnel afresh. Again, the activities is amply reflected in the above table. The role growing importance of the service sector is a reflection of the agricultural sector is absolutely insignificant. The of the fact that most of the neo-settlers in the town from few workers in the town with agricultural background Calcutta and other adjoining urban areas are. have their places of work outside the town. In all the service-holders working mostly in the urban areas, they preceding three Censuses, workers varying from 96.4 previously belonged to. There is no major shift in other per cent to 99.4 per cent of the total workers were industrial categories like trade and commerce, engaged in the residual industrial categories. Gradually transport, storage and communication and rising trend in the percentage of workers engaged in construction, except that the category of household household industry such as manufacturing of school industry is getting increasingly important as an bags, manufacturing of small toys and paper-packets economic activity. deserves notice. Anyway the three segments of the town the largest The complete disappearance of the agricultural percentage of workers in the sample population in sector is evident from Appendix Table 5. The increasing Uttarpara are engaged in other serJice (39.3 percent), diversification and balanced development of the compared to 28.4 per cent in Bhadrakali and 28.3 per economy in keeping with the requirements of the time, cent in Kotrung. So far as manufacturing other than is reflected in the growth of the various industrial household industry is concerned, the larrest percentage categories like manufacturing industry, other services, of workers (49.5) per cent in Kotrung are engaged in trade and commerce, transport, storage and this sector, followed by 27.1 per cent in Bhadrakali and communication and construction. The gradual fall in the 23.4 per cent in Kotrung. Close proximity to the percentage of workers engaged in manufacturing other Hindustan Motor Factory may be one of the reason for than household industry in the sample population is the association with manufacturing activities (44.2 per because of the fact that most of the major employment cent) of the working force of Kotrung.

64 INDUSTRIAL CATEGORIES OF WORKERS AMONG SCHEDULED proposed to examine the same for 1971 Census for the CASTES AND TRIBES VIS-A-VIS RESIDUAL POPULATION Scheduled Castes and Tribes population on the one hand and the residual population of the town on the In the context of non-availability of Individual other. industrial categories data for 1981 Census, It is

Table 4.4 - Percentage of workers In different Industrial categories In 1971

Categies of Culti- Agricul- Uve- Mining Household Manufact- Const- Trade and Transport Other , Population vation tural stock industry uring ruction commerce Storage and Service labour Communi- cation

Scheduled 5 61 17 6 143 15 35 33 86 Caste (1.2) (15.2) (4.2) (1.5) (35.7) (3.8) (8.7) (8.2) (21.5)

S9heduled 10 71 1 6 14 Tribe (9.7) (68.9) (1.0) (5.8) (13.6) (1.0)

Residual 4 117 78 12 247 6,757 448 3,321 1,965 5,349 population (.6) (.4) (.1 ) (1.4) (36.9) (2.4) (18.2) (10.8) (29.2)

Total 9 188 95 12 253 6,971 464 3,362 2,012 5,436 (.1 ) (1.0) (.5) (.1 ) (1.3) (37.1) (2.5) (17.9) (10.7) (28.9)

(Figures in brackets indicate percentages)

The industrial category-wise distribution of workers those of the Scheduled castes and tribe population. in 1971 Census among the Scheduled Castes and Tribes on the one hand and the residual population on WORKERS BY TYPES OF OCCUPATION, AGE-GROUPS AND the other reveals that the former category was engaged, EDUCATIOI:'lAL LEVELS in much higher proportion, in the non-industrial categories, compared to the members of the residual (a) WORKERS BY AGE-GROUPS AND SEX group. It also appears that as much as 42.5 per cent of the workers of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes were Two tables normaly the age-group table of 1971 engaged in manufacturing otQer than household Census for the entire population of the town (Appendix industry compared to 36.9 per cent of the residual Table 6) and the age-group table on the sample population. This can be explained by the fact that the population (Appendix Table 7) are referred to for the bulk of the workers of th brick manufacturing industries present discussion. in the town comprise members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes population. In the two categories of The participation rates in the sample population construction and transport, storage and among some age-groups are higher than those of the communication, there is no appreciable difference in corresponding age-group in 1971. The percentage at the rate of participation between the two groups, but child-labourers in the age-group of 0-14 has risen in the much higher percentages of workers of the residual samp\e popu\ation compare to what it was in 1971. So group of population are engaged in the categories of is the case in the age-group 15-19, child-labourers and trade and commerce and other services compared to young workers in 15-19 are engaged in the small

65 manufacturing units like rope-making establishments, cent. Even though Uttarpara is economically well-off motor repairing garages and tea-stalls. The Increase in compared to the other two segments in the town, the the percentage of child labourers reflects the Increasing preponderance of the manual workers here can be hardships and poverty of the economically weekers explained by the existence of two brick fields, a good sections of population who are forced not even to spare number of labour hutments near the SWIL factory, th~ the children from joining the work-force to have two Harijan quarters and several blighted, localities mostly square meals a day, Again the rise in the percentage of near Uttarpara Railway Station. Barring the .manual workers from 27.7 per cent in 1971 Census to 34.6 per workers, Uttarpara tops the percentage distribution of cent in the sample population in the age~group of 20 - clerical workers, highly skilled and supervisory 24, though apparently heartening, presents only a personnel and owners of large shops and partial picture of the workers of this age-group who also establishments. belong to the less-affluent sections of the society and are compelled to diVert themselves from educational The percentage of manual workers is the lowest in careers to gainful economic pursuits mostly in the Bhadrakali which is inhabited predominantly by people nature of manual labourers. The percentage of workers depending on other services and manufacturing in the age-group of 29 to 39 has fallen in the sample establishments. On the whole, there is no marked population while that· in the age-groups of 40-49 and difference in respect of participation in different types of 50-59 has risen. It is encouraging that among the occupation among the three segments of the town. elderly age-group of 60 years and above, only 11.01 per cent now participate in any gainful work as against 16.5 (c) TYPES OF OCCUPATION BY AGE·GROUPS AND SEX per cent in 1971 Census. Appendix table 9 shows the distribution of the Among the male population the percentage of workers in the sample households by broad age-group workers in the sample household has risen in all the and types of occupation pursued. working age-groups of 15 to 59 over the 1971 Census but registered a fall in the age-group of 25 to 29. The Among the male workers in the sample population, percentage of female participation has risen in all the 43.8 per cent are engaged in manual workers, 18.5 per working age-groups from 15 years to 59 years. cent are engaged as clerks and shop assistant while 13.8 per cent are engaged in small business. Likewise, (b) TYPES OF OCCUPATIONS AND SEGMENT-WISE among the female workers, 69.4 pef- cj:!nt are martual DISTRIBUTION IN THE SAMPLE HOUSEHOLDS workers, 20.4 per cent are teacheFs and 8.2 per cent- are clerks. So far, the workers have been classified according to the industrial categories they belong to. The All the five workers in the age-group of 0-14 are classification of the workers according to the type of manual workers, two of them being engaged in occupations pursued in the sample households is rope-winding, two females engaged as domestic presented in (Appendix Table 8). servants while another male engaged in a grill manufacturing factory. Among the workers in the Among the total workers, 47.7 per cent are manual age-group of 15 to 24. 67.3 per cent" are manual workers including 21.5 per cent unskilled and 26.2 per workers, 11.5 per cent are engaged in busJness while cent skilled ones. About 19.1 per cent are engaged in 15.4 per centare clerks and shop-aSSistants. In the next business, 12.3 per cent are engaged in various age-grqup of 25 to 34, 50 per cent are manual workers, profession, 16.9 per cent are clerks while four per cent 20.3 per cent are engaged in business, and 16.2 per are highly skilled and supervisory workers. In the two cent are clerks and shop assistants. In' the middle segments of Uttarpara and Kotrung, a'iittle over 49 per age-group of 35-49, 41.7 are manual workers, 17.3 per cent of the workers are manual ones while the cent are clerks and assistant, 1a 7 per cent are engaged /' corresponding percentage in Bhadrakali is 44.1 per in business, (small medium or large) while 7.2 per cent

66 are engaged as lowest professional workers and For the workers as a whole, 9.4 per cent of the male another 7.2 ~r cent are engaged as highly skilled and workers and 55.6 per cent of the female workers are supervisory workers. In the age-group of 50 years and illiterate. Again 41.3 per cent of the male workers and Slbove only 38.2 per cent are manual workers while the 24.5 per cent of the female workers are matriculates or rest are tUstributed in other a'Jocations. above. Among the workers as a whole, 17.2 per cent hold graduate degrees or above. A significant feature is that majority of the new entrants fnto working force, upto the age-group of 34 (e) PROFESSIONAL AND PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS years are engaged as manual workers (58.8 percent), while only 40.2 per cent of the etdel1y workers aged 35 Of the people ~ngaged in important professions like years and above pursue the same occupation. This medical, engineering and legal vocations, (data on connotes a bleak employment situation in the labour which has been furnished by the municipality) there are market where in the absence of suitable jobs, most of 57 allopathic medical practioners, 11 registered the new entrants have to rely on the sinews of their homeopathic practitioners, 18 lawyers and advocates hands. and 39 engineers in the town.

(d) TYPES OF OCCUPATIONS VIS-A-VIS EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF (1) HOUSEHOLDS WITH DIVERSITY- OF OCCUPATION~ WORKERS Analysing the types of occupations pursued by From the distribution of the workers according to various workers in the sample households, there are levels of education (Appendix Table 10), it appears that households where the workers pursue the same 60 per cent of the unskilled manual workers are occupation, while there are households with members illiterate, 22.3 per cent are literate without any pursuing occupation different from those pursued by educational level while the rest have education upto other members in the households. In the latter case primary or middle levels. Among the skilled manual there is diversity of occupation in the households in so workers, 75 are literates, 14 of them, mostly working in far as different members pursue different occupations. Hindustan Motors Factory, are matriculates or above In Uttarpara proper, 34.4 per cent of the households including one graduate. Among the 16 workers holding have diversity of occupation. In Bhadrakali in 64.5 per lowest professional and administrative posts, all are cent of the households and in 52.7 per cent of the literates inclUding three matriculate and six graduates. households in Kotrung the occupations are diversified. Of the workers engaged in small business 37 are literates including nine matriculates and one graduate. (9) OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY All the highly skilled and supervisory manual workers are literates including two matriculates and three with The mobility occupation of different workers, in the education below matriculation level. Likewise, of the 55 sample households has been analysed with, reference derks and shop-assistants. all but one is literate. 24 of to those pursued by the father and the sons, by different them being matriculates, and 18 being graduates and brothers in the same household and the occupations one holding technical diploma equal to degree. All the pursued by the husband and the wife. workers holding intermediate professional posts or engaged in medium business are 'iterates. Among the Table 4.5 - Occupa\\on mobnity 'With re~erence \0 1ather and son workers holding highly professional and salaried posts, two are matriculates, six are graduates while four are post graduates. Among the 14 owners of large shops or SI. No. Occupation of father Occupation of son establishments, four have attained education upto middle-school level, five are matriculates, four are 1. Teacher Machine tool worker graduates while one holds a technical diploma not 2. Packer Motor mechanic equal the degree. 3. Packer Supervisor of construction

67 Table 4.5 - Occupation mobility with reference to father and son Table 4.6 - Occupational dlver.ity with reference to the -contd. occupations of the husband and the wife - contd.

SI.No. Occupation of father Occupation of son 51.No, Occupation of husband Occupation of wife Remarks

4, Factory mechanic Dairy worker 5, Order Supplier Shop assistant 5, Crane operator Poultry farmer 6, Office Superintendent SchoolTeacher 6, Teacher Office assistant 7, Rickshaw puller Brick field worker '7, Factory mechanic Order Supplier 8, Rickshaw puller Maid servant 3 cases 8, B!oker Office assistant 9, Fisherman Maid servant 9, Jute mill worker Rope winder 1O, Factory mechanic Do 10, Factory Worker Shop assistant (2 cases) 11, Office peon Paper-packet-maker 11, Mason Lorry driver 12. Factory mechanic Teacher 12, Shop assistant Electrician 13, Bidi binder Paper.packet.maker 13, Grocer Electrician 14, School peon Maid servant

~4, Schoo) peon Paster ot Cinema postEHS .. 5, Machine too' wor'Ker ?apel -pac'Ket-ma'Ker 15. Factory worker Shop assistant

In analyzing the extent of diversity of occupations It is interesting to note that almost all the cases are pursued by the husband and the wife, it is found that at least instances of horizontal mobility from the both the husbands and wives in white collar jobs (vide occupations of the father. SI. No. 3 to 6) are pursuing more or less similar occupation, But the husbands pursuing manual jobs Again 32 cases of mobility with reference to the are motivated by the urge to augment the income of the occupations pursued by two or more brothers were family in sending their wives even to work as maid observed, 14 in Uttarpara, eight in Bhadrakali and 10 in servant. • Kotrung. Most of the cases were instances of horizontal mobility where one brother is working as a teacher (h) EMPLOYMENT DEPTH another as an order supplier, or one brother as a grocer and another as an electrician or one brother as a The concept of employment depth (number of motorcar-driver and another as a shop-keeper. Of the workers in a household) shows the extent of pressure two cases of vertical mobility Observed one brother is a on the working members in a household to support Primary School teacher whose brother is a government their dependants (vide Appendix Table 11). It is, more officer and one brother is working as an AccDunts or less, an expression of the dependency ratio of the Assistant with his brother working as a Sales Manager. households. Among the 200 Sample Households, 8.5 per cent are without even a single worker, 46.5 per cent Table 4.6 - Occupational diversity with reference to the of the households have one worker each, 28 per cent of occupations of the husband and the wife the households have two workers each, and only 17 per cent of the households have' 3 or more workers .• An average household in the town comprises of 3.8 adults, SI.No. Occupation of husband Occupation Qf Wife Remarks and an average worker in the town has to maintain 2.4 adults including himself. In the single worker 1. Mason Maid servant 3 cClses households in the town, each worker has to bear the 2. Rickshav' pullar School attendant brunt of supporting, on an average more than 3 adults. 3. Public Relations Officer Teacher The extent of burden on the working members of a 4. Railway Ticket Collector Teacher household generally diminishes with increase in the

68 number of workers In the households, provided the workers work within a very narrow zone also connotes number of dependants is not unduly high. Among the the availability of such work within the town itself, partly sample households In the town, In single-worker reflecting the potentiality of the economy to sustain the h~usehold, a worker on a average, has to maintain 3.5 unskilled workers. The skilled manual workers working adults, in a two-worker household he has to maintain mostly as mechanics in various factories and 2.1 adults, In a three-worker household he has to establishments are mostly confined to a narrow orbit of maintain 1.6 adults, in a four-worker he has to maintain five kilometres within the Haora-Konnagar belt. Workers 2 adults on an average, in a five-worker household he working in the lowest professional and administrative has to maintain 1.6 adults while in a six-worker posts mostly as primary teachers, within three household, he has to maintain 1.2 adults including kilometres as an average, work mostly within the town himself. itself. So also is the case of the persons engaged in small business, the only exceptions being noted in the (i) EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF WORKERS case of two traders of Kotrung who commute to places as far as Ranchi in Bihar, with their merchandise of The distribution of the 325 workers in the sample tailored ready-to wear garments, thereby raising the households according to their status of employment average distance of the place of work in that segment. may be glanced from Appendix Table 12. It is not NeedlEtss to mention, most of the clerks including office unusual that in a town dominated by manufacturing and shop assistants commute to Calcutta and Haora and service sectors, employees constitute 55.7 per cent and the average distance of the place of work of this of the workers while single worker constitutes 31.4 per category of workers coincides with the distances of cent. Again, the employers constitute 8.9 per cent while Calcutta from the referent town. The persons engaged the family workers constitute only four per cent of the in medium business and working within a radius of total workers. three to five kilometres have their places of business inside the referent town. The highly professional and The proportion of the employers is the highest in salaried personnel and the owners of large shop and Uttarpara which is incidentally the most affluent of the establishments work at places at a distance of 10 to 15 three segments in the town. Likewise, the single kilometres, on an average. Most of them commute to workers comprising mostly the daily-rated wage­ Calcutta in connection with their occupations or earners working as mason, carpenters and construction professions. labourers and odd job-holders like domestic servants are proportionately higher in Bhadrakali and Kotrung Among the three segments of town, an average compared to those in Uttarpara. Among the female worker in Uttarpara has to cover a distance of 4.8 workers in the sample households, nearly 60 per cent kilometres, an average worker iry- Bhadrakali has to are single-workers while nearly 39 per cent are cover 5.5 kilometres while an average worker in Kotrung employees. has to cover the highest distance of 11.9 kilometres to reach their places of work. 0) TYPES OF OCCUPATION AND DISTANCE FROM PLACE OF WORK (k) TYPES OF OCCUPATION AND MODE OF TRANSPORT

Appendix Table 13 correlates the type of occupation The type of occupation of a worker is correlated to of the workers with the places of their work. Almost the the mode of transport used in reaching the place of whole of the unskilled manual workers working as work in Appendix Table 14. By far the highest labourers In different stages of construction, day­ percentage of workers (46.9 percent) reach the place of labourers, rickshaw-pullers or office peon or as work on foot, signifying thereby that the places of work domestic servants and maid servants do so mostly are located within or on the periphery of the town. The within the town within a very narrow ambit of one next batch of workers, conStituting 32.7 percent, kilometre or so. That most of the unskilled manual comprise the commuters who use both trains and

69 buses in reaching the places -Of work. Calcutta happens The study of the 200 sample households in 1987 to Qe the place of work of the overwhelming number of reveals that there are 74 unemployed persons in the commuters. About 10.6 per cent of the workers use age-group of 15-59 including 50 males and 24 females. cycles or rickshaws to reach the place of work while 9.7 Hence, 14.2 per cent of the males in the age-group of per cent of the workers depend on bus service to reach 15-59 in the sample population are unemployed their place of work. It is Interesting that 7.3 per cent of compared to 6.4 per cent in 1971. the workers have their pl~ces of work in or (very near their places of residences. Among the three segments of the town, the rate of unemployment Is the highest in 8hadrakali (8 percent) Q) HOURS OF WORK followed by Kotrung (7.8 per cent) while the rate Is the lowest in Uttarpara {6.3 per cent}. The age-group-wise The, hours at work vary from occupation to distribution of the unemployed reveals that nearly a occupation and from profession to profession. The quarter of the persons seekin~ employment are manual workers work usually from 8 AM. tp 5 P.M. with teen-agers whi~e nearly half of them (48 per cent) a recess for one hour in between. The skilled workers belong to the age-group of 20 to 24 while more than attached to medium and large-scale factories usually one-fourth of them (26.7 per cent) belong to the work in shift system, on a rotational basis, each shift age-group of 25-34. Of the 75 iob-seekers, one male is extending to 8 hours from 6 P.M. to 2 P.M., 2 P.M. TO 13 years old while one female is 36 years old. 10 P.M. And 10 P.M. to 6 A.M., but the workers in small scale establishments like grill-manufacturing factory and The distribution of persons seeking employment for log-cutting saw mills, have to work from morning to the first time by age sex. educational levels and evening. The teachers attached to primary or secondary registration in Employment Exchange (Appendix Table schools have their working ho~r$ extending from 11 15) shows that 7.4 -per cent of the total population A.M. to:4 P.M. The white-coUar workers in various comprising 9.6 per cent of the male populatiop and five offices and establishments, whether public or private, per cent of the female population in the sample work mostly from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. The businessmen households are seeking employment. and shop assistants attached to various shops and trading centres. in the town under study, keep their Again among the seekers of job, nearly three-fourths shutters open frof')ll.8 AM. to 9 P.M. with usual recess {74.7..per cent} are registered with any Employment from 12 to 4 P.M. Exchange while one fourth are not. About 70.6 per cent of the male job seekers and 83.3 per cent of the females (m) UNEMPLOYMENT DEF'TH AND RELEVANT PARTICUlARS are registered. The level of literacy is directly correlated to registration in any Employment Exchange. The An analysis of the age-group wise distribution of higher the ~evel of literacy, the higher is found to be the population' in 1971 with workers and non~workers percentage of registration. Thus the single iII!ierate reveals that 90.1 per cent of the male population in the job-seeker is not registered with any Employment age-group 15-19, 54.4 per cent of the adult menfolk in Exchange. Among 23 job-seekers who have had atleast the age-group of 20-24, 18.9 per cent in the age-group up to Primary level, only five are registered with of 25-29, 9.4 per cent In the age-group of 30-39, 8.4 per Employment Exchange while the rest are not. All the cent in the age-group of 40-49 and 18.8 per cent in the seekers of jobs in the towns, whether male or female, age-group of 50-59 were non-workers. The age-group who are at least matriculates and above, are registered and sex-wise distribution of the non-working male with Employment Exchange. population (1971) according to the main activity of the non-workers for the urban areas, of the district reveals Only one of the seekers of jobs is a Muslim while the that 6.4 per cent of the males on the age-group 15-59 rest are Hindus. Twelve job - seekers are neo-settlers in were classified as others. the town, since their duration of stay in the town is less

70 than 10 years, 30 of the job-seekers have been staying who have not renewed their registration in the in the town for 10 to 19 years while 33 of the job - Employment Exchanges out of sheer disgust and seekers (44 per cent) have been residing in the town for frustration. It may be Interesting to classify the 33 20 years or more. currently employed job-seekers according to their present occupations; four of them are doing odd jobs, An analysis of the ethnic composition of the 75 seven are petty traders, two are poultry farmers, four seekers of jobs reveals that 88 per cent of them belong are semi-skilled mechanics, three are undertaking petty to caste Hindus, 10.7 per cent belong to the Scheduled electrical repair, four are assistants in private firms, two Castes while 1.3 per cent belong to the Muslim are working as Badli (substitute) workers in factories, community. The highest percentage of job-seekers three are engaged in construction as petty (65.3 percent) belong to the so-called higher castes. contractors, two are engaged in traditional Thus of the 75 seekers of jobs, 18 are Brahman 27 are brass-making industry, one is an assistant in a milk Kayasthas, 6 are Tills, 2 are Rajbanshis, '3 are Tantis, 2 Depot while one is working as a Technical Sales are Swarnakars, 5 are Namasudras, 3 are Chhetris, 3 Executive. are Mahishyas and one each belong to Shaw, Baidyas, Methor, Subarna banik, Barujibi and Muslim. Two of the (B) ESTABLISHMENTS seekers of jobs belong to Bihar while the rest belong to West Bengal. From the Establishment Schedules of 1981 Census for the town it appears that there were 2439 A classification of the 75 job-seekers by the nature of establishments in the town. The break-up of the their present activities reveals that 14 of them (18.7 per establishments is as below. cent) are engaged in household activities, 22 (29.3 per cent) of them are engaged as private tutors, 27 (36 per cent) are pursuing some vocational courses like shorthand and typewriting while the rest (16 percent) SI. No Type of establishments Distribution of establish- are not doing anything. An analysis of the seekers of ments number jobs by marital status reveals that eight per cent are married, 1.3 per cent are widowed while the rest (90.7 1. Manufacturing 677 per cent) are never married. It is interesting to note that 2. Trading and Commercial 1,219 while all the male job-seekers are never married, 29.2 3. Others 543 per cent of the females are either married or widowed. Total: 2,439 The extent of the problem of unemployment in the referent town assumes a new dimension, if account is taken of the number of job-seekers who are currently MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS employed but regard themselves as under-employed or not suitably employed and look forward to better jobs. (I) BROAD TYPES AND LOCATION Eight of them belong to Uttarpara( 16 to Bhadrakali and nine to Kotrung. Three of them belong to the age-group The manufacturing establishments, covered under of 15 to 19, 13 to the age-group of 20-24, eight to the the establishment schedules, include both househOld age-group of 25-29, 5 to the age-group of 30-34, while industries and establishments other than household four are more than 34 years of age. Of the 33 currently industries (Appendix Table 16). employed job-seekers, 14 are matriculates and above while the rest have education upto Primary or It appears that 38.1 per cent of the manufacturing middle-school levels. Among the under-employed, establishments are located in Uttarpara proper, 36.1 per twenty persons continue to be registered with cent in Kotrung and 25.8 per cent in Bhadrakali. It is Employment Exchange while there are several others observed that the bulk of the establishments

71 manufacturing food products like sweetmeat, bakery 21.1 per cent work establishments empJoying two to products, grain products and establishments four workers, 15.7 per cent of the workers are engaged manufacturing wooden furniture and fixtures and in establishments with five to nine workers, 13.1 per establishments engaged In sundry repair are locatoo in cent of the workers are engaged in establishments with Uttarpara proper, and most of the tailoring shops, 10 to 25 workers while 42.9 per cent are engaged in establishments engaged in manufacturing rubber and comparatively larger establishments employing 25 plastic products and the brick-manufacturing workers or more. establishments are located in Kotrung. A good number of food (processing) establishments, tailoring (iii) INDUSTRIES BY TYPES OR POWER establishments, timber industries, . establishments manufacturing rubber and plastic products, Appendix Table 18 shows the distribution of the establishments manufacturing non-metallic mineral establishment in the town by nature of power used. products and repairing establishments are located in Nearly half of the establishment in the town (49.3 Bhadrakali. It may be mentioned that of the three percent) do not require any power and are operated medium-sized public limited companies located in the manually, 27.5 per cent of the establishments are run by town, the SWIL factory (formerly Shalimar Wires and electricity, 22.6 per cent of the establishments are Industries Limited) is located in Uttarpara while two operated by fuel like, wood, coal, charcoal etc. while others, Indian Yeast Company Limited and the Bengal only 0.6 per cent use liquid petroleum gas as power. Distilleries Company Limited are located in Bhadrakali. Again most of the brick-manufacturing establishments TRADE AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENT are located in Kotrung. (i) TYPE AND LOCATION Qi) INDUSTRIES BY REGISTERED FACrORIES, UNREGISTERED WORKSHOP AND SIZE OF EMPLOYMENT The referent town is not a thriving commercial centre with any hinterland. Besides, the metropolitan Total number of workers employed in different trading centres of Calcutta and Haora, within a distance manufacturing establishment, in the town may be found of eight to Ten kilometres from the towns, also deter the in Appendix Table 17. The four medium-Sized growth of Uttarpara-Kotrung as an impo_rtant manufaCturing establishments in the town, viz, two 'commercial centre. Therefore, most of the trading and factories of the Shalimar Jndustries, one factory Or the commercial establishment in the referent town are Bengal Destilleries Company and another of the Indian small-sized, satisfying the local needs of the customers Yeast Company were registered factories. One 01 two of the town. Almost all the commercial establishments units of the Shalimar Industries has since been wound of the town are operated on retail basis, a few of which up. Hence the total number of medium-sized facto~ies also occasionally operate on wholesale basis. The in the town is at present three. It may be mentioned that location and distribution of the various commercial the brick manufacturing industries in the town continue establishments in the town by broad types are shown to be unregistered in so far as they operate for four to in Appendix Table 19. five months, on an average, and remain virtually closed for the major part of the year. It may be noted that 37.6 A close scrutiny of the location of various types of per cent of the establishments are single-w()rker shops and trading merts in the three segments of the establishments 41.7 per cent have two to four workers town reveals that none of the three main segments of each, in 13.3 per cent of the establishments, there are the town has any connection of any particular type of five to nine workers, 5.3 per cent of the establishll1ents trading establishments. In other words. most of the employ 10 to 25 workers while 2.1 per cent of the shops and establishments in the three segments onhe establishments engage 26 persons or more each. town cater for local needs of the customers and as Again, 7.2 per cent of the total workers in manufacturing such, are situated on both sides of aU important streets concerns ane engaged in single-worker establishments, and roads in the town. Still Uttarpara, being the oldest

72 segment of the town, appears to have a slight edge less, uniformly among the three segments of the town. over the other two in regard to location of commercial An average establishment of the residual category establishment. Uttarpara with 32.2 per cent of the total employs 4.5 persons, thereby generating total population of the town as a whole contains 37.8 per employment of 2,463. Among some of the principal cent of the trading establishments. Bhadrakali with 30.9 establishments employing the maximum number of per cent of the total population contain 31.3 per cent of person, mention may be made of the educational the trading establishment while Kotrung with 36.4 per institutions (major group 32) employing 490 persons, cent of the total population of the town has only 30.9 medical and health service establishments (major size per cent of the total number of trading establishment. 93) including the general Hospital employing 389 Again, Uttarpara, the most advanced and economically persons, Public Administration establishment including the most well-off of the three segments. somehow the Municipality employing 315 persons, Personal attracted the bulk of the ready-made garment shops, service establishment including laundries and saloons utensil shops, shops dealing in electrical and electronic employing 313 persons followed by establishments goods, medical shop, stationery shops and restaurants engaged in livestock production employing 189 in the town as a whole. persons.

Qi) COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS BY BROAD TYPES AND SIZE OF EMPLOYMENT B (ii) MANAGEMENT, ACTIVITY, PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT, CAPITAL, MANPOWER STRUCTURE, Appendix Table 20 shows the distribution of the PRODUCTIONS, VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONS ETC. establishments ~y broad types with reference to the size of employment. A trading establishment in the town Uttarpara-Kotrung is an industrial-cum-service employs, on an average, 1.6 persons. The single-worker town. Three medium-sized industries are situated within establishments accounting for 67.6 per cent of the total the town while Hindustan Motors Limited, one of the establishments employ 42.5 per cent of workers largest automobile industries in the South-East Asia, is employed in trading establishment in the town, located at the periphery of the town. Besides, the town establishments with two to four employees account for is also famous for the industries manufacturing bricks 28.6 per cent of the establishments but employ 43.3 per and tiles and soorki (Brick powder). It was also once cent of the total workers, establishment employing five famous as a centre of brass aild bell-metal utensils. but to nine persons account for 3.6 per cent of the total the craft. in recent years, is fast declining due to stiff establishments employing 13.2 per cent of the total competition from cheaper article made of aluminum workers engaged in commercial establishments. There and plastic materials, and from comparatively are InCidentally two establishments in the town low-period stainless,steel utensils. employing 10 persons or more; one Is a Petro! Pumping Station. while another is a sweetmeat shop. In recent years the shrinkage in opportunities of The Single worker establishments account for more new job has inculcated a new spirit among the younger than two-thirds of the total establishments In the town generation to set up smail-Sized manufacturing units employing more than two-fifths of the total workers. under the patronage of Small-Scale Industries Department of the Government of West Bengal. This OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS has resulted in prolific growth of small-sized units manufacturing plastic goods, sheet-metal and furniture, Apart from the manufacturing and commercial printing presses. tailoring establishments etc. The establishments, there are other multifarious details of some of the manufacturing industries would establishments In the town, details of which are sho~n throw some Ught on the organisational and physical in Appendix Table 21, from whiCh it Is observed that the structure. manpower structure. volume of production miscellaneous establishments are distributed, more or etc.

73 (1) HINDUSTAN MOTORS LIMITED company runs several educational institutions including a Higher Secondary School, a 13-bed hospital, an The factory was initially set up at Port Okha in the ambulance section and a cheap canteen. then Baroda State, In 1944-45 an agreement was reached between Messrs Morris Motors Ltd., of the UK Regarding the disposal of industrial wastes and and the Company for technical collaboration in effluents, scrapped and other disposal items, other than assembling and progressive manufacture of different liquids and gases, are stored in a separate disposal components of Morris Ten cars. The construction of the yard from where they are disposed of in different factory of Uttarpara, in the adjacent western part of the manners. Liquid wastes are collected in an effluent tank main line of the Eastern Railway, was started in 1946 outside the wark-site and then either drained out or and the first phase was completed in 1950. In 1954 the pumped out into a distant barren marshy land. The company started producing land master cars, but from gases and emissions in the air are disposed strictly 1957 it switched over to the Hindustan Ambassador according to the provisions of various pollution control model. Subsequently a series of agreements were acts. entered into with various multinational companies for the progressive manufacture of Bed ford trucks, shovels The company has no immediate plan of expansion. and O.H.T cranes. The Ambassador cars are being No serious problem is faced by the company at increasingly changed over to different models from present. Prospects appear to be bright as various Mark I to Mark IV, Recently the company has started the schemes of modernization have recently been taken up. production of another luxurious motor car named Contessa classic with fuel-efficiency engine based on There are two recognised trade unions viz. the ISUZU technology. The main products of the factory Hind Motor Workers' Union affiliated to the CITU include motor cars, Driveaway Chassis, general utility claiming the allegiance of more than 90 per cent of the vehicles, trucks, bus chassis, excavators/shovels, workers and the Hind Motor Employees' Union, cranes, steel structures, castings etc. affiliated to INTUC claiming the allegiance of one-third of the workers. Besides, there are other registered A public limited company, run by a Board of ten non-recognised trade unions like the LP.F. and the Directors including Shri G.P. Birla as Chairman and Chetana Manch. The company is serious about the Prof. N.L. Hingorani as vice-Chairman. The Balance maintenance of healthy and ideal industrial relation with Sheet of the company, as on 31 st March, 1987 shows a the workers and almost all industrial disputes are settled subscribed share capital of Rs. 2,635.01 lakhs and an through mutual negotiations with its recognised trade amount of Rs.9,1 01.21 lakhs as reserves and surplus unions. and an amount of Rs. 11 ,279.25 lakhs as loans from various agencies. The fixed assets of the company (2) INDIAN YEAST COMPANY UMITED (BHADRAKALI UNIT) amount to Rs. 16,463.09 lakhs and the circulating capital amounts to Rs.6,445.86 lakhs. The gross profits A medium-sized industrial establishment, located of the company stood at Rs. 3,392.55 lakhs while the at Bhadrakali, on the Grand Trunk Road facing the river net profits for 1986-87 stood at Rs. 596.16 lakhs. An Hugli, the factory has an approximate area of 2300 Sq. amount of Rs. 263.31 lakhs @ Rs. 1 per ordinary share metres of land. Indian Yeast Company has two units, were paid as dividend to share holders. The employees one at Bhadrakali in the referent town and another in of the company were paid bonus @ 20 per cent of Maharashtra. It is a public limited company, managed basic salary. by a Board of Seven Directors including Mr. M.R. Chhabria as the Chairman of the company. The The factory encompasses an area of 743.85 acres Bhadrakali unit of the Company started production in of tand. The total number of personnel engaged in the 1960. The Balance Sheet of the company as at 30th factory include 11,000 workers and 5,000 staff. The June, 1987 shows a subscribed share capital of Rs. 161 company's housing scheme comprises 1243 units. The lakhs with an amount of Rs. 96.12 lakhs as Reserves

74 and Surplus. The fixed capital of the company stands (3),BENGAL DISTILLERIES LTD., BHADRAKALI Rs. 37.69 lakhs and the circulating capital at Rs. 27.06 lakhs. Bengal Distilleries is a medium-sized factory of Shaw Wallace and Company Ltd.; it was formerly a The main products of the company comprise private limited company owned by the family of compressed yeast and dried yeast. The appro_?Cimate Haywards, but acquired by Shaw Wallace in the early volume of production in 1986-87 in the Bhadrakali unit sixties. Shaw Wallace and Company Limited is has been 1459 tons of compressed yeast and 117 tons governed by a Board of nine Directors including Mr. of dried yeast. The money value of total production M.R. Chhabria, the Chairman and Mr. K.R. Chhabria, the amounted to Rs. 303 lakhs. The total profits earned by Managing Director. The main products of Bengal the Bhadrakali unit of the company in 1986R87 have Distilleries include India made liquor and alcholic drinks been Rs. 6.41 lakhs. Dividend at the rate of fifteen per like Whisky, brandy, gin, ram and vodka etc. The total ceQt was sanctioned for the year, while bonus at the area of the factory comprises 2.3 acres of land at rate of 20 per cent of basic pay was paid to the Bhadrakali in between Grand Trunk Road and the river employees. HugH. The factory is run by 220 workers and 30 office staff. The company has 440 power -line. The c;ompany does not provide housing facilities for its labour. However, the company has a The total production of liquor of the company from houseRbuilding loan scheme under which it has given July 1986 to June, 1987 was approximately 2 lakhs and interest-free loans to some employees. eight hundred sixty cases, each case comprising 12 bottles and each bottle containing 750 mls. of liquor. The total number and category of workers in the The sale proceeds of the company in the referent year present unit in 1986~87 have been 138 including 41 1986-87 amounted to rupees 5.86 crores with an skilled, 58 semi-skilled, 13 unskilled and 26 amount of loss of rupees 38.43 lakhs during the same administrative and supervisory personnel. period.

The industrial effluents are presently discharged The distilleries are confronted with occasional into the river Hugli. Necessary permission has been problems relating to procurement of raw-materials. obtained from the government of India for installing an West Bengal being a non-sugar producing state, Bengal Effluent Treatment Plant with imported technical distilleries have to import alchobal and mollases from know-how. Work in this connection is in progress. The outside the State. So cost of basic raw materials is company has its own affiliated and recognised trade reportedJy much higher comparl'ld to the same in other unions. The problems are solved by mutual discussion States producing mollasses. with various trade union leaders. The industrial relations are reported to be very cordial. The main problem reportedly faced by the Distilleries, a!ises from various restrictions imposed by Regarding problems and prospects of the the Excise Department of the government of West company, it is pointed out by the authorities that Bengal with the result that the unit manufactures liquor availability of molasses at reasonable rates continues to varying from 16,000 to 1 B,OOO cases a months against be a perennial problem. Again undue restrictions on the optimum capacity of 30,000 cases a month. power supply are also continuing. So far as Thereby, it is pointed out by the authorities, the unit is modernisation of plants and machineries are producing at a comparatively higher cost and the state concerl'")ed, reasonable and phased programmes of is losing in revenue earninas. modernizations are undertaken every year. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the prospects of the The Distilleries claim not to emit any hazardous company are considered to be fairly good. flaunts, but still to cope with the recent formalities

75 regarding disposal of wastes and effluents, the unit Is The company declared a dividend of 10 per c~ In going to set up an Effluent Treatment Plant soon. The 1986 to Its share-holders. unit is also effecting various schemes of modernisation including installation of up-to-date plants and (5) KAMALA MOTOR REPAIRING WORKS mechineries. A sman-slzed motor-repairing workshop located on The General Manager of the Unit expressed the Grand Trunk Road, Kotrung, it Is owned by Sri Asit ylew that the State Government should streamline the Kumar Jana, a Mahisya by caste and aged about 35 excise formalities with a view to allowing the factory to years, an old resident of the town for nearly three to produce maximum quantity of liquor at the lowest price four generations and with education upto class YIII. and sell its products both within and outside the state The owner worked in a jute mill but had since left without any difficulty. so as to make the unit viable and the service and started the motor repairing workshop enable it to generate its own funds to modernise and about four years back. The workerS of the workshop expand to cope up with the increased competition. include the owner, his brother, a Manager and seven workers, two of whom are skjJJed. The workers are paid (4) THE SWILL LIMITED {FORMERLY SHALIMAR WIRES AND a monthly salary of rupees 150 to rupees 400 according INDUSTRIES LTD} to experiences. All kinds of engine-body-repairing, painting work upholstery and other ancillary repairing It is a public limited company and is governed by a work are undertaken in the workshop, but no welding is 130ard of Directors. The factory has its site situated on done. The site of the garage is owned by the proprieter Netaji Subhas Road in Uttarpara while another unit is of the workshop. The proprieter earned a profit of located at Nasik in Maharashtra. A medium-sized approximately rupees ten thousand in 1987. factory with an area of 4.207 acres, It had a total number of workers and staff of 272 including 120 skilled (6) DOMINION METAL INDUSTRIES PRIVATE LIMITED workers, 54 semi-skilled workers, 12 un-skilled workers, 36 administrative staffs and 50 supervisory personnel in A registered factory located on Grand Trunk Road, 1987. Kotrung, it is also registered as a 8.S.\. unit and also .. registered with National Small Industries Corporation, The main products of the factory consist of Govt. of India. Sri S. Banerjee, aged 51, a Bachelor of fourdrinier wire cloth, Dandy roll, Dandy bracket and its Engineering (Metallurgy) is the owner of the factory accessories for paper, board and news print mills and including the site. The factory has a high-tension power copper and copper alloy wires. line. Various road-roller components, crane com­ ponents and wagon components, are manufactured in The total volume of production of the company in the factory. The company secures job-work orders from 1986-87 consisted of 76,432 Sq. Metres of fourdrinier leading firms like Jessop Company, Garden Reach wire cloths valued at 4.34 crores, dandy roles, dandy Ship-building factory, Burn and Braithwaith Company brackets and its accessories amounting to 47 in number etc. The factory employs 15 workers and two office valued at rupees 59 lakhs and copper and copper alloy staff. The total capital invested in the company includes wires amounting to 205 metric tons, valued at rupees a sum of Rs. 230,000 as entrepreneur's contribution, Rs. 2.05 crores. Hence the total volume of production of the 750,000 as term loan secured from West Bengal factory in 1986-87 amounted to 6.98 crores of rupees. Financial Corporation, Rs. 75,000 as seed money secured from 5.5.1. and a working capital of Rs. 250,000 The total capital of the company in 1986-87 secured from United Commercial Bank of India, consisted of a fixed capital of rupees 173.16 lakhs, a Uttarpara. The total cost of installation of various subscribed share-capitai of rupees 113.16 lakhs and a machineries comes to rupees five lakhs and a half. It is bonus issue of rupees 60 lakhs. The net profit occurring unfortunate that the factory has almost turned into a to the company in 1986 amounted to rupees 5.64 lakhs. sick unit within two to three years of its commissioning

76 mainly because of shortage of working capital. the partners, a full-time Manager and nine·workers, mostlY company cannot product at its optimum level. Against a teen-aged boys and girls. The partners have reportedly demand for rupees 14 lakhs. the factory secured a invested a capital of rupees 25 thousand in the-bakery. working capital of only rupees two lakh and a half, An average worker In the bakery is paid a sum of because of various formalities, and official procedural rupees one hundred and twentyfive per month. The entanglements. Besides, the periodical payment of bakery has only one oven where cakes, biscuits and Interest on loans. already secured. has financially breads are saked. The bakery daily produces 18 gross handicapped the company. It is pointed out that of hand-made biscuits. 150 dozens of bread of 125 shortage of working capital sometimes forces the grams of weight and 12 dozens of cakes. The bakery factory to work for seven days a month. The financial supplies its products to markets in the referent town. probJ.em of the company is made further acute by Rishra and Konnagar. The products are marketed in irregulaF- nature of payment by semi-government rickshaw vans. The annual profit of the bakery concerns against job orders. Even when the factory reportedly varies between rupees twelve thousand to works for seven to eight days a month becau6e of rlipees fifteen thousand. shortage 01 working capital. the company has to pay the minimum electricity demand charge of rupees eight (9) PANCHANAN PAL AND SONS \h~u~ro a m~r.\n ~Cf us\r.g \h~ h\gn \er.s\~r. \\r.e. A brick manufacturing industry located in kotrung, (7) JOY..JALARAM TIMER COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED it was formerly a tile-manufacturing unit but changed to a brick-manufacturing industry in 1972, on a partnership A small sized sawing mill located on Grand Trunk firm of four brothers. In 1987-88, the industry Road, Kotrung. owned by Shri Kanti Lal Patel. a gujarati manufactured bricks estimated around four lakhs who has read upto class II, the workshop was started pieces from the silt of the river Hugli for which a on the site owned by the proprieter about a year back. revenue of rupees forty thousand had to be deposited The workshop is run by the owner. his son. his b(other with the Department of Land Reforms, Government of and a paid unskilled worker. West Bengal. The site of the factory including the temporary hutments for the labourers are owned by the Operated on 440 power line, the workshop ..owners. undertakes the sawing of logs of specified wood, nlOstly sal, purchased from Nimtala in Calcutta with a Bensaw The total number of workers employed in the machine. valued at rupees 15 to 20 thousand. The industry in 1987-88 varied between 40 to 50. majority of logging operations are done according to specific size whom hailed from Diamond Harbour areas in South 24 and requirements of the customers. The' logs and Pargarias and the rest from Bihar. The bricks planks are mainly used for making frames for doo(s and manufactured by the company are sold under the level windows and for manufacturing wooden furniture. The of Kotrung brand. presently sold at a price of rupees owner has net secured any loan from any source from ~aven hundred per thousand bricks. The various outside. ThELtotal capital invested in the workshOp is 9perations in the industry are managed by the estimated to be around rupees two lakhs. The annual contractors who charge rupees fifty per thousand green turnover of the workshop varies, on an average, bricks as labour charge. The annual turnover in 1987-88 between rupees one and a half to rupees two lakh5. has been estimated at rupees four lakhs and a half.

(8) MOHINI BAKERIES Apart from the case-studies of the few establishments including the four large-scale and A small-sized bakery on Grand Trunk Road in medium sized industries, a rapid survey was conducted Kotrung. owned by two partners, both Muslims nailing covering sixty establishments including 42 trading and ·from Arambag Police Station of the same district. it is commercial establishments and 18 manufacturing hc;>used in a rented building and run by the two establishments. details being given in Appendix Table

77 • 22 'rom which various aspects as nature of establishments on the other hand, have to work under management, physical structure, nature of manpower, the whims and caprices of the entrepreneurs and the approximate volume of transactions, and general perennial apprehension of termination of employment condition of the establishments, may be read. The even without a day's notice. The fear-psychosis makes surveyed establishments, though very few in number, th.em mere awns in the hands of the owners, StU.! worse are more or less representative in character and three are the lots of the teen-agers working in such establishments in each category were selected from establishments as garages, rope-manufacturing units, each of the three segments of the referent town viz bakeries, lathe-machin,e workshops, grill manufacturing Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and Kotrung. workshops where they are paid monthly remuneration of rupees one hundred to rupee one hundred and fifty, A BRIEF RESUME OF THE ESTABLISHMENTS According to the Census of Enterprises conducted in 1981, there were 1,219 trading and commercial The case studies of a few industrial establishments establishments in the town, while the tist supplied by in the town reveal that all but four of the medium and the Trade License Department of Uttarpara Kotrung large-scale industries have started operation in course Municipality shows the number as 1,489 in 1988. It has of last one decade or so. Most of these establishment been found that two-thirds of the trading and are quite small-sized establishments employing 8 to 15 commercial establishments are single-person workers on an average. Again, these small-sized establishments while 28.6 per cent of them employ two establishments are mostly engaged in the workers or more but less than five. The rapid survey of manufacturing and processing of traditional items like 60 establishments shows that nearly one-third of the small parts and accessories, tools and equipments, persons engaged in commercial establishments are serviCing of cars, bakery products etc. These medium employees. An estimated 700 workers in the various and large-sized industries, on the other hand, have shops and trading establishments have no better been operating in the town for more than two to three working condition than their counterparts in the decades. unorganised manufacturing sector. The monthly salary of a shop worker varies from rupees sixty to five It is estimated by the General Secretary of the Hind hundred, but a pay packet of rupees two hundred a Motor Workers' Union that at least one-third of the month is the average income of an average worker. workers and staff of the Hindustan Motor Factory There is neither any job satisfaction nor any security of numbering more than 5,000 and majority of the workers job. in the other three medium sized industries are residents of he town. The general workers working in brick About the physical structure and environment, it is manufacturing and other allied industries numbering observed that the Hindustan Motor Factory is located in about 2,000 are mostly inmigrant general workers who a separate tract of land outside the municipal limits of reside in the town for a period of six month a year. All the town, the other three medium-sized industries are the workers engaged in the small-sized and very also located in clearly demarcated areas of land, away small-sized manufacturing establishment currently from the residential zones while 20 brick manufacturing numbering about 800 according to Municipal sources and six others allied industries are located in the narrow mostly reside in the town. According to a rough but riparian strip of land between Grand Trunk Road reliable estimate, eight to nine thousand workers (National Highway) and the river Hugli. The small ~i:~~ed resident in the town are engaged in various industrial manufacturing establishments are mostly located in or establishment within the town. Nearly sixty per cent of around Grand Trunk Road. So the problems of health them, engaged in the organlsed industries, draw more hazards and environmental pollution have not yet than four-digit salaries and enjoy various amenities and assailed the town. The drainage of the industrial wastes services as stipulated under various factory and labour and 3ffluents does not pose any problem to those welfare Acts. Majority of the residual workers working in establishments as the bank of river. But th& the small and very small-Sized manufacturing establishments located in the interior of the town are

78 faced with the problem of disposal of industrial Commercial Bank of India, one branch each of State effluents. Another welcome feature about the Bank of India, United Industrial Bank of India, United manufacturing establishments in the town 'is that Bank of India and Allahabad Bank of India, with four, notwithstanding frequent load shedding specially in located in Uttarpara, three in Kotrung and one in summer from April to June, the supply of electrical Bhadrakali. All the branches are situated in rented power does not pose much of a problem, since some of buildings. All but two of the branches have locker the establishments have installed their own generators. facilities. The average number of staff including group D employees varies from 20 to 35. All the branches carry About the avaiJability of raw materials, no problem on brisk business in the town as evident from Appendix has been faced by any of the surveyed establishments. Table 23. but the availability of various loans, subsidies and credits have been a pressing problem, specially with the Under various welfare schemes of the government small~sized establishments, in view of various formalities specially under the Employment Programmes various involved. Some of the establishments after starting their branches of the banks operating in the referent town operations have to wait indefinitely for next installments also offered various loans. In 1986-87, the banks in the of loan restraining them from utilising the productive town offered loans of Rs. 75,000 to the rickshaw pullers. capacity at the optimum level. Another sum of Rs. 1,992,615/- were distributed among 347 unemployed youths of the town. Besides, various INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS other loans numbering 153 were sanctioned under various schemes such a SEEUY, SEPUP, SESRU etc. Another remarkable feature of the industrial estaolishments in the referent town is the industrial Apart from the eight branches of the scheduled harmony and peace. There has been very smooth banks there is a Cooperative Bank viz, Uttarpara industrial relations in the case of the four medium and Cooperative Bank Limited, established in 1924 and large-scale industries in or near the town viz, Hind located on Sridhar Chakraborty Street of Uttarpara. It is Motor Factory, SWIL Company Limited, Bengal an urban cooperative bank with apprOXimately 3,000 Distilleries (Shaw Wallace) and Indian Yeast Company share-holders in December, 1987. A share-holder is limited for over a couple of years or so. In these entitled to get a loan equal to ten times the value of organised industries, the emerging problems of the shares hold. industries are solved with the trade unions over the conference tables. The bank is housed in its own building. There are 14 members of staff Including Group 0 personnel. The The brick-manufacturing industries have also Bank operates both in the morning (7 AM to 9 AM) and recognized trade unions of workers. Every year, befor~ evening (6-30 PM to 9 PM). The bank has also been the starting of operation, the workers' unions sit with the providing locker faci(ities to its customers since 1981. brick manufacturers' unions and finalise the revised wages of various piece-rate workers engaged in A Board of 12 Directors, elected in the Annual different operations, and thrash out amicably relevant General Meeting, look after the affairs of the Bank. At problems and claims. Once the operations are started, present Sri P.K. BhattaG,harya is the Chairman and Sri no labour problem ever crops up to adversely affect Amar Kumar Mukherjee is the Secretary of the Board. industrial production. In the case of small-sized establishments, there is no organised labour union. The Batance Sheet of the Bank for 1985-66 shows the following details: PARTICULARS ABOUT BANKS 1. Number of Share holders Rs. 2,603.00 2. Subscribed Share capital Rs.715,540.00 There are eight branches of five nationalised banks 3. Amount of Fixed Deposit Rs.l,657,050.00 in the referent town, including four branches of United 4. Amount of Savings Deposits Rs.3.937.222.00

79 5. Amount of Recurring Deposits Rs. 522,513.00 Qi) LIVESTOCKS 6. Personal Guarantee Fund Rs.1,051,436.00 7. Working capital Rs.8,145,473.00 According to the latest available statistics with the 8. Investment in other banks R~. 1.520.599.00 local Block DevelopmeRt Office at Serampore! the total 9. Reserved funds Rs. 145.936.00 number of l~estock in the referent town as in 1986. is as 10. Property and Assets Rs.8,807,028.96 follows: 11. Capital and liabilities Rs.8,807,028.96 12. Net Profit Rs. 105,536.00 Table 4.7 Uvestock'Particulars 13. Dividend Rs. 105,536.00 Eight per cent proposed. Nature of Uvestock Number

C. LAND. LIVESTOCK ANn OTHER RESOURCES Bullocks 125 Milch cows 1,850 (I) LAND Table 4.7 Uvestock Particulars - contd. As pointed out earlier, the last vestiges of agricultural activities disappeared from the town as far back as the late fifties of the present century in the wake Nature of Livestock Number of immigration of displaced persons after the partition of India, the aftermath of which has been the conversion of Milch Baffaloes 2,665 limited agricultural land into residential homelands. Calves 2,800 Consequently, forming as an economic activity has Goats 1,200 been knocked out of practice. Agricultural activities Fowls 18,000 have been replaced by horticultural activities in the few Ducks 1,200 orchards, nurseries and kitchens garden in the' town. The Census of 1981 shows 29 persons returning their occupations as cultivations and 61 persons as There is thus a good stock of livestock of different agricultural labourers. To all intents and purposes, the varieties. According to the Census of 1981. agricultural activities of these handful of persons must establishment schedules for the referent town return 49 have originated in places outside the referent town. The establishments (Khata/s or improvised dairies) dealing sample survey conducted in 1987-88 also does not with livestock products and 40 poultry farms. The show any person referring to his occupation as Municipal authorities estimate the number of Khatals cultivation or agricultural labour. There is now no (Dairies) to be around 80 while the number of poultries agricultural land in the referent town. The land in the is estimated to be around 70. The Khatals are mostly town is mainly used for residential purposes, the other owned by people from Bihar who rear both milch cows uses of land in the town being for industrial purposes, and milch buffaloes for commercial purposes. An trading and commercial activities, and by roads, parks, average Khatal rears seven to fifteen milch cattle, a litre playgrounds and offices and institutions. Most of the of milk being sold at the rate of Rs. 5.50. The poultry plots of land in the town have already been sold out and farms in the town are mostly owned by local people. are used for the construction of residential buildings or Some of the educated unemployed youths have also industries or sites for other economic activities. As taken up poultry-farming, after securing loans under such, vacant plots of land in the town are few and far employment Scheme. There are several poultry farm between and fetch fancy prices to the owners. rearing two to four Jnousand birds.

80 Qii) FISHING ACTIVITIES (i) 10 per cent on annual valuation upto Rs. 200 Fishing was said to be the traditional occupation of a (ii) 18 per cent on annual valuation upto good number people inclu~l~g the Jalia-Kaibarthas, the Rs. 201 - 500 Tiyars, the Bagdis etc. It has been pointed out earlier (iii) 25 per cent on annual valuation upto that prior to the inmigratlon of the Subarna Chowdhury Rs. 501 - 2,000 families in Uttarpara in the beginning of the 18th (iv) 30 per cent on annual valuation upto Century, the referent town was inhabited by a good Rs. 2,001 - 10,000 number of fishermen who caught fishes in the (v) 35 per cent on annual valuation upto numerous tanks, ponds and marshy swamps in the then Rs. 10,001 - 25,000 Uttarpara-Kotrung. Many of them were also engaged in (vi) 40 per cent on annual valuation upto riverine fishing in their C'oUhtry-boats. Rs. 25,001 & above

Even tho~gh fishing as an economic pursuit has The total number of assesses in December, 1987 been relegated to an almost -insignificant position, it has for the town as a whole is estimated to 'be around not yet beeh completely lost in view of the existence of 14,500. numerous tanks and ponds 'in the town even to-day. (D) OPERATIONAL DETAILS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF ECONOMIC The big and deep tanks where water does not usually ACTIVITIES dry 'up are fit for pisciculture. About a hundred fishermen still take ttie comparatively bigger tanks on Cultivation as an economic activity within the lease and carry on fishing operations. Some of them periphery of the town has long passed in oblivion. also catch Hi/sa fishes in the river Hugli, specially in the Livestock is another traditional source of economic rainy season. activity in the town. There is an estimated ndmber of SO Khatals (dairies) where milch buffaloes and cows are (iv) LAND REVENUE AND LAND TASE reared commercially. About 20 Khata/s are comparatively bigger in size, each with more than 25 Land upto three acres Is completely exempted from milch cattlos. According to reliable estimates, milk any land tax. Among the 200 sample households, no amounting to six to seven thousand Iitres are raised households has to pay any land tax. daily in the town. According to Census of 1981, there were 15.659 households in the town. Even if the existing The Municipal authorities in the. town make periodic number of households is modestly estimated to be assessment uf land and bu_i1ding every five years and anything between 16 to 18 thousand, and assuming that rates on holdings are fixed on the annual value of one litre of milk is consumed daily by a single holding. The annual value of a holding shall be deemed household, then the total quantum of milk raised in the

to be the gross annual < rental at which the holding may town can at least serve BO to 40 per cent of the total reasonably be expected to let, less in the case of requirement of milk in the town. The shortfall is supplied building an allowance of 10 per cent for the cost of partly by the milk supply depots of Mother Dairy repairs and for all other expenses necessary to maintain operating in the town and also by adjoining villages In the building; provided that In the case of a holding Chanditala Police Station, comprising vacant land only, the anp-ual value of such a holding shail be (leemed to be an amount which may Next to raising of livestock ~roducts, poultry be equa1 to but may not 'exceed fJve on th9c per centum keeping is another economic activity which is getting estimated present value of ~uch land. increasingly popular among the educated unemployed youths in view of the fact that they can start the venture The rates are imposed at the following with loans from various agencies of the government, consoUtJated rate: speciaily under the Additional Employment

81 programmes. There is an estimated number of 19, 200 small pitcher (ghat) and different types of cooking fowls and ducks and there are 70 poultry farms where utensils are manufactured in the craft centres. The main fowls are reared commercially. Five such poultry farms problem faced by the craftsmen raised from the have been specially studied. Four of the farms are competition from varieties of stainless steels articles. located on roofs of houses in improvised structures while one is located in a corner of the courtyard in a Brick manufacturing is one of the traditianaf items similar structure. The number of fowls in three farms which has made the town famous even since the vary from 200 to SOD, another farm rears 50 fowls while second half of the preceding century. Even the the fifth farm rears 3,500 fowls. Among the five corporation of Calcutta had its own brick fields at poultry-keepers specially studied, one is a retired Kotrung which have since been leased out. person while the other four, who did not get any employment elsewhere, embarked on this venture with BRICK-MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES - OPERATIONAL DETAILS suggestion from frlends and well-wishers. The retired person has read upto Class X, three are' either By the end of the last and the beginning of the Matriculates or have passed Higher Secondary present century, brick making, tile-making and soorki Examination while the fifth one is an undergraduate. arounding industries were established along the west Three of them have secured loan from Government bank of the river HugJi from Bansberia on the north to agencies while the other two have already applied for Uttarpara in the south as also along Bally-Khal. Brick loan. and tike making industries were specially concentrated in Kotrung, because of the clayed soil, suitable for such All the poultry birds were fed on mash and other industries. In the first quarter of the present century, the proteinseed poultry feeds and were periodically kept Calcutta Corporation had its own brick-fields in under medical supervision of veterinary doctors. Sale of Kotrung, which were subsequently leased to private products does not pose any problem in view of the fact companies. The recent spurt in construction activities in that intending purchasers purchase meat and eggs the Calcutta Metropolitan region has given a great fillip from the poultry itself. to this industry.

fhe traditional craft, viz, brass and bellmetal wares Presently, there are twenty brick-making industries is practised by about 25 households of the town mostly in the referent town, including two in Uttarpara proper, as household industry. Five of these households are three in Bhadrakali and 15 in Kotrung. Two of the original residents of the town while twenty others brick-fields are owned by two Muslims, one by a sindhi immigrated from Bangia Desh. All the households and the rest by the Bengalees. among the Bengalee engaged in this craft belong to the artisan caste of owners, the majority belong to Brahman community. Kangsha Banik, the original promoters of this craft. The None of the 20 brick industries in the town is a raw materials used in this craft are mostly brass and registered factory. bell-metal and subsidiary ones like zinc, bora, salphur, nickel etc. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is widely Besides, there are four soorki pounding industries used for braswares. The tools and implements used in including one in Kotrung and three in Bhadrakali. There this craft are blower (fan), hammer (small and big), are also two tile-making industries in Kotrung. It is anvil, cutters, scissors, pincers, tonga, vice, various interesting that some tile-making industries switched types of files etc. In most of the households craft over to brick-making industries in the preceding production Is carried on manually. The processes decades, not only because ofthe spurt in demand for followed in manufacturing wares from brass or bricks, but also because of the grea~er profits involved bell-metal sheets comprise four, stages viz, cutting, in brick-making. shaping, soldering Goining the parts) and polishing. Brick-making is a seasonal operation lasting from A large variety of utilitarian articles like lamps, November to April for a period of roughly six montns. ~

82 There are several operations in the brick field. First, a or bus fares from the place of origin of the labour to the reservoir is made beside the bank of the river. Hugli with brick field, free fuels and fagots and free medical a connecting channel through which there is a constant treatment for the labour and his family members. Some inflow and outflow of river waters depending on the high owners also allure the labourers by providing them an and low tides of the river Hugli. In the process a silt-bed advance, sum varying from rupees four hundred to is formed in the reservoir in course of six to eight rupees six hundred to be adjusted against his months. At the beginning of the season in November, subsequent earnings. the waters of the reservoir are drained out into the river leaving silt bed in the reservoir. But before the silt is There are varying strength of workers in each field collected by the concerned brick field, stipulated depending on the scale of operation. The smallest brick revenue has to be deposited with the Land Reforms field employs 40 workers on an average while the Department of the State Government according to the largest brick field employs 125 to 150 workers. volume of silt to be utilized for manufacture of bricks. According to authoritative sources in the Municipality, Once the silt is procured, the subsequent operation 20 brick industries in the town employ 1,500 to 2,000 include cutting of earth, kneading of earth, pugging of labourers for about six months in a year. It is estimated earth (mixing and finally preparing the silty clay with the that bricks numbering one and a half crore pieces to help of bullock power) and thus mould ing the finally about two crores are manufactured each year. prepared clay into necessary formats to produce the green bricks. The subsequent operations include drying The marketing of products still does not pose of green bricks and loading into the fire place, firing the much problem to the brick manufacturers. Everyday the long lines of dried green bricks and after a lapse of intending purchasers including building contractors, the several weeks unloading the fired bricks which are middlemen and various agents of the government and ready for sale. The owners of the brick industries get semi-government agencies come and place orders and necessary quota of coal from the concerned authorities the bricks are readily supplied to their respective sites in at a concessi anal rate of rupees six hundred per ton. privately hired vehicles.

In recent years, the brick manufacturers have been The labourers in the various operations of the beset with the problem of procuring the necessary industry are paid as a piece-rate basis. Most of the labour force for the brick industry. The stringent labourers work under respective contractors under the formalities of various Shops and Establishments' Acts overall supervision of the owners in order to ensure and the liabilities of the owners of the industries under quality of the products. In recent years, most of the various provisions of the Labour Welfare Acts serve as labourers have been organised under the C.I.T.U. inhabiting factors in employing the labourers for a banner and have been clamouring for increased stipulated period of time and discharging them after the amenities and facilities including the enforcement of s~ason is over. Again, the provisions of inter-state provident fund benefits. It is estimated that about 50 per migration under which necessary labour permits have cent of the labourers inmigrate from Bihar, 40 per cent to be secured also act as dampening factors. It is also from Orissa and the rest from the rural areas of pOinted out by the brick manufacturers that the labour Diamond Harbour sub-division of the district of south 24 force in the industry come mainly from Bihar and Orissa Parganas and the rural areas of Medinipur and Puruliya. ever since the inception of the industry. But in the wake of various development measures in those States, Most of the brick fields are owned by private labourers at the stipulated rate (approximately rupees entrepreneurs but a number of them have been taken fifteen per day) are not easily available from those on'lease from the Corporation of Calcutta. Of the brick States. Hence the labour 'contractors have to be paid fields in the town the Peer alld Company, one of the handy dividends for mobilising the necessary labour largest, and the Kishori Group of Industries, noted for its force. Besides, daily wages, each labourer has to be pioneering quality, are specially famous. Most of the provided with free labour quarters, up and down railway bricks produced in the industries in the town are

83 supplied to Calcutta, Haora and Hugli. n~ar Uttarpara Raijway Station, Hind Motor Station rT)8rket and the ~ony market in K.otrung. ~ome E. MARKETS AND FAIRS particu]ars of lhe five .marketing centres are given below. 'The ~rticulars retatilg, t~ the ma.~et$ are ~sed There are five main marketing centres In the on participant pbservation of all th~ markets. Hence the referent town viz, the Uttarpara old market, Sakher number of buyers of the volume of transaction Is based Bazar supermarket in Bhadrakali, Kanthal 8agan market more on subjective assessment and generalisation.

Table 4.8 - Particular. about principal mark.ta

Name of mark~t location Since when Nature of 'Approximate Approximate Approxlm~t. volume of Established market Number of Stalls number of daily,trarsaction buyers (in rupees) Permanent Daily

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

1. Uttarpara Old Uttarpara 1850 approxi- Private 100 150 1.500 Thirty to fOrty thousand market mately

2. &\kher Bazar Bhadrakali 1920 approxi- Municipal 150 125 , ,200-1,500 Twenty five to thirty five market mately market thousand

3. Kanthal Bagan Uttarpara 1953-54 Private 100 250 2,000 Thirty to forty thousand market Bhadrakali approximately border

4. Hind Motor Kotrung 1956 approxi- Private 80-100 125 1,500 Twenty to twenty five ;< Station market mately thousand

5. Colony market Kotrung 1960 .approxi- Private 125 125 1,500 Do (Vivekananda market) mately

It is observed that two of the markets, viz. Uttarpara marketing commjtte~s .of eminen~ pers()os ;representing market and Sakher Bazar market at Bhadrakali are cross sections, of buyers and and sellers] rhere ar~ in rather old and these two markets generally ,are. ~ble to all five to· si~ ~undr~ permanent. stalls, in the m~rket cope with the demands of the old residents of th~ to~n. .de{lUog mostly in groqeries. ~tatign~rie~,. aod, ot~r But the increasing pressure of population in the wake of related items. But the g~ilY mar~ets' ~re :gqmi~tep t:ly the partition of the country and the start of the Hind the overwhelming numbe~ of daily: ¥~Qrs* St:¥UDg, Motors Factory, necessitated the setting up of !"(lore ~arieties of vegetables, fish, meat, e~Q~.e.tc"lhes~:dailY marketing centres and the three later markets viz, vendors spe<;ialty the ~~JI~rs of vegetaqle~n:;ome ,from Kanthal Bagan market, Hind Motor Market, and the viUages of the Police, Stations 'of CMnciitala, Singur, colony market sprang up to satisfy the newly created Haripal and Jangipar$l While the fish-v~r)dors come from demands in the post fifty decade. All but one of the urban centres of Haora, Seranipore, Rishra etc. markets are privately owned and managed by

84 The approximate number of buyers daily visiting the Holi festival in the full moon of the Ijengall momns Of markets is estimated between seven to eight thousand. Phalgun (February - March) is said to be nearly 300 There were 15,659 households in the town as per 1981 years old. The fair continues for seven days with a daily Census. Even if the existing number of households is congregation of about five thousand to eight thousand modestly estimated to be anything between 16 to 18 persons. About fifty temporary stalls are specially thousand and assuming that only one member of a erected on the occasion. household carries on daily marketing, It Is found that on the whole 40 to 50 per cent of the households of the town frequent the daily markets on the assumption that On the occasion 'of the charak festival held on last no outsider visits the market. day of the Bengali month of Chaitra (March-April), a three-day long fair is held at Charakdanga in Bhadrakali But it has been observed that the buyers of with an average congregation of about 600 persons. Uttarpara .old mar,ket are frequented by a section of resldents.from the adjOining city of Bally. residing, on the Lastly, another fair held on the occasion of the Urs other side of Bally canal within a distance of one festival of Manickpur is held for seven days on the last kilometre .fro.m the town, likewise, the Kanthal Bagan day of the Bengali months of Poush (December­ market nea~ Uttarpara Station, which has turned to be a January). The fair is specially marked by the joint sprawling trading area, specially preferred py the participation of devotees belonging to the Hindus and communters to Calcutta, is also used by a, section of th~ Muslims. About the neighbour,ing fairs, in the vicinity the residents of Makhla, a non-municipal town on the of the town, mentioned may be made of the Ratha Jatra other side of the Railway line. festival at Mahesh at a distance of five kilometres to the north of the referent town near Serampore, the The approximate volume of transaction of daily sub-diVisional headquarters of the town. The fair held in transactions in the form of buying of daily consumption connection with the Chariot festival is said to be more of vegetables, and other non-vegetarian items and than three hundred years old. The fair specially shot some occasional purchase of grocery items is into prominence after it secured the active participation estimated to be around rupees one lakh and twentyfive and patronage of the illustrious Zemindar of thousand amounting to more than rupees four crores Sheoraphuli. It is one the biggest fairs held in the State and a half annually. of West Bengal and is a replica of the chariot festival at Puri. On the ultimate day of the fair in Asad (June-July) more than a lakh persons visit the fair. The fair . As regards, the fairs, held in the town, mention may continues for about a month with numerous circuses, be made of tpe Dol Jatra, Charak and the fair held in magic shows etc, held on the occasion. Residents of connection with the Urs festival of Manick Pir. The the Uttarpara - Kotrung in their thousands also DO/jatfa mela held at Doltala in Bhadrakali during the participate in the fair, irrespective of castes and creeds.

85

CHAPTER -V

ETHNIC AND SELECTED SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POPULATION

A. ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION (i) AREAS OF ORIGIN AND NATIONALITY

Uttarpara - Kotrung is from the points of religion and The population of the referent town comprises language, more or less, homogeneous in so far as more exclusively Indian citizens. No person of a foreign origin than 97 per cent of the people are Hindus by religion has been encountered anywhere. and nearly 85 per cent are Bengali speakers. Uttarpara-Kotrung has traditionally been the stronghold of the high caste Hindus. Only a handful of Muslims Of the 200 sample households, covered by the lived in the some areas of Bhadrakali and Kotrung. The intensive survey, 20.5 per cent of the households are of inmigration of people speaking languages other than the old residential population of the town, 31 per cent Bengali started in trickles towards the close of the hailed from other districts of the &tate of West Bengal, preceding century in the form of floating working 17.5 per cent hailed from'other States of India while 31 population in the brick and tile-making" establishments. per cent hailed from Bangia Desh. The inmigration of people from outside the State of West Bengal was more or less restricted because the referent town had a limited economic pull-force RELIGION generated by three or four medium sized industries. But the founding of Hindustan Motors Factory affected the The distribution of the population on the basis of prevalent demographic situation. A good number of different religions, pursued in the preceding two non-Bengali working population working in the factory Census, is given in appendix Table 24. From the point gradually settled down in the town because of lack of of view of religion, Uttarpara-Kotrung is inhabited by an alternative residential accommodation elsewhere. The overwhelming number of Hindus who constituted 98.1 settlement of the non-Bengali population in the town per cent and 97.6 per cent of the population in 1971 and caught the attention of a section of the Marwari trading 1981 respectively. The Muslims constituted 1.7 per cent class of Calcutta who were frantically on the search for and 2 per cent respectively during the previous two accommodation in the periphery of Calcutta. They decades. No other religions group constitutes more settled in the areas adjoining Hind Motor Station in than .2 per cent of the population. Ward number XIV of the town. Gradually, a Marwari Patti (Residential area of the Marwaris) has come up with an estimated population of five thousand. This Among the sample households, the Hindus process of influx of the Hindu - speaking people, constitute 97 per cent while the Muslims account for 3 specially the Marwaris from Calcutta, continued per cent of the households. So far as sample population unabated if tilt will the demographic balance in their is concerned, the Hindus constitute 97.4 per cent while favour in the next two decades. the Muslims accounlfor the residual population. MOTHER TONGUE respectively. the same in the referrent town stands at 0,3 in 1981. The distribution of the population of the town on the basis of their respective mother-tongue is shown in The distribution of the scheduled castes and appendix Table 25. scheduled tribes in the town is shown in Appendix Table 26, where no definite trend is reflected, the The two important mother tongues of the population percentage of scheduled caste population which was .ot the town are Bengali and Hindi, the former being the 4.6 in 1961 fall down to 2.2 in 1971 but again rose to 3.7 mother tongue of 86.9 per cent of population in 1971 in 1981. But there is a declining trend of the scheduled and the latter being the mother tongue of 10.9 per cent tribe population in the successive Censuses (0.7 in of the population. It is also noted that apart from Oriya 1961,0.4 in 1971 and 0.3 in 1981). which happens to be the mother tongue of 1.2 per cent of !he population in the 1971, no ther mother tongue The caste~wise break-up of the scheduled caste constitutes more than 0.2 per cent of the population. population as per 1971 census is not much significant in What is more important, apart from the predominance so far as 36.8 per cent of the scheduled caste of Bengali and Hindi as mother tongues is the growing population have been shown as unclassified. The most infiltration of Hindi speakers. The Bengali population in numerous communities of the scheduled castes as per the town, reportedly constituting more than 95 per cent 1971 census in the town were Chamars with a of the population even in late fifties, has been reduced population of 255 (17.5 per cent), Domes with a to 86.9 per cent in 1971. The extension of the MalWari population of 121 (8.3 per cent), Dhabi with a Patti near.the Hind Motor Station in Kotrung, where the population of 92 (6.3 per cent). Mehtor with a households of comparatively lower economic status population of 79 (5.4 per cent) and Jalia Kaibarta with a and affluence are lured to dispose of their ancestral population of 60 (4.1 per cent). plots of land, is specially significant in this context. So far as individual scheduled tribes in the town as In the sample population, people with Bengali as per 1971 Census are concerned, the Oraons mother tongue constitutes 86.1 per cent of the sample constituted 29 per cent, the Mundas constituted 25.4 popUlation, those with Hindi as mother tongue per cent, the Santals, constitute 19.8 per cent of the constitutes 11.3 per cent. Those with Oriya constitute total scheduled tribes population while therest have 1.5 per cent while those with Telegu and Oraon and been returned as unclassified. Tamil jointly constitute 1,1 per cent of the sample population. The distribution of the individual scheduled castes in the sample population is shown in Appendix Table SCHEDULED CASTES, SCHEDULED TRIBES AND OTHERS 27. Various scheduled castes in the sample p0pulation are the Rajwars, Poundra-Kshatriyas, Dhobis, Sagdis, Compared to the percentages of &cheduled castes Rajbanshis, Jalia Kaibartas, Muchis, Mehtors, and and scheduled tribes in the Urban tracts of the district Namasudras. The population of the scheduled castes of Hugli and the Urban tracts of rt~e police station of constitute 10 per cent of the sample population. The Uttarpara - the referrent town has lower proportion of Oraons constitute the only scheduled tribe in the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Thus compared sample population and comprises a population of 11 to 10.2 per cent and 5.2 per cent of scheduled caste (1.1 per cent of sample population). population in the urban areas of the district and the pOlice station, respectively, Uttarpara-Kotrung has 3.7 OTHERS - ESTIMATES ABOUT SPECIFIC CASTES per cent population belonging to scheduled castes according to Census of 1981. Like..(,ise compared to the In the course of the field survey, the names of percentage of scheduled tribe population of 0.6 and 0.5 different communities have been enlisted but not the in the urban areas of the district and the police station individual population figures. The referent town has

88 been the stronghold of higher castes, specially the The institutional households in the town as per Brahmans and the Kayasthas, because tti'e principal 1981 Census number 20 with 177 males and 315 Zemindars of the town belonged to the Brahman females. The Women's Home, the Vagrant's Home are community. Naturally, therefore, the Brahmans happen the two important institutional households where a large to be the most numerous community in all the three number of female member stay together while the segments of the town. Next to the Brahmans, the co-operative training centre is another important Kayasthas seem to be the next numerically significant institution where a large number of members stay caste in the referent town. On a very moderate estimate, together in hostels. The other institutions in the town the Brahmans in the town constitute more than four consist of small-sized messes or hostels where male or thousand households while the Kayasthas comprise female boarders make up Joint messing arrangements. about three thousand households. The other numerically significant castes in the town are DISABLED POPULATION BY TYPE OF DISABILITY Sadgopes, Mahisyas, Goalas, Gandhibaniks, Subarnabaniks, Swarnakars, Tilis, Tantis, Sahas, According to the Census of 1981, there are, in all, Kumbhakars, Modaks, Tambulis, Jugis, Napits, 77 disabled person in the town including 25 totally Kangshabaniks, Karmakars, Majhis, Malos, Sutradhars blind, 16 totally crippled and 36 totally dumb. The etc. Appendix Table 28 shows the distribution of the percentage of disablement comes to approximately 0.1 individual castes and communities in the sample per cent. population. It is found that the Brahmans contribute 25.3 per cent of the sample population, the Kayasthas, In the sample households, four disabled person constitute 22.7 per cent, the Mahisyas constitute 5.4 per including one totally dumb and three totally crippled cent, the various sc.heduled castes and tribes constitute have been found. Hence the percentage of disablement 11.1 per cent while the Muslims constitute 2.5 per cent in the sample households comes to about 0.4 per cent. of the sample population. The sample households thus portray the overwhelming numerical superiority of the B. DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION Brahmans and the Kayasthas in the caste structure of the town. AGE, SEX AND MARITAL STATUS

HOUSELESS AND INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION The age and sex-wise distribution of the population in 1981 Census not being available, the Census figure of According ,to Census of 1981, the houseless 1971 for the referent town is given in Appendix Table 29. population in the town comprises 95 households with 189 persons (154 males and 35 females) with an It is pertinent to note that the exclusively children average size of household of 2 members. The males in population in the town in the age-group of 0-14 the houseless ho~seholds far outnumber the females as constitutes less than one-third of the total population. is indicated by the abnormally low sex-ratio of 227 The fact that the elderly population (in the age-group of females per thousand males in the houseless 60 and above) constitutes 5.5 per cent of the total households. An average houseless household consists population is an index of the higher rate of longevity. of a father and a son or two brothers. Most of these Again, the population in the age-group of 20-59 households live on the pavements or open spaces of constitutes 51 per cent of the total population of the the National Highway 2 and work mostly as labourers, town. The sex-ratios is different age-groups upto 49 porters or rickshaw-pullers. Once a household gets a years show a declining trend thereby highlighting the firm footing, other members of the household in the presence of a large number of migrant male workers in rural areas join it and a regular family is formed, after a the town working in the different mills and factories room is somehow procured or an unauthorised inside and outside the town or engaged in other improvised structure is built. economic pursuits. The female members are left by

AO some in their native homes. The fact that the sex-ratio that 18 married males live singly in the referent town improves in the higher ag~-group of 50-59 is, in part, a with their spouses living in their native homes, and one reflection of the age-selective migration, that is, the married female has lier husband living outside. proportion of migrant workers diminishes in the higher age-groups, as their familial liabilities pre-disposes them The martial composition of the sample population to stay at home. Lastly the much higher sex-ratio in the also reveals a preponderance of widows. It is found that elderly age-group of 60 years and above once again for every hundred widowers in the sample population, corroborates the popular demographic trend of higher there are 960 Mlidows. This preponderance of widows longivity of females. The classification of the sample specially in the higher age-groups, is a corollary to the population by age, sex and marital status is shown in peculiar caste composition of the referent toWn with the Appendix Table 30. A comparison of the age-structure numerical superiority of the higher castes like the of sample population with that of 1971 census for the Brahmins and the Kayasthas, among whom remarriage town as a 'whole reveals several interesting of widows is strictly prohibited even today. It is quite demographic trends. The percentage of children (in the obvious that in a society with the numerical majority of age-group of 0-14) has come down to 24.7 from 33.1 in the so-called higher castes, the incidence of divorce or 1971. The potential labour-force in the age-group of 15 separation 18 almost negligible. The separated women to 59 now accounts for 66.4 per cent in the sample are two Kayasthas, one is a Goala. one is a Sadgope population against 61.4 per cent of the population in and the fifth one belongs to a Mehtor household. (0.5 1971. A close scrutiny of the age-structure of the per cent of the total sample population falling in this sample population in a medium-sized town in the category). It is also interesting to note that all the metropolitan fringe may be a pointer to the swelling affected persons in this category are females. The mass of potential labour force and a concomitant incidence of divorce or separation is higher in the lower demand for more and more jobs, resulting in large age-group as four of the five separated persons are number of unemployed persons. aged 34 years or below.

In the Census of 1971, the percentage of population AGE-SEX AND EDUCATION in the potential labour force in the age-group of 15-59 in the town stood at 61.5 per cent and the workers in the Appendix Table no. 31 shows the progress of same age-group was 43.2 per cent of population on the literacy in the town. It is 10und that in all the four same age-group. I n the sample population of 1987, the preceding Census years, the percentage of Uterates in population in the economically potential age-group of the r~ferent town are consistently higher compared to 15-59 has risen to 66.4 per cent whereas the workers in the same in the urban areas of the district. Thus the same age-group has risen to 45.9 per cent. compared to 51 per cent literates in the urban areas of the district in 1961, 54.2 per cent in 1971 and 63 per Another interesting demographic feature in the cent in 1981, the corresponding percentage of literates sample population is that the percentage is elderly in the referent town were 58.8 per cent, 66 per cent and population now stands at 8.9 per cent compared to 5.5 76.5 per cent in 1961 and 1971 and 1981 respectively. per cent of 1971 Census population. This trend Again compared to percentages of literacy among the undoubtedly reflects a rise in the index of longevity. males of 58 per cent, 64.4 per cent and 69.4 per cent in the preceding three censuses in the urban areas of the The incidence of child-marriage now appears to be a district. The corresponding percentages of male literacy thing of the past as all the members in the age-group of in the referent town were 64 per cent 72.1 per cent and 0-14 are never-married while only 7 per cent of the 81.6 per cent. Likewise, the percentage of literacy persons in the age-group of 15-19 are married. Among among the females in the referent town in the last three the married persons, it is observed that the sex-ratio censuses were 52.4 per cent, 58.7 per cent and 71 per among the married comes to 929 married females cent compared to 41.8 per cent, 46.3 per cent and 55.3 among thousand married males. It has been observed per cent respectively in the urban areas of the district.

90 Thus the referent town occupies a specially pre-eminent the referent town can be attributed first to the position in the field of literacy in the district. in the educational and cultural heritage of the town and can Census of 1981, the referent town occupies the third also be partially attributed to the migration factors, in so rank among the various towns in the district in respect far as a large number of in migrants constituted by the of literacy, the first and second positions being displaced persons from the former East Pakistan occupied by Bandel Thermal Power Project Town (85.0 contained a large number of literates. per cent) and Nabgram Colony (82.1 per cent) respectively. It might be quite, interesting to study the progress of literacy in the three segments of the town in the The tremendous progress in the field of literacy in proceeding three censuses in Table V.1.

Table V.1 - Progress of literacy In the different segments of the town

Constituent Percentage of literacy in segments 1951 1961 1971 1981

1 2 3 4 5

1. Uttarpara proper 8779 12462 15785 19768 (51.3) (59.0) (67.7) (77.0) 2. Bhadrakali 1827 7431 15337 19823 (26.9) (51.4) (71.1) (80.7) 3. Kotrung 2516 10769 13480 21334 (34.1 ) (65.0) (59.4) (72.7)

Town as a whole 13,'22 30,662 44,602 60,925 (41.9) (58.8) (66.0) (76.5)

Note: Figures in brackets indicate percentages.

In the beginning of the fifties when the effect of position vis·a·vis Uttarpara in the field of literacy, migration was almost negligible. Uttarpara proper was far ahead of the other two segments in respect of Appendix Table 32 shows the distribution of the literacy, since it was the traditional homeland of the sample population by age, sex and level of education. educated and intellectual section of the town. But the The steady but progressive rise in the level of literacy in large-scale inmigration in the town and the settlement of the referent town in the course of last seven years or so numerous col<;mies of displaced person in Bhadrakali is discernible in the sample population. The percentage and Kotrung had slowly but steadily altered the of literates including educated persons in the sample educational scenario. Bhadrakali, inhabited population at 83.8 in 1987 is a marked improvement predominantly by the middle and lower-middle class over 76.5 per cent in 1981 Census. Again the people includif)9 about forty per cent displaced persons percentages of literacy among the males and females in has the highest percentage of literacy among the three the sample population are 88.7 per cent and 78.5 per constituent segments while Kotrung, with the cent compared to 81.6 and 71.0 in 1981 Census. If the constituent colonies, is increasingly improving its children in the age-group 0-4 are left out, the effective percentage of literacy and occupying a challenging literacy rate comes to 87.7 per cent among the total

91 sample population, 93 per cent among the males and the same among the Hindus. 81.9 per cent among the females. If this trend continues, it is expected that the percentage of effective EDUCATION, AGE AT MARRIAGE AND TREND literacy will cross the 90 per cent in the years to come. The correlation, if any, between the age at marriage Now coming to the educational levels in the sample of a spouse and his or her level of education is reflected population excluding children in the age group (0-4), it in Appendix Table 33. is observed that 20.7 per cent are literates without any educational level, 21.5 per cent have read upto primary It is observed that in 50 per cent cases of child standard, 16.0 per cent have attained education upto marriage (marriage at the age of less than 14 years) the level of middle standard, 19.2 per cent have attained among the females, the spouse was illiterate, in the the level of Matriculation or School Final Examination case of 31.8 per cent, the spouse was marginally while 9.7 per cent have attained the level of graduation. educated below the primary level while among the rest It is also worth noting that a large chunk of the illiterate the spouse at best attained the level of primary or persons excluding the age-group of 0-4 belongs to the middle standard. It is also interesting to observe that all age-group of 35 years and above (56.8 per cent). The but one of the illiterate females were married within their higher is found to be the percentage of literates till the teens. Classifying the literates into two strata, age-group of 20-24. Then starts the decline in the age­ moderately educated (below the threshold level of group beyond 25 years and above. Whereas 91.4 per School Final or Matriculation) and well-educated cent of the population in the age-group 5-24 are (School Final and above), an attempt has been made to literates, 66.4 per cent of the population above 25 years correlate the age at marriage with the level of and above are literates. The younger age-groups are education. It is found that 78.5 per cent of the increasingly attentive to education than the people of moderately educated females were married in their higher age-groups. Standards of education belOW the early teens while only 29.3 per cent of the educated level of SchOOl Final do not evince any sharp differential females, married in their late teens. Again while 22.4 per among the sexes. Thus 38.2 per cent of the males have cent of the well-educated females married only after attained education upto the middle standard against attainment the age of 25 years or more, only 1.9 per 36.6 per cent of the females. But, the percentage drops cent of moderately educated females, married at the sharply among the females from the level of secondary age of 25 years or more. education and above. Against 24.1 and 12.5 per cents of males having education upto secondary and Among the illiterate males, 76.2 per cent got married graduation levels, the females in the same categories before attaining the age of 25 years while among the constitute 13.7 and 7.2 per cent respectively. educated males, only 43.8 per cent got married by that age. Again among the well-educated males, 36.6 per (Iv) RELIGION, AGE AT MARRIAGE AND TREND cent were married after attaining the age of 30 years or above, while the corresponding percentage among the In the sample households, there are 194 Hindu and under-Matriculates is only 10.7 per cent. Hence, six Muslim households. The mean age at marriage for education and specially the level of education seems to the Hindu married males stands at 26.0 years compared be a positive factor influencing age at marriage among to 22.3 years among the married Muslim males. both the sexes. The higher rever of education, the higher Likewise, among the married females, the mean age at age at marriage and vice versa. marriage stands at 17.0 years against 14.5 years among the Muslim females. Even though the number of A further attempt is made to find out the correlation, marriages among the sample Muslim households is if any, between the educational level on the One hand quite few, one cannot help conc/ud that the mean age and mean age at marriage and the time of marriage on at marriage among the Muslim community, both among the other in Appendix Table 34. Another very interesting the males and the females, is n:;tuch lower compared to demographic feature is the rising age at marriage

92 among both the sexes. Thus in the case of males, the AGE AT MARRIAGE AMONG THE HINDUS (OTHER THAN) mean age of marriage of all males, married more than SCHEDULED CASTES AND TRIBES 30 years age, is 23.5, it rose to 25.5 for all marriages contracted within a span of 16 to 30 years while for all the current marriages taking place within the last 15 A comparison of the age at marriage among the years, it shot up to 27.4. Likewise, among the females, caste Hindus and scheduled castes and the scheduled the mean age at marriage for all marriages held more tribes reveals that among the males of the latter group than 30 years age is 14.3, it rose to 16.4 for the spouses 19 per cent get married within their teens and 85.7 per marrying within 16 to 30 years, while it shot up to 19.6 cent get married before attaining the age of 25 years, for the currently married females marrying within the the corresponding percentages among the aste Hindus last 15 years. being 5.6 per cent and 41.1 per cent respectively. Likewise, among the females of the scheduled castes An examination of the data on age at marriage with and scheduled tribes, 90 per cent get married within the level of education on the one hand and the marital their teens compared to 69.8 per cent among the Caste span on the other reveals that the correlation is more Hindus. Thus compared to the Caste Hindus, the pronounced among the females. In the case of males, scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes, get married except in the case of literates without any level, the earlier, irrespective of sexes. correlation is confirmed by the rising mean age as one examines the data with reference to duration of marriage and levels of education. Likewise the INTER-RELIGION MARRIAGE simultaneous correlation of the age at marriage with level of education and marital span in the case of No case of marriage between two different religious females is, more or less, confirmed by the rising mean groups has been reported in the sample households. ages at marriage. However, in field study in the Muslim locality, one case of matrimonial alliance between a Hindu girl and a Finally it may also be pointed out that the mean age Muslim youth has been observed. The Hindu girl, at marriage for literate males is 26.2 while that for belonging to the Poundra communjty (which is a illiterate males is only 22.4. Likewise, the mean age at member of the scheduled caste) had to be converted marriage for literate females is 17.9 while that for before the marriage was consecrated. illiterate females is as low as 13.5.

It follows from a careful scrutiny of the Appendix INTER-CASTE MARRIAGE Table 34 that there is, in general, a direct correlation between the age at marriage, and level of education There are 245 ever-married males and 276 and an inverse correlation between the age at marriage ever-married females in the sample households. As and the span of marriage. The age at marriage many as 18 cases of inter-caste marriages constituting gradually rises for the currently married spouses a little more than 7 per cent of the total marriages, have compared to those married earlier than 15 years. This been reported, the details of which are given in Table trend holds good for both the sexes. V.2

93 Table V.2 - Details of Inter~aste marriages In mo sample POPUlilUVIl

51. No. Locality Caste of husband Caste of wife Remarks

2 3 4 5

UHarpara Brahman Kayastha Both are Ben,galees 2 -do- Sharnakar Tamil Brahman Husband is a Bengalee while wife is from Tamil Nadu

3 -do- Kay~stha Subarna banik Both are Bengalees 4 -do· Kayastha Mahisya -do· 5 -do· Mahisya Barujibi -do· 6 -do- Kahar Saha Husband is from Bihar while wife is a Bengalee 7 Bhadrakali Brahman Kayastha Both are Bengalees 8 -do- ·do- -do- -do· g -do· Shaw Kumar Husband is from Bihar while wife is a Bengalee 10 ·do- Shaw Mahisya -do- 11 ·do- Tanti Kayastha Both are Bengalee 12 -do- Mahisya Kayastha -do- 13 Kotrung Kangsha banik Goala -do- 14 -do- Kayastha Goala -do- 15 -do- Kayastha Brahmin -do- 16 -do- Goala (Jadav) Teli Husband is from Bihar while wife is a Bengalee 17 -do- Goala Jelia·Kaibarta Both are Bengalees 18 -do· Gandhabanik Napit -do·

It is interesting to note that the so-called higher WIDOW RE·MARRIAGE castes like the Brahmans and the Kayasthas are partners in these caseS of inter-caste marriage. Three Widow re-marriage among the Caste Hindus is Brahmans are partners in these marriages as husbands meticulously avoided and no case of widow-remarriage while two more are wives. Likewise, four Kayasthas are has been reported among the sample population. No partners as husbands while five are wives. Among 18 case has been reported by any household belonging to such marriages, four marriages were contracted the scheduJed castes and scheduled tribes and the between the Brahmans and the Kayasthas. Muslim community. Even though no case of widow marriage has been observed, eleven cases of Besides inter·caste marriages, seven cases of remarriage of the widowed males have been observed inter-state marriages have been observed in the sample among sample households. households. In five such cases four husbands are from Bihar ano in one case a Bengalee married a Tamil girl. DIVORCE AND SEPARATION In another case young Brahman from Rajasthan married a Bengali Brahman girl. Incidence of divorce and separation is rare. As many

94 as five cases of separation have been detected in the Among the females, on the other hand, there is a sample households, and all the concerned spouses are distinct correlation between the age at marriage and the females. None of the separated spouses has remarried. present age. Thus 63.9 per cent of the evermarried Of the five separated women, two belong to the females in the younger age-group upto 34 years got age-group of 20-25 and one each to the age-group of married in their teens, compared to 68.6 per cent 25-29, 30-34 and 35-49. among the middle-age females in the age-group of 35-54 and 93.7 per cent among the elderly females of CORRELATES OF AGE AT MARRIAGE 55 years and more. It is worth noting that none of the ever-married females upto the age of 24 years got Appendix Table.35 correlates the ages at marriage married at the age of 13 or less 'whereas more than of ever-married males and females with their present one-third of the elderly ever-married females, aged 55 ages. Among the males in the age-groups 15-34 years, and above, got married at the age of 13 years or less. 63 per cent got married before attainment of 24 years, The separated females include two Kayasthas, one compared to 40 per cent in the middle age groups of Goala, one Sadgope and one Mehtor. 35-44 and 50 per cent in the elderly age-group of 55 years and above. Statistically this table, by itself, is a EDUCATION BY RELIGION pointer to the fact that an overwhelming number of males in the early age-groups 34 years or less got The rate of literacy among the Hindus in the sample married quite early. Does it then signify a fall in the age population is 84 per cent compared to 76.9 per cent at marriage of the younger generation of married among the 'Muslims. As regards levels of education, males? To arrive at a more realistic picture, one has to there is a wide chasm between the two communities. take a look at Appendix Table 30 (Age and Marital Among the Hindus, 28.3 per cent have passed at least status of the Sample population) where one may came School Final Examination colnpared to 11.5 per cent across a large number of never married males in among the Muslims. different age-groups of 20 years and above. In fact, 29.1 per cent of all males aged 20 years and above are never EDUCATION BY SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES married. It, may be concluded that among the males in the younger generation, specially those who are The progress of literacy among the scheduled economically active and gainfully employed, got castes and scheduled tribes in the referent town can be married earlier while a large number defer their explained with reference to the data in the two marriage till a later date. preceding censuses.

Table V,3 - Progress of literacy among the Scheduled Castes

Census Referent Unit Percentage of literates among Scheduled Castes Year

Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5

1971 Utlarpara-Kotrung 36.9 38.6 34.7 Hugli (Urban) 23.8 27.4 19.3 1981 Uttarpara-Kotrung 39.1 46.3 31.4 Hugli (Urban) 37.7 46.6 27.2

95 In the Census of 1981, the scheduled oastes In the percentage of literacy is concerned. If fact, the males in towns were educationally more advanced c9mpared to the urban areas have overtaken them in this regard. their counterparts in the urban areas of the district. But the progress of literacy amo,ng them in the referent town has not been upto the mark in the last decade and The progress of literacy among the scheduled tribes' as a result, their counter-parts in the urban areas of the population in the referent town can be read from the district have almost caught up with them so far as following Table.

Table V.4 - Progress of literacy among the Scheduled Tribes

Census Referent unit Percentage of literacy among the Scheduled Tribes Year Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5

1971 UHarpara·Kotrung 16.3 18.6 13.4 HugH (Urban) 12.6 16.7 8.0 1981 Uttarpara-Kotrung 17.5 26.7 8.7 Hugli (Urban) 13.0 20.0 6.0

The percentage of literates among the scheduled The position Of the Oraons. and the Santals is tribes' population in the referent town, though a little comparatively satisfactory in matters of literacy while higher than in the urban areas of the district as a whole, that among the Mundas is bleak. Among the Oraons, is not at all impressive. Even though some progress in the percentage of male literacy is as high as 43.9 but male literacy has been achieved, it is more than offset that of female literacy is indeed very low (12.5). by a substantial faU in female literacy. In a town where the percentage of literacy of the general population is Appendix Table 38 shows the position of the as high as 76.5 (1981 Census), the few tribals in the individual scheduled castes and tribes in the sample town are plunged in darkness in an on lightened town population in respect of literacy. The percentage of like Uttarpara-Kotrung.' The data in resp~ct of literacy literates among the scheduled castes and tribes in the among the several important scheduled castes and sample population is much higher (58.8 per cent) than scheduled tribes in the town for 1971 are given in in the 1981 Census (39.1 per cent). The percentage of Appendix Table 36 and 37. literates is 81 per cent among the Namasudras, 70 per cent among the Dhobis, 60 per cent among the Among the individual scheduled castes in the Rabhanshis and the Poundra - Kshatriyas, 57.9 per cent referent town, the Dhobis, the Rajbanshls the Bauris, among the Chamars, 50 per cent among the Bagdis, 30 the Mals and Jalia Kaibartas are more advanced in per cent among the Mehtors and 25 per cent among the matters of literacy, compared to other castes in the Jalia-Kaibarttas. The percentage of literates among the town. Among the Chamars, the Domes, the Dhobis, the Oraons, the lone scheduled tribe in the sample Bagdis, the Mals and the Bauris, the percentage of population, is only 18.2 per cent. As regards levels of literates among the females is much higher than among education, 30.4 per cent are just literates without any the males. Again the percentage of literates is level. 17.6 per cent have read upto Primary Standard. alarmingly low in the case of the Keots and the Koch. 5.9 per cent are of Middle Standard while only 4.9 per

96 cent have passed School Final Examination. Among the metropolitan city of Calcutta on the other. individual scheduled castes in the sample population, the Namasudras are educationaUy most advanceg. MOTHER TONGUE AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

UTE RACY AMONG INDMDUAL CASTE HINDUS Appendix Table 39 classifies the speakers of different mother tongues according to the levels of their The percentage of literates among the individual education. Among the speakers of Bengali as mother castes in the sample population is given below. tongue, 85.6 per cent are literates, among the speakers of Hindi as mother tongue 76.5 per cent are literates, Table V.5 - Percenlfge of literates among the caste Hindus among the speakeis of Oriya 66.7 per cent are literates, among those of Telegu 50 per cent are literates.

Percentage of literates among So far as levels of education are concerned 55.9 per· individual castes cent of the speakers of Bengali and 60.9 per cent of the SI. speakers of Hindi are non-Matriculates, while 29.6 per No. Name of caste Person Males Females cent among the former are Matriculates and above compared to 15.7 per cent among the latter. But the 2 3 4 5 level of graduation· makes a lot of difference between the speakers of Bengali and speakers of Hindi. Among 1 Brahman 92.9 93.2 91.1 the former, 10.2 per cent are graduates and above 2 Kayastha 90.4 92.8 87.6 compared to 2.6 per cent among the latter. 3 Saha 92.8 100.0 83.3 4 Tanti 92.3 93.3 90.9 KNOWLEDGE OF SUBSIDIARY lANGUAGES AND EDUCATIONAL 5 Swarnakar 100.0 100.0 100.0 SCORE 6 Goala 45.8 68.8 50.0 7 Sadgope 92.0 90.0 93.3 Among the speakers of Bengali, only 34.2 per cent 8 Mahisya 85.5 93.3 76.0 have knowledge of subsidiary languages, the 9 Shaw 64.3 55.6 80.0 corresponding percentages among the speakers of 10 Tambuli 75.0 83.3 66.7 Hindi and Oriya being 91.3 per cent and 93.3 per cent 11 Kangshabanik 81.3 100.0 70.0 respectively. All the persons speaking Telegu, Tamil and 12 Gandhabanik 85.2 92.9 76.9 Oraon have knowledge of subsidiary languages. 13' Chhetri 87.5 86.7 88.9 14 Teli 88.9 92.3 85.7 An attempt has been made to classify the persons 15 Agarwal 92.9 1OCl.O 87.5 having knowledge of one or more subsidiary languages 16 Other minor 77.9 92.1 60.0 on the basis of educational scores as enumerated in castes Appendix Table 40. The basis on which educational scores have been worked out is indicated below:

The percentage of literates among a good many Table V.S - Scores according to education individual castes appears to be nearly cent per cent even including the children population of 0-4 who do not normally go to school. Only a handful of castes like Sf. Lever of ,education Number of scores the Goalas and the Shows are somewhat lagging No. allotted behind. This unique feature o{near-universal education, among the caste Hindus of the town,· is a corollary to 2 3 the educational and cultural heritage of the referent tdwn on the one hand and the influence of the 1 Illiterate o

97 Table V.6 - Scores according to education - contd. school. Eleven such households belong to caste Hindus (one Brahman. two Kayasthas, two goalas. two Mahisyas. two chhetris. one teli and one Kahra). Six 2 3 such households belong to scheduled castes (two Dhobis), one Chamar one Methor. one Namasudra. and 2 Uterate without any education level one Jalia-Kaibarta). one such households belong to the 3 Primary or middle 2 low scheduled tribe (Oraon) and another household 4 School Final or Higher Secondary 3 belongs to the Muslim Community. Again. out of the 19 5 Degree or Diploma equal to Degree 5 defaulting households seven default in enrolling one or 6 Diploma not equal to Degree 4 more sons to school), six CletaulL-iR enrolling one or 7 Ph.D. or equivahmt 6 more of their daughters to school while the remaining six households having children of both sexes. default in • enrolling only some male or female children. Among the speakers of Bengali as mother tongue, 51.7 per cent of the males and 15.6 per cent of the On consideration of educational levels of the females have knowledge of subsidiary languages. 20.8 guardian of defaulting students. it is found that seven per cent of them speak Hindi as subsidiary language, ar~ illiterates, seven are literates without any 12.6 per cent have knowledge of Hindi and English educational level, four have read upto the Primary while 0.8 per cent have knowledge of English. standard and one has attained education upto the Middle Standard. Again, eleven such defaulting fathers Amon'g the speakers of Hindi as mother tongue, all work in the factory. Three are drivers of automobiles, but one of the males and 81.3 per cent of the females one is a Sweeper, and two are labourers while one have knowledge of subsidiary languages. All the defaulting mother is a maid servant and another is an persons retJrning Hindi as mother tongue and having independent woman without ostensible means of knowledge of subsidiary language have knowledge of livelihood. Bengali. Besides six persons have also knowl~dge of EngJ1sh. Therefore, most of the speakers of Hindi in the Again the heads of five such households attribute referent town are bilingual with knowledge of Bengali. the reason of default to poverty. another four to lack of aptitude on the part of the students while six more Likewise, all but one of the Oriya speakers having consider their wards, (aged 5 years or six) to be too knowledge of subsidiary language know Bengali in young to attend a school while in the case of two more addition to other languages. households, apathy of the guardian is the reason for non-enrol ment. So far as educational score is concerned, it is observed that speakers having subsidiary knowledge of DISCONTINUATION OF STUDIES English, over and above other languages, have higher educational scores. Among 200 sample households, there are only five households where one or more children have NON-ENROLMENT IN SCHOOL discontinued their studies, even after enrolment in school. One such household is a caste Hindu (Goala) , Appendix Table 41 studies the extent of default on three belong to scheduled castes (Ohoba, Namasudra the part of the households in enrolling their children of and Jalia-Kaibarta) while another household belongs to school-going age (5 to 14). Out of 200 sample the Muslim Community. The Goala household, where households, as many as 96 have no children of the head is an illiterate factory worker, has withdrawn school-going age, among 104 households having his male son (aged ten years and reading in class II) children of school-going age, as many as 19 (18.3 per and got him engaged in rope making for a weekly wage cent) default in sending one or more of their children to of rupees thirty. The apathy and poverty of the guardian

98 have compounded together "to make the student a In the fourth case, the head of a Dhobi household, a wage-earning rope-maker. factory worker with education without any level. has discontinued the studies of his 14-years old daughter In the second case, the head of Jalia-Kaibarta after her failure in tl1e Annual Examination on the household, himself illiterate and a fisherman by ground of lack of intelligence of the student. occupation, has withdrawn his 14 year old daughter from the school after her failure to pass in the annual In the fifth case, a Muslim head of household, literate examination of class V. and a mason by occupation, has withdrawn his 14 years old son from school, on ground of lack of aptitude of the student. I n the third case, the head of a Namasudra household, a masses by occupation and a literate On resume, the main reason for discontinuation of without any level of education, has withdrawn his only studies of the wards can be attributed partly to son (now aged 12 years) reading in class lion the ineptitude of the guardians concerned, partly to poverty pretext of lack of aptitude on the part of the student. and partly to lack of interest on the part of the students.

99

CHAPTER-VI

MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT OF FAMIUES

INTRODUCTION under the patronage of benevolent paterfamiliar of daring landlords. The tremendous growth of population culminating in five-fold increase in the population in the referent town Different streams of inmigration to the town can be in course of 'the last fifty years from 1931 to 1981 is the characterized by three broad phases. The first phase of most significant demographic event in Uttarpara­ large scale Inmigration. to the referent tow!l took place Kotrung. This event by itself has the potentiality of In the decade of 1931-41 when the population grew at a Influencing the whole gamut of demographic, economic rate of 39.4 per cent compared to 7.5, 11.2 and 6.5 per and social characteristics with far-reaching cents respectively In the preceding three decades. The consequences for different segments of population in Willingdon Bridge (renamed as Vivekananda Setu) , the town. Among the three components of population connecting Uttarpara-Kotrung with Dakshineswar in the dynamics, vi~., fertility, mortality and migration, the last far northern part of the metropolitan city of Calcutta was factor is most important The natural growth of opened to the public during this decade and the population consequenced by the excess of births over referent town was consequently drawn closer to dp,aths, causing regular and moderate variations in Calcutta. For the first time, Uttarpara-Kotrung was \ pOP41atlon, does not significantly alter the transformed partly into a residential suburb of Calcutta. socio-cultural, demographic and economic The closing part of the decade was characterized to an relationships. But the influence of migration In the exodus caused by the Japanese air bombing of context of the referent town with an area of only 7.25 Calcutta and a large number of people from Calcutta square kUometres and a'denslty of 10,974 souls per sq. moved out of Calcutta to safer places like the referent km. in 1981 set in operation too complex processes to town. easy a short and ready-made explanation. The second spate of inmigration started a little Prior to 1931 when the scale of migration was'very earlier than the Partition of India in 1947 and continued moderate limited mostly to the periodic seasonal unabated till the end of the fifties. If the first phase of inmigration of the up-country labourers to the' brick and migration was characterized by the movement of the tile manufacturing establishments on the riparian tracts comparatively well-to-do persons in erstwhile East and also to the inmlgratlon and outlT)lgration of woman Pakistan, many of whom settled in Uttarpara after in wedlock, the society of Uttarpara-Kotrung was purchasing plots of land and building houses of their strongly cemented by 'cultural, religious, lingUistic, own, the 'second phase of inmigration of displaced ethnic and occupational homogeneity with common persons In the referent town was initiated under the traditions of history and culture, ethics and aspiration aegis of the Government, both Central and State, when and strong bonds of kinship and affinal relationships all available vacant lands in Bhadrakali and specially in cutting across various socia-economic barriers or Kotrung were requisitioned by competent authorities to_ btocks. The society of Uttarpara-Kotrung then set up refugee colonies to accommodate people resembled, more or less a stratified rural society thriving brought largely from the transit ca!!,ps in Haora, Calcutta and elsewhere. buildings to give way to a large number of apartments on sites by filling up small tanks, ponds and marshy Another sub-stream of inmigrants during this period swamps is the recent innovation in the referent town comprised a large number of workers including their specially after the eighties, to cope with the craze of the families, not only from the neighbouring areas in the people to acquire a small living space. In the context of district of Hugli but also from the neighbouring states of these developments, it is anybody's guess as to when Bihar, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The inmigrants from and how soon the medium sized town would transform other states had come to the town and its adjoining itself into a city with population of one lakh or more areas after the start of the Hindustan Motor Works. defying all demographic calculations and negating all forecasts. The growths of population in the decade of 1941-51 at the rate of 36.0~ per- cent and at the rate of 66.64. per Needless to mention, the enormous growth of cent in the decade of 1951-61 reflects largely the population inevitably produced significant changes in inmigration of the displaced persons and partly the the societal structure and economic super-structure of inmigration of worker families. the town on the one hand and various webs of relationships and inter-action and patterns among The third stream of inmigration comprises mostly the various individuals, and ethnic, religious social and contrifu~al spin-ofts from the metropolis and the political groups as the other. The demographic analysiS comparatively well-oft cultivating families from the of the micro level data is, therefore, to look beyond the districts of Hugli and Barddhaman. These inmigrants analysis of growth rates to identify the emerging have been drawn to the town by their keenness to situations and developments connected with migration. construct houses of their own within the periphery of Calcutta. The decadal growth of population of the town (i) PLACE OF BIRTH at the rate of 29.53 in 1961-71 and 17.80 in 1971.81 can be termed as a gradual shrinkage of the opportunities The main object of presenting various statistics on of any further re-settlement or inmigration in the town places of birth of individual numbers or plaqe of their because of non-availability of land, even though some last residence prior to their settlement in the town is to plots may be located here and there, specially in identify the migrants as distinct from the non-migrants. Kotrung, where the owners of the plots are waiting for The dichotnomous relationships are viewed in a crude the earliest opportunity to construct their houses. way with admixture of in group-out group feelings by an ordinary resident. The non~migrants usually take pride A brief lull and virtual cessation of the hectic building in claiming themselves as the original settlers- of the activities, observed in the late seventies, led many town and the migrants are covertly regarded as people to think that a small-sized town (in area) had outsiders. reached a saturation point in terms of its potential to attract inmigrants. But the ever-increasing demand for a According to the old residents, Uttarpara among small flat or a..small plot of land specially in a town like the three segments, contains the largest proportions of Uttarpata4Wtrung, characterized universally as a town original settlers, approximately rated between 40 to 50 of harmony and concord and acclaimed as a town of per cent of the total population of Uttarpara proper. The unique locational advantage, where one can reach the original settlers in Bhadrakali have been, according to heart of Calcutta even quicker than the time taken by a local estimates, reduced to approximately one-third of resident of Calcutta to arrive from the northern and of the total population of the segment. Likewise, Kotrung, the city to the southern extremity, has given rise to which has been largely inhabited by inmigrants, first in novel architectural designs and developments, never the form of displaced persons from former East thought of by the people of earlier generations. The Pakistan and secondly in the form of substantial conception of high~rise buildings, ownership-flats and non-Bengali population, including a good number of apartments, the demolition of old palatial and majestic Marwaris, typifies a segment in the town where the

102 original residents have now dwindled down to districts of West Bengal and those from East Pakistan one-fourth of the population of the segment. are almost equal, while in Kotrung, close to hind Motor Factory, migrants from other states constitute the (al DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLDS BY PLACES OF BIRTH OF majority. HEADS OF HOUSEHOLDS (b) DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLE POPULATION OF SAMPLE An analysis of places of birth of the heads of 200 POPULATION BY PLACE OF BIRTH sample households in order to have an idea about the magnitude, direction and extent of migration to the From the Appendix Table 43, it appears that the town by place of births data is made on the basis of the referent town happens to be the place of births of 44.1 Appenciix Table 42, which shows 34 heads of trend per cent of the sample population, 8.2 per cent were households to be non-migrant in the sense that the born in the district of Hugli, 26.7 per cent born in other heads were born in the referent town. The percentages districts of the State, 9.6 per cent in other states of India of non-migrant households in the three segments are while 11.4 per cent were born in erstwhile East Pakistan. 20.3 per cent in Uttarpara, 19.0 per cent in Bhadrakali Among the migrant population, 14.6 per cent were born and nearly 12.2 per cent in Kotrung. in the same district, 47.8 per cent in other districts of West Bengal, 17.1 per cent were born in other states of Among the migrant heads of households 9.7 per India and 20.5 per cent were born in former East cent were born in the same district of Hugli. 33.7 per Pakistan (now Bangia Desh). cent were born it different districts of the state, 21.7 per cent were born in other states of India while 34.9 per As regards the direction from where the inmigrants cent were born in erstwhile East Pakistan. Among the poured in to the referent town, it is observed that of the migrants born in different districts of West Bengal, 25 migrants born in the state, 27.4 per cent were from per cent are born in Haora, 17.9 per cent in Calcutta, 23.4 per cent belonged to the district of Hugli, Barddhaman and 16.1 per cent in Calcutta. Out of the 14.4 per cent came from Haora and another 11.6 per 36 migrant heads of households born in other states, cent from 24 Parganas. In other words, the three 47.2 per cent were born in Bihar, 22.2 per cent in districts around the town and the district to which the Rajasthan and 13.9 per cent in Orissa. Among the town belongs alone account for 76.8 per cent of the migrant heads born in East Pakistan, the majority were migrants, born within the state, but outside the town. born in the districts of Dacca, Faridpur, Barisal, Again, of the inmigrants born in the states, 35.7 per cent Chitagong and Khulna. are from rural areas while 64.3 per cent are from urban areas. So far as rural and urban components of migrant heads are concerned, it is found that 50 per cent of the It is remarkable that among all the inmigrants to migrant heads, born in other districts of the state, were the town, born in other states of India, Bihar (45.4 per born in Urban areas. It is interesting to note that in the cent) and Rajasthan (28.9 per cent) together account case of inter-state migration, all but one of the migrant for three-fourths of the inmigrants of whicf' all but 7.2 heads were born in rural areas. Hence migration from per cent were born in rural areas. other states emanates mostly from rural areas. In the case of heads born in former East Pakistan, 17.2 per Among the inmigrants born in the erstwhile East cent were born in urban areas. Pakistan, only 16.4 per cent were born in urban areas.

Regarding the pattern of migration in the three The flow of inmigrants to the referent town is individual segments of the referent town , it is found that generally from urban areas of the state (by place- of two-thirds (." the migrant heads of households, born in births), and the flow from states outside West Bengal different districts of the state, live in Uttarpara. In and from former East Pakistan is mainly from rural Bhadrakali, on the other hand, migrants from different areas.

103 (Ii) MIGRANTS BY PLACE OF LAST RESIDENCE AND DURATION 6 to 10 years. This trend is, In fact, a consequence of OF RESIDENCE IN THE TOWN the increasing pace of development in other states like Bihar and Orissa from where the bulk of the inmigrants The distribution of the inmigrants in the sample used to flow earlier. Lastly, the flow of in mig rants from population with reference to the respective places of other districts of the State is also dedining over years, their last residence is presented in Appendix Table 44. because of non-availability of residential plots of land in the town and the gradual weakening of the inherent pull It is observed that 80.1 per cent of the total force of the town. inmigrants of the sample population have moved to the referent town from different areas of the states of West (Iii) MIGRANTS BY PLACE OF LAST RESIDENCE AND Bengal, 14:1 per cent from other states of India while EDUCATIONAL LEVEL 5.8 per cent from former East Pakistan. But the most striking feature about"the pattern and flow of in migration The migrants have been classified by ~ace of last to the town is that 65.6 per cent of the inmigrants have residence and levels of education In Appendix Table 45. had their last residences in the four adjoining districts of the town, including the district of Hugli, to which the The rate of literacy for the migrant population as a town belongs. whole is 83.4 compared to 84.5 among the non-migrants. But the levels of education among the It is remarkable to observe that more than one-fourth two strata of population, migrants and non-migrants, of the inmigrants (25.5 per cent) have moved to the very greatly. Thus, 20.4 per cent among the migrants referent town from the city of Calcutta, closely followed are Matriculates or equivalents compared to 15.8 per by those from Hugli (17.1 per cent) Haora (12.2 per cent among the non-migrants. The percentage of cent) and 24 Parganas (10.8 per cent). Mention may be graduates and above are 12 per cent among the made of two other districts, Nadia (5.8 per cent) and migrants compared to only six per cent among the Barddhaman (3.9 per cent) from which the inmigrants non-migrants population. Again among the migrants have moved to the town. popUlation, 32.4 per cent are Matriculates and above compared to only 21.8 per cent among the Among the inmigrants from other States, Bihar non-migrants. (47.6) per cent and Rajasthan (18.3 per cent claim the lion's share. So far as rural-urban components of Some difference in educational i level is also migration are concerned, it is observed once more, that noticeable among the three strata of migrant 75.4 per cent of the inmigrants from the state of West popUlation, viz. those migrating from the state of West Bengal have moved from urban areas of the state. Bengal, those from outside the state but within India Among the migrants from other states, only 19.5 per and lastly those from former East Pakistan. cent have moved from urban areas while in the case of former East Pakistan 41.2 per cent have had their last The percentage of literates is the highest among residence in ~rban areas. the migrants from Bangia Desh (85.3 per cent). followed by. migrants from different paris of West Bengal (84.8 the correlation of places of last residence of the per cent) while that among. the migrants from other inmigrants with their duration of stay in the referent States is 74.4 per cent. The percentage of matriculates town reflects that the flow of inmigrants from erstwhile and above is the highest (44.1 per cent) among the East Pakistan has, more or less, stopped for more than migrants from Bangia Desh followed by those from 10 years. Another feature is the gradual shrinkage of West Bengal (32.7 per cent) while the same among the inmigrants from outside West Bengal, nine such migrants trDm other parts of India is 28.0 per cent. inmigrants among the sample population coming and settling in the town in course of the preceding five Again so far as the migrants from different districts years, while another eleven coming in course of the last of the State ·are concerned, it is found that the

104 percentage of population having passed at least School continued till 1980. This trend is also corroborated by Final Examination and above is 23 per cent in the case the falling decadal growth rate of the town of 29.53 per of migrants. frOm Hugli. 25.4 per cent for these from cent in 1961-71 and 17.80 per cent in 1971-81. But the Haora and 36.5 per cent. 35.6 per cent and 40 per cents decline in the growth rate of the town appears to be respectively among the migrants from 24 Parganas, reversed since 1981. The reversal of halted growth rate Calcutta and other districts. In general, it is observed can be attributed to the ever-increasing demand for that the level of education is much higher among the plots of land and residential flats, resulting in the hike of migrants from urban areas compared to their prices of baths. The landlords are now finding it counterparts from rural areas. increasingly lucrative to add more floors to their existing houses and let out the newly constructed floors. (iv) PLACE OF LAST RESIDENCE OF HEADS OF HOUSEHOLDS Likewise, recent trend specially after the seventies, has AND DURATION OF RESIDENCE been to fill up the marshy awamps, and ponds in the town and add to new residential plots. Out of the 200 sample households, 33 are non-migrant households since they were born in the To this may be added the recent ventures of town and never moved out. The distribution of the 167 construction of ownership apartments in the town. The migrant households with reference to the places of last net result of all these development has opened the flow residences of the heads and their duration of residence gates of inmigration. And it is anybody's conjecture as in the town is presented in Appendix Table 46. to when and how soon the town would earn the status of a city (population of at least one lakh). An analysis of the table lays bare the waves of inmigration to the referent town. This table is all the The table also reflects a change in the area of more meaningful, because it is based on the movement origin of the inmigration. Prior to 1965, the inmigrants to of the head of household as the unit of migration as the town had hailed mainly from former East Pakistan distinct from the movement of the individual members. and partly from other states of India. In the period It is found that out of the 167 migrant households in the between 1966-75, the inmigrants from East Pakistan universe of the sample households, as many as 106 had had almost stopped coming but migrants from other migrated to the referent town in 1965 or still earlier (in states comprised 20 per cent of the total migrants. course of 21 years and above) 41 had migrated to the Again. in the last two decades, the adjoining four town between 1966-75 (11 to 20 years back), 11 had districts of Calcutta, Haora, Hugli and 24 Parganas have migrated in 1976-80 (6 to 10 years back) and nine had been the areas wherefrom the inmigrants had been migrated between 1981-85 (in course offive years). drawn to the town, with Calcutta claiming the lions share of the migrants. The percentage of migrants from In the period upto 1966. the town had drawn a large those four districts was 58.5 in 1966-75, 90 in 1976-80 number of inmigrants, as confirmed also by the and 77.8 in 1981-86 respectively. unprecedented decadal percentage growth rate of population of 66.64 in 1951-61. The bulk of the (v) OCCUPATIONAL DIVISION OF MIGRANT WORKERS inmigrants comprised the displaced persons from transit camps elsewhere who were rehabilitated in The Occupational division of the migrant workers various colonies of the town. A part of the inmigrants, can be examined with reference to the Appendix Table though comparatively much smaller in dimension. 47. The occupational categories of the workers cover- comprised the industrial labour force mostly in Hindustan Motor Factory and in other factories as well. 0-1 Professional, technical and related workers 2 Administrative, executive and managerial Secondly, there was a gradual lull in the inflow of workers migration since 1966 mostly because of the general 3 Clerks and related workers non-availability of residential plots and this trend 4 Sales workers

105 5 Service workers among the migrants from outside West Bengal is 41.7 6 Farmers, fisherman and related workers composed to 22.2 among the migrants from West 7~8~9 Production and related workers, transport Bengal.· Likewise the percentage of househOlds with five equipment operators and labourers. members is 47.2 among the former compared to only 22.2 among the latter. Among the migrant workers, there is a distinct bias in favour of occupations connected with production, in NUMBER OF MEMBERS BY SIZE OF HOUSEHOLDS AND PLACE .so far as 35 per cent of the workers are engaged in OF LAST RESIDENCE OF HEADS such occupations. It is also interesting that more than one~third pf the migrant workers (33.6 per cent) are Appendix Table 49 shows the distribution of the white collar employees (division 0 to 3). The maximum households by number of members, and place of last number of such white collar workers had their place of residence of the heads of households. The pattern of last residence in Calcutta, Haora and Hugli. Again, the migration as reflecteef by the" place _of last residence of maximum number of migrant workers engaged in Trade the heads of households is different from the one and Commerce migrated from mostly from Calcutta and reflected by place of birth. Thus whereas ·34.9 per cent HugH and 11.7 per cent of the migrant workers are of the migrating heads. of households had their. places servtee workers, the bulk of whom are female workers, of birth in Bangia Desh, only 6.6 per cent had their mostly. engaged as maid servants. There is no distinct places of last residence there. Likewise, compared to correlation between occupations' of the migrant workers 21.7 per cent of migrating heads-having their places of and their places of last residence. birth in other states of India, only 16.2 per cent had their places of last residence signifying thereby that a good NUMBER OF MEMBERS BY PLACES OF BIRTH AND MIGRATION number of such migrating heads had moved to the STATUS OF HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD AND SIZE OF referent town in more than one stage of migration. HOUSEHOLDS There is no correlation between the size of the Appendix Table 48 shows the distribution of sample households and the place of last residence of the households by number of members, migration status migrating head except that the proportion of small-sized and place of birth of the head of household. Among 200 households is larger (32.8 per cent) among the sample households, 34 are non-migrant and 166 are households migrating from rural areas compared to migtant in. the sense that the heads were born outside those (24.3 per cent) migrating from' Urban areas, the:referent town. Among the-,migrant households, 43.4 because of the fact that the former haveonot migrated to per{:e~t were born within the state of West Bengal, 21.7 the referent town with their entire family. per cent were born in other states of India while 34.9 per cent were born in former East Pakistan. HOUSEHOLDS BY LONGEST STAY OF ANY MEMBER

Looking at the size of the households among the The tri-dimensional distribution of the households sample households, it is observed that 26 per cent of by migration status of the head of household, duration the households are small-sized (1 to 3, members) 40 per of stay of any member who has stayed largest in the cent of the households are normal-sized (4 to 5 referent town and the member-wise size of the members) 21 per cent of the households are household is given in Appendix Table 50. It has been medium-sized (6 to 7 members) while 13 per cent are mentioned in the preceding sub~section that·the pace of large sized (8 members or more). The correlation of the inmigration to the referent town is increasingly size of the households and the different strata of slackening over the years, as the town with a small size migrants by place of births reveals that the migrants of land of 7.25 sq. kilometres is gradually attaining from different states outside \!yest Bengal have saturation point. The gradually. constricted inflow of comparatively higher proportion of smaller~sized . inmigrants to referent town is reflected by the declining families. Thus the percentage of small-sized househOlds percentage of inmigration over years.

106 But what is more interesting is the change in the Bengal is 21.2 per cent for males, 16.7 per cent for rural-urban components of migration. The migrants to females and 18.6 per cent for the total population born the town from urban areas, as far as 20 years back, in States. The mobility of the population born in other constituted 56.6 per cent of the total migrants, rose to states of the country is comparatively much higher viz. 63.4 per cent in the period between 11 to 20 years, 81.8 29.8 per cent, 22.5 per cent, and 26.8 per cent for the per cent in the period between 6-10 years back and males, females and the total population respectively. 88.9 per cent in course of the preceding five years. In The mobility of the migrants born in the former East other words, a medium sized town like Uttarpara­ Pakistan' is much higher, viz., 78.7 per cent, 83.6 per Kotrung is losing its pull-force to the migrants from rural cent and 81 per cent respectively for the males, females areas. Many inmigrants like the traders and labourers, and the total population. can easily commute to the town from their rural homes, in the wake of rapid improvement in transport facilities. The mobility of the migrants, born in India is 20.4, signifying thereby that one-fifth of the population, had On the other hand, a substantial portion of the urban moved to places different from their places of birth. It is to urban migration is in the nature of city to town interesting that among the migrants born in other states migration. In the sample households, the heads of nine of India, the mobility of the migrants born in rural areas out of 17 migrating households moving to the referent is higher (24.8 per cent) than those born in urpan areas. town from urban areas in course of the last decaqe, moved from the metropolitan cities of Calcutta and MIGRATION STAGES OF THE HOUSEHOLDS HAILING FROM Haora. OUTSIDE

Lastly, the correlation between the duration of stay For the purpose of the present discussion, the • in the town and the size of the households reveals that households have been categorised according to the the size of the households, migrating to the town in the places they are hailing from. The use, of the phra~e early years, is much larger compared to the size of the 'hailing from' refers to the places of origin and area of households migrating in recent years. The size of all but emigration. which is, jn many cases, different from two of the households migrating to the referent town in places of last residence. Again, the focus of attention the preceding decade is restricted to five-members here is the household or family as a uoit and not the only. head of the constituent members as Huch.

LAST RESIDENCE AS RELATED TO PLACE OF BIRTH The perjods of migration have been broadly divided into four stages viz. those who had migrated in Appendix Table 51 correlates the places of births of 1965 or earlier, during 1966-70, during 1971-75 and the sample population to their respective places of last fourthly those who had migrated to the town after 1976. residence. The spatial mopility of members born in the -town is only 3.8, signifying thereby that 17 out of 448 Out of 200 sample households. 33 households persons born in the referent town had ever changed have been shown as non-migrant in the sense that the their places of birth. The mobility of movement of the concerned households have been living in the referent migrants born in places other than the referent town is town for a number of generations without any break. To found to be 32.8. But much of the mobility in respect of these may be added, for the purpose of the present the migrants born in former East Pakistan is, more or discussion, another 11 households which may be less, illusory as majority of them had moved to various termed as non~migrants. In the case of seven such refugee camps after the Partition in 1947, before finally original resident households, the male heads being settling down to the referent town. The ~obility with dead and the female widowed heads, born elsewhere, referent to the J!llaoe of birth of the migrants may be became the defacto heads. Again, there are three other more meaningful in this context. The mobility of the original households of the town where the erstwhile migrants born in different places in the state of West heads, since deceased, moved elsewhere for business

107 or service and the present heads, now living in the migrated in three stages while 2.6 per cent OT tne referent town were also born in those places. Besides, households migrated in four stages or more. Of the there is another household where the female head, born migrants hailing from within the State, 72.4 per cent in the referent town, moved elsewhere after marriage, inmigrated to the town directly from the place of origin, but now living, permanently in her paternal house, after the corresponding percentage of the migrants hailing the death of her husband. The Appendix Table 52 gives from outside West Bengal being 50 per cent and those an account of different stages and years of migration of hailing from erstwhile Bangia Desh being only 25.8 per 156 households hailing from outside the referent town. cent. In other words, migrants hailing from areas, in closer proximity to the town, have a tendency of The origin and area of inmigration of the different migrating directly to the town while migrants moving households throws interesting light on the emerging from far off places have a general tendency of moving pattern of settlel_!lent of the town vis-a-vis the in stages. Among the migrants hailing from other states inmigration of households hailing from within and of the country, 50 per cent moved to the town directly outside the State. It is found that 22 per cent of the from place of origin while the remaining households households in the town are the original resident of the migrated in stages. So far as the displaced households town, many of whom take pride in claiming themselves from former East Pakistan are concerned, only a as sons of the soil, 29 per cent of the households, now quarter of them moved to the referent town directly settled in the town, hail from different parts of West while the rest moved in stages via different transit Bengal though predominantly from the adjoining camps. districts of Hugli, Haora, Cal.cutta 24 parganas, Barddhaman, Medinipur, Nadia and Bankura. BROAD CATEGORY OF PLACES OF ORIGIN OF THE HOUSEHOLDS AND REASONS OF OUTMIGRATION As many as 18 per cent of the households now settled in the town, hail from other states outside West A close scrutiny of the characteristics of the place Bengal such as Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and Andhra of origin of the inmigrant households reveals that out of Pradesh. Lastly, the displaced persons hailing from the 156 migrant households hailing from outside the former East Pakistan constitute the largest proportion referent town, as many as 128 households (82.1 per (31 per cent) of the inmigrants. It is observed that out of cent) hailed from villages, 14 households hailed from 156 migrant households hailing from outside, 60.9 per small towns, three households hailed from cent migrated to the town by 1965 or earlier, 15.4 per medium-sized towns while 11 households hailed from cent migrated within the period of 1966-70, 10.9 per cities like Calcutta, Haora and Dacca. As for the reason cent migrated within 1971-75 while 12.8 per cent of migration, two sets of reasons have been collected, migrated in the current decade after 1976. The flow of (vide Appendix Table 53 and 54) one for outmigrating migrants reached its peak. in the first period prior to from the ancestral place and other reason for 1966 and most of these migrants hailed from erstwhile inmigrating to the referent town. It has been observed Bangia Desh. Gradually the pace of migration that in a number of cases, the two sets of reason weakened in the period between 1966 and 1975 mainly coincide. because the residential area of the town failed to yield any vacant space while there is a renewed inflow of It has been observed that 48.7 per cent of migration in the current decade, mainly in the wake of households outmigrated from their ancestral homes in increasing availability of new residential plots on search of livelihood and in anticipation of better job filled-up marshy swamps and ponds. It may be noted prospect, 6.4 per cent our migrated because of dearth that 48.7 per cent of the households hailing from of space and accommodation as also for high rental, outside, moved to the referent town directly from the 8.3 per cent outmigrated from their ancestral homes place of origin, 37.2 per cent of the households because of the enormous difficulty in commuting to the migrated to the town in two stages via some other place place of work from their native places, 3.8 per cent of temporary sojourn, 11.5 per cent of the households outmigrated after inheritance of property in the referent

108 town, while another 3.8 per cent outmigrated from their their inmigration to the referent town is mainly related to native home to the referent town, being the place of the unique location of the town in a calm and serene service or occupation of the heads of the household. In environ by the side of river Hugli, far from the the case of 27.6 per cent of households, the reasons commotion and pollution of the cities of Calcutta and were extraneous in nature and the concerned Haora to which places one can commute within less households, after displacement caused by the partition than an hour's time. Of these households, 17.9 per cent of India, had to leave their ancestral home in the wake were reportedly drawn to the town by the unique of riot and persecutions. locational advantage •. 7.7 per cent had inmigrated after constructing houses of their own, while 4.5 per cent It is observed that the reasons of outmigration of were drawn to the referent town for better and cheaper people from different districts of West Bengal are many accommodation, another 3.8 per cent of the and varied; 43.1 per cent of their outmigrated mostly in households inmigrated as they had inherited some search of livelihood and better job prospect, 22.4 per property of their kins and 1.3 per cent had inmigrated cent of them outmigrated because of the difficulty for amenities of education in the town. Lastly, 2.5 per encountered in reaching the place of work from their cent of the inmigrant households had inmigrated to the native homes, 17.2 per c~nt putmigrated because of the town after getting accommodation in the various problems of space and accommodation, 10.3 per cent refugee colonies, sponsored by the Government of outmigrated after they had inherited property in the West Bengal. referent state, 3.5 per cent outmigrated for lack of educational opportunities in their native homes while In final analysis, it may be observ.ed that out of the another 3.5 per cent out migrated for reasons of service sample households, 44 are non-migrant including 33 or occupation. who have never moved out of the referent town, 58 households have migrated to the town from within the In the case of households originating from other state, 36 from outside states while 62 from Bangia states in India, aU but two of the migrating households Desh. Out of those 156 inmigrant households, 39.8 per outmigrated in search of livelihood and better prospect. cent have inmigrated by sheer economic pull force of In the case of households hailing from former East the referent town, 30.1 have been enchanted to the Pakistan, 69.4 per cent outmigrated for reason of town for its unique locational and commuting Partition of the country and the consequent insecurity advantage, 25 per cent have inmigrated by getting entry to life and property, 12.9 per cent outmigrated in search into the Government sponsored colonies while 5.1 per of livelihood, 14.5 per cent for better prospect while 3.2 cent have inmigrated for personal reasons. The per cent outmigrated for reasons of service. economic pull force, which has been largely instrumental in the inmigration of a large number of ORIGIN OF THE HOUSEHOLDS AND REASONS OF INMIGRATION persons from the rural areas not only in the surrounding districts but also from States outside West Bengal. The That the referent town has some pull force, at least inmigration for economic reasons has weakened over for the inmigrants to the town, is once more confirmed years because of the non-establishment of any further by the fact that 18 per cent of the sample migrant medium or large scale industry in or near the town after households have inmigrated to the town in search of the Hindustan Motor Factory and also because of livelihood, the majority of them coming from states virtual absence of opportunitities of employment in all other than the home state, 9.6 per cent have inmigrated the offices, industries and factories in the town. Again to the town for better job prospect while another 12.2 the. pace of economic development in the states of per cent had inmigrated to the referent town for reasons Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra of service or occupation. It may be noted that there 39.8 . Pradesh is no more encouraging the migrants fJ:.om per cent of the households inmigrated for sheer other states to come over here. But even the locational economic reasons. Again, the reason put forward by a and commuting advantage of the referent town as a good number of other household (30.1 per cent) for residential suburb, however attractive to the urban

109 population In the metropolitan Calcutta and Haora may Statement VI.1 - Details of two stage migration be, the vacant space will still be avail to accommodate the intending Inmlgrants In future, though not In largEl Characteristics of stages Num~er of households numbers. The pace of growth of the town is apt to be decelerating In the coming years, notwithstanding the (1) (2) recent developments of the availability of new residential plots here and. there on filled-up tanks and Villa,ge to small town to R.T. • 8 ponds In the town. Village to medium-sized town to HT. 3 Village to. city to R. T. 36 Village to village to R.T. 4 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLACES OF SUCCESSIVE MIGRATION Small town to city to R.T. 3 City to medium sized town to R.T. 2 It is observed that of the migrating households 48.7 City to city to R.T. per cent migrated to the town directly from place of City to small town t, R.T. 1 origin of migration, 37.2 per cent of the households migrated to the referent town in two stages via some Total 58 other places of temporary sojourn, 11.5 per cent of the households migrated In three stages whereas 2.6 per • (R. T. denotes referent town) cent of the households migrated in four stages or more before finally settling down to Uttarpara-Kotrung. Out of 18 households migrating in three stages seven had migrated prior to 1965, four had migrated between 1965-70, two had migrated 1970~75 while five Among the 76 households migrating to the town had migrated after 1975. The stages of successive directly from place of origin, 42 households migrated migraUon in respect of these 18 households are given from within the state, constituting 72.4 per cent of the below: mig"rant households from the state, 18 household migrated from other states constitUting 50 per cent of Statement VI.2 - Details of three stage migration '. sue" households while 16 house~olds migrated from Bingla Desh, constituting, 25.8 per cent of households Characteristics of stages Number of households migrating from Bangia Desh. It is interesting to note that of the 76 h04f;eholds migrating straight to the referent (1 ) (2) town,' as maoy as 54 households (71.1 per cent) migrated prior to 1965 wh'en- most of the househQlds Village to small town to city to R.T. 8 were drawn by the sheer economic pull force of the Village to small town to village to R.T. 1 town. Village to city to city to R. T. 2 Village to city to medium town to R.T. 1 Village to city to village to R.T. 1 Of the 58 households migrating to the town in two Village to small town to medium town to R.T. 3 stages, 32 migrated prior to 1~5, 12 households Village to village to city to R.T. 1 migrated between 1966-70, seven households migrated Village to city to medium town to R.T. 1 between 1971-75 while another seven households migrated after 1975. The stages of successive migration Total 18 in respect of 58 households, migrating in two stages, are as follows: (RT. denotes referent town)

110 Out of four households migrating in four or more Haora). Another eight households have migrated from stages, two had migrated prior to 19f55, .one had other cities of Chandernagore. Dum Dum, Bhatpara and migrated between 1971 ~ 75 while another had migrated Baranagar. This flight of a section of population from afte( 1975. THe stages of successive migration in the cities to the referent town can be attributed to a respect of these fOur households are given below! number of factors like acute shortage of residential accommodation, higher cost of living, exerbitant rentals Statement VI.3 - Details of multi-stage migration and unhygenic living condition there. On the other (Four stages or more) hand, Uttarpara-Kotrung with its serene riparian beauty and unique location in between the National Highway No.2 and M~in Line of the Eastern Railway drew the Characteristics of stages Number of households people who 'have long been in city pent'.

Village to small town to city PROPERTY AT THE PLACES OF ORIGII'J OJ: MIGRATION to village to "R. T. Village to medium town to small town to Out of 200 sample households as many as 44 claim medium town to R.T. to be- the original residents of the town including 33 Village to small town to medium town to heads who never moved out the town, incidentally their medium town to city to city to R.T. place of birth. Among the 58 households hailing from Smalt town to village to small town within the state, as many as 30 households (51.7 per to medium town to R.T. cent) claim to have their some property comprising mostly the ancestral houses in their native homes. But Total 4 only three of the nineteen households hailing from urban areas have any property in their native urban (R.T. denotes referent town) areas. Hence most of them have severed their links with their native urban homes. It is found that six out of 11 Of the 156 migrant households hailing from different households hailing from rural areas of the district of places of origin, as many as 128 h?useholds {82.1 per Hugli, all the four households hailing from the rural cent} hailed from rural areas While another 28 areas of the Haora and one from the urban area of. the household (17.9 per cent) hailing from urban areas. distr~ct, all the four households hailing from the rural Among the 20 households hailing from urban -arE}as, as areas of 24 Parganas, all the five households hailing many' as'19 lhouseho1ds' hailed from cities'like Caloutta; from the rural areas of Medinipur, and four out of the Haora, Serampore; Dacca etc., six households hailed nine households hailing from rural areas of from small towns while another three'households hatred Barddhaman, and six out of nine households hailing from medium-sized towns. The Appendix Table 46, from other districts have their ancestral property intact. relating to places of last residence of heads of households, clarifies the pattern of migration in the town with regard to the places of last residence. It is found Four-fifths of the households hailing from other that 61.7 per cent of the migrant households migrated states still have their ancestral property. As many as 13 to the referent town from urban areas while 38.3 per out of 18 households hailing from Bihar. three out of five cent from rural areas. The most important feature households haiHng from Orissa, all the eight households conc~rning the trend of migration is the influx of hailing from Rajasthan and all the five households population from the cities to the referent town. It is hailing from other states have ancestral properties in observed that out of 103 households migrating to the their native homes. town with their places of last residence in urban areas, as many as 59 households (57.3 per cent) have Two of the 62 households hailing from Bangia Desh migrated from the metropolitan cities of Calcutta and claim to have their ancestral houses in Bangia Desh Haora, (38 households from Calcutta and 21 from where some of their relations still live.

111 On a resume, 61 of the 156 migrant households moved first followed by others. In the case of 62 migrant have some property still left in their native houses. As households from Bangia Desh, as many as 55 moved at many as twelve of the 24 households hailing from within a time while in the case of seven others, the male the state and having some property in their native working members moved first to be followed by others. places derive some benefits from their property, as do thirteen of the another 29 households hailing from other HELP RECEIVED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES DURING MIGRATION states. As many as 81 (51.9 per cent) out of 156 households CLOSE RELATION AT THE PLACES FROM WHERE MIGRATED hailing from outside had received some help or assistance at the time of settlement in the referent town. Out of 156 migrant households hailing from outside, Out of 58 households hailing from within the state, as as many as 56 households (35.9) per cent have close many as ten had received help from co-villagers who relations like parer)ts, brothers and sisters wives and had settled earlier, eight had received help from their children in their native homes. They include 26 out of relations in the town while two had received help from the 56 households hailing from within the States, 25 out their employers. of 36 householdJhailing from other states and five out of the 62 househblds hailing from BangIa Desh with one or more c1ose/e'ations in their native homes. Out of the 36 households hailing from outside the state, as many as 17 had received some kind of help' or UNIT OF MIGRATION assistance. Nine households had received help from their co-villagers, while eight had received help from The unit of migration of a household has been found other relations. Most of this help and assistance was to be closely linked Vfith the place of last residence of a extended in finding out suitable accommodation while household before its inmigration to the referent town. In in five cases, the heads were helped in the matter of the case of seven out of 156 migrant households, the finding out suitable vocations. In the case of 62 unit of migration has been exclusively the working households hailing from Bangia Desh, as many as 39 member or members only. Five of them belong to other had received help and assistance from various agencies states while two to the home state. Of the remaining 149 of the government of West Bengal in respect of their households 'the entire family' has been the unit of settlement in refugee colonies while in the case of migration in the case of 95 households. In the case of another five, they had received help from other relations 54 households, the migration was made in two phases; already settled in the town. only the male working members moving in the first phase to be followed by other members in the next PROBLEMS FACED DURING OR AFTER MIGRATION phase. As many as 49 out of the 62 households hailing from Out of the 58 inmigrant households from within the Bangia Desh referred to a multitude of problems, during State, 'Only male working member or members' has or and after migration. Most of the problems related to have been the unit of migration in two cases, 'the entire inadequate and irregular supply of doles from the family' has been the unit of movement in 33 cases while Government agencies resulting in near-starvation in the case of 23 households, pnly male working condition for a number of them. It is interesting to note members moved in the first stage followed by others. that all but four of them admitted that the problems, Again out of the 36 migrant households from other faced initially, are continuing no longer. Only four states, the inale working member or members has been households living in Bhadrakali Women's Home the unit of migration in five cases, the entire family has mentioned the problems arising out of the dilapidated been the unit of niigration in seven cases while in the structures of the camps resulting in frequent percolation case of 24 households, the male working members of rain water into their rooms.

112 CHAPTER-VII

NEIGHBOURHOOD PATTERN

INTRODUC110N take cognizance of any socio-cultural unity among them, they do not constitute a neighbourhood. Again The concept of neighbourhood is an innovation of two groups of people living in physical separation of a the urban sociologists in studying and gauging the canal or a Highway do not constitute a neighbourhood nature of interaction patterns of the urban residents in even though they have close bond among them in terus their day~to~day relationship with the immediate of social life. Hence, neighbourhood connotes such neighbours. There are various stereotypes about the locality or sub-locality where persons living together in inhabitants of the towns and the cities, as when the close proximity, share their everyday joys and sorrows. members in one flat are lamenting over the death of one In fact, a locality with clear cut boundary, in which of their near and dear ones, the members in the people in their manifold relations interact with each adjoining flat are madly enjoying the latest film over the other freely, without any constraints of any kind vidio sets. Various complaints are also heard that one whatsoever, gradually evolves into a neighbourhood by may live in a city or town for years together without gradual development of cordial, warm, impersonal and even caring to know one's neighbours. It is generally informal group relationship amongst the members. acknowledged that urbanism as a way of life is marked Neighbourhood thus represents a more or less, by rather superficial, formal and impersonal common and harmonious standard of living, a social relationship. configuration with common mode of behaviour and value judgements. Another characteristic of neighbour­ The most distinctive characteristics of a neighbour­ hood is the willingness of individuals to limit leisure time hood are the feelings of oneness and warmth of activities of the persons "living within easy walking interaction pattern among the members in a local area, distance and to congregate within the residential sufficiently compact to permit frequent and intimate neighbourhood with like-minded and like-interested association and the emergence, out of such intimate people". contact, of a sense of belonging together so as to permit a primary, face to face social grouping, endowed The study of neighbourhoods in the referent town with a feeling self-consciousness, capable of influencing was conducted is some selected localities with the the every day behaviour of its other constituents. A objective of highlighting the interaction patterns among neighbourhood is samething more than a locality. A the members of a locality and identifying the emerging locality is, in essence, a physical entity and may at pattern of group relationships. The present endeavour times, encompass a loose conglomeration of a number has been oriented to search whether the neighbour­ of groups or communities. A neighbourhood, on the hoods are turning into localities or vice versa. other hand, not only connotes physical proximity but also socio-psychological, cultural and moral entity. It is, LOCALITIES STUDIED in fact, the blending of ail of them, but $ocio-psychological entity being of paramount In order to identify the areas for classification as importance. If the persons in a particular locality do not neighbourhoods, five recognised localities of the town, namely, Banerjeepara In Uttarpara, Shantinagar and In different avocatiGns in the estates of the erstwhile fV1akalta/a in Bhadrakali and Marwari Patti and Udayan Zemlndars. The residents here belong mostly to the Palli in Kotrung have been studied. In a fast growing middle and the lower middle classes. The majority of town like Uttarpara-Kotrung where the population has the working populations are service-holders while nearly doubled or more than doubled every two others are engaged in trade and commerce. It may be decades in 1931-51, 1941-61, 1951-71, the erstwhile noted in these connections that a small red-light area ethnic groupings and various other local and sub-local forming a part of this locality is situated on the National entitles are fast losing their homogeneous character In Highway at an extreme end. There are about thirty the face of endless streams of inmigrants, and a good prostitutes in this area, details of whom will be many of them are becoming socio-culturally discussed in a later chapter. heterogeneous. In such a context where everything is in a state of flux, it is difficult to pick up distinctive SHANTINAGAR socio~cultural entities that resemble the characteristics of a neighbourhood. Each of the five localities selectec;J One of the largest localities of the referent towns, has a clear-cut name as distinct from others. situated in Ward number X, in Bhadrakali has a distinctive boundary of its own, being bound on the BRlEF ETHNIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE south by Charak Danga Road, on the north by Upper LOCALITIES Haranathpur road, on the west by the railway tracks of the main line of Eastern Railways and on the east Shanti BANERJEEPARA Nagar Road and Or. Nibaran Chandra Saha Road. According to some informants, the eastern boundary of One of the oldest named localities of Ward No. III of the locality stretches as far as Ram Lal Dutta road. but Uttarpara proper, BanerjeePara has existed as a most of the informants consider the area, beyond distinctive locality for nearly 250 years or so. It derives Shanti Nagar Road to Ram Lal Dutta Road, as forming its name from Banerjee, the most common title of one more a part of Parmar Road and adjoining localities of the most popular and numerous lineages of the Rarh rather than of shantinagar. The total area of the locality group of Kulin Brahmans. To start with, it was the is estimated to be around 0.400 to 0.450 sq. kilometre. original habitat of the Brahmans with the surname of Banerjee. The locality is flanked by BanerjeePara Street A little far from Uttarpara and the National to the north and the west, National highway 2 on the Highway, this area was largely uninhabited as far back east and Dhrubesh Chatterjee Lane and Netaji Subhash as the early fifties. The uninhabited tracts of land Road on the south. The total number of households is measuring approximately 0.200 to 0.250 sq. kilometres estimated to be around 300, out of which about 175 were purchased in 1947 by one Equitable Land and

households claim to be the original residents of the Building Society Limited from the Zemindarst the town including about 50 households with the surname Society wanted to develop the land and later sell out of Bannerjee, residing here for a number of small plots to intending purchasers. a few years later, generations. Most of the buildings in this locality are one shri Mohit Sinha Roy and some other promoters rather old, and two-storeyed, cOf)structed more than and brokers of land entered into an agreement with the 100 years ag~. The residents of the locality are all society, developed the land and sold them Into plots at Hindus with more than 90 per cent being Bengali­ the rate of rupees five hundred per 67 sq. metres of speakers and the rest being Hindi-speakers, mostly land. The piOmoters gave the appellation of Sinha Roy from Bihar living in the fringe areas of Uttarpara Bazar. Colony to the area, as developed. Shortly after, the Besides the Brahmans and the Kayasthas, who residents of the newly settled area objected to the comprise nearly four-fifths of the population of the nomencloture of the colony after the name of the locality, the remaining people belong to castes such as promoters on the ground that they had reportedly done the Baidyas, the Goatas, the Sod gapes, the sa has etc. nothing for the development of the area. the matter of Some of the old residents here were formerly engaged giving a suitable name to the colony was finally settled

114 by the good office of a local scholar, Mahamah­ Jungle Road, on the west by Makaltala Lane, on the opadhyaya KaJipada TarkaCharya wtlO named the area north by Shibtolla Street and on the south by Makaltala as Shantinagar Colony or a colony of peace and Lane with the western wing of the locality reaching as tranquility though ironically as the naming of the area far as Upper Haranathpur Road. This area, like had created bad blood among the settlers and the Shantinagar, was largely uninhabited as far back as the promoters. Shantinagar Colony or Shantinagar upto early fifties; because of its locational disadvantage with Shantinagar Road on the east is inhabited by an reference to other locality and wards tn the town. It is estimated number of 800 households with a population situated in between the Uttarpara and Hind Motor Of about 4,000 or so. Less than one-fifth of the Railway Station and more than a kilometre away from population are old. residents while the rest are new the National Highway. settfers who built their homes here after 1960. Even in 1958, the total number of households of the area hardly exceeded 100. More than 40 per cent of the households The name is derived from the abundance of a are Brahmans, another 25 per cent are Baidyas and species of 1rees known as Maka/ in the locality. Some Kayasthas while the rest are Sahas, Sadgopes, Subarna other people conjecture that the locality derived its Baniks, Mahisyas, Goalas, Poundra Kshatriyas etc. The appellation from the name of the deity Makali (Mo~her colony has been built'in a planned way and a number of Goddess Kali). Whatever the name, the locality mainly roads cut accross the colony from shantinagar Street. owes its origin and development to the large-scale Most of the buildings, built ilJ course of the last two or inmigration and settlement of the displaced persons three decades, are two-storeyed. from across the borders. Most of these settlers failed to get any accommodation in the Government colony and More than 90 per cent of the residents are Bengali­ later developed this locality on personal initiative and speakers and a large number of households have enterprise, after getting the plots at a cheaper price migrated from the metropolitan cities of calcutta and from the-then landlords who in their turn disposed of Haora and others from the adjoining 'districts of Haora, their land at a comparatively cheaper price for fear of Hugli and Barddhaman. According to local estimates, forcible occupation of their lands in the face of one-third of the migrants hail from the district of HugH, inmigration of displaced persons. Haora and Barddhaman while the rest from Calcutta and Haora. More than 60 per cent of the population are This locality is inhabited by about 600 households engaged in services, a good number daily commuting with a population of about three thousand. About 10 per to the cities of Calcutta and Haora. Others are engaged cenl' of the population are the original residents while in trade and commerce and manufacturing activities, the rest are new settlers. The Bengali-speakers mostly in Hindustan Motors. By and large, the majority comprise more than 80 per cent of the population while of the residents socio-economtcally belong to the upper the Biharis, the Oriyas and the Marvvaris comprise the middle and the middle-middle classes. rest. The Kayasthas are the dominant ethnic group of the locality followed by the Brahmans and the Baidyas. MAKALTALA The other ethnic groups include the Sahas, the Mahisyas, the Kangsha Baniks, the Teli's, the Goalas, This is another newly developed locality in ward the Benias etc. About 50 per cent of the workers are number XIII in Bhadrakali. This locality is T shaped with engaged in services, most of them communting to and density of population much smaller, compared to that in from Calcutta while the rest are engaged in trade and BanerjeePara of Shantinagar. The landscape in this commerce, manufacturing activities (in Hindustan locality is semi-rural with abundance of green foliages Motor Factory). about 75 per cent of the residential on the one hand and tanks and ponds on the other, structures are pucca buildings, mostly one-storeyed Which have, till now, evaded the eagle-eyed while the rest are kutcha hutments. The residents land-speculators. It is bound on the east by Dwarik belongs to the lower middle class.

115 MARWARI PATTI Motors Factory and other Birla groups of concerns. Most of the buildings in the locality are three~storeyed The Marwarj patti or the locality inhabited resembling in architecture the traditional house~types of predominantly by the people belonging to the Marvvari Rajasthan. Community in Ward No.XIV in Kotrung is another nascent locality which has come up in course of the last The lingua franca in the Marwari Patti is MalWari. three decades. The narrow strips of land between The house-types, the dress and attire of the inhabitants, Sukanta Sarani on the south and New Station Road on the Marwari ladies going to the temples in the morning the north -and Bat Tala by Lane on the west and an and evening with flowers, groups of Marwari ladies unnamed road on the east, parallel to the Dwarik Jungle going to the Khata/s (cow sheds) with small buckets in Road, may be broadly demarcated as the new home of hand for collecting pure and unadulterated milk are all the Marwari cOFl1J!lunity, hailing from the districts of reminiscent of the way of life in a small town in Churu, Jhunun Jhunun, Pali of Rajasthan. Rajasthan. A casual visitor to the MalWari Patti may at times start thinking that he or she has come to a typical The Marwarl Pajti is not comfined within the narrow habitat of the Marwaris in Rajasthan. limits of the above demarcation but is gradually extending outwards to Deshbandhu Nagar and Radha UDAYAN PALL! Gobinda Nagar on the north and Shib Tala Street on the south and outgrowing as far as dwarik Jungle road on Udayan PaJli is an e-xclusive locality of a section of the east. Though the total number of Marwari house­ displaced persons from Bangia Desh, since holds exceed one thousand in ward number XIV, rehabilitated in Kotrung Government Colony (I). bound Marvvari Patti is estimated to have 500 households, of on the north by Dharmatala Lane, on the south by which ail but fifty households belong to the Marwari Ghosh Para Lane and on the east by Baidik Para Lane. community. The most numerous castes among the On the west the locality extends beyond dwarik Jungle Marwaris are Agarwal, Maheswari, Oswal, Bhotika, Road to a stretch of about 100 meters or so. Brahman etc. The settlement of the Marwari Community in Kotrung, more or less, syn~hronised with the The residential plots were allotted to the displaced establi~hment of the hindustan Motors Factory, about a persons in 1956, but the settlement of the cotony few hundred metres away on the other side of the started in 1958. A residential plot varying from 240 sq. railway track. The locale has been selected by the meters to 268 sq. meters. A grant of rupees fifty in cash Marwaris for settlement on account of its proximity to and two b';Jndles of corrugated iron sheets were allotted the Hind Motor Railway Station. Most of the hOllseholds to each household. At present about 225 households came from Calcutta and settled here as second stage of with a population of 1,150 reside in the locality. The migration from their native homes. The dearth 0f households settled in Udayan Palli hail from the districts accommodation coupled with abormally high rental in of Dacca, Barisal, Chittagaon, Jessore and Khulna. Calcutta prompted the Marwaris to opt for this pla·ce. Most of the households have come here from the The calm and peaceful surroundings of the place also Jodapur Transit Camp (Golf Camp) in south Calcutta attracted the MaM'aris. and belong to Saha, Sadgope, Karmakar, Gandha Banik, Sarnakar, Goala and Namasudra castes while a Out of an estimated 450 Marwari households, about few others are Brahmans, Kayasthas and Baidyas. 100 own their houses while the rest are tenants. About 60 to 70 per cent of the working force are engaged in As Udayan Palli is mainly a colony of people trade and business dealing with iron and steel, clothes, belonging to poor and lower-income groups, majority of tools and other machinery equipments and food staff the homes are Kutcha hutments while only 15 to 20 per and spices, the establishments being located in the cent of the homes are pucca buildings. Nearly 50 per Burrabazar area of Calcutta. The rest are employed in cent of the workers are mansons, carpenters, traders or other profeSSions, mostly in service in Hindustan labourers, about 25 per cent are engaged in various

116 manufacturing activities (with five per cent in Hindustan brought under the scope of filtered water supply_ Only a Motors Factory) while the remaining 25 per cent are couple of roadside taps serve the entire locality. Most of engaged in services. the households are solely dependent on tube-wells, owned privately. PROBLEM FACED BY HOUSEHOLDS The municipal authorities, are aware of the ever No problem is faced by the five localities under increasing civic demands of the residents, specially reference in common. The problems are purely local relating to drinking water, drainage and concervancy. It and vary from locality to locality. is pointed out by the authorities that in the town increase in population has so much ~xacerbated the Banerjee Para, for example, being situated in the problems that their outright solution beyond the means heart of tJttarpara town, does not face any civic and capacity of the municipality which can, at best, problem relating to drainage or conservancy. But close ameliorate the problems partially. It is also held that the proximity of the red light areas being throughed by position relating to the supply of adequate filtered water various anti-socials and criminals indulging in to the residents of the town would be vastly improved, alchoholism, narcotism and drug addiction pose a once the Serampur TranS-Municipal water Project is • problem to the residents. Complaints have reportedly completed. Regarding the construct jon of new pucca been lodged to the competent authorities but without drains replacing the existing open kutcha ones, it is any redress. held by the municipal authorities that the magnitude of the problems is so great that it can be tackled in Acute shortage of drinking water is the main phases. Already 39 new drains have been completed problem faced by the residents of Shantinagar. The under the Calcutta urban Development Programme III population of the locality has increased several times in and more will be undertaken shortly. Regarding the course of last two decades or so,but the old connection improvement of conservancy the municipal authories of narrow water-pipe continues even today. The supply reportedly suffer from inadequacy of personnel and of water is reportedly vary erratic and of short duration. necessary vehicles. Presently the efforts of the To the problem of shortage of water may be added the Municipality are limited to the deployment of the staff problem of lack of drainage and sewerage facilities; released from service latrines to conservancy work. The consequently parts of the locality get water-logged as Municipality admits that garbages are cleared from the accummulated water does not find any outlet. roads once a week or once a fortnight, but they express their inability to radically alter the situations in a short The problems faced by the residents of Makalta/a time. are identical as those of Shantinagar. Besides shortage of water, the locality lacks in adequate drainage The residents of aU the five localities, despite their resulting in frequent innundations of the roads, after demand for more civic amenities, admit that much has heavy showers during the rainy seasons. Regarding been done by the local authorities towards improve­ conservancy too, the residents complain that garbage ment of their civic standards. It is also observed that is cleared once or twice a month. Acute shortage of rHost of the problems mentioned by the households potable water supply is also another problem faced by concern the civic authorities but no individual problem the residents of the Marwari Patti, over and above the has been mentioned . .inadequency of draina.ge and conservancy. In the wake of haphazard constraction of houses on all available IDENTIFICATION OF NEIGHBOURHOODS AND THEIR plots, satisfactory drainage arrangement was not CHARACTERISTICS planned or kept in view. It is a regular feature that some of the roads overflow water from the drains. BANERJEEPARA

In Udayan PaJli, the residents have not yet been Banerjee Para is a very old and compact locality in

117 the heart of Uttarpara, the seat of the tormer Zemindars. been able to elevate their socia-economic status to the There is unanimity among the interviewees about the lower middle class from abysunal depths of poverty. identity of the neighbourhood. All the respondents agree that the neighbourhood is inhabited predomi­ SOCIO-QULTURAL AND RELIGIONS ACTIVITIES INSIDE AND nently by the middle dass, belonging mostly to the OUTSIDE THE NEIGHBOURHOODS upper castes like the Brahmans, the Kayasthas and the baidyas, BANNERJEEPARA

SHANTINAGAR One Girl's High School and one Primary School are the twin educational institution~ in the locality. The There is some confu'sion among the respondents Gana Bhawan (Town Hall) and the Municipal Office are about the eastern boundary of this neighbourhood. also located on the approach road to the locality from Three of the interviewees think that the eastern the National Highway. Besides, Bannerjee Para is boundary is conterminous with Shantinagar Road while located just near the heart of Uttarpara proper within two others extend the eastern boundary as far as Ram close proximity of the Bazar (Market) the Police Station. Lal Datta Road. But there is universal agreement that the Cinema Hall, the Public Library, the out patients the locality happens to be the residence of workers Department of the Uttarpara General Hospital and a engaged in various services, community mostly to number of banks. Calcutta and Haora. Though there is no public temple, various com­ MAKALTALA munity festivals, community socia-religious worships like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja etc. are All the respondents in Maka/tala have been able to organised under the auspices of several clubs like Sakti identify the area of the locality. There is also identity of Sangha, Lal Rick, Dhurbesh Chatterjee Association etc. views aboUt the neighbourhood being inhabited by cultural functions like staging of drams, musical recitals people hailing from former east Pakistan and belonging are important appendages of the community festivals. A to a number of heterogeneous eastes, the predominant community Ithu-Puja is the speCiality of this locality. All of which are the Kayasthas. the people of the locality the respondents take part in different festivities of the belong to lower middle class with service, trade and locality. As regards socia-religious and cultural commerce and manufacturing as their main functions out side the locality, the respondents take occupations. active interest and participate in various function in Uttarpara proper. Bally Khal area and sometimes in MARWARI PATTI Dakshineswar too. Two of the five respondents pointed out that the members of their family even go as far as There is complete unanimity among the respondents Calcutta to partiCipate in the festivities there. abo~t the identification of Marwari Patti and its composition by overwheling number of persons of the SHANTINAGAn MalWari Community, mostly engaged in trading and" commercial activities and belonging to the upper One of the largest localities in the town as a whole, middle class. Shantinagar witnessess numerous socia-religions functions and community festivals.round the year. In all THE UDAYAN PALU five community Durga Pujas, 15 Community Kali Pujas besides a good number of other community festivals There is absolute unanimity about the identification like Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja, Siva Ratri festivals, of this neighbourhood. The respondents are also Charak festivals are held. Side by side, religious hymns unanimous about the socia economic composition of and chantings in praise of Lord Vishnu and Lord Sri the locality by displaced persons, only a minority having Krishna etc are regularly held. Another important

118 religious ceremony held in Shantinagar is the voluntarUy subscribe 'to all the festivals and participate community Jagatdhatri Puja, organised by Young in them rather actively. The cultural functions in this Society. All the cultural and religious festivals ~re locality include theatrical performances twice a year, organised by a number of clubs, the most important of held in Gana Bhawan. Popular Jatra groups hired from which are the Shantinagar Samity, Shant/nager Unit, outside, draw large crowds. Young Society, Ba/aka Sangha, Sakti Sangha etc, Various cultural functions like dance, drama, musical As this neighbourhood is located in Bhadrakali, in performances and cinema shows from an integral part between Uttarpara and Kotrung. the people of this of these festivals. All the interviewees point out that the locality participate in various socio-religious, cultural members of their households participate freely in these and sports activities not only in Bhadrakali but also in socia-religious and socia-cultural functions and Uttarpara and Kotrung. During the occasion of Man~ck festivals. Pir Urs people from aU the three segments in the town participate in the fair. Again the Pancha-Mukhi Durga During the time of main community festivals like Puja (Goddess Durga with five faces) in this locality also Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Diwali, the residents of the draws large crowds from outside. neighbourhood participate in the religious festivals at !J\\atpata anta BnauTa'Ka\l and a~so at MaKh~a on 'l'ne other side of the railway tracks. Again as most of the working members in this locality commute to Calcutta The marwaris in this locality from a, compact and Haora, many of them visit the metropolitan city, to locality of their own which is distinct from other areas in witness the gailty, pomp and shlendour assopiated with the town as it is more or less, ethnically homogeneous. the festivals. The Marwaris, as devout people, organise their religious activities in the locality more on the line of households, MAKALTALA rather than on community basis, This is so became there is no club, as such. to organise the religious Situated at a rather remote corner far from the function and festivals. railway stations of Uttarpara or Hind Motor as also from the National Highway, the locality holds a small number The Shankar Ch(!,ritable Trust is the lone of festivities compared to those in the other two organisation of the Marwari Community which has set segments. Two community Durga Pujas, eleven up a Junior High School, mainly for the Marwari community Kati PUjas in addition to other minor students and also a temple known as Shankarji temple. festivals like Lakshmi PUja, Saraswati Puja etc. The schooi is sometimes used as a Dharmashala during constitute the socia-religious functions and festivities. off seasons for visitors. The members of the Marwari But this locality is specially famous for the traditional Community mostly congregate in this temple, to offer Manick Pir Urs festival, reportedly more than 250 years their pujas where. special festivities are observed on the old, on the occasion of which a fair is held on the last occasions of Shiba-Chaturdashi and the Holi festivals day of the Bengali month of Pousa (15th of January) with participation by the entire community. Bhajans continues for three days. Both the Hindus and the (devotional songs) and Kirtans (religious hymns) from Muslims participate jointly in the celebrations. an integrate part of these festivals. I n a private temple known as Rani Sati Temple, the womenfolks of the There is no public temple in this locality. But the community assemble to worship special religious devotees some time assemble in the two private occasions. Many members of the Marwari community temples of the locality, a Manasha temple and a- Kali also visit the nearby temples of Soroshi and Kali in the temple. The socia-religious and cultural functions in the adjoining areas of Kotrung. locality are held by the local clubs, among which Bhadrakali youth Corps is worthy of mention. During important community festivals of the Respondents of the neighbourhood in Makaltala Hindus, Ilke Durga Puja, Kali Puja etc. organised by the

119 local Bengalee in the adjoining areas of Deshbandhu­ Compared to other localities in the town, this area is, nagar, Radha Gobinda Nagar. Hind Motor Station more or less, self-contained in providing all amenities areas, the Marwaris participate in large numbers and and facilities to residents. The Municipality, the General also subscribe in money to the organises. In recent Hospital (O.P.D.), the bazar (market), the Public Library, years, two Kali Pujas are being held in the Marwari Patti, the Cinema Hall, the Police Station, a number of banks under the initiative of the Bengali residents there. and other important offices, the Government High Schools and Raja Peary Mohan College etc. are all UDAYAN PALU located very near to this area.

Udayan Palli, is the habitat of the displaced persons Still, some of the residents, engaged in service, from BangIa Desh, many of whom are in the process of commute to Calcutta and Haora. They also depend an rehabilitation and th~ majority belonging to the lower the metropolitan cities for various other needs like middle class, cannot show off because of comparatively recreational facilities, specialist medical treatment and poorer economic condition of the people in organising purchase of dress and ornaments duritlg ceremonies the various community festivals of the Hindus like and festivals. Durga Pula, Kali Puja etc. There is one small Kali temple in this locality where the festival is organised on a SHANTINAGAR community basis, by Udayan Sangha without, of course, much pomp and splendour. This locality is situated within close proximity of Uttarpara Railway Station on the one hand and Kanthal But if there is dearth of community festivals in this Bagan market on the other. In fact, the daily vendors of locality, there is abundance of various socio-religious Kanthal Bagan market encroach on a part of the main functions like Sani Puja, Nam Sankirtan (religious road of this locality viz, Charak Danga Road. There are hymns) and offering of Sinni (four, sweets, fruits etc) also a number of groceries, sweetmeat shops, tailoring specially on the full-moon nights by the households shops, furniture shops, restaurants and tea-stalls etc. individually but with active participations of members of Hence for the purchase of daily necessities, this locality the neighbowing households. During various socio­ is served well. Again a Higher Secondary School, a religious festivals and functions, the people of Udayan Girls High School, a number of Nursery Schools, Pa/li participate actively in the festivals held in the Kindergarten Schools, Primary Schools and training adjoining government Colonies of Kotrung by schools for music in the locality make meet the contributing subscriptions. They also participate in the educational needs too. All but one of the interviewees cultural functions held in the adjoining colonies of send their wards to the educational institutions within Nandan Kanan, Arunachal, Sukanta Nagar, Rabindra the locality while one sends the children to the Nagar, Vivekananda market etc. Government High School in Uttarpara. But there is no recreational facility for the residents of the area either in It is interesting that on the occasions of various the form of a park or playground worth the name. festivities, the members of the locality visit Konnagar, Hence. the residents mostly visit Bally, Haora, Calcutta, the adjoining town more frequently than Bhadrakali or Serampore etc. to see the latest films or theatrical Uttarpara. shows, though a few are satisfied with the lone cinema • hall in Uttarpara. there are a number of private medical SOCIO-ECONOMIC LINKAGES WITHIN THE LOCALITY AND practitioners including a number of pharmacies. OUTSIDE This locality is popularly termed as a "commuters' BANNERJEE PARA locality' as the majority of the working people here move out and commute to places like Calcutta, Haora, This locality being situated in the city centre of Liluah, Bally, Hind Motor, Rishra, Serampore etc. The Uttarpara proper has a few shops within the area. commuting nature of the working force explains why

120 this particular locality, in close proximity to Uttarpara locality. Generally the residents in the locality visit the Railway Station, has been selected by the migrants Hind Motor market at a distance of about 200 metres or hailing, mostly from the metropolitan cities of Calcutta so. One Junior High School for boys, one more tor girls and Haora. Out of five respondents, as many as four and a primary school within this locality meet the commute to Calcutta while one is a retired person. The primary needs of education of the area but for higher commuters from this locality also include a number of education the students have to move out. Most of the students who prosecute higher studies in the students attend High School (Hindi medium) within the educational institutions in Calcutta. precinets of the Hind Motor Factory. The college going students usually attend colleges in Uttarpara, Rishra, MAKALTALA Belur, Haora and Calcutta. Three medical practitioners within the locality attend to the residents on Except a few groceries, tailoring shops and tea consultation for the treatment of common diseases. But stalls, no other infrastructural amenities are available in for chronic and complicated ailments, the residents visit this area. For purchase of daily necessities of food the chambers of specialist doctors in the other stuffs, vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, clothes, etc., the segments of the referent town as also in calcutta. As residents of this local,ity have to rely on outside sources. there is no recreational facility within the locality nor Majority of the people buy their necessities of everyday within its imm~diate vicinity, the people commute to consumption from the Kanthal Bagan Bazar near Calcutta, Haora and Serampore for purposes of leisure Uttarpara Station, though a few visit also the daily and recreation. market at Hind Motor Station. There is no educational institution in the locality and the students generally get The marwaris are mainly a trading community, with admission into the educational institutions at Bhadrakali more than 70 per cent of the workers in this locality (mostly in ward number IX to XI!). There are several being engaged in trading and commercial activities private medical practitioners in the area whom the mostly in Calcutta with a few others in the adjoining residents generally consult. They also visit the General urban centres like Serampore etc. The remaining 30 per Hospital at Uttarpara. But in cases of serious illness, the cent work in other offices and factories, mostly the Birla residents rush to the Hospitals in Calcutta. There is no group of concerns, including the adjoining Hindustan recreational facility in the ,area except. occasional Motor Factory. socio-cultu:-al functions organis~d by the local clubs. The cinema houses in Uttarpara and in Bally provide an UDAYAN PALLI occasional outlet for past time. The cultural functions at Gana Bhawan in Uttarpara also draw the residents. The Two or three small-sized groceries in Udayan Palli residents move outside for economic pursuits. About serve the immediate needs of colony. Generally the fifty per cent of the members of the working force are people visit the colony market, also known as engaged in serv.ices in various offices in Calcutta, Vibekananda Bazar for their daily necessities. Some Haora, Serampore etc. and as such, they have to residents also visit the Hind Motor market. With no commute daily to those places. Again people engaged educational, medical or recreational facility within the in trading and commercial activities are partly engaged locality, the people generally visit other localities of in the referent town, but the majority visit Calcutta for Kotrung and Bhadrakali. For recreational purposes, the the purpose. About 75 to 100 persons of the locality, residents visit either Konnagar, the adjoining town, or work in Hindustan Motor Factory and reach the place of Uttarpara. The people generally visit Uttarpara General work either on foot or by bi-cycle. Hospital for medical treatment. Udayan Palli being inhabited mostly by masons, carpenters, labourers, MARWARI PATTI petty traders or workers in small-sized or medium-sized manufacturing establishments, the places of work of There are several groceries, stationery shops, most of the workers are confined to an orbit of three to tea·stalls, sweetmeat shops and a pharmacy within the five kilometres within the referent town or places like

121 Konnagar, Rishra etc. Few persons engaged in services other while in Makalta/a and Marwar; Patti, the level of in Government offices and banks commute to places knowledgeability among the residents is moderate. like Calcutta, Haora on the one hand the serampore on the other. A few others work in Jute mills in Bally and THE TOWN AND ITS CONSTITUENT NEIGHBOURHOODS five others work in Hindustan Motor Factory .. The density of population per sq. kilometres In the EXTENT OF INTERACTION PATTERN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD referent town was 4,318 in 1951, 7,195 in 1961, 9,320 in 1971 and 10,979 in 1981 and about 13,000 to 14,000 at It is no easy task to assess the intensity of the time of survey. The huge influx of population has interaction pattern existing in a particular group of changed the entire socio-cultural configurations of the people. If anonymity be antithecal to the growth of a referent town. Even a few decades back, ethnic sense of neighbourhood or neighbourly feelings, then homogeneity was the cornerstone of some of the famiUarity or knowledgeability must be reckoned as the localities. Elderly people recount that they knew almost basic factors -encouraging the feelings of nearness or all the neighbouring households very intimately and closeness. To know if the _residents in a particular stood by them in times of need. Even up to the first locality are familiar with one another, the names of five quarter of the present century, most of the areas of the persons, mostly the heads of households, and residing town, barring a few roads and streets, were known by in the locality for ten years or more, were selected at the names of the localities. But the enormous growth in random. Each of the five interviewees of the population has necessitated the naming of all roads and neighbourhoods has been asked, if he knows five streets. The names of the localities gradually fell into others. Four scores were assigned for each positive disuse and in their places streets and roads have come answer so that if one interviewee knows all the five into prominence. Further multiplication of population, persons, he secures a total score of 20 (5x4). And if all resulting in near anonymity of the population of the the five interviewees in a locality know all the five town, led to the introduction of house-numbering in the persons, the locality gets full score of 100 (5x5x4). The sixties. so in recent time, a household is known, not by scores, in a way, indicate the extent of familiarity in a the name of the head as he used to be in earlier days, locality. The total familiarity scores, obtained by a but by the number of the road or street where his house particular locality, ar given below: is located.

Name of locality Total familiarity scores obtained The referent town as a whole, has three distinctive (T otal scores - 100) segments, Uttarpara, Bhadrakali and Kotrung, all 1 Udayan Palli 92 coalesced together into the municipal town of 2 Bannerjee Para 80 Uttarpara-Kotrung. But, everywhere the households are 3 Makalta/a 68 very much aware of the distinctive segments t-o which 4 Marwari Patti 60 they belong. In every segment the residents armed with 5 Shant; Nagar 56 voting rights on account of adult suffreage in every delimited ward have become so aware of the number of If familiarity scores be reckoned as the rough index the ward that almost everyone correctly knows the of the extent of neighbourly feelings existing among the boundary of his own ward. In every ward, the traditional residents in a particular locality, Udayan Pam, the localities have veered around streets and roads. The smallest of the five selected localities, is the most recent trend is that the residents in a particular neighbourhood with the highest familiarity among the area are largely familiar with the households living in the residents, closely followed by Bannerjee Para, another same road, street, or lane except in cases where the smaller locality in Uttarpara, inhabited predominantly by roads or streets are very long, cutting accross several the- original residents. Shantinagar, one of the largest wards. In a sense, the modern sub-neighbourhoods in localities in the town, has the least score implying the referent town, have crystallised round respective thereby that most of the residents do not know each roads, streets or lanes rather than old localities

122 extending beyond streets and lanes. Social or political built houses in an unknown locality, sparsely populated, workers are known to knowledgeable individuals created the necessary precondition propitious for the irrespective of their areas but the common mass mostly growth of neighbourliness. But the influx of population knows his immediate neighbours living on the Some has injected diverse elements of ethnic and socio­ road or street. So the emerging pattern of neighbour­ economic heterogeneity among the people, greater hood in the referent town is, in fact, a ~ub­ mobility, higher density of populations. All these have neighbourhood along a road or a street with a small reduced interactions among the inmates of the population, little or no mobility, fact-to-face relation~hip, neighbourhood. The phenomenon in Shantinagar which intimate acquaintance of each with all and abOVE: all, once formed an exemplory neighbourhood may be participation in various socia-cultural and SQcio­ aptly be termed as disintegrating neighbourhood religious ceremonies and festivals. because of sprawling area and overcrowding. The young generation has their own interests too and are Against this background the study of five neighbour­ too busy to attend to common and local problems. hOods brings out interesting dimensions. In the ca~e of They have shifted their local to clubs trom the Bannerjee Para in Uttarpara proper, where there has neighbourhoods. The televisions also have taken a toll been limited inmigration, the sense of neighbourhood of the leisure-time of the residents who earlier got srin persists among the resments, more or less together to cultivate bonds of oneness and integration. homogeneous not only socia-culturally but also Now, families stay in their homes with eyes glued to the economically. One often comes across groups of television sets in the evening with little time to spare for octogenarions sitting and gossipping on the verandahs, others. Besides, the locality earlier had owner while in another corner young residents in a cluster are households mostly. But, now the owners, after engaged in animated discussion over a film tlr a extension of the house, have let out a portion to the political issue. The women members also visit each tenants. As a result, the interest groups have diversified; others and reinforce their comraderie by participatil1g in the owners do hardly interact with the tenant socia-cultural festivals and ceremonies togeth~r in neighbours and the tenants too, in their turn, know that groups. Moreover, reminiscence of their fathers and the locality is not their permanent habitat. fore-fathers, who lived in the same place for generations Neighbourhood becomes the casualty. together, cement their traditional and sentimental bonds. I n the case of shantinagar too, the elderly people hold that it was one of the nelghbourhoQ(js in The case of Makaltala is not much different from the town which once constituted a distinct socio­ that of Shantinagar, so far as neighbourliness and cultural entity resembling a small hamlet. Common togetherness are concerned. With a life span of less traditions at the people, common history of migration than 30 years, this locality gradually came into being and settlement, the commuting nature of the working when a band of displaced persons from Bangia Desh, force going to Calcutta and coming back together ih the already related to each other by Kingship and affinal same train and above all, the some socio-economic ties, rendered yeomen's Service in the setting up their status of the residents fostered the emergence of strong new homes. Gradually more people hailing from the feelings of neighbourhood. The feelings were inten:Se as same areas joined them. The intimate and informal tar as two decades back when the total number of relationship among the households, already linked up households did not exceed 200. The people were busy with each other by memories of common catastrophe, in building their new houses with cooperation from each common ordeals and above all the vicissitudes of other. They sometimes built their own roads and fortune, soon transformed the colony into a close by-Iaf)es, constructed their own drain, orgarlised neighbourhood where the levels of interaction have vigilance squads at night to petrol in the locality and been very warm, intense and personal. But the inflow of struggled jointly to wrest various amenities frolll the more inmigrants in the wake of construction of new municipal authorities and other agencies of the homes and of occupation of portion of houses by Government. The critical situations, faced in their rlewly tenants has weakened the bonds of neighbourliness. In

123 fact Makaltala is the classical example of a neighbour­ are in the process of transformation from socia-cultural hood gradually losing its identity as a distinct entity and socia-psychological entities to mere physical because of the over-population. The Marwari Patti, has localities, it is not so in the case of Udyan Palli. a small long been an identifiable socio-cultural and ethnically but compact enclave. of the displaced persons hailing homogeneous entity with a common socio-economic from Bangia Desh. Here is a neighbourhood where the base. Most of the Marwari Settlers, hailing from several residents are alert to maintain their own cultural norms fixed pockets of Rajasthan and migrating to the referent and traditions as much as possible. with a sense of zeal town from Burrabazar area of Calcutta, settled in their and ded,cation. There are myriads of interaction new homes where everyone is related to everyone not processes among the residents of the locality enabling only by affinal or kinship but also joined by identical them to withstand the shock of loss of traditional culture commercial interests and trading relations. But the and values. Just like Udayan Palli, most other compact population of this small enclave more than trebled in the settlements of the displaced person in the town like last decade dilutiQg the strong bonds of oneness and Nandan Kanan, Rabindra Nagar, Aswini Nagar etc. eroding the neighbourlines. continue to maintain their integration even though most other neighbourhoods in the congested parts of the If most other neighbourhoods in the referent town town are reverting back to physical localities only.

124 CHAPTER - VIII

FAM~LY LIFE IN THE TOWN

AVERAGE SIZE OF HOUSEHOLDS compared to 5.0 among the migrant households. The size of the household varies from caste to caste. It is The averqge size of the households in the three main generally smaller among the higher castes and segments of the town may be glanced from the comparatively larger among the intermediate castes. Appendix Table 55. It is found that the average size of Thus the average size of the household is 4.9 among household in the town is gradually becoming smaller the Brahmins, 4.8 among the Chhetries and 5.1 among over decades. Prior tq immigration of people in the the Kayasthas, the same again being 5.2 among the town on a large scale, the average size of household Tantis, 5.4 among the Gandha-Baniks, 5.6 among the was the highest in Kotrung {7.8}, followed by 7.1 in Sa has, 6.0 among the Goalas, 6.8 among the Telis and Uttar para while it was 5.6 in Bhadrakati in 1951. The 6.9 among the Mahisyas. relatively larger size of household in Kotrung in 1951 could be attributed to the largely rural background of COMPOSITION OF HOUSEHOLD BY NUMBER OF MEMBERS AND the people while the same in Uttarpara could be AGE OF HEADS attributed to the large households with extended kins of the original residents of the town including many The classification of the sample households by Zemindars, landlords and their kinsmen. The fall in the number of members and age of head of household is average size of the households in the following decades shown in Appendix Table 56. Though there is no \ can be attributed to the effects of large-scale teen-aged head, there are seven young heads inmigration, specifically to the two segments of belonging to the age-group of 20-29. The largest Bhadrakali and Kotrung. The average size of the number of households (33 per cent) belongs to the household which stood at 5.1 in 1981 remains, more or age-group 40-49, while the elderly heads aged 60 years less, unchanged in the sample survey conducted in a,pd above constitutes 26 per cent of the sample heads. 1987.

Some significant variations in the average size of the The mal~ members constitute 53.3 per cent of the household is noticeable among different cross-sections sample population. Among the heads of households, of people. The average size of households is 5.2 among 85.5 per cent are male heads while 14.5 per cent are the caste hindus, 4.2 among the scheduled castes, 5.5 females. Among the 29 females heads, as many as among the scheduled tribes while 4.3 among the seven are earning heads while 22 are non-earning muslims. The smaller size of the household among the heads. In most of the cases, the female heads, are Muslims may not be a correct reflections, in so far as a widows and happen to be the oldest members in the number 9f sample Muslim households consist of male household. Again of the 29 females heads, four members only with the female members living in their happens to be the only members in the household native homes. including one whose husband lives in Calcutta in the case of 25 heads, the widowed heads live with married The average size of a non-migrant household is 5.2 or unmarried children. Regarding the size of the family, It is observed that of the migration status of the heads of households, It is 61 per cent of the households are of the moderate size found that among the non-migrants, 45.5 per cent of the (4 to 7 members), 13 per cent of the households are, househrnds are of the simple variety as against 50.3 per more or less, of larger size (8 or more members) while cent among the migrants, 30.3 per cent are of 26 per cent of the households are 9f comparatively intermediate or semi-joint type (16.1 per cent being so smaller size (1 to 3 members). among the migrants), 15. 2 per cent are of the joint type (18.0 per cent among the migrants belonging to this HOUSEHOLDS BY RELATIONSHIP WITH HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD type) and 9.1 per cent are incomplete families (15.6 per cent being so among the migrants). If the intermediate The nature of ~elatlonship of various members of the and joint families are clubbed together, it is found that households to the heads is shown In Appendix Table 45.5 per cent of the families of the resident population 57. are of the joint or quasi-joint varieties, compared to 34.1 per cent among the migrant population. Again there is a One might get lost in the long Ust of relationships of greater proportion of incomplete family types among different members with the respective heads of the migrants than those among the non-migrant households and more so in view of the appendanges to population. the trctditional simple family of head and spouse, in the form of such relation as father's brother's son, father's HOUSEHOLDS BY NUMBER OF MEMBERS sister's sons, head's brother's son, wife's brother, wife's sister, wife's mother, married .sister's son, daughter's The classification of the households by number of son. For the sake of simplicity, if 'one overlooks such members is shown in Appendix Table 58. It is observed extended kins for the present discussion, one finds 49.5 that 45 per cent of the sample households with 1 to 4 per cent of the sample households to be of elementary, members contain 27.3 per cent of the sample simple and nucleated type viz self, spouse with or population. Again, households of medium size with 4 to without unmarried children •. 17.5 per cent to be joint 7 numbers are, in fact, the most common type of family types comprising two or more married coupres,viz, serf in the referent town. and spouse with l1)arried brother and his wife, married son and son's wife and father and mother and 18.5 per The table reveals that four membered families cent of the families to be of the Intermediate or constituting 19 per cent of the total sample households semi-joint varieties comprising, in addition to the self comprise 15 per cent of the total sample population. and spouse, father or mother, unmarried brother or Likewise, five-memoered households constitute 21 per sister. Out of 37 such intermediate households in the cent of the households comprising nearty the same sample, 25 families comprise nuclear famities with percentage (20.7) of population while 6 to 7 membered widowed mother, two families comprise nuclear famil~es housenolds constitute 21 per cent of the households with widowed father, five families are of nuclear types comprising slightly larger percentage (25.0) of with unmarried IJrothers and or sisters While in five popuJation. As a whole, 4-7 membered households in cases, the households comprise nuclear families with the referent town constitute 61 per cent of the total married father, married brother etc. The remaining 14.5 sample households, comprising 61.3 per cent of the per cent of the households are of incomplete types. Out population. But some imbalance between the of 29 Incomplete households, as many as ten are percentage of households and percentage of sample single-membered households, 16 are sub~nuclear types population is observed in the case of both smail-sized (widow or widower witb or without unmarried children) and large-sized households. Thus, 26 per cent of the and three households consisting of one of the spouses households constituting the small-sized households of 1 1another being away in native home) and another to 3 members comprise only 12,3 PEJr cent of the married or unmarried relation. poputation while in the case of large sized households of eight members or more; 13 per cent of the Looking at type of households from the point of view households comprise 26.4 per cent of the sample

126 population. TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CASTES

COMPOSITION BY AGE AND SEX The caste-wise distribution of the households, The distribution of the sample households by according to types of families Is presented In Appendix migration status and place of birth of head of household Table 60. The percentage of nuclear families Is the and composition by age and sex statuS' of members is highest among the caste Hindus; 51.2 per cent of the given in Appendix Table 59. A person aged 14 years or households among the castes Hindus being nuclear less is considered a minor while a person aged 15 years compared to 42.3 per cent among the Scheduled and above is considered an adult for the purpose of the Castes and Tribes and 33.3 among the Muslims. present discussions. Among the sample households, Clubbing together the intermediate (supplemented 58.5 per cent are of the most common type of nuclear) with joint families for the purpose of the households comprising the adult males and females present discussion, It is observed that the percentage of and minor males and females while 32.5 p~r cent joint and quasi-joint families is also much higher among comprise the adult males and females but without any the caste Hindus (39.3 percent) compared to 19.2 per minor member. Another five per cent of the households cent among the Scheduled Castes and Tribes and ·16.7 comprise adult male or males only, three per cent have per cent among the Muslims. If the Joint families are adult female or females only while one per cent of the considered exclusively, it Is observed that the households coni prise adult females and minor ones. proportion of joint families is 19 per cent among the caste Hindus compared to 7.7 per cent among the Correlating the composition of households with the Scheduled Castes and Tribes and 16.7 per cent among migration status of the households, it is found that there the Muslims. Lineal joint family with the parents living is a preponderance of households comprising adult with married son and son's wife is the most popular males and females only (without any minor whatsoever) forms of joint family in the town, followed by lineal among the resident households, and among collateral joint family in which two or more married households with places of births of heads in Haora and brothers live with their parents. Barddhaman. Likewise, there is a preponderance of households with adult male or males only among the migrant household with place of birth of heads in other Among the various castes and communities of the districts of India. sample households, the percentage of nudear families ;s fifty or more among the Tantis, the Barujibis, the TYPE OF HOUSEHOLDS AND CORRELATES SWarnakars, the Goalas, the Mahisyas, the Subarna Baniks, the Kumors, the Ugra-Kshtriyas, the Shaws, the The classification of households by type has been Baidyas, the Tambulis, the Napits, the Kangsha Baniks, based on Religion, Caste and Family Structure. A the Gandha Baniks, the Chhetris, the Paswans, the Comparative Study of Indian Joint Family by Kolenda, Maheswaris, the Raos, the Poundras, the Dhobas, the Pantine M. (published by Milton Singer and Bernard, S. Bagdis, the Jelia-Kaibartas, the Muchis, the Methors Cohn: Chicago, 1968, PP. 346-47, 'Structure and and the Oraons. Coming to the prevalent family types Change in Indian Society'). It classifies the households among the Brahmans and th~ Kayasthas, it is observed into eleven specified types, and a households, not that among the Brahmans as a whole, 49.1 per cent of covered under anyone of the specified lamily types, is the families are nuclear and 39.6 per cent are joint or allotted the twelfth category of 'others'. The type of quasi-joint while among the Kayasthas, 48.9 per cent of households' is defined on the basis of classification in the households are nuclear while 35.6 per cent are joint the book (provided in Appendix No. 94). or quasi-joint.

127 TYPE OF HOUSEHOLDS CORRELATED TO LEVEL OF EDUCATION It is interesting to note that among the retired and penSioner households, there is a preponderance of jOint The types of households are correlated to the levels families. being in the nature of 1ineal- joint families of of education of the heads of households in Appendix parent~ with their married sons and son's wives. Table 61. The incidence of nuclear families is the Among them, nearly three-fourths are joint or quasi~ highest among the educated heads who are joint. Matriculates and_ above while there is no appreciable difference in this regard batween the illiterate heads and Lastly among the non-worker heads of households the moderately educated heads with education below comprising mostly the widowed heads, nuclear family is Matriculation. The incidence of joint families is almost conspicuous by its absence while there is a negligible (3.3 percent) among the ,illiterate heads, while preponderance of incomplete families. it is 21.4 per cen! among the moderately educated heads and 18.9 per cent among heads who are TYPE OF HOUSEHOLDS CORRELATE WITH MOTHER TONGUE OF Matriculates and above. If the Intermediate and joint HEADS families are clubbed together, the trend holds good more or less. The proporition of joint and quasi~jolnt The types of households among the various families is 21.2 among the illiterate heads, 42.9 per cent linguistic groups are shown in Appendix Table 63. There among the moderately educated heads and 33.3 per is a preponderance of nuclear families among the cent among the educated heads who are Matriculates Telegus and the Hindi-speakers while the incidence of and above. such families is comparatively much smaller among the Marwaris and the Oriyas. It is interesting that there is a TYPES OF HOUSEHOLDS AND CORRELATION WITH preponderance of joint families among the Marwari OCCUPATION OF HEADS households while such families are absent among the Oriyas and the Telegus. Among Hindi-speakers too, Appendix Table 62 shows the correlation between joint families are very small in percentage figures. the occupation of the heads of households and the typ_es of their families. Households of most the heads engaged as skilled or unskilled labourers, are nuclear. COM POSITrON BY COUNTRY, STATE, RELIGION, CASTES AND Whereas two~thirds of the families of the Skilled LANGUAGE labourers are nuclear and nearly one~fourth of the families of the unskilled workers are incomplete, The distribution of the sample households by Implyi_ng thereby that most to the heads live alone or localities, district/state or country is shown in Appendix have not yet brought the female members to the Table 64. It is found that 22 per cent of the households referent town. It is very interesting to note that of the belong to the referent town in the sense that they have heads of households who are supervisory manuals, been living here for generations together including 11 only one-eight are intermediate While seven-eights are households, the heads of which had places of nuclear. Incidentally it may be noted that the incidence residence or birth other than the referent town, because of nuclear families is the highest among them. Among of marriage, service of father or some other reasons. the heads engaged in different professions, there is no The households may aptly be termed as the native Joint household while nearly a quarter of the households residents or the sons of soil. As many as 29 per cent of are incomplete. Among the households with heads the households hail from other districts of the State. It engaged in trade or busines:s, 56.7 per cent are nuclear may be noted that 56.9 per cent of the households hail while 43.3 per cent are joint or quasi~joint. Again, from the same district, to which the referent town among the households heads or which are clerks and belongs and three other adjoinirlg districts. An shop assistants, 70.6 per cent are 'nuclear while the rest expected, the largest number of households hail from are joint or quasi-joint. the same district of HugH.

128 It is also observed that 18 per cent of the MEMBERS STAYING OUTSlDE, REASON, NATURE OF LINK WITH households have migrated from other states of the THE HOUSEHOLDS country. three-fourths having hailed from the states of Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It has been observed that some households, Again, next to the Biharis, the Marwaris constitute the though apparently incomplete. have other members second numerous ethnic group from the states outside living away in their native homes. In the case of some West Bengal. households, some members have been staying outside in the places of their work while some absentee Among the various strata of population, the persons members are studying outside in the house of their kins. hailing from Bangia Desh constitute the most numerous A distinction has been drawn between absentee grpup (31 per cent), the bulk of them having left their members and close relations. Close relations, for the ancestral home in the wake of Partition. purpose of the present discussion, though related closely to the household and notwithstanding having As pointed out earlier, among the three segments of blood connection, may not belong to the same family, if the town, Uttarpara contains the largest proportion of they are not considered as such. For example, a original residents. In the sample households too, 40.9 married brother, forming a separate family, but looking per cent of the original residents b~Ismg to Uttarpara, after the property of his absentee brother. is, no doubt, 31.8 per cent to Bhadrakali and 2.7.3 per cent to a very close relation of the household, but not a Kotrung. The migrants hailing from other districts of the member thereof as such. Again a widowed father of the state chose Uttarpara for its unique locational and head of the household, living far away in the native infrastructural advantage. Of the migrants hailing from home, is an absentee member of the household to the different districts in West Bengal, 48.3 per cent have whom his son remits money regularly, towards settled in Uttarpara, 31 per cent in Bhadrakali and only defraying the expenses of his maintenance. 20.7 per cent in Kotrung. Table 65 is based on the absentee members who But the apparent preference for Uttarpara in the are considered regular members of the household. The case of migrants from the home state is not evinced by average size of the surveyed household is 5.1, but if the the migrants hailing from other states. To these absentee members were taken into account, the outsiders, many of whom are employed in the average size of the household would have risen to 5.6. Hindustan Motors Factory at Hind Motor, adjacent to It is observed that on the whole 8.9 per cent of the total Kotrung, any place or site in its vicinity enjoyed priority. members of the surveyed households (1015+99:::::1114) It is no wonder therefore that 55.6 per cent of these live outside the households as absentee members or outstation migrants are settled in Kotrung, 25 per cent which 52.5 per cent are females and the rest males. in Bhadrakali and only 19.4 per cent in Uttarpara. Again out of the 99 absentee members, 35.4 per cent belong to the age-group of 5-14, 59.6 to the age-group Turning now to the migrants hailing from Bangia of 15-59 while only five per cent of them are elderly. The Desh, it is found that during immigration in the early preponderance of absentee members both in the fifties very few vacant plots of land in and around children and adult age-group leads one to surmise that Uttarpara were available. In such a situation, the most of these households are migrant households. In rehabilitation authorities turned to other two segments one sense, instead of terming them as absentee of the town. That is why, 48.4 per cent of the migrants members, one may rather call splinter members in the hailing from Bangia Desh are now settled in Kotrung, surveyed households as absentee members, who have 33.9 per cent in Bhadrakali and only 17.4 per cent in come to the referent town for earning their livelihood. Uttarpara. Most of the households from Bangia Desh About 43.3 per cent of the absentee members are now settled in Uttarpara are well-placed and had unmarried sons Qr daughters of the heads of purchased plots on their own and constructed homes households, of whom 25 are proceeding higher studies there. in educational institutions outside the referent towns in

129 medicine, engineering etc. The eighteen absentee household annually. It is interesting to note that nine of working members include two labourers, one maid the 18 households hailing from Bihar, two of the five • servant, one contractor, three clerks, three embroidery households from Orissa, one out of the two households workers, one tailor, one apprentice jeweller, one depot. hailing from Andhra Pradesh. all the two households manager, one tE?chnical assistant, one owner of a shop, hailing from -Uttar Pradesh and the single household two cultivators and one engineer. haJling from Haryana reportedly remit money to their native place regularty. In the case of most other Regarding the reasons as to why the members in 33 households, all the members of the households live households cannot live together as regular members, It together in the native homes and hence those has been has been observed that in the case of 21 households, no necessity of any remittance of money. It is also the members have beert living permanently in their worth noting that all the eight Marwari households..live native homes, in the case of nine households, the together in the referent town and hence do not remit members have been living outside for service, In the any amount to their native homes. case of two households, the members have been living outside for reason of education, while in the case of one household, the members are living away for reason of No household hailing from Bangia Desh ever trade and business. remits any money outside and so is the case of the non-migrant households in the town. Again. out of the Of the 33 households having regular members living 58 households migrating to the town from other districts outside the family, 16 belong to states outside while 17 of the state, only two household reportedly remit money belong to the home state. Hence out of the 36 sample to their absentee members in the native homes at the households hailing from other states, as many as 16 rate of Rs. 10.000 per annum. Another nine households have other members of the households living outside having working members living outside for service or the families, mostly in their native homes; 15 of those occupation receive regular remittances from those households remitting money to these absentee absentee members at the rate of Rs. 4,518.00 annually members regularly at the rate of rupees 3,987.00 per on an average.

130 CHAPTER-IX

HOUSING AND MATERIAL CULTURE

INTRODUCTION years back. Most of these old buildings are at least one or two storeyed with identical building plans and The present discussion on housing condition in the designs. Each building has been built around a central town, based on the information relating to the 200 court-yard in the house to facilitate adequate light and sample households, intends to highlight the structural, ventilation, There are about 50 very spacious mansions functional and tenurial characteristics of the houses. in Uttarpara, mostly the residences of the erstwhile Some broad particulars about the material traits of Zemindars and landlords. Of the old buildings, the culture including such items of daily use as furniture, residence of Raja Jyot Kumar Mukherjee, with a built-up utensils, dress, lUxury goods have been presented to area of about 10,000 Sq. Metres was notable. The highlight the socia-cultural variance, if any, among the building earned fame for having two gigantic clocks on different cross sections in the referent town. two big towers. Now the building is dilapidated and in a state of ruins. About 15 to 20 such buildings were Uttarpara-Kotrung is basically a residential suburb of requisitioned by the Government of West Bengal after Calcutta. Needless to mention the town is getting more the abolition of the Zemindary for housing several and more congested, as the immigration of population, government offices and institutions, like the General specially from the metropolitan city of Calcutta, Hospital, Women's Home. the Vagrants Home, The continues unabated. The number of occupied Co-operative Training Centre, the Government of West residential houses per Sq. Kilometre for the town as a 8engal Production Centre etc. A number of such old whole is 2144. Residential congestion is the highest in buildings are in shambles while a number of others Uttarpara proper with 2380 houses per Sq. Metre, have been demolished and sold as residential plots. followed by 2088 in Bhadrakali and 2017 in Kotrung, Compared to the buildings of the old settlers, Regarding the residential pattern in the town, it has those of the new-settlers are rather planned and been observed earlier that the residential buildings of well-designed and built on smaller plots of land, the original residents of the town are located mainly in measuring 200 Sq. metres or so with a covered area of areas around the National Highways while those of the 100 to 150 Sq. metres on an average. Most of these neo-settlers are broadly located in the peripheral areas buildings are rather new and built in course of the last of the railway lines. Most of the refugee colonies sprung decades. Some buildings are of the bungalow type up in the vacant areas of Kotrung and partly in while a few others represent the latest architechtural Bhadrakali. The buildings of the three strata of designs and motifs. Most of these buildings are population viz the original population, the neo-settlers two-storeyed, the owners mostly living on the first floors and the d~splaced persons are marked immutably on and the ground floors being rented out. These buildings the broad residential lay-out of the town. Thus most of are, as a whole, neat and clean and are well-maintained. the buildings of the sons of the soil in the vicinity of the National Highway and the main roads and streets are In sharp contrast to the buildings of the old spacious and Old, constructed more than one hundred residents and of the neo-settlers in the town, the

131 house-types of the displaced persons in the various unveils the pattern of growths and developments of the refugee colonies in Kotrung and Bhadrakali are three main segments in the town. The relatively greater completely different. Most of the hutments Were urban maturity of Uttarpara proper over the other two constructed by the displaced persons in haste and with segments of the town' is once more confirmed by the limited funds at their disposal. The hutments in the fact that 34.4 per cent of the houses there are colonies have pucca floors and brick walls but with comparatively old (more than 60 years or so), 23.4 per roofs mostly filed or of asbestos or corrugated iron cent of the buildings are of middle age (constructed 41 sheets. Some of the fortunate few who could better their to 60 years ago) while 42.2 per cent of the buildings are economic condition have, in course of time, of rather recent origin constructed after the Partition of constructed. , one or two storeyed buildings in place of the country in 1947. the hutm~mts in the colony. The houses in different government colonies in the town are characterised by In Bhadrakali on the other hand, only 12.9 per cent pucca structures but marked by considerable of the buitdings may be termed as rather old, 21 per congestion. cent of medium age while two-thirds of the buildings have been constructed after 1947. As pointed earlier, by As pOinted out earlier, some of the very old localities the time of Partition, Uttarpara had its area mostly built in _the town like Bannerjee Para, Chatterjee Para, up while Bhadrakali had some vacant land near the Bachaspati Para, Purohit Para, Buidik Para and the old railway lines. Thus at the time of partition, only one-third artisan settlements like Pal Para, Kansari Para, Kumor of the existing buildings in Bhadrakali were old Para, Teli Para, Tambuli Para etc., are reminiscent of the compared to 57.8 per cent in Uttarpara. The age of settlement of ethnic groups imported by the founding house-type in Kotrung, on the other hand, conjures up fathers of the town to leave a lasting impression on the a picture reflecting pari pasu the pattern of migration residential lay-out. and the pace of construction of houses in that segment. Only 6.8 per cent of the surveyed houses in that Traces of such ethnic segregations of people are still segment can be deemed as old, 8.1 per cent of the found in some of the very old settlements of the town, houses are of medium age while 85.1 per cent of the but inmigrants belonging to heterogeneous ethnic surveyed houses have been constructed in the post­ stocks from different areas of the country in different partition era. Prior to 1950, the greater portion of the periods of time have completely swamped the old Kotrung were uninhabited and comprised low-lying ethnic pockets. The residential lay-out in some of the water-logged areas and cultivated lands. The localities and sub-localities instead reveal territorial.. immigration of displaced persons to the town for alignment as evident in the colony of the displaced rehabilitation in the government colony and Inmigration persons h3i1ing from the same police station or district of workers from outside, after the commissioning of the of the erstwhile East Pakistan linguistic allignment is Hindustan Motor Factory, were mostly directed towards evident in Marwari Patti in Kotrung, and in the hutments Kotrung. It may be recollected that the density of of the people from Bihar around Janata Sarani and New population per Sq. Kilometre was the-lowest (1931) in Station Road of Ward number XIV of Kotrung and tribal Kotrung in 1951 compared to 2874 in Bhadrakali and integration in the hutments of the Oraons or the Mundas 8273 in Uttarpara proper. But by i 981, the densities in BhadrakalL The Muslims of thE' town live in several shot up to 12,397 in Uttarpara, 10,392 in Bhadrakali and segregated pockets of Bhadrakali near Sakher Bazar 10,407 in Kotrung so much so that Kotrung has virtually area, in Gubtala area, Dharmatala and Musalmanpara in outstriffed Bhadrakali in density of population. The fact Kotrung. that 85.1 per cent of the surveyed houses in Kotrung were constructed during the last four decades fits'well AGE OF HOUSES with the history of growth and inmigration of people to the referent segments. It is also interesting that 51.4 per The approximate age of the sample houses is shown cent of the surveyed houses in Kotrung were in Appendix Table 66. A close scrutiny of the table constructed during 21-40 years synchronising with the

132 time of settlement of the displaced persons in the of high rent. government colonies as also the commissioning of the Hindustan Motor Factory in 1949-50. HOUSE-TYPE ACCORDING TO RELIGION, CASTE, COMMUNITY AND MIGRATION STATUS RELATION OF SELECTED HOUSES WITH ADJOINING HOUSES IN SPACE The houses of the Brahmans, the Kayasthas, the Sa has, the Telis and the GandhaBaniks are spacious Appendix Table 67 shows the relation of selected and well - maintained compared to those of other houses with adjoining houses in space in the three main castes and communities. Among the various linguistic segments of the town. It is observed that 28 per cent of groups in the town, the Marwaris have houses different the sample households live in separate houses with from those of others in being large-sized, two or compound. Most of the old houses in Uttarpara and three-storeyed and well-designed and well-maintained Bhadrakali have houses with open compounds and so and displaying latest costly decorative paints. The do have some of the Kutcha and Pucca houses in house types of the old residents differ from those of Kotrung, belonging to the displaced persons. None of migrants, being old and worn out. Some houses are the households living in separate houses with built around a central compound or a courtyard with com?ountis ~aC'eS an'} ?\'ob~'em \''e~at\\"\g to th~\~ hou~s.. l.a.t~-~z.ed 'Ntnd.o'NS, d~s aoo eY!eooed 'lemooar.s. Again 30 per cent of the sample households live in The height of each floor varies from five to six metres. separate houses without any compound whatsoever. Some of the buildings also display figurines of dancing About 43.5 per cent of houses in Bhadrakali are of this damsels or flying or flying fairies. The houses of the type. Problem of congestion is faced by 53.3 per cent of inmigrants, on the other hand, are compact, and the households living in separate houses without distinctly economising space. The houses are compounds. Only 13 per cent of the households live in comparatively new in that most of these houses have flats and it implies that the flat system of housing has been built in course of last three to four decades. The yet to become widely popular in a town where 58 per height of the floors vary from three to four metres and cent of the households live in separate houses with or the size of an average room varies from 11 to 14 sq. without compounds. None of the households living in metres. The houses are well - maintained and have flats has referred to any problem relating to housing. been built on the latest architectural designs. Only three per cent of the households live in second floors of three storeyed houses. Lastly, 26 per cent of The Muslims in the town live in three separats the sample households live in houses which are but clusters in Bhadrakali and i{otrung. The biggest of the portions of the main houses. Most of these households Muslim clusters is located in Musalman Para Lane of have to share the main use with other households. Dharsha in Kotrung. Most of the houses are old and Among 52 such households, 28 face the problems of dilapidated while in the case at a number of houses, lack of privacy while another 24 refer to unsatisfactory thorough repairing has long been overdue. About 20 to sanitary arrangement. Thus for the town as a whole, 58 25 per cent of the Muslim houses are kutcha hutments, per cent of the households live in separate houses, 26 about 15 per cent of the homes are two-storeyed per cent in portion of main houses, 13 per cent in flats buildings while the remaining houses are mostly while only three per cent in second floor of three one-storeyed. In general, the Muslim houses are old, storeyed buildings. In general, the households, whether congested, dilapidated and in a state of disrepair. Most old residents or new settlers refer separate homes, but of the houses reflect inability of owners to keep their sometimes circumstances compel them to let oLlt a houses in good condition on account of poor economic portion of the house to tenants. In' view of exorbitant condition. rentals in recent years and ever-increasing demand for hired flats or apartment, the owners of newly NATURE OF USE OF HOUSES constructed buildings extend their houses adding one floor or more to let out to tenants a portion, on payment A scrutiny of the houselist, records of 1981 Census

133 reveals that two to three per cent of the Census houses total houses in Uttarpara, 29 per cent in Bhadrakali and were vacant, either because the tenants had left or 25.7 per cent in Kotrung. Again, out of the 150 buildings because the owners, after constructio)1, were waiting for under reference 44 per cent are one - storeyed (forming an auspicious day to enter the house. More than 85 per 33 per cent of the total sample houses) 48.7 per cent cent of the houses were used for residential purposes. are two-storeyed (36.5 per cent of the total sample Only the owners of houses on the main roads and houses) 6.7 per cent are three-storeyed (five per cent of streets of the town had rented out houses, partly or total sample houses) while 0.6 per cent are wholly, as shop-cum-residences or as workshop-cum­ four-storeyed (0.5 per cent of total sample houses). It residences. Approximately five per cent of the census may be noted that the proposition of two-storeyed houses in the town were put to exclusive use for shops, buildings is the highest in Uttarpara while that of the workshops, sweetmeat shop eating houses, offices and one-storeyed buildings is the highest in Kotrung. factories. PREDOMINANT MATERIALS OF HOUSES FLOOR POSITION OF HOUSES AND PROBLEMS Appendix Table 69 gives the distribution of houses Ta" buildings of five storeyed or more are almost in the three different segments by predominant conspicuous by their absence, the average household materials,Of floor, wall. roof, ceiling, door and window. living in one or two-storeyed buildings mostly. Therefore, any problem about the floor position of An analysis of the different items of materials houses does hardly come up. The households living on reveals that all but 9.5 per cent of the floors of the second or third floors have not mentioned any problem. sample houses are earthen, 62.5 per cent of the floors are cemented while 28 per cent of the floors are made HOUSE TYPE IN DIFFERENT SEGMENTS of mosaic tiles. Regarding walls of houses. all but 15 of the sample houses have brick-built walls. There is a Before discussing about different types of houses in predominance of roofs of rainforced concrete cement the three segments of the town, the definitions of pucca (75 percent) in the sample houses, 20 per cent of the and kutcha houses are given. A pucca house is defined roofs are made of tiles while 5 per cent of the roofs are as one whose floors are cemented, the walls made of made of corrugated iron sheets or asbestos sheets or bricks, cement, concrete or timber while the roof made tin. A few decades back. tiles or pantiles were popular of tiles or corrugated iron sheets or of asbestos sheets. as roofing materials and the town had a number of A kutcha house, on the other hand, is defined as one factories manufacturing those items. But in recent whose ,floors are earthen no matter whether the walls years, the roof of rainforced cement concrete has are made of mud or bricks or the roof is made of replaced that of tiles and pantiles. Because of the corrugated with sheets tiles, or asbestos sheets. Again, gradual fall in the demand for tiles and pantiles, most of a distinction. has been drawn between pucca houses those factories have switched over to manufacture of and buildings, the material of the roof being the grant bricks. dividing line; while the roof of a pucca house may be made of tiles. C.1. sheets or asbestos sheets, that of a NUMBER OF ROOMS building is invariably made of cement sheets or reinforced cement concrete. Appendix Table 68 shows The correlation between the number of rooms the distribution of different houses in the three main available and number of members in the households is segments of the town. shown in the Appendix Table 70, which shows considerable disparity in average congestion per room. It is observed that 75 per cent of the sample houses It is observed that in the case of households possessing are buildings. 9.5 per cent are kutcha structures while one room only, 4.1 persons. on an average, share each 15.5 per cent are pucca structures. The percentage of room; in the case of households with two rooms. 2.4 houses which are not buildings, are 20.3 per cent of the persons on an average, share each room; in the case of

134 households possessing three, four and five rooms, each their own comforts by staying outside, mostly in the room is shared, on an average, by 1.7 persons. while in adjoining varandhas or in other available space to the case of households possessing six rooms or more, ensure privacy to the married couples. Among the only 1.4 persons share each room. An analysis of the remaining 35 households with two as more married table reveals that in the matter of availability of rooms, couples, the position is quite embarrassing to one Uttarpara is better placed than the other two segments. household with two married couples which have to Again Bhadrakali's position in this regard is better than share only one room. There are 13 other households Kotrung. In respect of the households possessing where the number of rooms tally with the number of single room, the position of Bhadrakali and Kotrung is couples, but the presence of other members aged five better than that of Uttarpara; a number of households in years and above create some problems of privacy. On BhadrakaH and Kotrung in possession of single room the whole, privacy in conjugal life is, more arc. less, being small-sized and inmigrants working mostly in satisfactory in the town as there is considerable parity Hindustan Motor Factory. In the case of households between the number of rooms and the number of possessing two or more rooms, Uttarpara fares better couples. than the two other segments, as the average number of mel}1bers per room in Uttar para is smaller than the FLOOR SPACE same for the two other segments as also for the town as a whole. Segment-wise, the average number of It is now intended to highlight the percentage members per room in Uttarpara is only 2.0 compared to availability of floor space to the sample households with 2.2 for Bhadrakali, 2.6 for Kotrung and 2.3 for the town the help of Appendix Table 72. The position in respect as a whole. Obviously, the average number of rooms at of availability of per capita floor space is quite the disposal of an average household is the highest unsatisfactory for 25.8 per cent of the households for (2.5) for Uttarpara, compared to 2.1 in Bhadrakali, 2.2 whom the per capita floor space is restricted to only for Kotrung and 2.3 for the town as a whole. This three sq. metres. The position is almost alarming for six disparity in favour of Uttarpara can be explained by the per cent of the households for whom the per capita fact that old residents are in possession of more rooms floor space is as low as one sq. metre or even less. The and also because of the fact that -many have not yet position is, more or less, satisfactory for the residual rented out their houses. The relatively unfavourable households who have comparatively more per capita position of Kotrung, relating to availability of rooms, on living space of four sq. metres or more. It is indeed the other hand, can be explained by the fact that many interesting to note that 53.5 per cent of the sample displaced persons there have not yet been able to households have per capita floor space ·of six sq. construct the required number of rooms needed for metres or more and 22.7 per cent of the households their members and hence the disparity. have per capita floor space of 10 sq. metres or more. There appears to be no problem of living space for The position of the sample households with regard nearly three-fourths of the total sample households. The to the availability of rooms vis-a-vis the number of only unfortunate aspect about housing among the married couples and other members in the household sample households is that there are two households would be clear from Appendix Table 71. (one in Uttarpara and another in Kotrung) without a regular living room at their disposal. The referent head An analysis of the Table brings into focus the extent of household in Uttarpara is a rickshaw-puller hailing of privacy of the married couples in sharing the same from Bihar living with his dependent son. The room with members of the family. Out of the 136 household has no regular room in its possession, but households having one married couple, all but 47 have generally shares the room of other relatives who live in no problem. In the case of 47 households, the married unauthorized hutments near the river Hugli at a nominal couple has to share the same room with other members rent. The other members of the concerned household aged five years and above. It has been observed that live in their native village in Bihar. The single member the grown-up members in such households sacrijice household in Kotrung having no exclusive room hails

135 from Orissa and is a priest by profession. He performs percentage of owned houses is higher in both the daily puja on the shops and way side stalls a'1d lives in segments, compared to that in Uttarpara. The a local club room where the watchman of the club percentage of tenanted houses is 46.9 per cent in happens to be his acquaintance and friend. Uttarpara, 25.8 per cent in Bhadrakali and 35.1 per cent in Kotrung. HOUSEHOLD AMENITIES Among the three households living in alloted Various amenities available to the households like houses in Uttarpara, one has been allotted by the kitchen, bathroom, lavatories, drinking and washing absentee landlord to the care-taker, another has been water and electricity are shown in Appendix Table 73. alloted by a private company to its labourer while The position relating to a'.'ailability of various amenities another has been allotted a quarter by Government free is quite satisfactory~ -as all but 21 of households have of cost. The three allotted households in Bhadrakali kitchens (168 households with separate kitchen). have been living in rooms allotted by Bhadrakali Likewise, all but 14 of the households have bathrooms Women's Home, In Kotrung, on the other hand, all the including 65 per cent of the households having three households received the allotment of rooms from exclusively separate bathrooms. All but 12 of the the owners of bricks fields on condition that at least one households have lavatories including 64.5 per cent member of the household must be working in the brick having separate lavatories of their own. All but 16 of the fields. households have source of drinking water in their households while 62.5 per cent having it separately. RANGE OF RENTALS About the availability of electricity, it is found that 28.5 per cent of the households, have no electric Appendix Table 75 gives an idea about the range connections, 49 per cent have separate electric of recen, charged for the rented apartment or houses, connections while 22.5 per cent of the households in three different localities of the town. A close scrutiny share electricity in common with other adjoining of the table reveals a wide disparity about the rate of households. rentals charged for one-roomed house, two-rooms houses and the like. In Uttarpara, the range of rental for TENURAL STATUS one-roomed house varies from Rs. 30/- to Rs. 300/-, Rs. '40/- to Rs. 100/- in Bhadrakali and Rs. 35/- to Rs. In the town as a whole, 57.5 per cent of the 250/- in Kotrung. Again the range of rental for a households live in their own houses, 36 per cent live in two-roomed house varies between Rs. 51/- to-Rs. 600/­ rented houses, 4.5 per cent live in alloted homes, one in Uttarpara, between Rs. 101/- to Rs. 550/- in per cent of the households live in houses belonging to Bhadrakali and Rs. 101/- to' Rs. 700/- in Kotrung. the Government of West Bengal but forcibly occupied Likewise, the rent of a three-roomed house in Uttarpara by them while one per cent have no regular rooms (as is Rs. 500/- compared to Rs. 300/- in Kotrung. evident from Appendix Table 74). The percentage of households living in houses owned by them is the Such great variation in the range of rental may ,be highest (66.1 percent) in Bhadrakali and the lowest in attributed to several factors, viz, the point of time when Uttarpara (46.9 percent), while the same is 59.5 per cent the house was rented, the quality and design of the in Kotrung. house rented, the localities of the house vis-a-vis the location of important transport and communication Uttarpara, as pointed out earlier, is inhabited lines and the nature of occupation of the tenants. It has predominantly by old resid ents, many of whom still been found that the rental of a house, let out two to zelously hold their ownership and hence 46.9 per cent three decades ago, continues to be much lower than of the houses are rented. In Bhadrakali and Kotrung, on the one rented out in recent years. The tenant of a the other hand, the migrants either purchased the land four-roomed house, inCidentally all old resident of or acquired the same from Government and hence the Uttarpara has to pay a monthly rent of Rs. 1tJ.OO per

136 month while a two-roomed home, let out three years there were 11 tactorles manutacturing tiles and pantiles. ago, fetches a rental of Rs. 700.00 per month. The In recent years, the use of tiles and pantiles !:las been quality of the building as also its location are also replaced by roofs of reinforced concrete cement. important factors in determining the amount of rent. Besides the factories manufacturing bricks, tiles and Thus a modern two-roomed flat in Kotrung is currently brick-powder, many establishments in the town tented out at more than rupees one thousand a month manufacture different items of wood like doors, while a two-roomed house in an old building is let out windows, frames, and such other item as caste iron between rupees 250/- to rupees 300/-. The range of grills and iron-rods of different varieties required for the rental also varies with the location of the house. Thus construction of house. houses located in fashionable areas ot the town or near National Highway or the two railway stations can be let The construction of building in the town has also out at much higher rent than a house in Makaltala or been facilitated by the easy availability of labour from Gabtala or Dharsha. various refugee colonies of the town. The existing daily wages rate of an unskilled labourer varies between It has been found that of the 72 tenant households in rupees 20 to rupees 25, that of a mason or carpenter the sample, 30 hail from neighbouring districts of West varies from rupees 30 to rupees 35. Besides there are a Bengal, 24 hail from other states of the country while 18 large number of building contractors, sub-contractors hail from Bangia Desh. Among the 30 tenant­ and petty-contractors in the town, who are also households from within the state of West 8engal, three associated with the construction of buildings and other hail from Bankura, seven from HugH three from Haora, allied activities. two from 24 Parganas, two from Calcutta, five from Barddhaman, six from Medinipur, one from Purulia and As pointed out earlier, three-fourths of the from Murshidabad. It is interesting to note that only two surveyed houses are pucca building and in recent of the tenanted households hail from Calcutta. Most of years, persons belonging to even lower-middle class the households inmigrating to the referent town from also try to construct buildings in place of their K~tcha or Calcutta, normally build their own houses. Among the pucca hutments, because of the much greater durability 24 tenanted households hailing from other states, 11 of the former. The houses of the rich and the upper hail from Bihar, six from Rajasthan, four from Orissa, middle classes are mostly designed by architects or and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and civil engineers and are built on solid foundation which Haryana. Lastly, 18 of the tenanted households hail can bear the load of three to four storeyed buildings. from Bangia Desh. The houses are mostly constructed on pillars of torsteel and stone chips. These houses of the well-to-do people AVAILABILITY OF BUILDING MATERIALS AND OTHER ANCILLARY have separate drawing rooms, bed rooms, dining DETAILS rooms, store rooms, kitchens etc. All the rooms have adequate number of ventilators. The windows and All the available items of building materials like sand, doors and other frames are made of costly wood with bricks, stone chips, cement, iron rods and torsteel rods cast-iron grilled frames. Some of the houses have are available in almost all the wards of the town. With provisions for garage too. , the increasing pace of urbanization and concomitant spree in building activities, the number of shops dealing The house types and housing condition in the town in building materials and hard ware items is more than reveal that the majority of the buildings in the town are 100. Most of the old houses in the town were built with upto the standard expected in a medium-sized town. A lime an? powered bricks (Surki). But now the use of causal visitor to the town from the metropolitan city of cement has almost replaced the use of those items. The Calcutta may not find any difference in the quality and referent town is in an advantageous position in the standard of buildings and in this respect Uttarpara - availability of brick and brick powder, as there are 20 Kotrung may be treated as an urban continuum of brick fields in the town. About a few decades back, Calcutta.

137 FURNITURE UTENSILS

The use of various items of furniture like chair, The utensils prepared for cooking food very tables, bed steads, almirahs, sofas, dining tables, etc. according to the socia-economic status of the can be seen from Appendix Table 76 from which It households, Cooking pots like handi, kara; (fry-pan) appears that 11 households not possessing even a etc., made of aluminium and iron, are almost universally single item of furniture constitute the poorest of the used, but pressure cooker is the most popularly used poor. Again, 66 per cent of the households possess item in the households belonging to higher economic chairs while 57 per cent of the households possess status. Several sophisticated frying pans are also used tables. Among the' sample households in Uttarpara, by those households. Earlier earthen cooking pots like 54.7 per cent possess bed steads, 64.1 per cent handi were very popular, but because of their price and possess almirahs,,2_§.6 per cent possess drawing table, fragility, earthen pots have completely fallen into disuse. 12.5 per cent possess sofa sets while 15.6 per cent A good deal of variation is also observed in the possess dining tables. In Bhadrakali, 46.8 per cent of materials of utensils of different varieties used for the households possess bed-stands, 48.4 per cent serving food, storing cooked food and also for drinking possess almirahs, 4~.8 per cent possess cots, 22.6 per purposes as is evident from Appendix Table 77. cent of the households possess drawing tables, 14.5 per cent of the households use sofa sets while 12.9 per Utensils of stainless steels have become more cent of the households possess dining tables. tn popular and more than three-fourths of the households Kotrung, on the other hand, 45.9 per cent of the of the town use utensils of stainless steel. In some households possess bedstands, 52.7 per cent possess households, utensils of bell metal or brass are also in almirahs, another 52.7 per cent possess cots, 24.3 per use, but these utensils are used more as subsidiary cent of the households possess drawing tables, 10.8 items. Utensils of cheaper varieties of metals like per cent use sofa while 13.5 per cent of the households aluminium, german silver, enamel etc., are used in the possess dining tables. It is thus seen, that among the households belonging to the lower socia-economic three segments, a greater percentage of households in status. For the town as a whole, 23.5 per cent Uttarpara possess different items of furniture. households use utensils mainly of cheaper and inferior material. For the town as a whole, 49 per cent of the households use bedsteads, 55 per cent use almirahs, LIGHT AND FUEL 45.5 per cent use cot, 24.5 per cent use drawing tables, 12.5 per cent use sofa sets and 14 per cent of the The details of different types of light and fuel used households use dining tables. So on the whole, the use by the referant households are given in Appendix Table of different items of furniture among the referent 78 which shows that 71.5 per cent of the households households is, !'!Jore or less, satisfactory at least in the can afford to use electrified lamps. More houses in expected urban standard in a medium-sized town. In all, Uttarpara seem to be electrified than those in Kotrung. nine households do not use any cot or bedstand and But at the same time 28.5 per cent of the households sleep on the floor. Only one Marwari household use a are still steeped in semi darkness of their rooms, hardly mattress spread over the ground in place of a cot or well iIIuminisecl by kerosene lamps or hurricane bed stand , while other households are reportedly too lanterns. It is indeed a depressing feature that 12 per poor to purchase even a cot. Households living in the cent of the households can not even afford to use town for a longer duration of at least a decade possess hurricane lanterns but have to rest contented with the more items of furniture compared to households living flickering kerosene lamps. So far as the use of different in the town for shorter duration. items of fuel is concerned, 26 per cent of the

138 households use liquid petroleum gas, 39 per cent use town are similar to those used in the metropolitan cities coal, 28.5 per cen~ use coal brickets, 5.5 per cent use of Calcutta and Haara. Trousers and shirts are kerosene stoves while only one per cent use wood. universally used by the adult males just as the minors Among the three segments In the town, Uttarpara is In among them use shorts and shirts. Side by side, dhotis, the forefront so far as the use of petroleum gas Is pyjamas, lungis and kurta are also in use. Lungis are concerned. very popular among the Muslim households. The use of dhotls and tatua (an improvised cotton vest) is more COSTLY AND LUXURIITEMS popular among the elderly mare persons.

The extent of use of the costly and lUxury items such as wrist watches, table clocks, radios, television sets, Saris and blouses happen to be the universal tape recorders and record players, refrigerators etc. wearing apparels among all the sections of women in among the residents in the three segments of the town the town while frocks and panties are in use among the is evident from Appendix Table 79. minor girls.

It is observed that 10 per cent of the households do nqt possess even a sIngle costry Item. The possession Though the type of dress do not show any of a radio set by 82 per cent of the households be difference, the differential socio-economic status of speaks of the fact that to the common man a radio set different sections of people is reflected in the quality, provides the primary source of recreational and quantity and cleanliness of the wearing apparels. Thus leisure-time activity. It also reflects the fact that the the trousers and -shirts used by the more affluent common man wants to keep himself abreast of what is sections are made of relatively costlier varieties of happening in the country and outside. If 86 per cent of shirtings and suitings of synthetic materials while the the households possess at least a wrist watch, it does same among the relatively poorer sections are made of " not necessarily mean that everyone is aware of the cheaper mill-made clothes. So also is the case of value of time and punctuality. It is more an item of wearing apparels among the womenfolk. As for possession, just short of luxury. as a reckoner of time. cleanliness of dress, it is observed that the dresses Just a quarter of the households in the town possess a among the affluent sections of the people are regularly tape recorder or a record player. Among the two other cleansed and washed while those among the poorer costly and luxuri items like a television set and a sections are not regularly washed and are, more or less, refrigerator, it is oQserved that 36 per cent of the soiled and untidy. households in the town possess television sets while 21.5 per cent possess refrigerators. The use of motor cars and motor cycles is restricted to only a few Regarding the change in style of dresses and households in the town but to only two sample wearing apparels in the town, it is observed that the households, one being a lecturer in the local college in latest waves in fashion and design from the Uttarpara and working as Manager in the local metropolitan cities touch this town too. The tailoring Co-operative Bank. shops and hair-cutting saloons in the town keep constant touch with their counterparts in the DRESS metropolitan cities. A casual visitor to the town from thE' metropolitan city may not encounter any difference in The items of dress used by men and women in the style of dress from that in the city.

139

CHAPTER-X

SLUMS AND BLIGHTED AREAS

INTRODUCTION of life. It is a challenging task both for the sociologists and the administrators to launch upon programmes to The most unhealthy congested areas with enable the residents in the slum to come out of their predominantly obsolete dwellings and substandard dungeous and to participate in the various socia-welfare living condition, exposed to multifarious hazards of activities for the radical improvement of their lots. pollution, insanitation and infection and devoid of the most basic; essential amenities of life and inhabited by IDENTIFICATION OF SLUMS the poorer sections of the people have been treated as slums. A close cluster of hutments with sub-standard In the absence of any universal and commonly housing with inadequate space and in a state of accepted definition of slum, the identification of a slum apathetic neglect in the periodic upkeep of the houses varies not only from country to country, but also within so as to endanger the health and safety of the different areas of the same country. Thus a slum in New inhabitants is given the appellation of slum. Gasping York city may be qualitatively altogether different from congestion, immense overcrowding and utterly the same in India. Again, even in India a slum is a unhealthy living conditions coupled with myriads of metropolitan city like Calcutta is not the same as in social vices like drunkenness, delinquency and Uttarpara-Kotrung. Still on the basis of ~he four-fold diseases (the three D's) are the features of a slum. The criteria of suffocating congestion, deteriorating slums lare virtual cancriods in the urban centres dwellings, sub-standard living condition and insanitation exposing the residents to various physio-environmental same clusters in the referent town have been identified and socia-psychological maladies of the worst kind and as slums. Congestion refers not only to the per capita magnitude, so much so that the growth and floor space of three sq. metres or less but also to the development of the personality of the residents get clustering of the hutments without any reasonable completely stunted. The inmates in such localities are, space in between two separate houses. Deteriorated more often than .not, susceptible to worst form of condition refers to dilapidated state of the houses anti-social activities mutual hatred and disbelief. The whether Kutcha huts or pucca hutments while socia-economic distance of the slum dwellers from the sub-standard living condition refers to acute economic main cross-sections of people foster among the former hardship of the residents of the slum because of a feeling of segregation and isolation. They nurse the poverty caused by absence of regular or fixed source of belief that the injustices and neglect heaped on them income. Lastly insanitary condition refers to very and the unsympathetic attitude of the surrounding unsatisfactory condition of toilet and drainage facilities. affluent society have made them what they are. As if in revolt, the slum-dwellers, not infrequently, fall a prey to LOCATION,OF THE SLUMS BY TYPE antisocial activities and criminal prop~rsity to wreak a vengeance on those whom they look upon as their In course of the intensive field survey, all the expropriators, SOCial and economic-Slum in the urban dwellings in the town conforming slums or near slums, society is detrimental to an egalitarian democratic way the various shanties and other blighted areas in the

141 town have been identified. Though there are several located in the space between the National Highway and settlements in the town, specially in Bhc:tdrakali and the river HugJi while the fourth one had developed into Kotrung under the Government colony Nos. 1 and 2, Jhupris (temporary) improvised structures on the side most of the colonies, compairing Pucca or Kutcha Of the railway lines in Ward numbers II and V. Among structures, have not been considered as slums as they the very small sized slums, one is located in Banerjee do not conform to all the four criteria. Para l the locally of the old resident, the second one around a big tank named Dhoba Pukur (Washermen's The slum, though not recognised as such by the tank) and another near Uttarpara Ba;;:ar area. Municipality for the purpose at the present study has been categorized into four broad types, according to There is no large slum in Bhadrakali. Thee. only the approximate number of households living in a medium-sized slum in Bhadrakali is located on the bank particular slum. A slum inhabited by 201 households or of a jheel (big tank) by the side of the railway lines, to more is categorizecLas large, a slum inhabited 101 to the western side of Maka/ta/a. Among the small slums, 200 householdS is categorized as medium sized, a slum one is located near the Bazar area in Kanthal Bagan, of 31 to 100 households is classified as small slum while another around the railway lines, one more comprises a slum inhabited by ten to thirty households is treated the refugee hutments on the northern side of Biplabi as very small. Phanindra Nath Banerjee Sarani (subsequently to be referred as B.P.N.B. Saran i) the fourth one is situated at The location and distribution ot the slums and other the juctlon of two streets (Dwarik Jungle Road and blighted areas in the 20 municipal wards of the town is Sibtala Street) while the fifth one comprises another explained with the help of Appendix Table 80. It is found shanty around Maka/tala. that there are 47 slums in the town as a whole of which 10 are located in Uttarpara, 17 in Bhadrakali and 20 in In Kotrung, there is neither any large nor medium Kotrung. For the town as a whole, there are one large, sized slum. Among the 20 small and very small-sized three medium-sized, 18 small-sized and 25 very slums as many as 16 comprise the hutments of the small-sized slums. The largest s~um in the town is labourers employed in the brick fields in the strip of land located in Uttarpara proper, two medium-sized slums in between the National Highway and the river Hugli. are located in Uttarpara and Bhadrakali respectively. HISTORY AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF GROWTH SURROUNDINGS AND ENVIRONMENT It is' observed that 16.1 per cent of the total The largest slum in the town, on the junction of households in Uttarpara, 14.2 per cent in Bhadrakali Lawrence Street and Netaji Subhas Road by the side of and 10.4 per cent in Kotrung live in so-called slums, factory site of the SWIL Limited (formerly Shalimar shanties and other blighted areas. The main reason for Wires and Industries Limited), a public limited company the greater proportion of slum-dwelling households in employing 272 persons, is located at the extreme Uttarpara can be traced to the history of growth and south-western low-lying areas of the town, near Bally development of the town as a whole. The history of canal on the one hand and the railway track of the growth and development of slum is, more or less, Eastern Railways on the other. Among the two common everywhere. People of the lower economic medium-sized slums, the Harijan Slum is also located in status rush in, where there is greater scope of the far south-western corner of the town near the livelihood. Among the three segments in the town, railway track, while the Talpukur slum is located around Uttarpara under the patronage of a number of a big pond named Talpukur. Among the four Zemindars, Rajas and landed proprietors grew and small-sized slum ;n Uttarpara one is located near the developed much earlier. At the time of Partition of India, brick fields by the side of Bally canal in ward numbers I the greater part of Uttarpara had been built up, and II, another slum has developed around the red light compared to large partians of vacant and uninhabited areas by the side of the National Highway, another is tracts in Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Besides having

142 various infrastructures of roads, markets, banks, the sale of milk to the neo-settlers, and by other workers school-s, colleges, hospital etc.. the segment has two mostly working in Hind Motor Factory. Majority of the brick fields since the early part of the century and a slums in Kotrung are in the form of Labour-hutments 1pedium-sized industrial establishment known as built by the owners on the brick fields, tile and pantile Ganges Valley Bone Mill Factory established in 1886, factories and Soorkhi (brick-powdering) mills. These earlier located at the site of the present SWIL Factory. slums have been existent for more than five decades. So early inmigration in Uttarpara can be traced to the The other slums in Kotrung grew and developed near closing part of the 19th and the beginning of the present the Hind Motor Railway Station (near the main factory of century. The early history of the origin and growth of the the Hindustan Motor Factory) on New Station Road, slums in Uttarpara is associated with the establishment Battal Bye Lane and part of Janata Sarani. The growth of the 80ne Mill and the two brick fields. As ascertained of these slums are synchronous with the growth and from some elderly slum-dwellers in the largest slum, development of the Automobile Factory. their fathers or grand fathers had come to the town as workers in the two brick fields and the bone mill. The ETHNO-LINGUISTIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS Ta/pukur Slum, originated, soon after the opening up of the Uttarpara Railway Station, as a slum of semi­ The ethno-Iinguistic and religious compositions of prostitutes supplying the requirement of menials to the the slum-dwellers vary widely in the three segments of gentry of Uttarpara to work as servants and maid the town. In Uttarpara. 97.5 per cent of the slum servants. The Ha.rijan Slum grew up around the early dwellers are Hindus and 2.5 per cent are Muslims by forties of the present century when the sweepers religion. So far as mother tongues are concerned, 45 working in Uttarpara Municipality were accommodated per cent of the slum-dwellers are speakers in Bengali, in the same area in a number of hutments. The only 50 per cent are speakers in Hindi, two per cent are red-light area in the town grew near Banerjee Para on speakers in Telegu and three per cent are speakers in the National Highway in the beginning of the present Oriyas. Again about 30 per cent of the slum dwellers in century when they were accommodated in the present Uttarpara are either Goyalas, Gapes or Ahirs by caste, site by some influential persons. The other slums in 20 per cent are Mehtors, 10 per cent are Mochis and Uttarpara around the Bazar area and in the river bank the rest belong to a variety of castes like Pan. Pushi, grew up in the post-Partition days in the form of Dosadh. Sahani. Rajwar, Shaw, Bauri, Bagdi, Mahisya, hutments of small traders, vendors, rickshaw-pullers, Dhobi, Tiyar, Teli etc. servants and maid servants. The growth of slums in Bhadrakali in and around Kanthal Bagan market, the In Bhadrakali 95.7 per cent of the slum-dwellers railway lines and in the vicinity of the main roads can be are Hindus and 4.3 per cent are Muslims. Linguistically. traced to the post-Partition period. The slums in 55 per cent of the slum-dwellers are speakers in Bhadrakali grew and developed in the wake of Bengali, 41 per cent are speakers in Hindi and two per inmigration of the displaced persons, neo-settlers from cent each are speakers in Telegu and Oriya. There is a Calcutta and other metropolitan areas and also of the preponderance of speakers in Bengali in the slum of labourers who had come in the hope of getting Bhadrakali, as the slums are inhabited largely, by the employed in the Hindustan Motor Factory. Those displaced persons. The slum-dwellers belong to a displaced persons who could not get any allotment in number of diverse ethnic groups like the Kayasthas. the government colony usually constructed their own Kumors, Patuas, Karmakars, Mahisyas, Sahas, Bauris, hutments in some areas (mostly on encroached lands) Nama Sudras, Ahirs, Pans, Dosadhs, Shaws, Benias which gradually turned into slum. Another slum etc. developed in the vicinity of the newly developed Kanthal Bagan market area, predominantly inhabited by traders, In Kotrung on the other hand, 93.3 per cent of the vendors and pedlars. The other slums developed along slum-t:lwellers are Hindus and 6.7 per cent are Muslims. the railway lines by the railway porters, milkmen and So far as speakers of different mother tongues are their associates who built up numerous cow-sheds for concerned, 33.3 per cent are speakers in Bengali, 53.4

143 per cent are speakers in Hindi, 10 per cent are speakers the town from numerous cowsheds and worked as in Oriya while 3.3 per cent are speakers in Telegu. domestic servants.

SETTLEMENT HISTORY AND EXTERNAL LINKAGES Most of the shanties and blighted areas in Kotrung owe their origin to the establishment of the Hindustan The settlement history of different slum-dwellers in Motor Factory. Many labourers working in the factory the referent town is, more or less, the some as the live in the cheaper labour hutments. Gradually other history of origin, growth, development and continuation job-seekers also come there in expectation of service. I of the slums. The origin of slums in Uttarpara can be Majority of the slum-dwellers maintain regular linkages traced to the immigration of labourers mostly from Bihar with their native places whether in West Bengal or and Uttar Pradesh, specially from the districts of outside. They visit their homes, one or twice a year and Varanasi and Gorakhpur in the early part of the century regularly remit money either through Post Office or In connection with work in the Ganges Valley Bone Mill through friends or relations. . Factory. It is said that work in the Bone Mill was generally avoided by the caste Hindus and hence In course of present survey, 30 households, ten people belonging to so-called lower castes like the each from Lawrence Srreet Slum (the biggest slum in charmakars, the Dosadha, Rajwars etc., came and the town), Ta/pukur Slum, in Ward number VI and In the settled in the remote corner of the town. The history of brick~field labour hutments were specially studied. settlement of the other slum dwellers in Uttarpara Some aspects of household composition, size of coincides with the history of inmigration of rural household and occupation pattern, range of rent, type labourers, from the predominantly rural Police Stations of house etc., have been given below: of the district of Hugli like Chanditala, Tarakeswar etc., to the town. These rural poor served the town by DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLDS BY SIZE providing labourers in the form of masons, carpenters day-labourers and maid servants. The other shanties in A general overview of the households in the slums Uttarpara have their own history of settlement as in the reveals that households, very small, small and large, case of slums near the two brick fields in Wards I and II can be found in different slums, depending mostly on with predominantly brick-field workers, and in the the nature of the slum. Thus the size of the family is the red-light area near Banerjee Para. Most of the inmates smallest in the red light area (size varying between one of the slums have linkages with their original native to two members), comparatively smaller in the brick homes in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra field shanties because some of the households are Pradesh, or in the districts of HugH and Haora. migratory in nature, (migration to the town taking place in the working season and then migrants return to their The settlement of various shanties in Kotrung is, native homes in the off season after staying is the town more or less, uniform and has followed an identical for some months). Again the size of the household is pattern. These hufments of labourers engaged in the also comparatively small in the shanties besides the brick fields and tile factories are very old, some of them railway lines, because most of the workers living here dating as far back as to the last century. Most of the left majority of the members in their native homes. workers in the brick fields migrated from the tribal belts Households are of moderate size in Lawrance Street in Ranchi and Dhanbad and comprise the Oraons, the Slum while the households are comparatively large in Mundas and the Santals. The slums in Bhadrakali grew the refugee hutments as B.P.N.B. Sarani, because most jn the late fjfties of the present century in the form of of the families living there are complete and settled, hutments of displaced persons on unauthorised or quite unlike the migratory nature of households in some forcibly occupied plots of land and other shanties other slums. inhabited predominantly by non-Bengali people belonging to comparatively lower socia-economic Appendix Table 81 reveals that the size of the status. They worked in the Bazar areas, supplied milk to household varies from slum to slum. It is rather

144 medium-sized in Lawrance Street Slum where some of differential work participation rates among the two the households have been living for a number of strata of population. If the work participation rate decades. The size of households in Talpukur Slum 'is among the slum population is much higher than that also smaller, comprising people migrating from the rural among the non-slum papulation, it is not because of the areas of Hugli and Barddhaman with some of the higher participation rate of the males, but because of absentee members staying back in their native homes. the much higher participation rate of the females in the As explained earlier, the size of the households is also slums. The work participation rate of the selected slum comparatively small in most of the brick field shanties population has been provided in Appendix Table 83. because of the seasonal nature of migration of most of the households. The general participation rate among the slum population is 50.8 per cent compare to only 32 per cent TYPE OF HOUSEHOLDS for the sample population for the town as a whole. Again the male participation rate of the slum population The type of households in the slums, shanties and is 56.9 per cent compared to 52.0 for the sample male blighted areas is different from that in other residential population. But compared to a meagre fema\e parti­ areas of the town. The inadequacy of per-capita floor cipation rate of 10.1 per cent for the sample female sp~ce and the availability of one-roomed tenements population, the work participation rate among the inhibit the formation of joint or semi-joint families. In selected female slum population is as high as 43.9 per general, there is a preponderance of simple (Nuclear) cent. And the higher rate of female work participation is and incomplete families in the slums. In slums of longer a uniform feature in all the three selected slums. This duration where the families are, more or less, settled as differential rate of participation in work, specially for the in Lawrance Street Slum, there is a preponderance of women folks, arises not only from differential sets of simple families. in slums inhabited by rural immigrants, value and altitudes of the two strata of populations, but commuting to their native homes once a fortnight or a also because of the differential scope and availability of month, there is preponderance of incomplex families work to the two groups. If among the sam pia comprising of the working members only. The households in the non-slum areas the idea of female households in the brick field labour shanties, are either participation in the economic activity is not encouraged, simple or incomplete. The families there comprise either it is also because some can afford to go without the working members or the couples with young, females earning any income; another factc;>r deserving infants and babies but leaving the other adult members consideration is the absence of suitable occupation for in the native places. the female job-seekers. If the majority of the women in the slums supplement the incomes of their husbands or The survey also reveals that 63.3 per cent of the fathers by working even as maid servants, they can do households are simple, 26.7 per cent of the households so because such odd menial jobs are always avail3ble. are incomplete while 6.7 per cent are joint (vide But the educated women hardly get a suitable job Appendix Table 82). The lone institutional household despite their best efforts. comprises tour unrelated members hailing from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and living together here on a In a. number of cases, the slums act as joint messing arrangement. Each member in the mess appendanges to the main town centre. The women manages to keep down the monthly expenses to folks including the minor females, work in the houses of rupees 150.00 and to save a malar share of limited middle class population in the town mostly as maid income for remittance home. servants or cooks.

WORK PARTICIPATION TYPE OF OCCUPATlON

The main distinction between the slum population Occupations pursued by the slum-dwellers very and the general population of the town lies in the widely from those pursued by the workers in the

145 general sample population. The workers in the general stuffy and damp. The average covered area of the sample population in the non-slum areas work in one-roomed tenement varies from eight to ten Sq. different offices and establishments, trading and Metres and the average per-capita floor space hardly commercial concerns, manufacturing units etc., many exceeds two to three Sq. Metres. of them being engaged in white-collar jobs, in offices, banks, educational and other institutions etc., or Among the 30 selected households in the three pursuing other independent professions. The workers slums, 20 households living in Lawrance Street slums living in the slums, on the other hand, are engaged in a and Talpukuar slum .Iive in rented houses while 10 multiplicity of unskilled and menial jobs, as evident from households in the Brick Field Shanties live in free Appendix Table 84. Only five of the 62 workers in the 30 allotted houses. Of the ten households living in selected households in the three slums have same Lawrance Street Slums, the range of recent varies stable livelihood with a fixed income as workers in between rupees eighteen to rupees fifty five per month. Hindustan Motors Limited, SWIL Limited or in the In the Talpukur Slum, three households pay monthly neighbouring jute mills. The rest are engaged in a rental between rupees twenty five to thirty, another variety of jobs as rickshaw-pullers. masons or Daily three households pay between thirty to fifty, two labourers in construction work and as pedlars of waste househOlds pay between rupees fifty one to eighty, papers, scrap iron or glasses, scrap coal, etc. The while another two pay between rupees eighty to one female workers are employed as domestic maid hundred. All the 30 households in the three slums live in servants on part-time basis. Only the workers in the one room tenements. In the case of two households of brick fields have some specific occupations, but that joint-family type, it has been observed that the married too only for a number a months in the year. Besides son and his wife live inside the room while their elderly supplying domestic servants to the middle class parents live in the adjoining verandah. households in the town, the workers in the slums also supply milk to the residents of the town. The general housing condition of the slums is grim and apalling. The hutments are dilapidated with the HOUSE TYPE AND HOUSING CONDITIONS roofs leaking or the floors broken and uneven. The slums call for urgent repair. In most cases, the owners Most of the houses in the slums are characterized by of the hutments living in the adjoining room have not deteriorated and sub-standard dwellings, mostly in the the means of undertaking the repair, nor do they nature of Kutcha hutments. The floors of houses Of all sincerely want to undertake the repair even jf they have but four of the 30 households, the walls of houses of all the means, because any improvement will not but sixteen are either earthen or made of split bamboo consequentially bring about a revision in the old rental. while the roofs of all the 30 households are made of tiles or pantiles. Among the hutments in the slums as a WATER·SUPPLY AND SANITATION whole, the most dilapidated and· deteriorated are the dwellings in the brick field shanties, way-side jhupris In general, the basic amenities of water supply, and those by Lhe side of the railway lines. These lighting and sanitary arrangements are conspicious by hutments are rather improvised structures, raised, their absence in most of the slums, shanties and rather hurriedly, mostly on unauthorised lands Without blighted areas. In more than 95 per cent of the slums, any concern for the durability of the structure. Some of there is no arrangement for supply of drinking water these hutments get water-logged after a short shower and the inmates have to depend on road taps, or while rainwaters sometimes percolate through the roofs way-side tube wells. Only the inmates of the slums and seep through the windows. In general, most of the located on the sides of tanks like Talpukur, Ohopa hutments in the slums are built without any plinth, the Pukur or Jhil-par can use the water of the tanks for their average height of the room is also very low and most of daily needs. Most of the slums have no electric the rooms have only one small hole each minicking a connections. In a few cases the electric facility is window. Consequently, most of the rooms are dark, restricted to a few households, mostly the owner-

146 households of the tenements. So far as sanitary midst of their huger and thirst, sorrows and miseries. arrangements are concerned. it has been observed that They are concerned only with the day and they live with some of the way side jhupris and those by the side of the humble hope and expectation that the morrow may the Railway lines have no latrine and the inmates show them a glimmer in the tunnel. defecate outside in the open. In the Lawrance Street Slum and Talpukur Slum. there is one latrine for each They do hardly revolt even when they face rank -housing unit with eight to t~n hutments, consequently injustice. They have many grievances but they have no the lone latrine has to be used by the inmates of eight to outlet to ventilate them. If sometimes happens that they ten households. The general rule of sanitation in those carry costly prescriptions after their babies have been households is that the female members may use the examined by the physicians but they do neither have latrines. but the male members have invariably to go the means nor the knowledge of how to procure the outside in-th3 open space. There is no arrangement for medicines. Some days the daily labourers return home drainage and the refuse waters used by the various without being able to get a job for' the day with the households just accumulate on the courtyard making it inevitable writing on the wall that the whole family will is a breeding ground of various flies and mosquitoes. have to starve. The housewife may rush to her mistress in whose house she works as maid servant for a crash FAMILY LIFE IN THE SLUM loan of a few rupees or a dole of a bowl of rice.

If the slums are in an apalling and depressing state Still these people have their moments of joy when and not worthy of human habitation, the fact stands that all the members have. for some days, have their full multitudes of people live and will continue to live here meals, or when the head can provide a cheap new for many more years to come. With the average size of garment to his baby or a tassel ornament to his 'wife, a household in the slum at 4.1 members. 10.8 per cent when the members participate in the community of the people in the town live in such dismal and morbid festivals of the locality in smiling faces But not all the environment. Being born and brought up in such inmates in the slums share he same miseries and abominable and infernal surroundings and nurtured and agonies. There are a few determined and hardworking closeted in the midst of an unhealthy and malignant persons like the sellers of Phuchka, hawkers of scrap

atmosphere,, the people slowly -get used to the materials. or the hard-working rickshaw-pullers who unwholesome environment. Unbelieably these people work from morning till night with their good old sinews have their hours of joys and entertainment too and and make a modest saving out of their paltry incomes these people also know how to laugh and make merry and can remit rupees 150 or a little more to their native of themselves even in the midst of depravity. homes. deprivation and stark poverty. A cas!,Jal visitor to any of these slums is apt to be stupified by the noisy brawls As regards. leisure and recreation in the slum, the among women shouting in shrill voices, crises of babies male members mostly spend their leisure time 'by and hungry Children and by the incoherent words of the playing at cards or listening to the radio sets. The tipsy men and women who want to drown their miseries female members have no pastime except chatting in in the bouts of drinks with the faint hope of finding a groups in the open while the youngsters mostly play streak of light in the dark covers of despondency and various popular games of hide and seek and the like. misery. CRIME AND DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR Yet these people have not died because of the most of malignant diseases and-total malnutrition. This has Like most other urban slums, the slums and the been possible only because th~y have gradually shanties in the referent town are characterized by the evolved a stoie philosophy of life.which has taught vices of drunkenness, delinquency and gambling. It is a them, that nobody will extend a helping hand to lift them common sight to encounter persons in completely, out of the morass. They try to live out their days in the drunken state during day-time. Gambling is also a

147 popular pastime of both the young and the old. But status, such as rickshaw-pullers, labourers, shop­ though the stigma of criminal behaviour is not generally keepers but people of the higher socia-economic status passed on to the slum dwellers, the residents in the are also reported to visit the area occasionally in cover non-slums have lower estimation about a few slums of darkness. The case studies of two prostitutes are believed to be the abode of various anti-socials. given below:

RED LIGHT AREAS CASE STUDY ONE Among the blighted areas in the town, special mention may be made of the lone brothel in the town, Smt. X is a fair-looking woman of 30 years, born located in, Ward Number III on the National Highway. It and brought up in a poor family in Serampore and is said to be an old brothel dating back to the early part married at the age of 20 years to an impostor allegedly of the present cent.\:!_ry when some women of easy virtue working in an office. But very soon it was detected that were brought from Serampur and Haora and the man already married and had two children. Also a accommodated in the present site by the side of the drunkard, he frequently used to torture Smt. X. After a Cinema Hall and near the main market area of the town. couple of years, she refused to stay with him and was It is reported that some influential persons took the soon separated. At that time she was in love with a local initiative in making available requisite land to the youth who took the advantage of her simplicity. After prostitutes. some time, she was brought to Calcutta and used for immoral purposes by his friends. Her kins in Serampore The present brothel is housed in a closed area came to know of her escapable and she was denied behind the famous Banerjee Para, with eight to ten entry home. In utter helpless and desperation she took structures, each divided Into a number of cubicles. At to the path of immoral living as the last resort. She now present 30 to 35 prestitu(es operate these. About eight lives in a rented room in the blighted area, where she prostitutes hail from different areas of Bihar while two has to pay a daily rental rupees five. Her average daily from Bilashpur in Madhya Pradesh. The rest belong to earnings range between rupees thirty to fifty. She has a the home State. The approximate ages of the fixed client residing in the adjoining city of Bally who prostitutes vary between 25 and 35 years. There is no visit her occasionally. An illegitimate son, aged 11,h pimp operating in the slum overtly, but the elderly years, has been born to her. LM'ftefS of the hutments level a rate of rupees five to eight per room per day for its use. They also act CASE STUDY TWO sometimes as pimps. The prostitutes are not generally permitted to allure the clients in the open street, but not Smt. 'Y' is healthy and pretty woman of 29 years. infregmently they are found standing in queues in the She hails from Bihar. Her mother was also in the same narrow alley leading to t~eir quarters from the National immoral profession. At the age of 21, she came to Highway. Calcutta with an elderly women, known to her mother. The elderly women took her to a red-light area near One-third of the prostitutes in the referent area live Wattgung Khiddirpur in Calcutta where she spent a singly, another one-third live with their children while the couple of years. Then one of her clients living in Hugli rest live with their paramours (Babu). Each client is brought her here. rented a room where she has been charged at the rate of rupees 10 to 20 for one visit to the staying for about four years. She visited her mother red light area. Each prostitute normally entertains three near Patna about a couple of years back. She has a pay clients a day. The clientage mostly include people rupees four day pay for her room and she earns rupees belonging to comparatively lower socia-economic 25 to rupees 30 per day.

148 CHAPTER .. XI

ORGANIZATION OF POWER AND PRESTIGE

INTRODUCTION as a separate Municipal town in 1869. Due to the zeal and ambition of a number of benevolent Zemindars, Uttarpara-Kotrung with an elitist background has a landlords and aristocrats the referent town blossomed variegated history of its blue-blooded aristocracy dating as an elitist cultural centre which took a leading part in back to the early part of the eighteenth century when the cultural renaissance of Bengal in the nineteenth the illustrious Subarna Chowdhuries of Chank near century. The visits and counter visits of a galaxy of Barrackpur laid the foundation of Uttarpara at the socia-political thinkers of the time to Uttarpara linked northern end of Bally. But prior to that, Kotrung ~nd the Zemindars and the intelligentsia of the town with the Bhadrakali existed as independent· villages. The eminent leaders and intellectuals associated with the succeeding history of Uttarpara is marked by the cultural and social movements in the then Bengal. The gradual widening of the base of social structure with ripples of various reform movements connected with Brahmanical hegemony with matrimonial Unkages of the Brahma Samaj, widow remarriage. Female education Subarna Chowdhuries with other Brahmans bearing the also reached Uttarpara-Kotrung. The intelligentsia of the surnames of Mukherjee, Banerjee and Chatterjee. The town had special links with illustrious leaders like social scenes of Bhadrakali and Kotrung, on the other Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Iswar Chandra hand, were dominate9, till the middle of the 19th Vidyasagar. Michael Madhusudan Dutta etc., and many Century, by a number of artisan and fishing other social thinkers of the time. communities like Tili, Tambuli, Pan, Mahisya, Malo, Tiyar etc, with some families of ?anerjees and Soms In 1851, the British Indian Association was appearing on the social arena. By the middle of the 19th inaugurated with the avowed objective of reforming Century, Uttarpara gradually shot into prominence with local administration and the systems of Indian the emergence of several illustrious sons, the notable of Government. Joykrishna Mukherjee, the architect of the whom being Lat Joy Krishna Mukherjee, who had renaissance movement, was one of its important office devotedly built the necessary infrastructures, paved the bearers, followed by his illustrious son Raja Peary way fof the gradual transformation of Uttarpara into a Mohan Mukherjee; gradually some other leaders also more or less, viable urban entity. Bhadrakali and got associated with the organisation. The elitist social Kotrung the two segments, also grew and developed, structure of the referent town, till the first quarter of the but partly as appendages to Uttarpara. Again the present century, though apparently reformist in nature, development of the brick and tile-manufacturing was feudal in spirit, in so far as the reins of power and industries on the land along the western bank of the prestige, lay Jri~e hands of the landed aristocracy in river Hugli in Bhadrakali and Kotrung also helped the the case of Uttarpara and in the case of 8hadrakali and growth of a middle class gentry owning to many Kotrung, they lay partly in the hands of the former n~cent factories. As a consequence of all these group and partly in the hands of the new-born upper J developments, Uttarpara emerged as the first Municipal middle class, owing the brick, tile and pantile factories. town in the entire eastern region in 1853 while Kotrung The feudal chiefs in Uttarpara and the upper middle including Bhadrakali followed in its footsteps soon after, class elite in Kotrung had one thing in common. They

149 held a strong grip over the management of municipal Manibhusan Dutta, Surendra Nath Dea, Narendra Lal officers, ever since the establishment of the municipality Som, Krishna Chandra Banerjee, Jogesh Chandra in both. The long list of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Mukherjee, Kanai Sen, Jatindra Nath Som etc. (a kin to the posts of Mayors and Deputy Mayors) and Commissioners in both the municipalities but specially STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND EMERGENCE OF in Uttarpara would confirm the continuance of the REVOLUTIONARY ORGANISATIONS semi-dynastic rule till the thirties of the present century. Among the Chairman and Deputy Chairman in If the feudal elites and other charismatic leaders of Uttarpara Municipality till the thirties, all but a few came the time had created the necessary socio-economic from the illustrious Mukherjee families while those in structure to help the evolution of an independent urban Kotrung came chiefly from Banerjee, Sen and Sam entity in Uttarpara-Kotrung, the growth of various families. But the I]_unicipal administration in the national movements and persistent struggles for municipality of Uttarpara was at times marred by independence in the referent town was very much the intra-family feuds and dissensions resulting in fruition of their efforts. In fact, Uttarpara-Kotrung had occasional dislocation and deadlocks in municipal been associated with various national movements of the activities. The proverbial family feud between Joy time, from the beginning of the present century and the Krishna Mukherjee and his step-brother Bijoy Krishna pioneering service in this respect was rendered by the Mukherjee culminating in the imprisonment of revolutionary leader Amarendra Nath Chatterjee, Joykrishna Mukherjee for several months is still through whose zeal, dedication and untiring efforts, the remembered by the old residents of the town. referent town came in contact with noted revolutionaries of the time like Surendra Nath Banerjee, The feudal elitist structure of the time was specially Bipin Pal, Sree Arobinda Ghose, Bagha Jatin, Rash marked by the excellent relations maintained with the Behari Ghose, Sarin Ghose etc. And it was Surendra British Government, specially the government of Nath ·Banerjee who had entrusted Amarendra Nath Bengal. This is attested by the visit of a number of Chatterjee with the task of monitoring the revolutionary British administrators and British officers to the referent activities of the district of Hugli. Amarendra founded town but also by the patronage received in different Shilpa Samily (Industrial Society) in Uttarpara which spheres by the elitist leaders. It is not surprising that was gradually transformed into Sramajibi Samabaya the-then British g6vernment profusely bestowed (Labourers' Cooperative) and became ultimately a honourifie titles of Raja, Rai Saheb and Rai Bahadur on secret meeting ground for the underground a number of important personalities in the town, some revolutionaries. Amarendra Nath also initiated a number of whom had tremendous held and sway over the large of other organisations like Field and Academy, cross-sections of people in Uttarpara, from the middle Anti-circular society, Young India, Gana Sammilani etc. of the preceding century to the first quarter of the Sree Arabinda visited Uttarpara in 1909 and gave present century. They included Joy Krishna Mukherjee, special instructions to revolutionaries there. Amarendra Bijoy Krishna Mukh_erjee, Raj Krishna Mukherjee, Shib Nath along with a number of other revolutionary leaders Narayan Mukherjee, Ambika Charan Banerjee, went underground prior to the outbreak of the First RaiBahadur Sarat Chatterjee, Raja Jyot KUmar World War and the British Government declared a Mukherjee, Suresh Mukherjee, Narendra Nath reward of rupees ten thousand for his head. At last after Mukherjee, Jatindra Nath Mukherjee, Narendra Nath eight long years. he came out of his hideout. In 1929 he Mukherjee, Raj Narayan Mukherjee, Rajendra Nath was elected a member of the Provincial Legislative Mukherjee, (Michhri Babu), or Amrita Lal Munshi and Assembly and in 1935, he was elected a member to the Shib Narayan Mukherjee, some of them having National Assembly from Barddhaman Division occupied the coveted posts of Chairman or Gradually more and more leaders like Phanindra Nath Vice-Chairman of Uttarpara Municipality. Likewise, Banerjee, Dhrubesh Chatterjee, Barendra Nath some of the important personalities of kotrung Chatterjee, Bankim Chatterjee, Basanta Biswas and Municipality were Bireswar Banerjee, Karal Mukherjee, many others got associated with the revolutionary

150 struggles and national movements. Many of these and the Communist Party of India. In the election to the leaders were imprIsoned from time to time and Basanta Uttarpara Municipality in 1937, the congress emerged Kumar Biswas was hunged at Lahore on the charge of victorious, while in 1939 another landmark was created murder of Lord Hurdiange. by the Communist Party of India which captured the Municipal authority in Kotrung Municipality with So the socia-political scenario of the referent town Phanindra Nath Banerjee of Bhadrakali being the first from the early part to the late thirties of the present ever Comm,unist Chairman of a Municipality in India. In century was marked by the revolutionary national 1941 the Hindu Mahasabha for the first time, captured upsurge of these local leaders and they had virtually the municipal power in Uttarpara Municipality and provided a parallel, alternative platform to the one sprang a surprise on the contenders for municipal provided by the feudal elites of the town. authority.

SOCIALIST TILT: A NEW EPOCH The noted personalities and political leaders of the thirties and forties were Amarendra Nath Chatterjee, The emergence of a socialist bias in the Phanindra Nath Banerjee, Tarak Nath Mukherjee, Lok revolutionary leadership of the late thirties is one of the Nath Mukherjee, Dr. Saroj Mukherjee, Probhas most significant developments which has largely Mukherjee, Sachindra Nath Banerjee, Phanindra Nath moulded the organisations of power and prestige in the Mukherjee, Jnan Ranjan Mallick, Sunil Kr. Banerjee etc., town. It is not a sheer irony of fate that the soil that had R.A. Pyne (of Bone Mill Factory), Kumar Bhupendra bred in a number of fedual overlords and benevolent Nath Mukherjee Brahyama Pada Ghosh, Sudha Nath Zemindars in the past had also given birth to the Mukherjee, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Bankim Chandra socialist thinkers and leaders who had largely shaped Chatterjee, Bijoy Kumar Mukherjee, Madhusudan the power structure for the next generation. Banerjee etc.

Incidentally a section of the revolutionary leadership POWER-STRUCTURE IN POST INDEPENDENCE ERA of the town got associated with the socialist thinking of the time and eminent leaders like Phanindra Nath The independence of the country and the Banerjee, Smritish Banerjee, Satyabrata Chatterjee and institution of universal adult suffrage marked a new era a few others participated in various socialist of political rivalry and competition for municipal power. conferences and Peasant Associations leading to the Again the abolition of Zemindary in 1956 was an epoch­ formation of the Indian Proletarian Revolutionary Party making event to mark a change in the power structure (I.P.R.P.). Some of the local congress leaders of the of the town, which in the past had been held by the time were non-plussed by the conflicting approaches, feudal chiefs with benevolent attitude and reformist the soft but determined leadership of Gandhiji and the orientation. Various revolutionary, extremist and extremist leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose socialist leaders appeared jn the socio-political scene in Faced with the dilemma, many a congress supporter the thirties which decade also witnessed the emergence and organizer came under the banner of the J.P.R.P. of a number of political parties. But the old elitist which gradually evolved into the Communist Party of structure continued under a new garb as the political India leaders were brought up and nurtured in the old Zemindary traditions. But the abolition of the Zemindary So if the decade of the thirties was marked by the gave a rude shock to age-old elitist structure of SOCiety gradual ascendancy of the revolutionary leadership in in the town. place of the traditional feudal elitist leadership in the town, the decade of the fatties was marked by gradual Side by side, the start of the Hindustan Motor appear€lnce of various political parties and by the Factory and the establishment of the government scramble for municipal power by the three main political sponsored camps for displaced persons in the town patties viz, the congress party, the Hindu Mahasabha started the process of inflow of immigrants to the town.

151 Various labour movements in the campus of Hind Party of India (Marxist) made a clean sweep in both the Moto~s Factory and the political movements of the elections and the most coveted posts of Chairman and displaced persons in the town for increased amenities Vice-Chairman of the Municipality are held by Sri Santi and benefits unleashed new forces of political stir and Priya Oasgupta and Prof. Basudeb Pal, respectively restlessness. For the first time, more and more people both belonging to the Communist Party of India became mobilised under the banners of different (Marxist). since then. political parties and the days of personal and invidual allegiance to the charismatic landlords and landed Besides being a composite munic!pal unit, the aristocrats came to an end, once for all, referent town also along with the adjoining areas of Makhla and Konnagar also comprise the Assembly Increasing mobilisation of people around political Constituency. It is interesting to note that in all the nine parties as distinct from personal loyalty and allegiance elections to the West Bengal Assembly since 1952, the of the people to feudal elites distinguishes the dynamics constituency has always retumed a communist of power in the post independence era. A mild candidate to victory. Even in the election in 1972, when sensation was created in the region when in the first the communist party of India (Marxist) had a virtual general Election to the West Bengal Assembly in 1952, debacle with the defeat of most of the party stalwards, Sri Manoranjan Hazra of the Communist Party of India including Sri Jyoti Basu, the veteran Marxist leader, the (undivided) defeated Sri Amar Mukherjee of the constituency return"ed a Communist Party of India Congress party and a progeny of the Zemindary cult of (Marxist) candidate Sri Santasree Chatterjee. But on Uttarpara. Several currents and cross-currents appeal to the Hon'ble High Court by the defeated dominated the increasing politiciation of the masses. candidate Sri Gobinda Chatterjee of Congress the latter The referent town has bad rich heritage of municipal was declared elected experte after re-counting of votes. administration, Uttarpara and Kotrung having been the This swing in favour of the Communist Party of India few oldest municipalities in the country. The political (Marxist) was not a sudden development. The process mobilisation centred round municipal politics. Several had started in the thirties of the present century when a elections took place in the two constituent section of the leadership was enchanted by the Marxist municipalities, prior to the amalgamation of the two. In ideology. The Marxist sway over the people was the three elections to the municipality of Uttarpara, in hastened by a series of developments, such as 1948, 1952 and 1957, congress party emerged inmigration of displaced persons, various labour victorious and three successive Chairman were movements launched by the Labour and trade union Sachindra Nath Banerjee, Sri Probhas Chandra organisations and other movements by the refugees. Mukherjee and Sri Phanindra Nath Mukherjee respectives and some other important Commissioners EMERGING ELITE STRUCTURE of the time were. Hrishikesh Chatterjee, Hrishikesh Mukherjee. ·Sri Madhusudan Banerjee, Kamalakanta It has been observed that the long municipal Chakraborty, Bijoy Kumar Mukherjee. Sri Probhat history of more than 125 years has nurtured a strong Kumar Banerjee. In the election to the Municipality of municipal awareness among the people and elite Kotrung, in 1947, 1957 and 1961, the successive structure of society in the town comprises first the Chairmen were Sunil Banerjee (Congress) Krishna representatives elected to the Municipality and Chandra Sashmal and Susil Mukherjee from the secondly the leaders of various political parties, with Communist Party of India. their various wings, and thirdly the intelligentsia constituted by the professional people, intellectuals. The two municipalities were amalgamated in 1964 eminent educationists and persons interested in and the municipal administration was carried on by socia-cultural uplift of the population. A list of nominated members. The first election to Ultarpara - office-bearers and functionaries of various political Kotrung Municipality after amalgamation was held in parties, local municipality and the Managing 1981 and the second election in 1986. The Communist Committees of educational and public institutions and

152 various other soclo-cultural organisations would help In The details of the 20 existing municipal 1denttfylng the elite structure of the town. commissioners are provided In Table XU.

Table XI.I- Comml'aioMl's of Uttarpar.· Kotrung Municipality (1986)

Ward Name of elected CommiSSioners Office Age Sex Educational Occupation Political Party No. held Qualification represented

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Shri Tridib Nath Banerjee Commissioner 48 Male ,B. Com. B.T. Teacher (High) C.P.I. II Sri !

An analysis of the personal data vitae of the elected been returned because of adjustment of seat with C.P.1. ~ommissioners to the Municipality reveals several (M). Thus in 14 wards the candidates and the parties Interesting features. In respect of the earlier election to remained the same and in nineteen wards the parties the munlcipality in 1981 which is incidentally the first remained the same as in 1981. ever election to the amalgamated Municipality since their merger in 1964. it' Is observed that six Commissioners are new In 'the 1986 ~ection while 14 The general political behaviour of the three main others have been re-~ected. In six wards (I. IV. VI. VII, segments of the town. as revealed by the different XV and XVIJI) with new commlssJooors. the candiSate of political parties elected in the two preceding municipaL the same poIftlca( party as in 1981 have been returned elections 1981 and 1986 can be seen from the 'from au the wards except VII where a CPI candidate has TableXL2.

153 Table XI.2 - Segment-wf.. repre.entation of political pwIfe. In Uttatpara-Kotrung Municipality

Name of Total No. Segment of Wards No. of elected Commissioners belong to

Congress (I) CPI Independent CPI(M) 1. Utlarpara 8 2 1 4 , 2. BhadrakaJi 6 - 5 3. Kotrung 6 6

Total: 20 2 2 1 15

It appears that Uttarpara in particular, the land of the municipality represent various professional and erstwhile Zemindars, has not yet fully swung in favour of occupational groups. Th~ee Commissioners are the C.P.I.(M), as only fifty per cent of the commissioners teachers including one lecturer, four are traders, three ·belong to that party compared to the almost, total are engaged in manufacturing establishments (two in sweep of the party ever the other two segments of Hind Motor Factory), one is engaged in service in a Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Kotrung, inhabited bank, one is a contractor, one is a Homeopathic predominently by the displaced persons, has elected all practioners, one is an advocate, one is the whole-time the commissioners from the Communist Party of India worker in a political party while five are retired (Marxist). personnels.

A close look at the personal data of the commissioners reveals that 45 per cent of them belong ORGANIZATION OF THE POLITICAL PARTIES to the age-group of 35-45, 25 per cent to the middle age of 46-59 and the rest to the old age-group of 60 years Uttarpara - Kotrung town Congress Office is located and above. Three commissioners are rather young in the National Highway, opposite to the Shaw Wallace (aged 40 years or less), seven are, more or less, young Factor. The important office bearers and functionaries (aged less than 50), five are middle-aged (aged 60 or associated with the Congress (I) are shown below. less) while another five belong to the elderly age-group of 61 years or more. Chief Organiser: Shri Ramen Dutta, S~rvice (Secretary of the District). It is interesting tt-at Uttarpara has not yet come forward to involve troe female members in municipal President : Sri Parimal Roy (Headmaster of Bhadrakali affairs. Linguistically all the commissioners are Bengali High School) speakers and all are Hindus. Among the 20 Commissioners, nine are graduates including one Secretary - Sri DiJip Chowdhury (Trade and business) post-graduate while there are only two commissioners Youth Congress: Sri Narayan Mitra who are below the level of matriculation. In a town of Chhatra Parishad: Sri Ranjit Roy Chowdhury (Student) traditional Brahmanical hegemony, eight of the Sri Chandan Das (Student) commissioners are Brahmins, three are 8aidyas and four are Kayastha_ There is thus an unconscious leaning INDIAN NATIONAL TRADE UNION CONGRESS of the people to so-called higher castes. Hind Motor Factory President: Shri Subrata If personal occupation or profession be any Mukherjee criterion, it is observed that the commissioners of the Secretary: Sri Chandrama Singh

154 Some other leaders of the Congress (\) (5) Sri Kashinath Banerjee Trade (Commissioner of (1) Dr. Jagat Chatterjee Doctor (Defeated in the (58) Yrs. Municipality) (52) Yrs. last assembly election from Uttarpara The organisation of the C.P.1. (M) has a wide constituency) network in the town. Uttarpara Police Station unit of the (2) Sri Nripen Sanyal Advocate (Commissioner C.P.I. (M). is managed by Sri Santasree Chatterjee, the (53) Yrs. of the Municipality) local MLA, Sri Ajit Kumar Bag, Ex-Member of the (3) Sri Pabitra Gupta Service Parliament and Sri Santipriya Dasgupta, Chairman of (49) Yrs. the Municipalities. The local committee of the party (4) Sri Sudoy Mukherjee Social worker (defeated looks after the entire organisational affairs of the party (38) Yrs. in Municipal election) for the municipal area of the town as a whole.

Table XI.3 - Office-bearers of Uttarpara-Bhadrakali local Committee of C.P.I.(M)

Name of office or Name of post Area 9t operation Name 01 the office bearers Age Occupation Education organisation

local Committee Seoretary Uttarpara & Sri Salil Dutta 33 Party whole- S.Com. Bhadrakali timer 2 Demooratic Youth President -00- Sri Sankar Mukherjee 35 Service B.Com. Federation of India Secretary -00- Sri Pankaj Kr. Chakraborty 27 Unemployed B.Com (approx - 1150 members) 3 Students Federation of President Municipal Sri Ashoke Mukherjee 24 Student B.Com. India (approx. 2500 Area (appeared) members) 4 Mahila Samity Convener Uttar para Mrs. Chhaya Ghosh 35 Teacher B.A. (approx-3000 members) Bhadralali 5 Indian People's Theatre President Municipal Sri Hironmay Ghosh 52 Service M.A. (I.P.T·v Secretary Area Sri Dibakar Hor 34 Service S.F. 6 United Centre for President -00- Sri Sambhu Dasgupta 60 Trade Non-matric Refugee Council Secretary Sri Dibakar Hor 34 Service S.F (U.C.R.C.) (400 members) 7 Nagarick Samity President Total Municipal Prof. Basudeb Pal 57 Lecturer in M. Sc. College (approx 3500 members) Secretary Area Sri Hiranmoy Ghosh 52 Service in M.A. Calcutta Port Trust 8 Lekhak-Silpi Sangha President -00- Sri Santripriya Dasgupta 68 Chairman of Under-graduate Le. Organisation of Municipality writers and artists SecretarY Prof. Santanu Roy 52 Lecturer M.A. (approx. 150 membvers)

155 111111. "1.4 - ~-be.r.r. of Kotrung Local Committee of the C.P.I. (M)

Name of Office & Area of Name of post Name of office Age Occupation Remarks Organisation operation

1 Local,Committee Kotrung Secretary Sri Sukhendu Bikah Guha 44 Party worker S.F.B.OAT. 2 Democratic Youth Kotrung Convener Sri Prithwish Bhattacharya 30 College clerk B.Com. Federation of India (approx 1-010 members) 3 Mahila Samity KotruQg Convener Mrs. Mukti $S.rkar 34 Housewife BA

4· U.C.R.C. Kotrung P~esident Sri S. Ghose 44 Party worker SF. B.O.A.T. Secretary Sri Dhirendra Nath Pal 56 Service in factory Non-matric

In e~ch municipal ward, there is a branch committee Probhat Banerjee (58) is the Assistant Secretary of under the supervision of a Secretary. The ward Uttarpara unit while Sri Mrinal Oasgupta is the Secretary committees function under the guidance and of Kotrung unit. Some other Important leaders of the supervision of the respective- local committees which party, are Sri Tridib Math Banerjee, Sri Subhas again work unger the zonal cQmmittees or Police Chatterjee, Sri Gopal Mukherjee, Sri Guruda:s Chatterjee Station level committees, the activities of which are and Sri Dilip Kr. Ray etc. The leaders of the Forward coordinated by the District Committee. Three important Block are Sri Madhusydan Banerjee and Sri Panchkari leaders of the town viz, Sri Santasree Chatterjee, Sri Banerjee while Sri Amar Sen is the local leader of the Santipriya Dasgupta and Sri Ajit Bag are members of C.P.I. (Marxist-Lennist). the zonal committee and the District Committee of the C.P.I.(M). Apart from the municipal leadership and the party leadership, another type of readership is evinced by the The ,t,wo iocal committees manage the daily affairs of office-bearers and functionaries of various leading t~e party in the town by arranging meetings and educational an~ public institutions and other voluntary cb~lkjng out the programmes of action, being regulated organisations. \...... , QY tt)e zonat committee of me party comprising several m~mbers inclU{fjng secretaries of the two rocal COMMITTEES 0F EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER PUBLIC pomm.tt~es, Sri Hiranmay Ghosh and Sri Tapan INST1TUTIONS Banerjee. Among tne important educational institutions in the The office of the local committee of C.P.I. (M), town, there are two colleges and 14 secondary and Uttarpara Bhadrakali unit is housed in a rented house Higher Secondary Schools in the town. The governing on Shrbtala Street of Uttarpara, while the local Body of Raja Peary Mohon College consisfs of Sri committee 9f ,K9trung is located in an owned buifding Provash Mukherjee, (donor's representative and on Jafl?la Sar-ani in Kotrung. belonging to the Zemindar's family) as President, Or. Debabrata Mukherlee (doner's representCftive and 8esiQ,es the Congress Q) and the Communist party belonging to the Zemindar's familyy as Vice Chairman, of In<<;tia .(Marxis~), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Principal of the College as the 'secretary, Sri ,and the-f:orward BlocI'< (F. B.) flave same activities in the Santasree Chatterjee, the local M.t.A. and Sri referent town, b\jt the latter has no full-fledged Santapriya Dasgupta, the Chairman of the Municipality organJsation. The Communist Party. of India has two as members. The Viswal1'1balananda, Girls' College is local offices, one fs Uttarpara and another in Kotrung. also managed by a Goverrting Body including the Sri Himangshu Sengupta (60) is the Secretary and Sri M.L.A., the Chairman of the Municipality and Prof.

156 Santanu Roy, a Lecturer of the college, as members Commissioner and a political leader being associated with the Principal of the college as ex-offico Secretary. with Ideal Society in Uttarpara and several Important political leaders being associated with the JoykriShna Among the 14 High or Higher Secondary Schools In Library. But In the case of other public Institutions and the town, one Is run by an Administrator, another is organisations including clubs, libraries, and other managed by the Directorate of School Education while physical and gymnasium societies, the executive the third, a privately run school has no Managing bodies are mostly headed by local intellectuaJs, school Committee. The 11 otller Schools have properly and college teachers, eminent persons, eminent constituted Managing Committees with Presidents, physicians and sportsmen in the capacity of Presidents Secretaries, and other members. Among the Presidents or Secretaries. In the case of athletic and Physical of 11 Managing Committees, two are political leaders clubs, the Secretaries mostly belong to the younger including the Chairman of the Municipality, two are age-groups and are mostly students. eminent (retired) p~rsons of the locality, one is the founder (Gujaratl) of a school while four are Government officers, one is a teacher and another ;s an But the discussion about the structure of leadership employee in Hind Motor Factory. Among the 11 in the referent town will not be complete unless secretaries, five are influential political Isad ers including reference is made to the parallel existence of non­ Sri' Ajit Bag, the ex-member of Parliament, Prof. B. Pat, political elite structure comprising pseudo inteUecfuals, the Vice:.Chairman of the Municipality, one professional persons, educationists and other eminent Commissioner of the Municipality and Sri H. Ghosh, the personalities interested in culture and tradition. The Secretary of the Nagarick Samity. But what is most elites command uniyersal respect and admiration of the interesting in the fact that all the political leaders residents of the town, because of the fact that they do associated with the Managing Committees belong to not normally participate in the poUtical affairs and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). deliberations openly and candidly. The persons constituting elite structure are mostly called upon to There are more than hundred voluntary accept the role of chief guests, patrons or chairman in organisations, associations and clubs in the town. The various soclo-cultural, physical, religiOUS academic or Executive Committees of about 25 such organisations intellectual gatherings in the town. Sometimes they are have been studied. It has been found that leaders of unanimously selected to the Executive. Committees or political parties are associated with seven of them, Sri governing bodies of various Institutions and Ajit Bag (former M.P.) being aSSOCiated with Kotrung, organisations. These are the persons who are asked to K.S. Library, Prof. B. Pal the Vice-Chairman of the contribute articles to various souvenirs or magazines, Municipality and a leader of the C.P.I.(M) being speeially brought out to commemorate various associated with Bhadrakaii Association Dr. Jagat socio-cultural functions or festivities. The names of Chatterjee, a Congress (I) leader being associated with some of the most eminent personalities are listed a club Kheya/i Khelagar, Sri Kashi Banerjee, a below.

Table XI.S - Some Eminent persons of the town

SI. No. Name Age Occupation or profession Remarks~

(1) (2) (3) (4) 5

1 Sri Sakti Mukherjee 52 Eminent Advocate Associated with Hitakari Sabha 2 Sri Lalit M. Mukherjee 92 Intellectual Repository of old history 3 Sri Rishikesh Chatterjee 65 Retd. -00-

157 ,able XI.5 - Some Eminent person. ot the town - contd.

SI No Name Age Occupation or profession Remarks

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

4 Sn Sankar Dutta 56· Service 5 Prof Subodh Mukherjee 68 lecturer Interested In culture 6 Sri Snmbash Chatterjee 63 Retired -Do- 7 Dr Basanta Samanta 57 Principal Associated with Hltakan Sabha 8 Dr Debabrata Mukherjee 60 PhysIcIan MBBS 9 Prof Prasad Pal 52 Lecturer 10 Dr Ramesh Ch Baral 56 PhysIcian and Surgeon 11 Dr Malay Kr Roy Chowdhury 55 -Do- Eye-specIalist and Interested In social work 12 Dr S K Banerjee 50 PhysIcIan -Do- 13 Prof Gangesh Chakravorty 65 Lecturer 14 Dr Sukumar Saha 48 Radiologist Associated with Hltakan Sabha 15 Dr S R Mitra 60 Orthapaedlc Surgeon 16 Prof Rathln Chatterjee 55 Lecturer 17 Sn Tarak Oas Mitra 70 Retd Interested In old history 18 Sri Kashl Nath Chatterjee 65 Veteran Sportsman 19 Sn Hanhar Chatterjee 55 Trader Representative of traders 20 Sn Arnar Pal 56 -00- -00- 21 Sn S Banerjee 46 -00- President of Brick Fields 22 Sri Sankar Chatterjee 45 Journalist 23 Sn Knshna Lal Pal 70 Trader Ex-Vice-Chalrman of Kotrung MUnicipality 24 Sri Debl Prasad Mukherjee 75 Retd Freedom fighter 25 Dr Sambhu Sarkar 40 Doctor M B B S Social SCience 26 Sn Braja Gopa! Majumdar 60 Retd Inte"ectual 27 Sn Sashl Mohan BhattacherJee 70 Retd Freedom fighter, Member of Senate (C U ) leader of A B T A 28 Sn Ram Prasad Bhattacherjee 60 Advocate 29 Sri Narendra Lal Chowdhury 70 Engmeer & Contractor and architect 30 Sn Hansh Das 70 Retd Freedom fighter

ELITE STRUCTURE AS REFLECTED IN THE FUNCTIONING OF Implemented by the Standing Committees The MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS developmental works of the municipality such as the construction of drains, roads, latrines etc, specially There are four important standing committees of the undertaken in connection with Calcutta Urban municipality, such as standing Committees on Public Development Project - III, are also implemented by the Works, Water Supply, Public Health and SanItation and Standing Committees. There are also several non­ Finance and Establishment Each Standing Committee statutory committees and sub-committees. In case of consists of three to four commissioners, and a number any different of opInion or any conflict With other of Officials of the section concerned. The various works bodies, the dIsputes are amicably settled by the good of the mUnicipality are initiated though and offices of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and other

158 influential members. As the candidates nominated by Party of India, the Forward Block, the Revolutionary CPI(M) have been returned with an overwhelming Socialist Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist majority, there is no apparent clash in the allotment of Leninist) have some organisational wings in a number funds or in the dispensation of various amenities and of wards of the town in order to organise political services. The municipal affairs are carried on smoothly campaign and agitations among different sections of with the congress (I) Party sometimes forming a the population after enlisting their support and presure group in combination with a number of sympathy. Frequent street-corner meetings, depu­ influential leaders and leading deputation or organising tations to the important organs of administration like the agitations on various socio-political issues. speci~lIy Municipality, the Police Station as also to the three relating to greater civic amenities and services. medium-sized factories in the town, large political gatherings and meetings and processions etc., bear In general, the residents of the town are favourably testimony to the activities of the various political parties. disposed to the conduct of the affairs of the The political parties also work ceaselessly to keep in municipality, but some discontent has been noticed touch with people through their various organs. The among some residents in Bhadrakali and Kotrung for Communist Party of I ndia (Marxist) appears to be alleged tilt towards Uttarpara in the allotment of well-organized in th working of its ancillary wings and drainage and conservancy staff. Incidentally, it may be organizations like the Democratic Youth F~deration of pointed out that a much greater number of drain coolies India (DYFI), the Student Federation of India (SFI), the and sweepers have been allotted to the eight wards of Mahila Samity, the Nagarick Samity, the Indian People's Uttarpara than the 12 wards of Bhadrakali and Kotrung. Theatre (J.P.T.), the United Centre for Refugee Council The municipal authorities admit the unequal (U.C.R.C.) as also the organizations of writers and deployment of conservancy staff, on the ground that all artists. They have. also various trade union wings the drains in Uttarpara being pucca require regular among the rickshaw-pullers, the workers of the three cleaning. But the drains in the Kotrung and Bhadrakali medium-sizes factories in the town, the shop-keepers, being Kutcha do not necessitate regular cleaning by the cinema employees and the construction workers. sweepers. There is also some mixed reaction of the The C.P.I.(M) is very active in all its subsidiary units and people to the amalgamation of the two erstwhile branch offices down to the ward level with the cadres of separate municipalities in 1964. Some residents of the party regularly campaigning on various issues 'like Uttarpara think that the amalgamation has benefited the rise in prices, demand for hike in wages, greater civic other two segments of Bhadrakali and Kotrung. There is amenities and services, increased allocation of funds also a covert feeling among some of the residents of from the Central Governments, problems of unemploy­ Uttarpara in regard to the election of the two coveted ment and suitable rehabilitation of the refugees. The posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman from the Congress (I) party in the town has also various wings Bhadrakali and Kotrung respectively in the two like in Yuba Congress, the Chhatra Parishad etc., and preceding elections after merger. It is held that several trade union wings, but compared to the Uttarpara with only eight out of the total 20 wards can relentless activities and vociferous campaigning of hardly ever have any claim to the two high posts, various wings of the CPI (M), the Congress (I) party in because of the simple rule of majority. But the general the town appears to keep a low profile. Other parties in reaction. in Bhadrakali and Kotrung is favourably the town like the Communist Party of India, Forward inclined to the merger, as there has been reportedly Block, the Revolutionary Socialist Party are not very considerable improvement in various civic amenities much well-organised in the town. and services.

POLITICAL AWARENESS AND ACTIVITIES Again the various wings of the CIP(M) have definite time-bound targets in the enlistment of members Several political parties like the Congress (I), the through a process of prolonged training, indoctrinatiOn Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist and intense campaigning.

159 TRADE UNION FRONTS the referent town. operating among almost all sections of workers in the town. The various wings of the trade Both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the union of the C.P.I.(M) with their functionaries are as Congress (I) Party have elaborate trade union wings In follows:

TabJe XI.' - Trade Union of the C.P.I. (M)

Sf. Name of the Union Area of Operation Name of post Name of Office bearer Age Occupation Remarks No.

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

1 Hind Motor Work.rs' Union AU work.ra of Hind President Sri Monogranjan Roy 76 Vetiran pOlitical (members approx 11.500, Motor Vice-Presient Sri Ajit Roy 58 leader affiliated to CITU) (five) Genl. Secretary Sri Mamal Krishna 55 Bhattacharya 2 SWlL Workers' Union All workers of Presedent Sri Santipriya Dasgupta 68 Chairman of (members - 186) SWILLTD., Municipality Secretary Sri Santasre. Chatterjee 48 Party wholetimer MLA 3 Rickshaw Pullers' Union (a) Uttarpara & President Sri Hiranmoy Ghosh 52 Service (a) 600 membe,s for Uttarpara. Bhadrakali Sri Sl!nkar Mukherjee 35 Service 8hadrakali (b) 250 members for Kotrung (b) Kotrung Secretary Sri SUkhendu Bikash GuMa 44 Party woletimer 4 Shop Workers 'Union (a) Uttarpara Bhadrakali Convernor Sri Pankaj Sarkar 48 Service (b) Kotrung -00- Sri Sailen Chowdhury 40 Trade 5 Bengal Distilleries All wor~~r."f President Sri Santasree Chatterjee 48 Party whole- MLA Union (240 members) the factory SecretElry Sri Aswin! Bose timer Worker in the factory 6 Govt. Production Centre All ¥forkers of President Sri Santasree Chatterjee 48 Party whole- MLA Workers' Union the centre Secretary Sri Simal Pal 42 timer (150 members) Service 7 Griha Nirman Samity Kotrung Convenor Sri Mahendra Bhuiya 56 Mason Workers' Union (150 members)

The CPI (M) has also other trade unions amon~ LIla organised trade union activity in the town. It has no Ration Shop dealers and Food storage god own trade union in the SWIL Ltd. The Indian National Trade Workers. Drinking workers. bid i-binding workers. Union Congress operates in Hind Motors Factory with workers of Gouri Cinema Hall. the Barnali Silk Printing Sri Subrata Mukherjee. MLA as the President and Workers' Union at Sakher Bazar etc. The two Students · Sri C. Singh as General Secretary. The C.P.!. has a Wmgs i'1 the two colleges of t~ town are also strong trade union among the municipal workers viz. controlled by the Students' Federation of India (SFI). 'Poura Mazdoor Union' with Sri Gour Bhattacharjee (50, sefVice) as the Secretary. It haS also a urnon among the The Congress (I) ?arty in the town has no such rickshaw pullers.

160 In the absence of any other rival trade union, Assembly constituency In Uttarpara since 1952, the inter-union rivalry is almost absent. In case of conflicts candidates of the Communist Party of India (undivided) and disputes with the Management, available settlement and C.P.I.(M) have been returned. Sri Santasree is generally reached after mutual discussion by the Chatterjee, the present M.L.A, and a resident of Management and the Trade Unions leaders. The Hind Uttarpara has been elected in all the elections since Motor workers Union is reportedly one of the most 1'971 on CPI (M) ticket. Only in 1972 his election was organised Trade Unions in the country. The Executive cancelled after re-counting, on the order of the Hon'ble Committee comprises of one President, five High Court of Calcutta. Therefore, the constituency of Vice-Presidents one General Secretary and 150 Uttarpara has, all along, been a strong-hold of the CPI members. There are three hundred Department-based (before division) and CPI(M). Committees. The problems confronting the workers, specially relating to working conditions, bonus, disputes In the two municipal elections to Uttarpara Kotrung etc., are solved out through conciliation arbitration or Municipality in 1981 and 1986, the CPI(M) won with bi-partite agreement. 1n case of disputes of a serious more than two-thirds majorlty. In 1986 municipal nature, they are settled through tripartite agreement. It election, Uttarpara returned four CPI(M) is pointed out by the union leaders that no large-scale commiSSioners, two CPI commissioners, one labour movement in the factory has been necessary. Congress(l) Commissioner and one independent Most of the emergent problems are thrashed out Commissioner. In Bhadrakali all but one of the CPI(M) through conciliation. Commissioners and in Kotrung, all the CPI (M) Commissioners emerged victorious. The voting VOTING BEHAVIOUR OF THE POPULATION behaviour of the electorate in the last Assembly Election in 1987 in the three segments of the town can be seen As pointed out earlier, in all the elections to the from the table below:

Table XJ.7 - Voting behaviour of the electorate

Total valid No. of "otes secured by (with percentage in bra~et) Name of locality votes polled CPI (M) Congress (I) Independent candidate

Uttarpara 14,147 7,065 6,952 130 (49.9) (49.1) (1.0) 2 Bhadrakali 15,368 7,926 7,262 180 (51.6) (47.3) (1.1) 3 Kotrung 12,988 6,665 6,194 129 (51.3) (47.7) (1.0)

Total 42,503 21,656 20.408 439 (51.0) (48.0) (1.0)

Even though the referent town is a strong-hold of the the votes while the Congress (I) secured 46 per cent. CPI (M), it is observed that the party secured 51 per cent of the total valid votes polled while the Congress (I) Hence considering the organisational weakness of candidate secured 48 per cent. For the constituency as the Congress (I) in the referent town, the Party fared a whole, the CPI(M) candidate secured 52.7 per cent of very well in the last election. It is also interesting to note

161 that the congress fared well In Uttarpara proper where It per cent) of Influential person$ are engaged In services secured 49.1 per cent of the valid votes, compare to In various offices, two are retired, two are political 49.9 per cent polled by CPI(M). workers, one Is unemployed while the rest are engaged In different professions like medical, legal, teaching, RESPONSE REGARDING PERSONS CONSIDERED PRESTIGIOUS trading etc. It is also interesting to note that the AND INFLUENTIAL educational levels of the Influential persons are quite high. Two are qualHied allopathic physicians, two are No detailed study was undertaken to find out the law graduate, 12 are graduates, four are matriculates basis of distribution of social power or prestige In the while another four have read upto matriculation level. town. The present discussion is based on the response of selected informants about the respected and A dose sc(utiny of the reasons put forward by the influential persons in the town. All the selected respondents for regarding the concerned persons as informants were asked to give the names of five ,powerful and influential reveals that ten persons are persons holding positions of power and influence in the held influential because of their attachment to offices locality as also in the town as a whole. In respect of all mostly as Commissioners of Municipalities, eight are such powerful and influential persons, as mentioned by held influential on account of their political leadership, the respondents, score of one point has been assigned four are held influential because of their social status in to each such person. Because of multiplicity of names the local society whHe the rest are deemed influential pointed out by the respondents, anyone scoring less because of their involvement in various social-waffare than five points has been left out of the purview of the activities. present discussion.

POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL PERSONS TOWN LEVEL

LOCAL LEVEL The respondents were also asked to name the five most powerful and influential persons for the town as a The attributes of the powerful and Influential whole. Sometimes, the respondents, named only one or persons, reiating to age and occupation, in some two person. There were others too who named atl the selected localities of the town can be seen from Table five persons of their choice. A list of the most powerful XI.B. Among the persons held to be influential in the and infJuential persons,. as reflected through the localities, 35.7 per cent belong to the middle age-group personal opinion of the respondents, in the town, on the of 45-54, 25 per cent are rather elder1y while the rest basis of highest scores obtained, is furnished in Tabtes (39.3) belong to the comparatively young age-groups. It XI.8 & XI.9 (person holding scares of 15 or less have not is interesting to note that the maximum proportion (39.3 been considered) Table XI.8 - Co-relates of powerful and influential persons- age and ocupatlon

Occupation of the Total no. Age-group of fnfluential persons the influential of persons person 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-65 66 and above

Trader 2 1 Service 11 2 3 4 2 Doctor 2 Advocate 2 1 1 Teather 3 1 2 Lecturer 3 2 1 Unemployed 1 1

162 Table XI.S - Co-relates of powerful and influential persons ~ age and ocupatlon - contd.

o Occupation of the Total no. Age-group of influential persons the influential of persons person 25·34 35-44 45·54 55·65 66 and above

Whole time party worker 2 2 Retired 2

28 3 8 10 6

Table XI.9 - Most influential persons in the town

Name Score Approx. Sex Religion Educational Occupation Office held if any obtained age standard if any

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Sri Santasree Chatterjee 36 48 Male Hindu Graduate Party Member, Legislative Assembly, West Whole· Bengal (M.L.A.) associated with timber governing bodies of Colleges, other organisations and association, asso· elated with Joykrishna Public Library different Trade Unions and other wings of CPI(M), Members of District and Zonal Committees of CPI(M),

2 Sri Santipriya Dasgupta 34 68 M Under graduati Political Chairman of the Municipality·Member, worker Government Bodies of two local call· ege, President Oeshpriya High School, associated with Joykrishna Pu.blic libra- ry, Nagarick Samity and Editor of Sanghati Chetana, Dist. & Zonal Committee member of CPI(M).

3 Sri Ajlt Bagh 31 52 M Hindu Graduate Teacher Former Member of Parliament (M,P.) President, All Bengal Teachers Asso· ciation, vice· President Hind Motor Workers' Union, Wember, Hugli Zilla Committee of CP!(M), Secretary Zona! Committee CPI (M).

163 Table XI.9 - Most Innuential persons In the town - contd.

Name Score Approx. Sex Religion Educational Occupation Office held if any obtained age standard if any

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

4 Prof. 8asudeb Pal 30 57 M H M.Sc. Lecturer Vice-Chairman of the Municipality. President 8hadrakali Association, asso- ciated with a number of political, cul- tural and social organisations.

5 Dr. Jagat Chatterjee _ 26 52 M H M.B.BS. Doctor Defeated in the last Assembly Election, Associated with a number of political and social organisations.

6 Sri Hiranmoy Ghosh 21 '52 M M.A. Govern- President of Rickshaw Union. President ment of I.P,T., Secy. Nagarick Samity, Asso- Service ciated with a number of political and social organisations. Secy. Amarendra Vidya Pith for boys.

7 Sri Sukhendu Bikash Guha 20 44 M S.F. Party Commissioner of Municipality. local (BOAT) worker committee Secretary of CPI(M), Secy. of Rickshaw Union.

8 Sri Kashi Banerjee 16 58 M I. Sc. Trade Commissioner of the Municipality. President Ideal Society, associated with a number of social, cultural and political organisations.

Interestingly enough, all the eight most influential Parliament (also an important trade union and political persons in the town are connected with political parties, leader and currently the president of the All Bengal serial Numbers 5 and 8 being aligned with Congress (I) Teachers Association) and the Vice-Chairman of the while the rest are belong to CPI (M). Even the small Municipality (also a lecturer in the local college and also un!verse of the opinion poll also lays bare the fact that an important pOlitical leader) respectively. only the persons holding important offices of the local government are deemed to be most influential in the town. These are the persons to whom the general RESPECTEDPEASONS public of the town have to turn often in their hours of manifold needs and adversities. It is also observed that LOCAL LEVEL the persons occupying the first four positions of influence and power, as per the opinion poll, are Table XI. 1a reveals the characteristics of the occupied by the Member of the Legislative Assembly, respected persons in local level. ·It is observed that age the Chairman of the Municipality the former Member of is an important factor in determining the respect and

164 prestige. Only three out of the 25 persons are aged 44 Table XI.1 0 - Correlates 0' respected persona - years or below. The occupation-wise break-up of the age and occupation persons commanding respectability among the respondents reveals that persons engaged in teaching, Occupation of the Total no. Age-group of respected persons medical and legal professions command greater respected persons of person prestige and regard compared to persons in other respected 35-44 45-54 55-65 66 and occupation. Service holders also command above respectability but next to the professionals. It is found that no person engaged in trade or profession has been Service 6 2 2 2 returned by the respondents. Again, the level of Teacher 4 4 education of a person is also a key attribute of a person Lecturer 3 2 reportedly enjoying regard and prestige. Eight of the Advocate 2 1 respected persons are graduates, seven are Doctor 3 '2 post-graduates, two are law graduates, three are Social worker 2 1 medical graduates, three are matriculates while two Political worker 2 1 have read upto the matriculation standard. Opinion of Retd. (educationist 3 1 2 the. respondents was also sought regarding the and intellectual) attributes of a persons which make them more respectable and prestigious than others. It is observed Total 25 3 13 7 2 that 14 persons are respected because of their honesty, integrity and spirit o! public service, seven of them being commissioners of the local municipality, three of TOWN LEVEL them holding other political posts, eleven persons are respected for their benevolent nature, cooperative Apart from naming the persons holding regard and altitute and spirit of social service, most of them being prestige at the local level, the respondents were also associated with a number of public organisations like asked to name the most respected persons at the town people's Relief Society, Blood Donation Camps etc. I~vel. Only person obtaining a cumulative score of 16 or One of the basic prerequistites for commanding general more have been considered. The relevant particulars of respectability is found to be zeal for and dedication to the persons holding respectability at the level of the public service. town, are indicated in Table X1.11.

Table XI.11 - Most respected persons In the town

Name Score Approx. Sex Religion Educational Occupation Office held if any obtained age Qualification

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1. Sri Santasree Chatterjee 35 48 Male Hindu Graduate Party whole Member, Legislative Assembly, West

timer Bengal, (M.L.A.) ass~ciated with govern­ ing bodies of colleges, other organi­ sation, associated with Joyknshna public library, different Trade Unions and other wings of CPI(M),

165 Table XI.l1 - Most respected persons In the town - contd

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

2 Sri Shaktl Mukherjee 31 55 M H L LB. Advocate, Emment advocate, assocIated with Hlta- Calcutta karl Sabha, President United Cultural High Court Club, associated with a number of social and cultural organisatIon.

3 Sn Ajlt Bagh 28 52 M Hindu Graduate Teacher Former member of Parliament, Presi- dent, All Bengal Teachers AssoCiatIOn, Vice-President Hmd Motor Workers' Union, Member of Hugll 2111a Commi- ttee of CPI(M) Secy, Zonal Committee CPI(M)

4 Sn SantJpnya Oasgupta 25 68 Male" Under- Retd Chairman of the MUnicipality, Member graduate of governmg body of two local colleges, , Pdt Deshpnya High School associated With Joyknshna Public Library, Nagrlck Samlty and Editor of Sangatl Chetana

5 Sri Basudeb Pal 25 57 M M Sc Lecturer Vice-chairman of the MuniCipality, Pdt Bhadrakall Association assocIated With a number of political, cultural and SOCial organisation

6 Prof Subodh Mukherjee 21 60 M MA Professor Pdt Hltakan Sabha, Intellectual educa- tIOnist, Former Hd of the Deptt , of LIbrary SCience, CU. now associated With University of Patna

7 Sri Sankar Datta 18 54 M MA Officer In AsSOCiated With a number of SOCIO- Edn Dept cultural organIzations Govt ofWB

It is interesting to observe that among the seven most a local body etc, are undoubtedly influential and respected persons, as per opinion poll of fifty powerful, as most of them have the final say in local respondents, four are identical with the most influential affairs, but more often than not, they do not command and powerful persons in the town, namely the local MLA respect and admiration of the people at large. But the the Ex-Member of Parliament and presently the fact that the above four functionaries hold such President of All Bengal Teachers' Association, the prestigious pOSition in public esteem, notwithstanding Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Municipality. In holding such important public-offices bespeaks of the general, It is observed that persons holding public individual qualities of these persons. No less interesting offices, such as the MLA, Chairman or Vice-Chairman of is the position of esteem and regard for the local MLA

166 who has been returned in all the five consecutive the Calcutta High Court, associated with a number of elections (excepting 1972 when he was declared socia-cultural organisations and association, of whom defeated after recounting as per order of the Hon'ble large csoss-section of the people of the town feel High Court of Calcutta) and who has secured the first proud. Again, the last two persons in 51. Nos 6 and 7 position both in regard to position of power and are not only noted educationalists but also associated influence and also in regard to respect and prestige. with a number of social, cultural and research activities. Besides the above seven, a number of other persons Lastly, it is interesting that the three persons in serial are also held in high esteem, but they have been left out numbers 2, 6 and 7 command regard and of the purview of the present discussion, as their respectability, despite the fact that they do not hold any cumulative scars fall short of the required criterion of 16 public office. The first person is an eminent advocate in points for the purpose of the present discussion.

CHAPTER-XII

LEISURE AND RECREATION, SOCIAL AWARENESS SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, RELIGION AND CRIME J

INTRODUCTION home-coming from offices or factories, to the broadcast of radio set or the viewing of programmes on the Attempt has so far been made to unfold the television sets. The younger people, specially those geo-historical and socio-political dimensions of the reading in schools and colleges, can afford to attend town including history of growth and its emergence into various clubs and socio-political associations and the present position, economic life, various socio­ organisations. The working people eagerly look forward demographic characteristics, housing and material to the holidays for visiting their relative or neighbours, culture, neighbourhood pattern as also life in the slum. and friends or for a visit to the metropolitan cities to The flesh and blood accounts of the social structure watch the latest films or theatrical shows as also for have not been adequately considered. It is intended to having refreshment of their choice in cafes or discuss about the various socio-religious, cultural and restaurants. But the life is not so placed and recreational activities in the town, to identify the intricate picturesque for the people belonging to the lower processes of inter-actions among different sections of middle class and lower socio-economic status. Most of the people and through numerous organisations and them cannot afford to subscribe to the newspapers of association, clubs and playgrounds, various community Journal or to have television sets. These people are festivi~Js and festivities and numerous other mostly employed in small-sized factories and socio-cultural and religious activities. establishments or work as labourers or rickshaw-pul1ars or are engaged in the brick fields or work as vendors Situated in close proximity to the twin metropolitan selling fish and vegetables with the womenfolk in their cities of Calcutta and Haora, Uttarpara-Kotrung households working as domestic maid servants. These envisages more or less, an extension as well as a people return home from work completely tired with continuum of the metropolitan life and culture. The hardly any energy left for any recreational activity. general life of the residents in the town is as fast as that Playing at cards, chatting with friends and listening to in the aforesaid cities. radio sets are the only favourite and practicable pastimes of these people, next to having two square Section of the working force has to be out of the meals a day. These are the people who largely town for the greater part of the day, commuting to congregate at the various community workshrps or different places of work for earning a living. Likewise, festivals and cultural shows organised on the occasion the students have to be busy in their schools and of community festivals, since attendance there is free of colleges from morning till afternoon. Hence the average cost. housewife has hardly any breathing time. In such a context, the people at large have not adequate time at A PARTICULAR OF CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL CENTRES their disposal for leisure and recreations. The leisure-time activities are constricted to the reading of PARKS newspapers, journals or magazines, occasional chats with the fellowmen while going to the market or during There are nine children parks in the town including

169 five in Uttarpara, three in Bhadrakali and one in Kotrung. that by an amateur organisation is rupees 750.00 white All but two of them are maintained by the Municipality, an amount of rupees 350.00 is charged for hiring only while two others are private parks. Some of these one storey. Various socia-cultural functions and children parks are provided with swings slips, see-saws programmes are held .round the year while sometimes etc. Two more children's parks are under construction. political g~therings, symposium or annual conferences There are. on record, seven more parks, but used are also hetd here. The Ganabhawan caters to the mainly as playgrounds. socia-cultural needs not only of the entire Police Station,but also of the surrounding places like Betur, PLAY GROUNDS Bally, Makhla, Konnagar, Rishra etc.

There are eighteen standard play grounds in the CLUBS town, four belonging to the Municipality, two to the colleges. one to the Hospital, one to Joykrishna Library, There are more than 100 clubs in the town. The one to the railway, four to schools and five to private detailed activities in respect of 34 selected clubs, clubs. Among them, the four play grounds belonging to collected in course of the survey, are presented in the the local municipality namely Manmohan Udyan, the Appendix Table 85. Sabita Ground, the Hanripukur Playground and the SUkanta Udyan are comparatively large-sized and most An analysis of the activities of the clubs reveals of the tournaments and exhibition or public fUnctions that most of them were established in the decade of the are held there. Five of these play grounds are located in sixties. The settlement pattern was already revealed that Uttarpara, seven in Bhadrakali and six in Kotrung. the inmigrants had mostly migrated to the town in the Besides the standard play grounds, there are other decade of the fifties. So after the process of settlement small-sized grounds, mostly in the nature of sites for was more or less, completed, many of them had started buildings or other vacant plots of land. In general, organising various clubs and other associations. Seven public playgrounds are far short of requirements and of the clubs are quite old, including three originating as hence most of these are jOintly used by several clubs far back as the twenties of the present century. on mutual arrangements. As a result, most of the few play grounds are the common sites of various sports Among the 34 clubs specially studied, 29 are and games, tournaments and competitions, exhibition mainly athletic, three are mainly gymnastic while two of and public gathering round the year. them are associated with social services. In the case of six clubs, some of the eminent persons of the town are TOWN HALL associated as Presidents while in the/ case of the rest, the important persons of the locality are involved. The Uttarpara-Kotrung with a rich cultural tradition is one secretaries in most cases, belong to the areas where of the important centres of art, culture and various the clubs are located and are mostly employed in literary activities including dance, drama and music. various offices and establishments, while in a few cases Much of these literary activities failed to get an they are students. It has been observed that on the adequate expression in the absence of a public whole, most of the clubs do not belong to any particular auditorium. But the long-fait need of the inhabitents has political party. The average membership of the clubs is been fulfilled by the opening up of Ganabhawan in April, 123. Most of the clubs have their own club rooms; in a 1986. The Ganabhawan was constructed along with the number of cases the rooms of the clubs are rented new municipal building at a cost of rupees 27 lakhs. On while in some cases, the clubs are housed in the rooms the National highway in the heart of the town, of same of the members. Very few of the clubs have comprising a magnificient two-storeyed auditorium with their own exclusive playgrounds, and so several teams a standard screen and a sitting capacity of 850. The share a common play ground on mutual agreement. charge of hiring the auditorium for the duration of five hours by a professional group is rupees 1250/- while About the nature of activities of the clubs, it is

170 observed that most of the clubs have arrangement of distribution of free medicines among the poor and both indoor and outdoor games. The indoor games destitutes, free distribution of text books among poor include carrom, cards, chess etc., while the outdoor and deserving students, raising of funds for helping the games consist of football, cricket, volleyball and marriage of poor brides. sub-scription to the treatment badminton. I n recent years, there is an increasing trend of the poor, or towards funeral expenses. In organising in organising games locally on the basis of such social service activities the clubs get In touch with tournaments. Lions clubs, Leo clubs, Rotary clubs and other charitable organisat~ons of the metropolitan cities. This Besides organising athletic and physical activities, Increasing social consciousness among. the younger almost all the clubs have various extra-ethletic activities generation of the town is a very welcome recent trend. mostly in the nature of socio-cultural activities. Most of the clubs have a cultural wing which arranges cultural LIBRARIES programmes and performances, dance. drama and music. These cultural programmes are held on special According to municipal sources, there are 15 occasions like the Independence Day, the Republic important libraries in the town. The details of some Day, Rabindra Jayanti, Najrul Jayanti, Netaji Birth Day premier libraries in the town being described below: when programmes of dance, dramma and music. recitation competitions and sit and draw competitions UTTARPARA JOYKRISHNA PUBLIC LIBRARY are held. Sometime special prizes are awarded to meritorious students of the locality for farming well in "Uttarpara is famous for the Public Library founded the final school examinations. Again, some clubs have and endowed by Joikissan Mukherjee, which is opened Bratachari wings for organising physical specially rich in book of local topography" remarked exercises and drills among the children. Some of the encyclopaedia Britanica (11 th Edition) "We reached the clubs have also taken up the task of organising place at last (Joykrishna Public Library), by the shore of community festivals and worships like worships of a historic river where a grand old devotee of learning Goddess Durga,· Kali, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Sibaratri, has accumulated the precious outcome of a lifetime of Jagatdhatri, Dipava/i etc. The community worships of skilful, diligent and generous research .. "." was the Durga and Kali are generally performed by the observation of Sir H.S. Cunningham in The comparatively big and well organised clubs. The Coeruleans. festivities including the decoration of the pandals. the size, and profile of the idols etc.. are well done in Uttarpara Joykrishna Public Library (formerly unconscious imitation of the same in nearby cities of Uttarpara Public Library) was founded through the Calcutta, Haora and Serampore. Various cultural munificence of a philanthropic Zemindar of Uttarpara programmes like theatrical performances, Jatra and named Joykrishna Mukherjee. The library is a Free Jalsha (musical soiree) mark the concluding stages of Public circulating library and the first of its kind in India. these community worships. performed with competitive It was formally opened on April 15, 1859 though it zeal by various clubs. During these festive occasions. started working for scholars and researchers as early as the town in its entirety gets illuminated and a festive 1851. The library is hdused in a magnificent and palatial spirit is observed everywhere. People in their hundreds building in the picturesque surrounding of the river and thousands. irrespective of their castes, creeds, HugH. The construction was started in 1857 and socio-economic status and political ideologies, completed in 1859. congregate at the community pandals. This library is immensely rich in primary printed In recent years, most of the clubs have elaborate materials essential for 17th to 19th century studies, and' plans and programmes of various Social services and has a collection of about sixty thousand books. The Social welfare activities like organisation of blood library is generally considered to be the richest in the donation camp, catering of free medical service and country. so far as 19th century collection is concerned.

171 This library is deemed to be even richer than the India The people of Uttarpara take pride in the grant Office Library in London. according to the scholars. Sir Treasure House of Knowledge and they look forward to William Hunter who stayed over her for three years for the declaration of this library as an Institute of National the compitation of his statistical Accounts of Bengal Importance from its present status as a district library. and Imperial Gazetteer of India described this library as a treasure House. Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, National UTT ARPARA SARASWAT A SAMMELAN Professor in Library Science, who paid a visit to this library in 1952, remarked that the major portion of the Another premier library founded in 1909, it is collection of the library could not be found even in the located on National Highway just near Uttarpara Bazar. biggest library of the country. The library enjoys a The original library was named Friends Union Library. haloed association with such great personage as the Sri Lalit Mohan Mukherjee is the founder and architect Governor Sri Ashley-Eden, Miss Mary Carpenter, Sir of this library. Edwin Arnold, Sir Rivers Thompson, Marquis of Differin and Ava Dufferin. English historians and scholars like The Ubrary is housed in a rented building leased in John H.S. Cunningham, Rev. J. Long etc., spend long for 99 years. It is readingroom-cum-library total number time in the library for preparing various historical and of books in the library is fifteen thousand. The library other treatises. has a membership of 600 with three different types of members viz, Type A type B, and Child Type. A Type In a sense, the library has played a pivotal role in member can borrow two books at a time while B type promoting the different phases of the Bengali member can get only one. Renaissance in the 19th century and eminent Bengali writers, reformists, socio-political leaders, patriots and The library is run by one Librarian and one other outstanding personalities like Pandit Iswar Assistant Librarian. It is at present a private library and Chandra Vidyasagar, Surendra Nath Banerjee, Bipin gets a subsidy of rupees five hundred from the local Chandra Pal, Sri Aurobindo' Ghosh, Keshab Sen and Municipality and also periodic grant from the district many others, visited the Library times and again. Social Welfare Officer. Moves are a foot for the library Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the great Bengali poet, being taken over by the Government. spent the~ast few months of his life in this library. UTT ARPARA PATHAGAR The library was taken over by the Government of West Bengal in 1958-59. The State Government One of the old libraries in the town, established in ultimately took over the library in 1964. Though given 1935 in a rented house in Banerjee para Street by the the status of a district library, this Public Library is untiring efforts of Late Girija Bhusan Banerjee and Sri altogether different from other government libraries in Nirmal Ch. Ghosh, under the name of Uttarpara Journal respect of its rare old collection. The most urgent Association, the library originally kept by journals problem confronting the library is how to save the old exclusively. It was renamed in 1955. At present the documents from decay and destruction. library is located in a rented building on the National Highway in Ward number III. It is a private library At present the library is staffed by 18 persons receiving an annual grant of rupees five hundred from including one librarian and two Assistant Librarians. the local municipality and also periodic grant from the Incidentally Sri Nirmal Chandra Chowdhury is the Government of West Bengal. The Library is managed by present Librarian. The library receives various grants a Committee with Sri Bhawani Charan Deb as PreSident including the payment of salaries of the staff, book and Sri Bhabatosh Majumdar as Secretary. The library grants. journal grants, newspaper grants, furniture has a collection of three to four thousand books, but it grants, etc., amounting to rupees seventy to eighty has a rich collection of old journal, like Bharat varsha, thousand annually. Prabashi, Bangasree, Sanibarer Chithi, Modern Review

172 etc. The library has recently celebrated its 50th The cinema runs four shows daily including special foundation Anniversary. noon-show. The hall mainly exhibits current Bengali (80%) and Hindi (20%) movies while english pictures BHADRAKAU ASSOCIATION are shown at the noon-show, Generally Bengali social pictures starring the popular heroes are preferred by One of the old libraries of the locality founded in the spectators. 1921 under the name of Bhadrakali Sahitya Samity by Sri Bijoy Krishna Ghose, it is located 011 the National There is no theatre in the town. But with the Highways in Bhadrakali in its own building. The general opening up of the Town Hall (Gana Bhawan) with a supervision of the library is done by Sri B. Pal, the spacious upto-date auditorium, the local theatrical Vice-Chairman of the municipality, in the role of shows are staged here. As there is only one cinema hall administrator of the library. The library is run by one in the town, the movie goers of t~e town, who want to librarian and one office assistant. The library has a see the current films, visit the cinema halls in Makhla, collection of seven thousand books and a current (on the other side of the railways line), Bally, Konnagar membership of 250. The Government of West Bengal and Serampore. Likewise, cinema fans of the adjoir\ing had taken over the library since 1985. urban areas like Bally, Makhla, Konnagar, Rishra etc. also visit the cinema hal! of the town. KOTAUNG SADHARAN PATHAGAA SOCIO-CULTURAL AND MUSICAL ACTIVITIES This library, founded in 1936 and located in Dharmatala Lane in Kotrung in a three-storeyed building As pointed out earlier, the referent town has had a was inaugurated in 1982. The library has the status of a great cultural heritage. The town played a prominent town library, the affairs of which are managed by a role in pioneering various socia-cultural activities like committee with Sri A. Bagh (Ex-M.P.)/ as President and cultivation of dance, drama, music, Jatra, theatrical Sri Sankar Ghosh as Secretary. The library is staffed by performance right from the middle of the preceding four persons including a librarian and an Assistant century. Some of the important novels like Librarian. The library has a total collection of 7000 Chandrahansha, Sarojini, Meghnadbadh, Sitar books. Tile total number of members of the library is Banabash etc. which were staged in the form of Jatra, \ seven hundred. The library receives various grants such created sensation in the adjoining localities. In the first as book grants, journal grants and other subsidies from quarter of the present century, two important the government from time to time. Some other organisations of the town viz, Lakshmi Narayan Natya important libraries in the town include Radhanagar Sammilani and Universal Musical association staged a People's Association, Debendra Smriti Pathagar, number of dramas in the town. Subsequently, two other Charuk Danga Association Library, Agoni Sangha organisation viz, the Karmi Sangha and the Juvenile Library, Sarat Pathagar etc. club also took a leading role in cultivating various physical and cultural activities like sports and rowing CINEMA AND THEATRE competition, games, musical performances and conferences with renowned artists from outside. Gouri Cinema, the only cinema auditorium of the Besides, these organisations staged a number of town is located on National Highway, Uttarpara, just dramas with the intention of rousing patriotic feelings near the Municipality. The cinema hall is a two-storeyed among the people. Most of these dramas were staged pucca building, with covered area of 1000 Sq. metres in the public ground in front of Joykrishna Library. In the on each floor. The cinema hall has an accommodation thirties and the forties of the present century several of 731 seats with rates of tickets varying from rupees dramatic organisations like Bandhab Samai, Friends 1.25 to rupees 4.00. The cinema hall is staffed by 25 Dramatic Club etc. staged a number of soCial drama. persons. Some of the dramas and musical conferences were

173 staged under the patronage of the~then Zemindars. SPORTS TOURNAMENT Subsequently, several other organisations like town Club, Matrock Association, organised cultural As in the cultivation of art, music and drama so programmes. In the sixties and the seventies, also in the promotion of sports, Uttarpara Kotrung has organisations like Debdaru Sandhyamajlish etc., staged an illustrious past. The referent town made a debut in various dramas in the town regularly. Side by side with the area of sports by introducing the rowing cultivation of Jatras and Theatrical shows, the referent competition in the early part of the twentieth century. town has had a pioneering role in the cultivation of the Zemindars of Uttarpara introduced a knock-out music, specially classical and instrumental music, which competition in rowing. Gradually Bengal Rowing recei,ved the patronage of the Zemindars and the association introduced the league system in rowing. landlords. The same special styles of classical music Several teams from Calcutta, Barrackpur, Bally, like Dhrupad, Kheyal Raghpradhan, tappa and anriadaha and other adjoining areas took part in the devotional songs were specially patronised. The town competition. The Rowing has been discontinued in had a famous musical school, Banga Sangeet Vidyalaya the post- independence era. as far back as the seventies of the preceding century, located at Bhadrakali. The school is said to have Side by side with rowing, football has all along produced many famous musicians of the time. been a very popular game in the town. Late Manmohan Subsequently musical conferences were regularly held Mukhe':iee, a resident of the town, was a member of the in the town. Mention may also be made of the Uttarpara victorious Mohan bag an Squad that created a history Sangeet Sammilani which also propagated the by winning the Indian Football Association Sheld in cultivation of songs and music. 1911, after defeating an English team. As a mark of respect to the ace footballer, the municipal ground in In recent years, there has been a mushroom growth Uttarpara has been named Monmohan Udyan. Since of musical institutions, dramatic association, art and the days of Manmohan, the town has produced a drawing schools in the town. The opening up of the galaxy of soccer stars. Even currently a several Town hall gives a fillip to their renewed activities. Since footballers of the town are donning the jersis of the 1986, most of these organisations are staging musical leading Group a football teams in Calcutta Soccer programmes (Jalshas) dramas, theatrical shows and League. In recent years, another resident of the many other varied socio-cultural programmes in the referrant town has become famous in swimming all over auditorium round the year. In recent years, the the country and the swimmer is Km. Bula Chowdhury of UUarpara Musical Conferences, held with participation Kotrung. She has become a household name at least in of artists of national reputation, have evoked West Bengal. In 1986 she occupied the fifth place in 200 tremendous interest and enthusiasm in Uttarpara - metres Butterfly Race and currently she holds the Kotrung. some of the important socia-cultural National Record for 100 and 200 metres Butterfly Race. organisations, engaged in the cultivation and propagation of dance. drama and music are given in the At present, football. cricket. volley ball and boxing Appendix table 86. Beside the specialized organisation are the most popular games in the town. Some of the and institutions, numerous clubs in the town also hold main athletic clubs of the town organise annually regular socia-cultural functions ir their respective several football, cricket and other tournaments, localities and neighbourhoods on some special amongst the local teams. Football and cricket occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day, tournaments are organised by Ba/aka Football Rabindra Jayanti, Najrul Jayanti and Netaji Jayanti and knock-out tournament is organised by United Cultural also as appendages to the various community worships Club Seven-a-side football tournament by Kheya/i and festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Dipavali etc. Khe/aqhar, volley ball tournament on the district level by

174 United Cultural Club. boxing competition by the association, libraries and reading rooms, cinemas and Progressive Society of Uttarpara, football tournament theatre, socio-cultural functions and festivities etc., are by Shivaji Sporting Club,' two miles race by the ideal means of public and institutionalised entertainment Society of Uttarpara, Football Invitation Tournament by while get-together with friends and acquantances Kotrung Sporting Association etc. playing at cards or chess, listening to radio-sets or watching the programmes on television sets at home In the football season, the football league matches are means of individual entertainment. organised by Serampore Subdivisional Sports' Association, and played in the main football ground of It has been obselVed that recreational activities the town draw large crowds of spectators, About eight and means of entertainment among the rich, football teams of the town participate in the matches. upper-middle or middle-middle class people are a But the most popular tournaments in recent years is blending of the means of both institutionalized and found to be the Sahid Rabin Banerjee Smriti Cup personal and individual entertainment. It has also been organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India obselVed that most of the institutionalized means of on Sabita Maidan of Bhadrakali and the Invitation entertainment like active participation in clubs and Football Tournament with Premier First Division teams association, visit to cinemas or theatres, attendance in from Calcutta Organised by Shibaji Sporting Club. libraries or reading room or occasional lunch or dinners in restaurants or cafeterias etc., are generally availed of NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALS by the comparatively affluent sections of the society. Even though the people belonging to the lower middle No daily newspaper or journal is published from the classes have access to these diversions, the residents town, but two weekly papers named MatassaI Bani belonging to more affluent section of societies avail edited by Sri Prasanta Kumar Mukherjee and Sanghati themselves of the institutionalized means of recreations Chetana edited by Sri Santipriya Dasgupta are in greater degree and more frequently. While the people published from Uttarpara. All newspapers, journals, of the lower middle classes and the poor at best visit magazines and periodicals are immensely popular and the local cinema halls in Uttarpara or Bally, the upper are a part of the urban life. Appendix Table 87 shows middle classes can afford to visit the cinema halls in the details of various newspapers and magazines Calcutta and Haora or else attend the musical and other circulated in the town through local vendors of cultural functions by reputed artists after paying for newspapers. It may be mentioned that apart from the highly-priced tickets. In addition, the people belonging households in the towns, various offices and to the upper classes with their own personal means of establishments including shops, schools and colleges, entertainment listen to songs on record players, watch clubs and other organisations also subscribe to the programmes on television sets, read newspapers or papers. The total number of daily papers circulated in journals or even chat and gossip with the members of the town comes to 7,560. their families in relaxed state of mind and in cosy surroundings. Again, these are the people who undertake frequent excursions, attend picnic parties RECREATION AMONG DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF and spend holidays and vacation in tourist spots. HOUSEHOLDS

As pointed out earlier, recreational activities and In contrast, the recreational means of the people means of entertainment in leisure time vary among b~longing to the lower socio-economic status are few different sections of tile people, depending mainly upon and far between and are mostly of individual nature and their SOCia-economic status. In general recreational of different quality. Most of these people live in activities can be categorized as public and insti­ small-sized tenements without the comfort of drawing tutionalized and private and personal. Recreation and or sitting room. Very few people own a television set or entertainment through games and sports, clubs and a cassette players.

175 SOCIO-RELIGIOUS 1NSTITUTIONS, FUNCTIONS AND TWIN SIVA TEMPLE CEREMONIES Just behind the Tara temple, the twin Siva temples Ther.e are several temples, shrines and mosques are located in Mandirbari ghat. The temples were where the Hindus, the joins and the Muslims, perform founded by Late Ramanarayan Mallick C?f Hatkhola in their everyday religious activities in peace and serenity. Calcutta. The temples are very old and are claimed to Details of the religious activities in some of them are be more than three hundred years old. The acthitectural given below: design and get-up of these twin temples resemble the SIVA TEMPLES kali temple at Kalighat. Swami Nityanand Puri, a disciple of the former priest Sri mat Arupanandaji, performs the The three temples of Lord Siva located as the daily pujas with great devotion on the' contributions Mandirbad Ghat near Hugli river and just opposRe to from the devotees. the Police Station of Uttarpara, were built and founded in 1795 by Late Panchanan Banerjee of Uttarpara. The RAMA TEMPLE AND ADJOINING SIVA TEMPLE temples are'specially famous for the fine terracotta work on the temple walls depicting various war scenes of the The Ram Sita temple in Ramghat was founded in Ramayana. The temples draw a large number of 184~ by Late Ramtanu Chatterjee, one of the devotees and daily pulas are held there. son-in-Iaws of the illustrious Subarna Chowdhury families of Uttarpara. There are three idols of Rama, Sita TARA TEMPLE and Lakshmana, the image of Rama being made of astadhatu (alloy of eight metals) and the idols Sita and The adjoining ground of the three Siva temples were Lakshmana being made of white stone from Jaipur in donated to Tara Khyepa Sangha by the Banerjee Raiasthan. The temple is flanked by other temples of families for the construction of the temple of Goddess Rameswar and Baneswar on two sides. The temple has Tara. The temple was opened in 1965. The idols of Tara some devottar property the rentals from which and Siva in the temple are made of stone. The supplement the expenses of the temple. Dally worships management of the temple is vested in a Board of are held by the traditional priests. Trustees. The daily worship are performed by some devotees and diSCiples of Tara Kheyepa. In the temple, BHADRAKALI TEMPLE various chantings, prayers and devotional hymes are regularly sung along with the reading of the secred The temple of Goddess Bhadrakali is located at books. Special worships and pujas are held on the Bhadrakali, just near the National Highway. According .." occasion of Kali Puja, Durga PUja, Shivaratri etc. This to 0' malley, the name of Bhadrakali itself, has been temple along with the triple shiva temple draws a large derived from the name of the temple. According to number of devotees. popular belief, the temple is more than several hundred years old, but it is ascertained that the previous old MUKTOKESHI KALI TEMPLE temple was constructed in 1702-03 by raja Manohor Roy of Sheoraphulll, but the present temple was The Muktokeshi Kali Temple, claimed to be about reconstructed on the ruins of the old, a few years back. three hundred years- old, is located on the bank of the The idol is made of stone. Daily pujas and worships are river Hugli on Amarendra Sarani, just ahead of held . . Uttarpara College. The image of the Goddess is made of stone. Daily worship and religious rites are performed TEMPLE OF DHARMARAJ by the sebaits belonging to the old Majumdar families in the town. The temple is impressive. Special offerings The temple of Dharmaraj, about 70 years old, is are made to the deity as the occasions of Kali PUja, situated on the National Highway just by the side of the Ratanti Charturdoshi and Falaharini Kali Puja. Show Wallace factory in Bhadrakali. In the brick-built

176 temple, worship of the daily is performed derty. (with four arms). The special form of the Image of Sorashi was derived in dream by the devotee of the BUROSIVA AND SMASAN !

The temple of Buresiva, believed to be several TRI·SAKTI TEMPLE hundred years old, is located in the burning ghat where temple of Smasan Kali is situated. Both the temples The temple of Trisakti (three goddesses) viz, Sita/a, have recently been reconstructed under the initiative of Manasa and Rakshhakali are located on Lawrance Bhadrakali Sammilanee Daily Worships are held; Street, Uttarpara and is said to be very old. The daily special ceremony of annakut (rice offering) is held after pujas are held with the offerings from the public. Special the celebrations of KaJi Puja every year. worship is held in the month of Jyaistha (May-June).

SITALA TEMPLES JAIN TEMPLE

A large temple of Goddess Sitala, the presiding deity The temple of Parswanath Deb, worshipped by the of smallpox, measles and a host of other diseases, is Jains is located on the National Highway in Uttarpara. located on the National Highway in Kotrung. The temple This temple was founded in 1894 by one Dhanapatrai was constructed in 1919 by one devotee named Amrita Jain. Special prayers are held by the jain community in Lal Pal. An elected committee runs the day to day the temple everyday. Besides, special worships and affairs of the temple. Daily prayers and rites are held. A prayers are held on the occasions of birth day of Lord special religious rite is performed on the occasion of Parswanath, Rakhi Purnima and Rash Purnima when Sukla astami in the Bengali month of Falgun several hundred devotees come and visit the temple (February-March) every year. from different places including Calcutta. Apart from the above temples, there are some other important There is another temple of Sitala and Raksha Ka/i at temples, the detailed activities of which are given below. the junction of B.K. Street and ABC Lane in Uttarpara thoroughly, renovated in 1950. A committee looks after Table XII.1 - Some Important Temples the administration of the temple; daily pujas are held Name of the deity Location Details of religious but special pujas are offered during Kali Puja and in the in the temple activities. Bengali month of Chaitra (March-April). 2 3 SIDDHESWARI KALI TEMPLE 1. Chandi Lawrance St. Daily worships There is another temple of Siddheswari Kali on Utlarpara Rajendra Avenue in Uttarpara. It was established in 1937 by a devoted lady named Charu Bala Ghosh. Daily 2. Sani Two in Uttarpara Weekly worship on pujas are performed, the expenses being incurred out Two in Bhadrakali every saturday of the incomes of some devottor property of the temple. Three in Kotrung evening

SORASHI TEMPLE 3. Radhagobinda One in Doltala, Daily worship (Teo temples) Uttarpara and one The structure and architectural design of the Sorashi in Radhagobinda temple is quite impressive. Founded in April 1974 by a Nagar (Kotrung) devotee, Sri Braja Gopal Bhattacharya under the patronage of Sri B.K. Birla of calcutta, the temple is 4. Ka/i Makaltala Daily worship & special located at new station road, Kotrung, near the Hind (Bhadrakali) hymns and reading of Motor Statlol1. There are two idols of Kali and Narayana the scriptures

177 Table XII.1 - Some Important Temples--contd. number of special stalls, revolving swings (nagar dolas), Name of the deity Location Details of religious mini magic shows, mini circus shows etc. are opened. in the temple activities. The speciality of the fair is the simultaneous participation of members of both the Hindus and the 2 3 Muslim.

5. Siva j(ajj Ghosh-tala in Daily worship FAIRS Kotrung Several fairs are held in the town such as the fair of 6. Manasa, New impressive Daily worship and Manick Pir, Dol jatra fair at Ooltala in Bhadrakali and building at D,J. occasional special Rathajatra fair at the crossing of Banerjee para road and Road, Bhadrakali Puja National Highway in Uttarpara. The biggest fair of the 7. Gour-Netai Simpukur, Daily worship and town is held at doltala in Bhadrakali on the occasion of Kotn..mg bymns at night the DO/jatfa festival. The fair runs for about seven days. About five thousand people participate daily in the fair. Special cUltural functions such as jatra, musical Besides, tl:lese are few other private Kali and Siva performances, stringed dolls (Putul nach) mark the temple. festivities of the fair. Participants from Rishra, Konnagar, Bally, Makhla, Raghunathpur attend the fair. A few other The Muslims residents are concentrated in three small fairs are held in different parts of the town on the pockets of the town, one in Bhadrakali and two in occasion of charak festival in the month of Chaitra Kotrung. There are three mosques and a couple of (middle of April). Iddgas. All the mosques are very old. The devout Muslims, specially the elderly people, attend the The reSidents of the town look forward to the two big mosques daily to perform namaz (prayers) several fairs held on the occasion of the chariot festival at times. They visit the Iddgas twice on the occasion of Mahesh (six Kms) and the Jagatdhatri festival at Id-ul-Fitr and Iduz 'Zuha (Bakrid) to offer special prayers Chandernagore (20 km.), incidentally one of the few (namaz~. Another old mazar is that of Manick Pir biggest festivals in the state of West Bengal. Many located at Makaltala in Bhadrakali. Originally a shrine of people of Uttarpara-Kotrung make it a point to visit the the Muslims, it has turned out to be a meeting place of fairs and festivals with all members of the family. The both the Muslims and the Hindus. This Shrine is women folks, in particular, plan all through the year to believed to be the place of burial of one devout Pir, who purchase some essential items, such as Kula in the his life-time, used to perform miraculous feats (winnowing fan) Bati (cutter), several items of specially in curing some incurable diseases. The shrine household utensils from the fair. The Baisakhi and over his burial is said to have been constructed by one Sravani festivals and fairs held at Tarakeswar (48 Kms.) of h.is devotees. Everyday many devotees gather here also draw a large number of residents from the town. It to invoke the blessings of Manick Pir for the fruition of is found that there is no dearth of any so a personal desires, on the fulfilment of which the socio~cultural. organization and association in the town. devotees offer milk and chicken to the shrine. The As a continuum and extension of the giant metropolitan present Mutawali (trustee) of the shrine is a hindu who cities of Calcutta and Haora, the referent town is always offers earthen lamps and incense sticks on the shrine. ago with various athletic, physical, and other socia-cultural activities, be it football or cricket A sp~cial fair, locally known as the fair of Manick Pir tournament, Jatra, or theatre, musical performance or is held near the shrine on the Paus Sankranti on the last variety cultural programme, community worship or day of the Bengali month of Paus, (middle of Januar;yt. festival, political meetings or associations. In a way, the The fair· continues for more than a week with a residents of the town have a wide fare of recreational congregation of several thousand people when a activity of their choice.

178 CRIME STATISTICS existence of a number of pockets of blighted localities in the town. It is interesting that the incidence of suicide The position of law and order in Uttarpara-Kotrung is is also somewhat high. Again five cases of cruelty to quite satisfactory. In the opinion of the officer in charge married wives were reported during the year while of the police station, the municipal limits of the town do another five suspected case concerning payment of • not pose any problem. The residents of the town have a dowry were registered. sense of complacency about the several law and order situation in the town. Though the incidence of crime is Apart from the Vagrant Home and a Home for generally low, the number of theft cases is orphan girls, there is no institution in the town dealing comparatively high. The number of criminal cases with criminal and deviant behaviour of the juveniles. within the municipal limits of the town, dealt with during 1986-87 is as follows. SOCIAL AWAREN!=SS Table XII. 2: Crime Statistics (1986-87) A question on family planning was canvassed among 143 married informants aged 50 years or less in Type Registered like number of households. All of them are reportedly aware of the possibility of prevention of births by 1. Dacoity 2 deliberate means on the part of the couples and are 2. Day burglury 5 also aware of one or more devices of family planning. 3. Night Burglury 4 4. House theft 14 The kin? friends or other known persons of 119 5. Other theft 29 informants (representing 83.3 per cent of the total 6. Cycle theft 21 informants) residing in the referent town have reportedly 7. Cheating 5 practised some methods of family planning. Of them 8. Murder 53,3 per cent are reportedly using condoms, 11.2 per 9. Calpable homicide 2 cent are using both condoms and oral contraceptives 10. Outrage of female modesty on rotational basis, 23.3 per cent have undergone 11. Cruelty on married wife 5 surgical operation, 9.2 per cem are using oral 12. Road accident 6 contraceptives exclusively while three per cent have 13. Rioting 15 used loops (intra-uterine devices). 14. Unnatural offence 3 15. Kidnapping 3 Again, all the informants are aware of the common 16. Rape devices of family planning like condom, oral pills, 17. Suicide 11 operation, insertion of loops while some of them are 18. Alchoholism 3 also aware of contraceptive cream or jelly. Of the 143 19. Suspected cases relating to dowry 5 informants, 39.2 per cent use some conventional 20. Other section of law 28 devices of family planning, 13.5 per cent take advantage of the safe period, 21.4 per cent use Total 164 withdrawal methods, while 25.9 per cent do not practice any conventional or non-conventional device at all. Ambng the 56 informants currently practising It is observed that the incidence of some of the conventional family planning devices, 13 are using oral typically urban crimes such as cheating, murder, pills, \36 are using condoms, two have inserted loop&. outrage of female modesty, rape, alchoholism etc, is while ~ve have undergone surgical operations. Among abnormally low in the town but the incidence of theft the 56 informants using family planning devices, 38 are and petty theft is rather high probably because of the males and 18 are females.

179 About the norms of Ideal family size, 72.7 per cent of some questions were put to the respondents. It has the informants opted for a one son and one daughter been observed that 88 per cent of the informants are. in family. 19.6 per cent for two sons and one daughter general, aware of the social legislation while the rest are family, while 7.7 per cent for two sons and two not. The greater awareness Is observed among the daughters family. Again of the 143 informants. as many educated as compared to the illiterate households. It as fifty wanted to have more children notwithstanding has been observed that all the 176 respondents are the fact that two of them have already four or more aware of the Hindu Succession Act and the Dowry children, six have already three children. five have two Prohibition Act while 165 are aware of the enactment of children and 26 have only one child. Only 11 of them the Child Marriage Restrint Act. 148 are aware of the have no child at the time of survey. Again of the 93 Hindu Marriage Act, and 124 are aware of the abolition informants wanting no more issue, 20 have already four of the child Labour and Untouchability Offencf$ Act. or more children each ... _?2 have three children each, 35 But most of the respondents are not aware of the have two children each while 16 have only are child enactment of such legislations as Hindu Minority and each. While ascertaining the attitude of the respondents Guardianship Act and Abolition of Bonded Labour. towards various conventional devices of family planning, it has been observed that somehow the people have been rather allergic to the use of various In order to assess the efficacy of the measures to devices except condoms. The respondents seem to be eradicate social evils. some questions have been put to unduly worried about the malignant and harmful effects the Informants. All the '76 respondents, aware of the of various devices. There is an increasing trend among social legislation. are unanimous that mere enactment the people to rely more on non-conventional methods of the legislation cannot eradicate the social evils. Thirty like safety period and withdrawal methods. respondents could not suggest any alternative. Among the remaining 146 respondents who have stressed the AWARENESS OF VARIOUS SOCIAL LEGISLATIONS utter inadequacy o'f the social legislation. 25 emphasized the need to build up strong public In order to ascertain the knowledge and altitude of awareness, 15 suggested education of the people, the sample households towards various social another 20 stressed on universal education while 86 legislation such as Hindu Succession Act, Hindu respondents suggested punitive and stringent Marriage Act, Dowry Prohibition Act, Child Marriage measures on the part of the government to eradicate Act, Untouchability Offence Act, Special Marriage Act, various sociat maladies.

180 CHAPTER-XIII

LINKAGES AND CONTINUA

INTRODUCTION natural division - the plains and the uplands, the latter comprising the areas to the west of the river In earlier chapters the geo-historical, religio-political Dwarakeswar. The plains in the district, can likewise, be and socio-cuftural contours of the town have been divided into two broad segments, the industrial tract all mapped out with reference to the immediate subregion along the Western bank of the river Hugli and the and the greater Calcutta metropolitan region of which remaining plain tract comprising the green agricultural the referent town forms a constituent part. But the belt. Again the district of Hugli, to which the referent backdrop of the surrounding milieu has not, so far, town belongs, comprises four sub-divisions mainly, been brought out into sharp focus. Sadar, Arambagh, Chandernagore and Serampore. It has been observed all through that by the twin criteria Situated within the close proximity of the of linkages and continua, Uttarpara-Kotrung has had metropolitan city of Calcutta and the city of Haora on persistent and deep-rooted interaction in various stages the one hand and girdled by a large number of urban with the cities of Calcutta, Haora and Bally including centres and industrial towns on the other, Bally non-municipal areas in the south the serampore Uttarpara-Kotrung in Particular, has been exposed, subdivision in the north-with the river Hugli and the twin since the early part of the preceding century, to various police stations of Baranagar and Belghoria of North 24 extraneous influences and forces, culminating in the Parganas Serving as the corridor between Calcutta and transformation of a village into a self-sufficient urban the western tract Incidentafly this western industrial entity with a distinctive personality of its own. But the tract, starting from Haora reaches as far as Bansberia to town has not grown into its present form all by itself. the south passing through several urban centres like Several forces have been at work from time to time Bhadraswar, Chandernagore, Chinsurah. Hugli and while several other factors have contributed to the Bandel. But as pointed out earlier, the socia-economic growth and development of the industrial and urban interaction of Uttarpara-Kotrung can be felt more zone along with the referent town. Uttarpara-Kotrung, intensely upto the limits of Serampore, the like most other urban units in the region, has been sub-divisional Headquarters of the referent town and subject to different forces and different processes of there after the interaction gradually fizzes out. interaction, emanating from the socia-economic setting of the region. The subdivision of serampore consists of four police station viz, Serampore, Uttarpara, Chanditala and The referent town nas been included in the District of Jangipara, the first two encompassing predominantly Hugli since 1814, when Haara was also included in the urban areas while the last two comprising same district. Haara was created as a separated district predominantly rural areas. after bifurcation from Hugli in 1843 and the adjoining Bally Khal marked the finaf dividing line between the Uttarpara-Kotrung is situated in this, two districts, Haara and Hugli. Presently the district of Ca/cutta-Haora-Serampore regional setting not only Hugli, for all practical purposes, is divided into two main from socia-economic but also from geo-physical

181 configurations. Except the two Police Stations of The Identified region thus comprises the city of Chanditala and Jangipara, this entire riverine region, Calcutta, the city of Haora, Bally city and Bally hereinafter referred to as North-Western Metropolitan (non-municipal) town, and the subdivision of Region for the purpose of the present study comprises Serampore with four pOlice stations of Serampore, the strips of plain lands all along the western bank of Uttarpara, Chanditala and Jangipara. the river Hugli. In some areas, specially in Bally, Uttarpara and Serampore, the soil is largely clayey Appendix Table 88 brings out the demographic accounting for the location of a large number of brick, characteristics of the region. Area wise, Calcutta tile and pantile factories in this Zone. occupies 17.5 per cent, Haora city and Bally comprise 12.7 per cent while the subdivision of serampore NORTH·WESTERN METROPOLITAN REGION comprises 69.8 per cent of the area of the studied region, but paradoxically enough, Calcutta comprises BRIEF SOCIO·ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERI· 64 per cent of the total population, Haora city and Bally STICS OF THE REGION comprise 18.4 per cent of the population, while the sub-division of Serampur has only 17.6 per cent of the. Several geo-physical factors are responsible for the population of the region. This gross disparity in the emergence of the riparian tract into an industrial zone. distribution of population in the region can be attributed The first favourable factor is the closeness of the port of partly to various socia-economic factors and partly to Calcutta, resulting in comparatively lower costs for differential economic opportunities in the constituent haulage, warehousing and transport. Water transport is segments of the region but mainly to the existence of another favourable factor which has dictated the the two rural police stations. The density of population location of a large number of industries on the banks of per Sq. Kilometre is as high as 31,779 in Calcutta, the Hugli. Thirdly all industries in this zone have 12,587 in Haora city and Bally, while that for the obtained electric power at a comparatively cheaper Serampore subdivision including two rural police rate, from the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation. stations is only 2,194. In the context of the regional Fourthly, the large scale industrial establishment in this density of 8,694 per Sq. Kilometre, the density in the zone are established mostly within municipal limits so referent town, which stands at 10,979, is quite high. that they can obtain the benefits and amenities of municipal administration. Fifthly, this zone is excellently Regarding the rural-urban components of the served by a wide net work of trunk roads. Highways region under study, it is found that Calcutta, Haora city and suburban eleCtric trains thereby facilitating rapid and Bally (including municipal and non-municipal) are transmit Further the adjoining rural countryside on the entirely urban while the subdivision of Serampore has one hand and the endless colonies of displaced both rural and urban components, with 87.3 per cent of persons ensure an inexhaustible supply of cheap the total areas in Serampore subdivision being rural and labour. All these factors have led to the industrial 12.7 per cent being urban. There are in all 250 villages expansion of the metropolitan city. Except the two rural in the studied region, all in the subdivision of police stations of Chanditala and Jangipara, this region Serampore. is highly industrialized with a number of large and medium scale industries like jute industry, cotton textile The abysmally low decadal growth rate of industry, ship building and repairing, Chemical industry, population for Calcutta (5.0) is enough to depress the automobile industry, distillery, factories manufacturing same for the entire region under review, to a meagre rayons, steel wires, oil mills, flour mills, saw mills, and growth rate of 11.3, even though the decadal. growth various r:netal industries. The western part of the region rate of Haora city and Bally is as high as 21.9 and that covers two rural police station with the main prop of for the subdivision of serampore is as high as 25.5. It economic activity resting on agriculture. The referent seems incredible that in the context of the regional town is located at the centre of this region. grpwth, Calcutta is not only growing very slowly but what is more striking is the fact that Calcutta's rate of subdivision of Serampore. In comparison, the referent growth is decelerating uniformaly over the preceding town has a much smaller proportion of scheduled caste few decades from 8 in 1941-51 to only 5 in 1971-81. The population. The percentage of Scheduled Tribes question is not only enigmatic but paradoxical too, that population is, more or less, insignificant except in the inspite of the squalor, the milling crowds in the streets case of Serampore subdivision. The economic and pathways, Calcutta is growing at a very slow space. characteristics of the region are presented in Appendix If Calcutta city is not growing as fast as the other Table 89. metropolitan cities of India, there must be good reasons for it. And the urban studies of the growth-history and If the extent participation in working force be a patt~rn of migration of the two adjoining towns of pointer to the opportunities of employment in a Calcutta - Krishnapur In the north-east and Uttartpara­ particular area, it is found that such opportunities are Kotrung in the north-west-have amply confirmed that if the highest in the case of the city of Calcutta followed the primate city is not growing tact enough, it is only by the cities of Haora and Bally. The percentage of because it is shrugging off and shedding its overweight. participation o~ male workers follows the same trend So if the rate of growth in calcutta is unduly thwarted, it while in the case of participation of female workers; is partly because the city is losing its population to Serampore subdivision has a higher proportion of areas beyond its limits. female workers than in the case of Haora city and Bally. This is probably because of the higher percentage of Compared to the low rate of growth of Calcutta the scheduled castes and tribes population among whom other constituents of the studied region like Haora city, both the sexes participate in economic activities freely. Bally city, Bally (non-municipal) town and the Compared to the regional level, the participation rate is subdivision of Serampore are growing at faster rates, low in the referent town. But this is not of much varying between 21.7 per cent to 25.5 per cent. The significance, as the participation rate among the sample referent town is growing at a comparatively lower rate population in the referent town is much higher. It is of 17.8 per cent, because in most of the colonies of remarkable that the primary sector, which is completely Kotrung and Bhadrakali in the referent town, inhabited insignificant in the case Calcutta, Haora city and Bally by the displaced persons, the very existence of the is, more or less, significant in the case of serampore refugee hutments act as an inhibiting factor to further sUbdivisi6n where mearly a quarter (23.7 per cent) of expansion. the population are engaged in it. Household industry, for the region as a whole, accounts for only 2.5 per cent The ratio of household to houses does not make any of the working force. The much higher percentage of appreciable difference, in so far the ratio is uniformly workers engaged in the residuary other worker one in all the constituents of the studied region. component brings out the importance of secondary and tertiary sectors in the regional economy. If the The percentRge of literate is moderately high in the percentage of maximum number of workers in any studied region (66.3). but more striking is the particular industrial category be an index of functional percentage of literates in the referent town which is character of a place then according to the census of much higher than that in any of the constituent parts of 1971 , the functional character of Calcutta is the region. This is firstly because of the middle-class characterized by the predominance of trade, composition of the referent town and secondly because manufacturing and other services, that in Haora city of the predominance of the displaced persons among and Bally reflects the predominance of manufacturing, whom the percentage of literates has generally been trade and transport, that in Serampore reflects the higher than among the resident population. predominanee of manUfacturing, CUltivation and other services. In comparison, the functional character of The percentage of scheduled castes in studied Uttarpara-kotrung town is the composite character of region is 6.2 with a much higher Rercentage in the manufacturing, other services and trade.

183 URBAN CENTRES industrial with the largest number of workers (37.0 per cent) engaged in manufacturing other than household In the region under study, Calcutta with a population industry. The three most important commodities of 33,05,006 is able to maintain Its pre-eminent position imported to Calcutta., as per 1981 Census Town as the primate city. It does not have any rural Directory, . are petroleum. coal and iron and steel population. Likewise the city of Haora and the police respectively. Similarly. the most Important Commodities station of Bally do not have any rural component. But imported to Haora city and Bally are Iron ingots and the subdivision of Serampore has both rural and urban steel, rice, wheat, coal, SUgar, Jute and Chemical. components. There are 11 urban centres against 250 Likewise the most important commodities imported to villages as a whole. The names of the urban centres in the subdivision of Serampore are engineering goods, the subdivision of Serampore are Serampore. Rishra, rice, wheat, coal, sugar, edible oil, foodstuff, cotton, Baidyabati. Konnagar, Nabagram colony, Makhla, medicines etc. The three important commodities Mrigala, Manoharpur. Begampur and Kotrung. Hence imported to the referent town are rice. wheat and sugar. for every 100 villages in the subdivision, there 4.4 urban centres. For the studied region as a whole there are six Again, the three most important commodities urban centres for every 100 villages. exported from Calcutta are jute products, tea and engineering goods, respectively while those exported SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION from Haora city and Bally are iron goods, jute products, wheat products, engineering goods and cotton The region, under study, is well connected by road fabrics. Again the items exported from the subdivision transport, electric trains and water transport. Though of Serampore cover a wide number of items like Jute the river HugJi is a natural barrier between the city of products, Chemical products, wine, vegetables bricks, Calcutta and the region, the two bridges viz, Rabindra tiles, handloom textile products, mediCine, spirit etc. Setu (Haora Bridge) and Vivekananda Setu (Bally The three most important commodities export~ from Willingdon Bridge) connect Calcutta with the studied the referent town are wine, copper and brass products region at Haora city and also at Bally Kha/ via the and wire-net products and yeast. corrider tract of Baranagar Police Station. The entire region is connected by a wide network of electric trains, As pointed out eartler, the urban areas of the the National Highway, the By~pass Roads and other region have a large number of medium and large-scale ancillary roads and transport lines. Anyone from industries mostly on the bank of the river Hugli besides Serampore can reach the city of Calcutta within an hour innumerable small scale industrial establishment. The or so either by roads or by trains, so that the three most important commodities manUfactured in the commuters from any part 0f the region under study can city of Calcutta are engineering goods, electrical goods commute to Calcutta almost at ease. All the police and chemicals while those manufactured in Haara city stations in the region are accessible by buses and/or and Bally are iron goods, jute products, engineering trains from Calcutta and vice-versa. goods, plastic and rubber goods, bricks and brass utensils. The important items manufactured in the MAIN PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES subdivision of Serampore are motor cars, belting, bricks, titles, pantiles, clothes, chemicals, steel wire According to the functional character, Calcutta is, as ropes, jute products, chemical products, explosives etc. per 1971 census data. a trading-cum-industrial­ The three most important items manufactured in the cum-service city, Haora city and Bally along with the referent town are bricks, wine, yeast. medicines and SUb-division of Serampore are predominently industrial mustard oiL . with a large number of medium and large-scale industries. Likewise, Uttarpara-Kotrung is predominently There are 696 banks in the city of Calcutta, 138 in

184 Haora City and Bally and 32 in the urban areas of secondary and tertiary sectors in the economic life. Serampore Subdivision. SPECIAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL RELATION OF THE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REFERENT TOWN WITH THE METROPOLITAN CITY AND OTHER C. URBAN CENTRES IN THE REGION URBAN CENTRES IN THE REGION

Appendix Table 90 shows 15 urban centres in the The multifavious webs of relations of Uttarpata­ region under study including 11 urban centres in the Kotrung with the surrounding urban centres are too subdivision of Serampore. There are four class I cities complicated to be unravelled in course of a rapid (with a population of one lakh or more) like Calcutta, survey of the present type. There are in all 15 urban Haora, Bally (municipals) and Serampore, five class 11 centres in the North-western Metropolitan Region. The towns (with population between 50,000 to 99,999) socia-cultural and economic interactions of Uttarpara­ including the referent town, two class IV towns (10, 000 Kotrung with the adjoining urban centres are quite to 19,999), three class V towns (5,000 to 9,999) and one deep-rooted resembling the structure of a cobweb. class VI town (population less than 5,000). The areas of all but four of the urban centres are less than ten Sq. The illustrious history of Uttarpara-Kotrung under kilometres each. The sex ratios in the urban centres the patronage of a number of Zemindars, landlords and fluctuate widely tr.om 550 in the case of Kotrung other influential persons culminated in the establish­ (non-municipal) to as high as 919 as in_ the case of ment of a more or less, self-sufficient urban area in the Begampur or Baidyabati. In the context of the close proximity of two colossal cities at (':llcutta and surrounding urban zone, the sex ratio in the referent Haora as tar back as the middle of the 19th century. It town is quite high, indicating the growing residential happened to be the first municipal town in the entire character of the town, with an increasing tendency for eastern zone. Besides, the town has had a significant the migrant workers, whether a worker in the brick role in the socia-cultural renaissance as also in different industry or in the Hindustan Motor works, to settle here phases of national movements of the country. The elitist permanently. The Marwaris, who had migrated to the background coupled with the pioneering role of the referent town in course of the last two or three decades, town in various socia-cultural spheres, drew a galaxy of have also brought their absentee members from their rulers and administrators, academicians and native homes. The calm and peaceful atmosphere of intellectuals, politicians and noted personalities to the the referent town may be an inducing factor for the town and in a way reflected the socio-cultClral migrants to bring in their entire families. It is interesting preeminence of the referent town. The socia-cultural to note that the percentage of literacy in the referent hegemony of the town gradually facilitated the evolution town is the second highest in the urban region, after of Uttarpara-Kotrung as a pioneering centre of art, Nabagram Colony, which is inhabited predominantly by literature, dance, drama and music not only in the the displaced persons. The percentage of workers in subdivisional level, but also in the level of the district. most of the urban centres except Calcutta, Haora, city, Again Calcutta and Haora, the two giant cities in the Bally city, Kotrung, Rishra and Makhla are, more or less, southern periphery, supplement but not dominates the low, varying between 25 and 27 per cent. There is a socia-cultural scenario of the town. wide variation in density of population per Sq. Kiiometre from 1,268 as in the case Kotrung (non-municipal) to It is not practicable for any urban centre within the 11,779 as in. the case of Calcutta. The density of metropolitan orbit to be totally self-sufficient from ~opulation in the referent town is. neither too high nor economic point of view. Almost every urban centre too low .. Except Begampur which is an weaving centre within the Calcutta Urban Agglomeration is depende!)t, Nith 23.4 per cent of the workers engaged in Household wholly or partially, on the economy of the primatic city. Industry, the percentage of workers in residual other Uttarpara-Kotrung is also no exception to this with the workers sector exceeds 90 in the case of all other urban difference that notwithstanding the partially dependent centres in the region, signifying the importance of economic relation with the metropolis, Uttarpara-

185 Kotrung has still evolved an economic personality of its town. own under the influence of which it can absorb a sizeable position of the workers of the town. Again the MARITAL ZONE Hindustan Motor Works. located in the periphery of the town. absorbs a larger proportion of workers. thereby The marital zone refers to various places, located reducing the level of economic dependence of the at different distances from the referent town where the referent town on the metropolitan economy. But the marriages of the residents of the town have mostly overwhelming number of commuters to the taken place. In course of the sUlvey. the details of 170 metropolitan city comprising the office-goers In various such marriages were collected. Each marital zone government offices. Banks, and numerous other offices, implies the number of marriage that have taken place in orga'nisation, and trading centres reflect. in part. the each zone. Appendix Table 91 gives an idea about the economic sustenance of the referent town from the number of marriages taking place in each marital zone. metropolitan city. The commuters are the most vociferous section of the community. hence the A close look at the table reveals several interesting dependence of the referent town on the metropolitan. features relating to the socio-cultural zones of the town. city is exhibited daily in the busy movements of the Most of the marriages of the original settlers of the town commuters. have usually taken place within a radius of 20 kilometres or so. Out of the 52 marriages among the old residents It is also observed that the trading and commercial in the sample all but seven of them have been establishments In the referent town are very much contracted within a narrow orbit 20 kilometres or so. dependent on Calcutta, where from traders purchase Eight such marriages have taken place within the town. their merchandise from the wholesale markets in while 39 marriages have taken place within the Calcutta while the, entrepreneurs of various factories adjoining districts of Hugli, Haora, Calcutta and 24 and establishments buy the required raw materials and Parganas. Among the migrants hailing from different machineries from Calcutta as also dispose of the parts of the state, marriages have been contracted in finished products in the Calcutta market after meeting each of the marital zones at different distances from the the local demands. Again the average consumer in the referent town. In negotiating the marriages of the sons referent town, even though purchasing their daily or daughters, the migrants usually prefer a groom or necessities,from tne local markets, occasionally visit the bride belonging to his or her native district. Among the shopping 'and marketing centres in the metropolis migrants hailing from other states outside West Bengal, because a! cheaper price and supposedly availability of 57.1 per cent of the marriages have taken place in the the latest and the most fashionable designs. native places. while the rest in the State of West Bengal (including 21.4 per cent in the referent town). The dependence of Uttarpara-Kotru.ng on the metropolitan city is not total. If the town depends on Among the persons hailing from Bangia Desh, 73 Calcutta for some goods and services, Calcutta too. in per cent of the marriages have been settled within a its turn, receives many industrial services and products narrow orbit of 20 kilometres from the referent town, from the town as discussed earlier. The interaction of implying thereby that the displaced persons have Uttarpara-Kotrung with other towns in the region is limited their socio-cultural zone within the four adjoining more in the nature of ~ two-way intercourse in which districts of Calcutta, Haara, Hugli and 24 Parganas. there is an inflow and outflow of commuters, services and products. Just as the office-goers, .traders, On review, it appears that 14.7 per cent of the total businessmen. order-suppliers and daily labourers marriages have been settled within the referent town commute to Haora city. Bally, Baidyabati, Konnagar, itself and 76.5 per cent within a radius of 20 Kilometres, Rishra, Serampore etc, so also the commuters from covering places in four adjoining districts. Again, it is those places (their number varying with the degree of also observed that 31.2 per cent of the marriage have I centrality of the concerned places) visit the referent' been settled in the rural areas and the rest in the urban

186 areas. engaged In services In offices, banks and other establishments, persons engaged in trading and The marital zones of a particular place also reflect its commercial activities and also In manufacturing have socia-cultural zone too, connoting the constant inflow much lower index of travel. and outflow of persons from the town to the places with which the marriages have been contracted. Once an Compared to Uttarpara and Bhadrakali, the travel affimal relationship Is established, warm and Intense index in Kotrung is much lower, partly because of the instruction pattern develops in the town in the form of fact that the sample population in Kotrung is constituted visits and reciprocal visits of relations on a numerous by a large number of displaced households, financially occasions during socia-religious rites and rituals. To handicapped to undertake tours over long distances. that extent, the immediate socia-cultural zone of the majority of the inhabitants of the town comprises the The travel index of the males is considerably four adjacent districts of Hugli, Haora, Calcutta and 24 higher than that of the females, because of the fact that Parganas and that too mostly within a zone of 20 the males are free to move about as when they please, kilometres or so. but the females members have various social contraints to move a/one or with persons not belonging to the TRAVEL INDEX OF THE POPULATION family. Besides, they have nllmerous family obligations which peg them to their houses. The travel index would give an idea of the maximum distance tram the town ever covered by the members PART1CULARS OF PLACES TO AND WHEREFROM PEOPLE aged five years and above of the sample households. COMMUTE The index of travel has been computed by adding up the maximum distances travelled by all persons aged EARNING LlVELIHoon five years and above in the sample households and dividing it by the total number of persons. Appendix The present field survey was conducted in 1987. Table 92 shows the travel index of the population in The -decadal growth rate of workers in the town respect of the three main segments of the town. between 1971-1981 is 16.3 per cent. On the basis of the same growth rate, the number of workers in the town I Since the migrant households also include displaced between 1981-87 (9.78 per cent) should have reached persons who hailed from different districts of erstwhile 24,007 in 1987 from 21,868 in 1981. During the course East Pakistan, most of them had to move from their of the survey, attempts have been made to arrive at a native homes. In the case of the uprooted households, reasonable estimate of the number of workers actually therefore, their forced movement from native homes to engaged in various pursuits, within the referent town, by West Bengal have not been taken into account in view collecting the latest staff position in all offices, banks, of the fact that the movement was not only involuntary educational institution, post-offices, Railway Stations, but forced. It is interesting to note that the travel index, various other organizations and association, like in general, is the highest for the residents of Uttarpara Women's Home, Vagrants' Home, Hospital, Police signifying the fact the inhabitants thereof do not confine Stations etc. Ta arrive at the upto date position of the themselves within the four walls of their houses in the workers in various trading, r:nanufacturing and residual town but also move outside. The residents of Bhadrakali establishments... in the town the 1981 Census data on have also higher index of travel, though slightly lower workers in Enterprise List have aJso been updated in than that in Uttarpara. Basically the two segments of consultation with the municipal records, trade licenses Uttarpara and Bhadrakali are inhabited by the people etc, Besides, the most important establishments in the belonging mostly to middle class and the residents town employing the maximum number of workers have therein move outside to visit the tourist spots, historical been personally visited and latest data on workprs have places, sanatoria, hill resorts and places of pilgrimage. been obtained. The latest data on number of persons It has been observed that compared to the persons engaged in different professions have been collected

187 from municipal sources. The details of persons places of Haora city, Bally, Konnagar, Rishra, and engaged in various odd jobs like day labour, masons, police Station of Chanditala and Anriadaha and carpenters, rickshaw pullers have been computed by Dakshineswar. If 30 per cent of the members of the staff supplementing the information supplied by the engaged in offices and institutions and 15 per cent of Municipality, concerned trade unions and other the workers engaged in c;1ifferent establishments knowledgeable persons. It has been estimated that commute to the town from outside, it may be estimated approximately 15,000 workers, including 3,000 persons that approximately 20 per cent of the total workers engaged in various offices, banks, post office, police engaged in different pursuits (15,000) in the referent station, educational institution, other organisations and town are commuters from outside the town. various other offices in the town, 8,000 persons engaged in various trading, commercial, manufacturing So out of the estimated number of 24,000 workers establishments, including the three medium sized in the town as a whole, abo'"!t 12,000 (50 per cent) work industrial establishniems in the town and other residual inside the town (excluding three tryousand commuters), establishments, 1,000 rickshaw and cart-pullers, 2,250 about five thousand (20.8 per cent) work in Hindustan daily labourers, masons carpenters and 250 persons Motor Factory, located just outside the town and about engaged in various independent professions and 500 seven thousand workers (29.2 per cent) have to workers engaged as servants and maid servants, work commute to various places outside for work. in the town, out of an estimated number of 24,000 workers for the town as a whole. Hence, the economy The details of place of work relating to the 325 of Uttarpara-Kotrung can provide livelihood to 62.5 per workers in the sample households may be a pointer to cent of the total workers. If the sustaining power of the the places outside the limits of Uttarpara-Kotrung town economy of a particular place in providing 10bs to the where the workers of the referent town commute for workers within its jurisdictions be taken as a rough earning livelihood. The data reveal that 50 per cent of index of -self-sufficiency of the economy, it may be the workers in the referent town are engaged within the noted that the economy of the referent town is town, which substantiate the earlier finding in this self-sufficient to the extent of 62.5 per cent. In other connection. It is found that 22.2 per cent of the workers words, for providing work to 37.5 per cent of the total commute to the metropolitan city, three per cent to 24 workers, the economy is largely dependent on parganas, six per cent to the district of Haora, 17.8 per extraneous economic forces. cent to the district of Hugli (including 10.5 per cent to Hindustan Motor works) and one per cent to other But there are also various current and cross-currents places. If 22.2 per cent of the workers of the town in the economy. The economy of the referent town is commute to Calcutta, then at least 5,328 persons (22.2 not a closed one where the residents of the town are per cent of an estimated 24,000 workers) must only engaged. Persons from various other places commute to the metropolitan city for earning livelihood. commute to the town for work, and vice versa. The It may be interesting in this connection to refer to Table details in respect of the three thousand persons 111.2 in the third chapter regarding the number of engaged in various offices and institutions in the town passengers who travel daily by season tickets from the show that approximately 30 per cent of the total two railway stations in the town to Haora, which is persons commute to the town from outside. incidentally the gateway to the primate city. It is Approximately 50 per cent of the total commuters observed that in 1987, 8,500 passengers travel to Haora commute to the town from Calcutta while the other half city by season tickets, purchased from the two railway commute from the adjoining districts of Hugli, Haora stations in the town. Assuming that most of the season and 24 Parganas. but mostly from Haora city, Sally, ticket holders are residents of the tOWr.1 and assuming Konnagar, 8aidyabati, Rishra, Serampore and that the destination of the journey is Calcutta, it may be Sheoraphuli. Again Appendix Table 22 reveals that noted that majority of the 8,500 persons are daily about 15 per cent of workers engaged in the selected commuters to the metropolitan city. All these establishments in the town commute from adjoining commuters include workers, students, non-workers and

188 persons visiting the metropolis for various other requirements of food grains like rice, wheat, flour, sugar purposes. Again many workers, specially those working are mostly attended to by ration shops. The shortfall in in the northern part of the metropolis, also patronise the rice is met by supply from markets in Barddhaman and bus service. On the whole, it is presumed that the Tarakeswar areas. The referent town is particularly estimated number of 5,328 workers, commuting to the famous for a number of brick, tile and pantile factories. metropolitan city for earning livelihood, fit in with the The bricks of the town are supplied to Haora in the number of season ticket holc;iers. south and Serampur and Sheoraphuli on the north. But the items like wine, yeast, wire nets etc, are sent to The Table 111.2 referred to above, shows that the Calcutta, from where it is distributed outside. Some season-ticket holders of the town also commute, to items of copper and brass products are marketed to places like Liluah (included in Haora city), Bally, in ttie Calcutta and Haora. district of Haora and Rishra, Serampore and Sheoraphuli in the district of Hugli. Again the items of grains like pulses, spices and items of grocery and all items of stationery from a pin to MARKETING OF COMMODITIES LIKE MILK. VEGETABLES. FISH a pencil and a toy to cooker are supplied by Calcutta. AND OTHER ITEMS Uttarpara-Kotrung and for that matter most other places in the metropolitan zone acts as hinterland for There are five main markets in the town. The marketing of the products of Calcutta. The dependence vegetables in most of the markets are supplied mainly of the referent town, relating to the procurement of all by the rural belts of Singur, Haripal tand Tarakeswar in items except fish, meat, vegetables and milk, on Chandernagore subdivision and partly by the two police metropolitan city is total and justifiably so. Station of Chanditala and Jangipara in the Serampore subdivision. But nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the total PARTICIPATION IN CINEMA AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT vegetables are obtained from the former service. The Haora Fish Market is the main source of fish in all the The referent town has a wide network of clubs, markets of -the town, supplemented occassionally by libraries and other institutions associated with fish from the markets of Serampore, Pandua and cultivation of dance, dramma and music. The town has Chinsurah, and partially from the Chanditala Jangipara also one cinema hall. and a Ganabhawan (Town Hall) rural belts. Part of the fish (about 10 per cent) is also The lone cinema hall in the town cannot fully meet the netted locally from the adjoining river Hugli and also needs of entertainment of the cinema fans keen on from ponds and tanks in the town. The goats and seeing the latest movies. So many cinema lovers in the sheep, which supply the requirement of meat of the town visit the cinema halls in the adjoining urban town are generally procured from Sheoraphuli Market. centres of Bally, Makhla, Konnagar, Serampore and The 70 odd poultry farms in the town meet nearly half Haora city. the requirements of the eggs and chickens in the town, the remaining portion being supplied by Tarakeswar Ever since the establishment of the Ganabhawan, and Chanditala- jangipara rural belts. all cultural functions and recreational programmes, formerly held in improvised stages or in auditorium of It has been pointed out earlier that the hundred odd schools, are now regularly held here. The Ganabhawan Khata/s (cow sheds) in the town raise about six to is also occasionally hifed by different cultural seven thousand litres of milk and meet nearly 40 to 50 organisations in the adjoining urban areas of Bally, per cent of the requirements of milk. About five hundred Makhla, Konnagar. The theatre-lovers in the town have households in the town have their own cows to meet to move to Calcutta for viewing theatrical performance. their domestic requirements. The ~hort-fall is met by supply from Mother Dairy depots in the town. READING IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

The town is covered by rationing facilities and the The referent town is flanked by a number of urban

189 areas all around. Makhla and Kotrung towns in the west. In me deaf and dumb school in Bhadrakali, some Konnagar and Nabagram colony in the north and students from Serampore, Liluah, Singur, North-west and Bally in the south and dakshinawar and Chandernagore, Sheoraphuli and Haora etc., have Anriadaha in the east across the river HuglL Since there enrolled themselves. The Cooperative Training Centre in are educational institutions in all these towns, school Uttarpara, which conducts various professional courses students, as a rule. do not have normally to trangress (some in the nature of in-service training) draws the boundaries of their respective towns. But, some of students from all over the state, who live here in the the educational institutions in Uttarpara-Kotrung have attached hostels. attained reputation high enough to draw students from outside, as in the' case of a number of premier OBTAINING MEDICAL FACILITIES educational institution like Uttarpara Government High School and Kotrung Bhupendra Smriti Vidayalaya with The Uttarpara General Hospital with 204 beds and uniformaly brilI ia!1_t results in .the School Final separate outdoor Departments with the facility of Examinations. Students numbering about a hundred ,specialists' consultation not only cater for the medical from all the aforesaid urban centres read in these two needs of the referent town, but also provide medical educational institutions; Besides, some of the students care to a number of adjoining urban centres like Bally, living in Makhla and Kotrung on the western side of the Rishra, Konnagar, Singur, Begampur, Makhla, Kotrung, railway lines attend a number of educational institutions Dakshineswar and the adjoining villages of Chandita[a in the town. AgaiFl some students from Konnagar in the and Jangipara Police Station. Again the posts of some 'northern side of the referent town, read in the schools in of the speCialists, remain vacant for a long time. So the Kotrung. So also some students, living in Kotrung avail serious cases are occassionally referred to different themselves of some schools in Konnagar. So also is the hospitals in Calcutta. case of Uttarpara. where some students from adjoining urban areas of Bally and Dakshinaswar road. Again, the There are about 15 specialist doctors, in the town girl students of the referent town have fascination for with a large clientale in the subdivision of Serampore one Debiswari Girls' School in Makhla and about 100 and Chandernagore. Most of these specialists are girls from the referent town read in that school. attached to several nursing homes where both minor and major operations are performed. Patients also There being no high or Higher Secondary School in come from the rural belts. The affluent people in the the town in Hindi medium, the Hindi speaking students tovyn, occassionally visit Calcutta and avail themselves of the town read in the Hindi medium High School in the of the services of reputed doctors in the city. campus of Hingustan Motor Factory, Belur or Rishra. It may also be noted that about 25 school students in the PARTICULARS OF PLACES OUTSIDE THE TOWN WHERE town read in some renowned High schools in Calcutta. RICKSHAWS PLY AND NEWSPAPER VENDORS GO

The two colleges in the town, Raja Peary Mohan The rickshaw-pullers, as a rule, operate within the College (co-educational) and Swami Niswambalananda town, but in the peripheral areas adjacent to Bally Khal Girls' College draw students from Serampore in the leading to Bally, or at the far northern end of the south to Bally. (Haora) and Dakshineswar and National Highway 2 at Dharsa leading to the adjoining Anriadaha in North 24 Parganas. But many student of town of Konnagar or at the crossing of Uttarpara­ the referent town read in different colleges in Rishra, Kalipur Road near the Uttarpara Railway Station, the Serampore Dakshineswar, Belgharia and Calcutta and rickshaws frequently ply into the respective urban Haora. The students pursuing higher studies in different areas. faculties in the University or other technical, medical and engineering and other specialized courses have no Likewise, the vendors of newspapers are specially other option than commuting to Calcutta. earmarked for the referent town and generally operate

190 within the town as such, but they sometime serve the town have been selected. Thirdly, villages have been customers outside in the areas bordering the town. selected in such a manner that the distance of the village from the referent town increase uniformly by a DEMOGRAPHIC AND OTHER SOCIO·ECONOMIC CHARACTERIS­ margin of three kilometres. Appendix Table 93 brings TICS OF THE VILLAGES IN THE PERIPHERY OF THE TOWN out the socia-economic and demographic characteri-. sties of the selected villages. The socia-economic activities of a town cut across its boundaries into the surrounding rural and urban All but one of the villages, as pointed out earlier, society. The urban centres in the adjacent region of the are located in the Police Station of Chanditala and only referent town have been suitably analysed vis-a-vis their one in Uttarpara Police ·Station. Two of the villages are interaction with Uttarpara-Kotrung. But the interaction of located at a distance of three kilometres, three at a the referent town with the western rural belt has not yet distance of six kilometres, one at a distance of nine been taken into consideration. It is expected that the kilometres and two at a distance of 12 kilometres from peripheral villages of Uttarpara-Kotrung as also the the referent town. All the villages have pucca roads with villages within a radius of 10 to 15 Kilometres may six having the facility of bus connection and one having exhibit certain urban influences in their outlook, per­ the twin facility of train and bus connection. The referent centage of literacy, greater density and predominance town has special linkage with all the village in a number of non-agricultural sector. In the light of these of ways. Some of the residents in the villages. Again a hypothesis, it is proposed to examine the socio­ number of households, specially those living in the economic and demographic characteristics of certain slums and blighted localities, hail from a number of villages in close proximity with which the referent town those villages and the workers in those households are has comparatively greater interaction. mostly engaged in trade and manual activities. Besides a number of persons in the selected villages commute Uttarpara-Kotrung is surrounded. by urban centres to the referent town, specially for the sale of vegetables, on all sides. The urban areas to the north, south and fish, eggs and other similar items. Again a good number east (across the river Hugli) extend over a wide area of villagers in the selected villages visit the referent town while the urban areas to the west extend upto three in connection with receiving medical treatment in ~he kilometres, only. Beyond three kilometres to the west, hospital. Lastly a section of the villagers repersedly visit the rural belt comprises the Police Stations of the referent town at the time of various socio~cultural Chanditala and Jangipara in the subdivision of function and ceremonies. Serampore while to the north-west, the rural belt comprises mainly four Police Stations viz, Singur, It is found that three of the villages have Haripal and Tarakeswar in Chandernagore subdivision. comparativelY higher population of more than five The urban influences, if any, in the rural belt is the thousand each while the rest have comparatively composite influence of a number of urban centres moderate population. Raghnathpur, the first approach­ including the metropolitan city of Calcutta. able village from the referent town has large_[ population, while most other villages have mocderate to To assess the socia-economic and demographic large sizes of population. What is more striking is the characteristics of some villages at different distances fact that none of the villages is small-sized in respect of from the referent town, eight-villages have been population. selected, one in the police station of Uttarpara and the rest in the police station of Chanditala. The selection of So far as density of population in the selected the villages. has been more or less, purposive with villages is concerned, it is found that except Kharial (SI several criteria in mind. First, only villages having link Number 2), and Ramnathpur (51 No.8) most other with the referent town, directly by road, pucca or villages have comparatively higher density. It is also Kutcha, have been selected. Again, only villages having interesting to note that density of population, interesting some special linkage or interaction with the referent to note that density of population, per Sq. Km. on the

191 whole. varies inversely with the distance of a place from as low as 14.1 per cent as in the case of Janai to as the referent town. confirming the hypothesis that high as 72.1 per cent as in the case of Raghunathpur. villages with higher urban influences have comparatively larger density of population. The percentage of workers is the highest (32.6 per cent) in the case of Raghunathpuf. located just on the The ratio of households to Census houses is fringe of Uttarpara and Makhla and quite high (30.1 per uniformly one for all the selected villages. cent) in the case of Chanditala which is, in the process of transformation into an urban centre. It is. more or The number of males and females is. more or less less. moderate in the case of other villages. balanced in the case of all the selected villages except Chanditala. The comparatively lower sex ratio in the It is interesting to note that the functional character village of Chanditala which is incidentally the of aU the selected villages is non-agricultural in headquarters of the Police Station. can be accounted character with greater predominance of agriculture in for by the presence of a large number of in-service three villages viz, Kharial, Krishnapur and Ramnathpur. persons and traders there. They hypothesis that villages In the five villages, agricultural occupation do not come with higher urban influences have higher percentage of up to even a quarter of the total workers. literacy holds good in so far as compared to the percentage of rural literacy of 42.8 as per 1981 Census, There is, more or less, an equitable distribution of the same is appreciately higher in all the selected amenities and services in the selected villages with villages. Again the three villages viz Garalgachha, greater concentration of educational facilities in the Chanditala and Janai, having much higher proportion of village of Garalgachha and Janai. All the selected literacy, have some specific reasons thereof. villages have pucca roads while all but one of the Garalgachha is an old village of the so-called higher villages have electric power, while five have separate castes and persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes post offices. and Scheduled Tribes are conspicuous by their absence. Likewise, Chanditala, the headquarters of the The tributary villages of the referent town, located Police Station and being provided with' Post and at varying distances at a multiple of three kilometers, Telegraph Office, Primary Health Centre, telephone and are rural in form but urban in look and spirit. The density electricity, bus service and other infrastructures, though of population is high. The percentage of literacy is much rural in form, is urban in spirit and has evinced much higher compared to some for the rural areas of the higher percentage of literacy. As for Janai, it is a district. Again the level of amenities is also quite traditional centre of people belonging to higher satisfactory. Again the semi-urban character of most of socia-economic level, most of whom commute to the villages is not a corollary to the urban influence of Calcutta for different socio-economic activities. It is the referent town only, but for that matter, the resultant found that all but one of the selected villages have a effect of the influences of entire Haora - Bally - Uttarpara good concentration of people belonging to the Serampore region over and above the omnipotent Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes varying from influence of the metropolitan city of Calcutta. CHAPTER-XIV

CONCLUSION

Though not the 'Tale of Two cities', but the 'It khola ar /al rang momentous socia-economic tale of the twin towns of e tin niye Kotrung' Uttarpara and Kotrung, since coalesced into one, has so far been presented in a fascinating array of statistical Bricks, tiles and red colour tables, supplemented occasionally by. flesh and blood these three make up Kotrung accounts of life. Attempts have beec made fo unravel various dimensions of the town including the history of The process of urban transformation of the referent growth, amenities and services, economic life, town is amply reflected in the dynamics of change in socio~economic, geo-political and demographic different spheres whereup0:1 Uttarpara-Kotrung has characteristics and in the process highlighting the developed a distinctive urban culture and a distinct way salient features of a mqtured urban centre in the of life. One is apt to get bewildered that a town. situated regional and sub-regional perspective with special within a distance of 10 kilometres from the primate city attention to the concomitant problems and prospects of of Calcutta and eight kilometres from the city of Haora the growing process of urbanization. and flanked by a number of urban centres. has not been swamped by the metropolitan culture-. But instead Uttarpara and Kotrung, the two main constituent it still maintains and develops its primordial elitist units of the amalgamated town, have had altogether culture, Besides the town has had a significant role in different histories of origin and growth; the residents of the socia-cultural renaissance as also the different Uttarpara take pride in its ~Iitist origin, blue-blooded phases of national upsurges. The socia-cultural aristocracy, and rich municipal heritage, while the pre-eminance of the town gradually culminated in the residents of Kotrung take pride in its greater antiquity, evolution of Uttarpara-Kotrung as a pioneering centre of brick and pantile factories and above all, in the art, literature, dance, dramma and music of the region predominant role of the common man. The two as a whole. Here too, as elsewhere, the neighbouring altogether ·different traits of culture in the two cities supplement but not dominate the socia-cultural constituents units have been aptly reflect~d in the two scenario of the town. The differential growth and local adages. development of the three main segments. Uftarpara. Bhadrakali and Kotrung. can be attributed to different 'Gari, Ghora, tuler tora, factors. Under the patronage of the Zemindars, e tin niye Uttarpara' Uttarpara emerged as the first town in the Eastern Region with munici~1 administration and provided to In other words, its residents various amenities and services much ahead of similar other towns in the region. As a result of Car, carriages and bouquets all-round growth and development of Uttarpara, the these three make up Uttarpara density of population per Sq. Kilometre was 8273, in 1951 compared to 2874 in Bhadrakali and only 1931. in Again, Kotrung. The differential growth and development of the

193 three segments continued upto the forties till two its merger, has earned the universal appellation of an momentous events, viz, the Partition of the country in efflciently·run model municipaUty and various study 1947 and the establishment of the Hindl.)stan Motor teams and delegations are sent there for studying the Factory, brought, in their train, swarms of immigrants to functioning of the same. the town whereby the hitherto uneven densities in the three segment~ have, more or less, been levelled at The continuous growth of population is creating present. To cope up with the increasing demand for a ever-increasing demands for greater civic amenities. It residential plot of land in the already congested ~own, has not .been possible for the municipality to augment the recent trend is manifested in the construction of its staff or to build up other infrastructures, commen­ multi-storeyed (mostly four storeyed) ownership flats on surate will) the requirements, resulting in gradual filled up tanks, ponds and other low-lying lands and in erosion of civic amenities. Besides, the aggravation of the vertical extension of th~ existing buildings. It is a some of the everyday dvic problems is attributecJ, in matter of conjecture as to when and how soon the part, to the lack of civic sense and consciousness on referent town would be elevated into the status of a city the part of some residents. The main sources of income with a population of one lakh or more. The ethnic of the municipality are the rates on holdings and various alignments in the town can be traced .back to the first fees, which cannot be increased easily. As a result, the part of the present century when Uttarpara was municipality is getting financially handicapped. and primarily compartmentalized into Chatterjf}9 Para, incteasingly dependent on various government grants Banerjee Para and Kulin Par;J and Kotrung and and contributions. Bhadrakali were, in their turn, segmented into similar other ethnically settled localities. But the immigrfltion of The rapid progress in the field of literacy in the endless streams of settlers have .levemed down the referent town can be attributed first to the educational heterogeneous castes, communities and linguistic and cultural heritage of the town and secondly to the groups from the point of view of residential lay-outs. migration factors in so far as a large number of I nstead of the earlier caste-wise segregation of displaced persons from the tormer East Pakistan, with population, the recent tendency is towards linguistic higher proposition of literates have shot up the alignment of population as in the c{lse of Marwari Patti, percentage of literates in the town. encfaves of Hindi-speakers, specially near the Hind Motor Railway Station. The enormous growth of population inevitably produced significant changes in the social structure and The town has a long traditJon of municipal economic superstructure of the town on the one hand administration for nearly 125 years. The inhabitants of and various webs of relationship and inter-action the town, specially in Uttarpara, have been provided all patterns among various individuals and ethnic, the civic amenities of conservancy. road lighting, religious, social and political groups on the other. The (earlier by kerosene lamps). street-washing etc., ever inflow of inmigrants to the referent town from West since the establishment of the Municipality. Modern Bengal is generally from urban areas, but that from amenities of sewerage, supply of filtered water and road other states is generally from rural areas. There has also lighting have been provided since the first quarter of the been a significant change in the origin of migration in present century. Various other institutions and organiza­ the preceding few deoades. Prior to 1965, the tion like the police station, the school, the college, the immigrants hailed mainly from former East Pakistan and hospital etc, have also been existing for nearly a partly from other states of India. Later, the migration hundred years or so. Consequently, the town has from BangIa Desh has completely stopped. Likewise developed an urban culture over a fairly long time. The migrants from other states are also dwindling prcbably constituen~ municipalities of the town, though because of the increased pace of development, in the amalgamated in 1964, are one of the few oldest places of origin of migration. In very recent times, the municil?alities in the whole eastern region and the migrants orjginate mostly from the four adjoining amalgamated municipality, even within two decades of districts of Calcutta, Haora, Hugli and 24 Parganass

194 (North and South). of 47 slums, shanties and other blighted areas in the town with 16.1 per cent of the total households in Regarding the motives behind migration, the study Uttarpara, 14.2 per cent in Bhadrakali and 10.4 per cent lays bare the fact that in the past the Inherent economic In Kotrung living in such sub-standard living condition. pull force of the town had been strong enough to attract For the tow:n as a whole, 10.8 per cent of the people in people from outside. But in recent years the economic the town live in such dismal shanties. The pattern of force is weakening in the context of lack of expansion of interaction existing among the members of a locality the industrial and service sectors and also because of and the emerging pattern of' group relationships have more balanced regional development In the originating been revealed in the study of the neighbourhoods. It states of migration. Besides, the locational and has been observed that the huge influx of population commuting advantage of the referent town vis-a-vis the has changed the entire socio-cultural contours in the cities of Calcutta and Haora have been the prime referent town and has necessitated a thorough re­ movers of immigration to the town. But the most striking structuring in the Interaction pattern. In recent times, a feature about the pattern and flow of migration to the household is known, not by the name of the head as In town is that nearly two-thirds of all inmigrants had their the earlier days, but by the number of the house, he places of last residences In the four adjoining districts of belongs to. Even before the pre-partition days, the C~lcutta, Haora, Hugl1 and 24 Parganas. It is also interaction pattern of the residents, in general, had cut remarkable that more than a quarter of all the migrants across the boundaries of respective localities and (25.5 per cent) have moved to the referent town from neighbourhoods, but in recent decades when the the city of Calcutta. In this context, the urban study of population of the town doubled or nearly doubled every Uttarpara-Kotrung may be a guideline in solving the two decades in 1931-51, 1941-61, 1951-71, anonymity puzzle and riddle concerning the decelerating growth rather than intimacy dominates the inter-neighbourhood rate of Calcutta city since 1951 Census. If Calcutta is and inter-neighbourhood relationships. The interaction slackening in growth, it is only because the city is only among the inhabitants is nowadays confined to the shedding off its population, proliferating in the various sub-neighbourhoods formed round respective constituent suburbia of which Uttarpara-Kotrung is a roads, streets and lanes. The most recent trend of constituent. group-relationship is one of distintegrating neighbour­ hood because of the sprawling areas and over­ The type of families in the town does not show any congestion. salient feature except that half the families are simple, 36 per cent are joint or semi-joint while 14.5 per cent The study of various organizations of power and are incomplete (the latter type being more pronounced prestige unfolds the elitist background of the town with among the migrants). The house type and housing a variegated history of its blue-blooded aristocracy. But conditions in the town reveal that majority of the the emergence of revolutionary and nationalist upsurge buildings in the town are quite up to the standard of the local leadership, specially in the thirties of the befitting a medium-sized township. A chance visitor to present century, had virtually provided a parallel and the town from the metropolitan city may not find any alternative platform to the one provided by the feudal difference in the quality and standard of buildings and in elites of the town in the past. Finally, the socialist tilt in this respect. Uttarpara-Kotrung may well be viewed as the revolutionary leadership.. of the thirties is the most an urban continuum of Calcutta. In the town as a whole, significant development which has largely moulded the 57.5 per cent of the households live in own houses, 36 dynamics of power in the present day society. The soil per cent in rented houses 4.5 per cent In allotted that once bred the feudal and elitist structure in the past houses, Ohe per cent live in houses without any right also gave birth to the socialist leaders and egalitarian while one per cent have no regular house of their own. thinkers who had influenced the power structure of the present day society. In recent times. increasing mobi­ In juxtaposition with satisfactory housing condition, lisation of people around political parties as distinct a grim and dismal picture is presented by the existence from personal loyalty and allegiance of the people to

195 the feudal elites distinguishes the dynamics of power In commerce, transport and communication, household the society of Uttarpara-Kotrung. But one distinctive industry and day labourers while 'the neo-settlers in the feature about the interaction among various segments town mostly from Calcutta and other urban areas are and groups of people is that harmony and concord as larg~ly engaged in white~co"ar jobs in the metropolitan distinct from rivalry and animosity dominate the pattern city and elsewhere. The gradual fall in the percentage of of interaction in the town. Cases of feuds and conflicts workers engaged in manufacturing industries coupled are so few and so rare that may drive many people into with the growing importance of the service sector is a disbelief. In fact, the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere reflection of the fact that most of the major of the town have prompted a good many Calcuttans to employment-generatiMg industries in and around the inmigrate to the town to lead a quiet and sedate life free town, specially the Hind Motor Factory, have almost from tension of a metropolitan city life. stopped recruiting personnel afresh, While the neo­ settlers to the town from the urban areas have come as The referent town is flanked by a number of urban in-service persons. centres with the rural belt in the Western and north-western direction. It has been observed that most Like most other towns in the metlopolitan orbit of of the peripheral villages are subject to the integrated Calcutta, Uttarpara-Kotrung is a town where the migrant influence of the urban continuum of Calcutta rather than population, excluding the population In their teens, that of the referent town. In such a context, it is difficult exceeds more than three-fourths of the total population to identify the singular urban influence of Uttarpara­ of the town. The basic nature of the economy of the Kotrung individually. It has been observed in the town is largely shaped by the occupations of the present study that the tributary villages are rural in form migrants with a good many of the older migrants, bei~g but urban in look and spirit. Many of peripheral village is engaged in the manufacturing establishments, Hind on the way to transformation into and urban entity. Motor Factory and brick fields and the neo-settlers being largely engaged in various white-collar jobs within The socia-cultural zone of the town, demarcated and without. with the help of help of marital zone of the sample households extends mostly to the four adjoining But as in the case of socia-political scenario, the districts of Calcutta, Haara, Hugli and 24 Parganas with town has evolved a self-SUfficient urban entity with a the intenSity of interaction confined mostly within a distinctive personality of its own, in the economic radius of 20 kilometres in the North-Western Metro­ sphere too. The inherent pull force of the town is amply politan Region with Calcutta influencing greatly the reflected In the motives put forward by the immigrants socia-cultural arena of the town. for their migration to the town, wherefrom it is found that 39.8 per cent of the immigrants had been drawn to The economy of Uttarpara~Kotrung is multi­ town, where from it is found that 39.8 per cent of the dimensional with manufacturing, service, trade and towns by the sheer full force of the economy. But the transport playing the pivotal roles. The location of the town has not grown into what it is today, all by itself. needed infrastructure of offices and establishment Various forces have been at work from time to time, including banks and other institution, close proximity to while several other contributory factors like the the Hindustan Motor Factory, the largest automobile excellent commuting network, the establishment of the factory in South-East Asia, the location of a number of biggest automobile factorY in the periphery of the town medium Sized establishments and 20 brick fields in the and the large influx of population have helped the town along with the mushroom growth of smafl-sized proliferation of the industrial and urban base of the factories and establishment have, no doubt, imparted a town. The study of the regional perspective has shown manufacturing overtone to the economic super­ that it is not practicable for most of the .urban centres in structure of the town. The displaced persons residing in the metropolitan area to be economically viable numerous colonies are engaged in a multiplicity of individually. Almost every urban centre within Calcutta occupations like masonry carpentry, trade and Urban Agglomeration is dependent on the economy of

196 the primate city. In such a context. the economy of the jobs, or ownership of a large factory of business, with refere.nt town can provide sustenance, on Its own, to limited number of members, spacious-building and 62.5 per cant of its total work force and absorb more possessing all the amenities, material equipments and than four·flfths of them in collaboration with Hindustan costly and lUXUry goods is classified in this group. Motpr Factory. It thus transpires that the dependance of Uttarpara.Kotrung on the metropolitan city is marginal, UPPER MIDDLE CLASS with approximately one~fi~h of the total work force commuting to Calcutta. If the referent town depends on Calcutta for some goods and services, Calcutta, too, in The dividing line between the rich and the upper . I turn, receives many industrial products, finished goods middle class Is thin and rests mainly on the possession and bricks apart from getting the patronage from the of most of the amenities, material equipments and expanding market for the supply of its multifarious costly goods. products. LOWER MIDDLE CLASS SOCIO·ECONOMIC CATEGORIZATION OF THE HOUSEHOLDS

Finally an attempt is made here to classify the A household with some members in a regular sample households according to socia-economic service or job mostly resembling clerical job, owning or status. Income may be the best criterion to ascertain possessing at least a two-roomed apartment with some the economic status of a household but in the urban amenities and owning one or two lUXUry items like context, any question on income IS too delicate to elicit radio, watch, etc, is categorized as such. the right response. An alternative to the income approach is a composite status approach, taking into consideration the following parameters: POOR

1 Occupation of the members Pursuit of a regular jobs with lower salary, or 2 Number of members in the households pursuit of odd jobs, larger number of members, one 3 Type of house and nature of ownership roomed rented hutment, non-possession of basic items 4 Various amenities available to the households of furniture except a cot and a hurricane/lamp and (Kitchen, Bathroom, Lavatory, source of drinking sometime a transister radio set are adjusdged the water, electric connection) socia-economic characteristic of the poor housEiholds. 5 Material equipment for domestic use (furniture including sofas and almirah) VERYPOQR 6 Type of utensils and dress 7 Luxury and costly goods (watch, radio, television, Household pursuing odd, menial, unskilled jobs gramophone, tape-recorder, car, scooter etc.) with large number of members, large number of children, living in hutments in sub-standard living On the basis of ·the composite status approach, the condition and possessing no bedding worth the name, households have been grouped into five economic sleeping on ground, and possessing kerosene lamp categories. and a few aluminium or enamel utensils have been classified as very poor. On the basis of the corpposite RICH OR SOLVENT CLASS status approach, the sample' households in the towr have been categorized into five different economic A household satisfying all the criteria of high salaried class as in Table XIV. 1 and XIV. 2

197 Tab'. XJV.1 Economic Categerfzatlon of the households (segmentwlse) . Name of Number of Number of households ctegorized into Segment households Rich or Upper Lower Poor Very poor $Olv$nt middle middle clast class class

1 Uttarpara 64 2 21 23 15 3 (100.0) (3.1) (32.S) (35.9) (23.5) (4.7)

2 Bhadrakali 62 1 19 22 16 4 (100.0) (1.6) (30.6) (35.5) (25.8) (6.5)

3 Kotrung 74 17 40 15 1 (100.0) (1.3) (23.0) (54.1) (20.3) (1.3)

Total 200 4 57 85 46 8 (100.0) (2.0) (28.5) (42.5) (23.0) (4.0)

Note; Figures in brackets indicate percentages.

TableXIV.2

Econol11ic categori~ation or the households (as per origin of households)

Category at Total number Number of households categorized into households by of households places hailing Rich or Upper Lower Poor Very poor from solvent middle middl.e class class class

1 Non-migrants 44 11) 17 11 (100.0) (36.4) (38.6) (25.0)

2 Households 58 1 16 27 14 hailing from (100.0) (1.7) (27.6) (48.6) (24.1) different dis- tricts of West Bengal

3. Households 36 1 8 9 14 4 hailing from (100.0) (2.8) (22.2) (25.0) (38.9) (11.1 ) different states of India

198 TableXIV.2 Economic categorization of the households (as per origin of households) - contd.

4. Households 62 2 17 32 7 4 hailing from (100.0) (3.2) (27.4) (51.6) (11.3) (6.5) Bangia Desh

Total 200 4 57 85 46 8 (100.0) (2.0) (28.5) (42.5) (43.0) (4.0)

Note; figure in bracket indicate percentages.

The middle-class base of the referent town is. once cent of the househOlds belonging to the lower middle more, confirmed with the help of economic categoriza­ class. tion of the sample households wherefrom it appears that 71 per cent of the households in the town belong to But the migrant household hailing from other middle class. only two per cent to rich or solvent class states of West Bengal present an altogether grim while the households belonging to the so-called picture with just 50 per cent of the households being economically weaker section constitute 27 per cent. placed below the poverty line. True, some of these Needless to mtmtion 27 per cent of the households of households are just splinter groups of the main families the town stand below the poverty line. Among the three living in their native homes and have to lead a forced segments in the town, Uttarpara has greater proportion austers living in order to remit, as much an amount as of the upper middle class households while Kotrung. possible. to their nearest and dearest ones living far off. inhabited predominantly by the erstwhile displaced Hence the composite status approach may not identify persons from former East Pakistan. has the highest the real position of these households. percentage of households belonging to the lower middle class while Bhadrakali occupies, more or less, an intermediate position. On a resume, the predominantly middle-class orientation of the households is a true reflection of the If the economic categorisation of the households be functional category of the town where the workers correlated with the place of origin of the households (as mostly belong to manufacturing-cum-selVice sectors. In in table XIV. 2), it is found that the non-migrant the remote past, th~ excavation of the Bally canal was households, who traditionally belong to the referent largely instrumental in shaping the destiny of the town, are economically the most well-off among the referent town by demarcating the final boundary line four different strata of population in as much as 75 Rer with the mainland Bally. So also in the recent past, the cent of these households belong to the middle class establishment ?f the Hindustan Motor Factory, the with a preponderance of upper middle class biggest automobile factory in South-East Asia in the households. The households hailing from other districts periphery of the town, has also been largely instrumen­ of West Bengal also comprise 75.9 per cent in the tal in the recent growth and development of the town as middle class with the only difference that the majority of an economically viable urban centre. The unique these ,ho,!seholds belong to lower middle classes as locational advantage of the referent town coupled with distinct from upper middle class. The households its easy access to the metropolitan city has made the hailing from erstwhile East Pakistan, including some of town what it is today. the actual displaced persons, are also placed, more or less, on an economically sound footing with 57.6 per Notwithstanding whatever has been said and

199 commented upon, the fact remains that with its elitist orientation, Uttarpara-Kotrung will continue to shine as tradition, rich infrastructures, locational uniqueness, a bright, luminary. as distinct from a satellite. in the transport network. socio-cultural pre-eminence, metropolitan orbit of Calcutta for many more years to economic viability and above all, the middle class come.

200 •

i

,. Distance lends enchantment to the view of. Uttappara-Kotrung town on the west bank of the river Hugli

•

I Uttarpara-Kotrung from a distance-I Bally Khal falling into the river Hugli, the dividing line between the town and Bally city in the . district of Haora

Bally Kha/ marks the southern boundary of the town which is in the background

Vivekananda Setu, the rail-cum-road bridge, connects the town with Calcutta via Dakshineswar and Baranagar on the eastern bank of the river Hugli

Gateway to the town along the historic Grand Trunk Road-a top view

On way to Vivekananda Setu along the bypass from the Grand Trunk Road lying to the right

Quiet flows the river Hug'li t,Q the Bay of Bengal spanned by Vivekananda Setu with the lonesome boat anchored ashore awaiting the high tide

The ri,ver Hugli also the waterway for the transp,ort ot merchandise and cargo

t; The improvised ferry-ghat o,f the t()wn 10r journey to the eastern bank

Grand Trunk Road along the Bally Bridge over the Bally Khat -

Uttarpara Railway Station on the Eastern Railway buzzing with commuters

Hind Motor Railway Station too serves the town

· Passengers crowd the hind Motor Railway Station after a change of shift in the Hindustan Motor-Factory

•

No time to stand a while and tarry a little commuters rush to get into the local electric trains at Uttarpara Railway Station during peak office-hours

Buses too ply to carry the office.. to Calcutta <. , goers along the Gra'nd Trunk Road

No foothold there, yet the passengers jostle to elbow

into the crowded bus . I

\.

Cycle-vans and cycle-rickshaws carry goods and passengers without distinction along the Grand Trunk Road

A cycle bank? No, a cyc"_stand for commuters by trains at UHarpara Railway Station

Extension of tradition into the moder~ eralumbering bullock cart coexists with lorry, tempo. van, cycles, cycle-rickshaws, cycle-vans and pedestrian traffic along the main thoroughfare of the· Grand Trunk Road

Age, ache and penury---cruel marks of the passage of time in the homestead of the Subarna Chowdhury family-the founder of the town

God bade farewell long ago but his sanctum remains in.J. · ruins--Chandi Mandap of the Subarna Chowdhuries in shambles

A relic of the past resplendent glory--the dilapidated palace of Joykrishna Mukherjee" the illustrious Zemindar of Uttarpara, maintains a precarious link with the present

Splendid stately mansion of the old Zemindar, ot Uuarpara yet to be ravaged by time

Gone are the days of the Zemindars, yet the touch of regality of the massive building is still towering

Dust-heap called history into which has been tumbled down the celebrated Tower House of Raja .!yot Kumar Mukherjee to give way to the rise of modern flats

From the ashes of the 'Tower House' rise the multi-storied apartment flats

A prize"possession--antique of the corner slab of the ,; Bharhut Temple in the collection' of one

successor of a Zemindar family >-

MDdernlsm blended with tradiition- residenc:e of Sri .2 Sakti Mukherj,ee, a scion of the Zemindar family, and an eminent legal practitioner in the High- Court of Calcutta

Persistence and ,continuit.y--the house-type in an old ~, residential locality of the town

_, Rise of a middle-class residential settlement in the town I

An interior view of the town road with pucca drain

. Work of architectural experiment does not spare a modern house in the town

Ownership flats beside t e raUway tra ~ •

)

:j;-

j ~ Not yet touched by a change-a cluster of houses in Bhadrakall

A typical house of the Marwaris in IViarwari Patti in Kotrung

Rehabilitated and integrated, a colony of the displaced persons from erstwhile East Pakistan in Kotrung

A cluster of houses ,of the Muslims in Kotrung

. ~ The slum of industrial workers in Lawrence Street in Uttarpara-a top view

A top '!iew of the Harijan Colony in Uttarpara

I.n the heart of the Harijan Colony

A shallow tank for use of the residents around Dhobapukur

Water-source for the poor reside'nts around Talpukur

;,;. Debaipukur, a big tank in Kotrung, used by the resi­ dents of the locality

" , t l}

.~ ... 4\

Water from the river Hugli being pumped in for fur~ ther treatment

Water Treatment Plant, constructed by t ,he Zemin'dar fa.mily, stUI functions ·

•

Overhead reservior of drinking water

'( Scramble for drinking water around a public water­ tap

, Covered tankers for dumping night-soil in .the trenching 'ground

Institution of the city-lathers - the im.posing building houses the office of Ultarpara-Kotrung Municipa.I'ity

Pause a little for the leHers Uttarpara. Post Office links hearts outside with th.ose in the town

Telecommunication brings the world ' nearer--Uttar- ~ para Telephone Exchange also locates the Office of the Divisonal Engineer of Telephones

Last resort of all ~aladies-Uttarpara General Hospi- ~L­ tal

Not for admission but for treatment -- Outpatients' Department of Uttarpara General Hospital

Medical treatment for the affluent fastidious -- a S~ private Nursing Home

A peaceful town under the vigilant care of the custo- $ dlans of law and order--Uttarpara Police Station

Institution of financial transaction-a branch ounce of 'J'~ 1 the UnReel Bank of India

Storehouse of mighty minds-historic Joykrishna Public Library provides mental pabulum 'to scholars

Service Training Centre of the Cooperation Depart- ~ ment of Government of West Ben·gal

Shelter for the destitutes in Uttarpara Destitutes' Home

Cloister of vagrants in uttarpara Vagtants' Home, as if a tryst with destiny

On the alert--Fire Brigade in the Town

An open-air cowshed in Bhadrakali-dairying , activity 5'l.. of the m.men

Digging of silt for the processing bricks l)

Pugging. operation-mlxing 01 aiR and clay

Sun-drying of Kutcha clay briicks - , .. i Barnbo,o,s tlransported down the river Huglii r1equired for construction of houses

•

I Way side market in the town I I I .,1

Not a fishy business--avid customers haggling with i fish-mongers

, ~ An automobile-repairing garage

Workshop for the manufacture of brass and bellmetal utensils

'_ Manufacture of cooking earthen ovens used by the people, less solvent econom ically

/

Sale of dried cowdung cakes by peddling women

'1Cycle-rickshaws provide a means of internal transport and occupation to many

View of SWIL Factory manufacturing wire-rope and employing more than two hundred and fifty industrial workers

!. Factories of Bengal Distilleries Company and Indian # Yeast Company with four hundred workers prepare for ebriety of some and rejuvenation of many

/1 An eating house for the poor workers

7: ~ Unity is strength--an office of the Hindustan Motors Limited Workers' Union

, Nursery students brought home in the cage-like cycle-rickshaw van

A view of an old Higher Secondary educational institution -- Uttarpara Government High School

'/ Another institution of learning for high school students -- Bhadrakali High School

, Portals of Raja Peary Mohan CoUege \

\ P(actice of ttle budding footballers in Sukanta Udyan, Kofrung

1 A club-house of Kotrung Sporting Association in Sukanta Bhavan, constructed by Uttarpara~Kotrung ' Municipality

One-day cricket match in Manmohan Udyan, UUarpara

Playing childre"n in Manmohan Udyan, Uttarpara

Gana Bhavan, the Town Hall, constructed by Uttar- '_ para-Kotrung Municipality

A centre of mass recreation, Gouri Cinema in Uttar- ;;J para draws cr,owds of all class,es

..

~ ...... ",

Wayside recreation for the bri , c ' k~field wo,rkers

A chance encounter 0·' a snake-charmer on the road- I side

T'opsy-turvy? Chilldr,en pracUsing drill in the playfield of Tarun Sangha, kotrung

A careless afternoon of the women 'and children in . , , ~ Kotruna

-

A marriage-booth in Uttarpara - car ready to carry " bridal gifts

, A newly marr,ied coupl"e after paying obeisance be~ fore the dei,ty of Muktakeshi .

The deity of Muktakeshi in the temple, Uttarpara

Temple of Trisakti (Manasa, Sitala and R'akshakalij in Uttarpara

Triple Siva temples, near the river Hugli in Uttarpara, said to have been erected in 1795

A close view of terra-cotta work on the wall of the Siva ' temple

The priest before the deity of the Goddess Ma Tara in { Tara temple in Uttarpara

Twin Siva temples, said to have been constructed about three hundred years ago in Uttarpara with the present priest in front

Temple of Bhadraka/i in Bhadrakali

, ' , '_' . , . .

',_; '. .

The temple-of Parswanath De1,,', in U'tarpa~a patronised l • ., . J by .... Jelri. ," .' .

l.·.._

... - . ~- , .

In the mosque in Dbarsa in. Kotrung con gregrate the

10 Muslim residents

, The Idga in Kotrung

T~ statue of Biplabi Am8~ndra Nath Chatterjee re- - vered by one and' all .

Civic awakening among the youth anti-drug demonstration organised by school-girls in the tow~ :~

Students in a procession demanding the release of Nelson M 1andela

De,m,onstration against price-niss I The bathing ghat in Bhadrakali by the river Hugli

To dust returnest-the crematorium on the river-bank-the temple of Smasman Kali to the left

APPENDICIES

Appendix Table 1 --;- Distribution of Workers

Place Census Total PopulatIon Total Workers * Total Non-workers year Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Uttarpara- 1961 52163 28682 23481 16063 14581 1482 36100 14m1 21999 Kotrung (100 00) (100 00) (100 00) (30 8) (50 8) (63) (692) (492) (937) $erampore Sub- 264840 153509 111331 90246 84083 6163 174594 69426 105168 d1111s1on (urban) (10000) (100 00) (100 00) (34 1) (548) (5 5) (659) (452) (945) Hugh D1stnct 579283 331287 247996 190492 176230 14262 388791 155057 233734 (Urban) (100 00) (100 00) (10000) (329) (532) (5 8) (671) (468) (942)

Uttarpura- 1971 67568 36975 30593 18802 17491 1311 48766 19484 29282 Kotrung (100 00) (100 00) (100 00) (278) (473) (4 3) (722) (527) (957) Serampore Sub- 344520 194284 150236 100762 95571 5191 243758 98713 145045 d,vIs,on (Urban) (100 00) (10000). (100 00) (293) (492) (3 5) (707) (508) (965) Hugh D,strict 760270 426255 334015 222833 210689 12144 537437 215566 321871 (Urban) (100 00) (100 00) (100 00) (293) (494) (3 6) (707) (506) (964)

Uttarpura- 1981 79598 41726 37872 21868 19989 1879 57730 21737 35993 Kotrung (100 00) (10000) (10000) (275) (479) (5 0) (725) (521) (950) Serampore Sub- 473744 259778 213966 135960 128052 7908 337784 131726 206058 d,vlson (Urban) (10000) (10000) (100 00) (287) (493) (37) (713) (507) (963) Hugh Dlstnct 1050529 573167 477362 298237 278636 19601 752292 294531 457761 (Urban) (100 00) (100 00) (1000) (284) (486) (41) (71 6) (51 4) (959)

Note Flugures In parenthesIs denote percentages

* Total workers In 1981 Include main and marginal workers

20" Appendix Tabl. 2 - DI.trlbutlon of Worker. In Sample Household.

Segments of the Total Population Total workers Total Non-Workers Town Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Uttarp~ra 317 164 153 112 94 18 205 70 135 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (35.3) (57.3) (11.8) (64.7) (42.7) (88.2) 2 Badrakali 289 159 130 93 81 12 196 78 118 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (32.2) (SO.9) (9.2) (67.8) (49.1) (90.8) 3 Kotrung 409 208 201 120 101 19 289 107 182 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (29.3) (48.6) (9.5) (70.7) (51.4) (90.5) 4 Grand Total 1015 531 484 325 276 49 690 255 435 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (32.0) (52.0) (10.1 ) (68.0) (48.0) (89.9)

Note: Figures within brackets indicate percentages.

Appendix Table 3 - Distribution of Workers in Uttarpara - Kotrung by Industrial Categories

Percentage of workers in

1961 1971 1981

Cultivation 0.1 0.1 0.1 Agricultural Labour 1.0 0.3 Household Industry 0.5 1.3 3.2 Others 99.4 97.6 96.4

204 Appendix Table 4 - Distribution ot worker. by Industrial Category

industrial Category 1961 1971 1981

Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females Remarks

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Cultivation 7 7 9 9 29 29 C· 1) (.1 ) (,l) (.1) (.1 ) (.1) Agricultural Labours 188 185 3 61 61 (1.0) (1.0) (.2) (.3) (.3) Uvestocks, Foresty, 85 77 8 95 87 8 Fishing etc. (.5) (.5) (.5) (.5) (.5) (.6) Mining and Quarring 12 12 12 (.1 ) (.1 ) (a) Household Industry 87 76 11 253 239 14 690 663 27 (.5) (.5) (.7) (1.3) (1.4) (1.1) (3.2) (3.4). (1.7) (b) Manufacturing other 6602 5946 656 6971 6569 402 than household (41.1) (40.3) (44.3) (37.1) (37.5) (30.7) Industry Constructions 883 83B 45 464 449 15 (5.5) (5.8) (3.1) (2.5) (2.6) (1.1 ) Trade and Commerce 2696 2640 56 3362 3309 53 20607 19009 1598 (16.8) (18.1) (3.8) (17.9) (18.9) (4.1) (96.4) (96.2) (98.3) Transport, Storage and 1958 1912 46 2012 1962 50 Comrl,unications (12.2) (13.1) (3.1) (10.7) (11.2) (3.8) Oth,r services 3745 3085 660 5436 4670 766 (23.3) (21.2) (44.S) (28.9) (26.7) (58.4) Total Workers 16063 14581 1482 18802 17491 1311 21387 19762 1625 (Pera.ntage) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (100,0)

205 Apf»ndlx Table 5 - Worker. and Industrial Categories In Sample Households

Industrial categories Number of workers (Sample households) Percentage of Workers in

Persons Males Females Sample 1981 1971 1961 Remarks households Census Census Census

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Cultivators 0.1 0.1 0.1 Agricultural Labours 0.3 1.0 Uvestocks, forestry, 13 13 4.0 0.5 0.5 fishing etc. Mining and quarring 0.1 (a) Household industry 17 13 4 5.2 3.2 1.3 0.5 (b) Manufacturing other than 107 101 6 32.9 37.0 41.1 household industry Construction 10 9 1 3.1 2.5 5.5 Trade and Commerce 49 47 2 15.1 17.9 16.8 Transport, storage and 25 24 7.7 96.4 10.7 12.2 Communication Other servic,s 104 69 35 32.0 28.9 23.3

Total 325 276 49 100.0 100.0 100.0 100

206 Appendix Table 6 - Distribution of Wo,kers and Non·Worker. by Age.groups - 1971 Census

Age-group Population Workers Non·Wo{kers

Persons Males Females Perso(lS Males Females Persons Males Females Remarks

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Total 67568 36975 30593 18802 17491 1311 48766 19484 29282 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (27.8) (47.3) (4.3) (72.2) (52.7) (95.7) 0-14 22338 11475 10863 235 175 60 22103 11300 10803 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (1.1) (1.5) (0.6) (98.9) (98.5) (99.4) 15-19 7006 3633 3373 760 662 98 6246 2971 3275 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (10.8) (18.2) (2.9) (89.2) (81.8) (97.1)

2.0-'24 6.560 3526. ~ 1,81,6. 1,EiQS 2.07 4744 1,91,7 2.82.7 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (27.7) (45.6) (6.8) (72.3) (54.4) (93.2) 25-29 63.08 3727 2581 3221 3024 197 3087 703 2384 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (51.1 ) (81.1) (7.6) (48.9) (18.9) (92.4) 30-39 10681 6304 4377 6080 5709 371 460) 595 4006 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (56.9) (90.6) (8.5) (43.1) (9.4) (91.5) 40-49 6958 4346 2612 4213 3983 230 2745 363 2382 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (63.9) (91.6) (8.8) (36.1) (8.4) (91.2) 50-59 4020 2175 1845 1867 1767 100 2153 408 1745 (lOO.Oj (100.0J (100.0) (46.4J (81.2) (5.4) (53.6) (la.B) (94.6) 60+ 3697 1789 1908 610 562 48 3087 1227 1860 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (16.5) (31.4) (2.5) (83.5) (68.6) (97.5)

207 Appendix Table 7 - Distribution of Workers by Age-group and Sex (Sample population)

Age-group PopulatIon Workers Non-Workers

Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Remarks

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

0-14 251 131 120 5 3 2 246 128 118 (100 0) (100 0) (100 0) (2 0) (2 3) (1.7) (980) (977) (98.3) 15-19 115 56 59 15 13 2 100 43 57 (100 0) (100 0) (100 0) (130) (232) (34)' (873) (763) (96 6) 20-24 107 62 45 37 30 7 70 32 38 (1000) (1000) (100 0) (346) (484) (156) (65 4) (51 6) (844) 25-29 90 44 46 39 34 5 51 10 41 (1000) (1000) (100 0) (433) (77 3) (109) (567) (227) (89 11) 30-39 159 69 90 85 66 19 74 3 71 (1000) (1000) (100 0) (535) (957) (2,1 1) (465) (43) (789) 40-49 135 82 53 89 79 10 46 3 43 (100 0) (100 0) (100 0) (659) (963) (189) (34 1) (3 7) (81 1) 50-59 68 44 24 45 42 3 23 2 21 (100 0) (100 0) (100 0) (662) (955) (125) (338) (45) (875) 60+ 90 43 47 10 9 80 34 46 (100 0) (lOa 0) (100 0) (11 1) (20 9) (2 1) (889) (791) (77 9)

Total 1015 531 484 325 276 49 690 255 435 (1000) (100 0) (100 0) (32 0) (520) (10 1) (680) (480) (899)

208 Appendix Table 8 - Distribution of Workera by Types of Occupation in Different Segments (Sample household)

Type of Occupations Total number Total number of Workers in of workers Uttarpara Bhadsakali Kotrung Remarks

1 2 3 4 5 6

Unskllled manual 70 27 15 28 Skilled manual 85 28 26 31 lowest Professional and 16 3 3 10 administrative Small business 39 8 15 16 Highly skilled and 13 6 3 4 supervisory manual Clerks and shop assistants 55 23 15 17 Intermediate professional 12 4 5 3 and related posts Medium Business 9 2 2 5 Higher professional and 12 5 5 2 salaried posts Owners of establishments, 14 6 4 4 large shops etc.

Total 325 '12 93 120

209 Appendix Table 9 - Distribution of Workers by types of Occupations, Sex and Age-groups (Survey data) ..... Type of occupations Sex Broad Age-groups of Workers

0-14 15-24 25-34 35-49 50+ Total

Unskilled Manual M 2 10 6 17 3 38 F 2 7 11 9 3 32 Skilled Manual M 18 19 31 14 83 F 1 2 Lowest Professional M 3 4 8 F 1 6 1 8 Small Business M 4 10 16 8 38 F 1 Highly Skilled & M 10 2 13 Supervisory Manual F Clerks & Shops M 7 11 22 11 51 Assistants F 2 4 Intermediate Professional M 2 2 6 10 & Related Posts F 2 Medium Busmess M 2 5 9 F Higher Professional & M 8 3 12 Salarised Posts F Owners of Factories & M 3 8 2 14 Establishments F

Total M 3 43 60 119 51 276 F 2 9 14 20 4 49

210 Appendix Table 10- Distribution of Workers by Type of Occupation and level of Education by Sex (Sample households)

Educational Level

Type of Occupation Sex illiterate Literate Pnmary Middle Matriculation Graduate without or Higher- educational Secondary Level

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Unskilled Manual M 16 11 10 F 26 5 Skilled Manual M 8 22 24 15 13 F Lowest ProfeSSional and M 2 3 Administrative Posts F 2 5 Small Business M 2 13 13 9 F Highly Skilled & M 2 6 Supervisory Manual F Clerks & Shops M 3 7 24 15 Assistants F 2 Intermediate ProfeSSional M 2 3 & Related Posts F 2 Medium BUSiness M 4 3 F Higher PfOfesslonal & M 2 6 Sal an sed Posts F Owners of Factones & M 4 5 4 Establishments F

Total M 26 36 54 46 66 35 F 27 7 3 3 9

211 Appendix Table 10 - Distribution of Worker. by Type of Occupation and leve. of Education by Sex (Sample househotds) - contcJ.

Educational Level

Type of Occupation Sex Post- Technical Technical Total Rernarks Graduate diploma diploma equal to not equal Degre. to Degre.

2 9 10 11 12 13

Unskilled Manual M 38 F 32 Skilled Manual M 83 F 2 Lowest Professional M 8 F 8 Small Business M 38 F Highly Skilled & M 2 1 13 Supervisory Manual F Clerks & Shops M 51 Assistants F 4 Intermediate Professional M 3 10 & Related Posts F 2 Medium Business M 9 F Higher professional & M 4 12 salarised posts F Owners of Factories & M 14 Establishments F

Total M 9 2 2 276 F 49

212 Appendix Table 11 - Distribution of Househotds by Employment Depth (Number of Workers In the households)

Number of workers Number of Households by Size and NumbeJ of Adults, having number of workers in the households All households 1 to 3 Adults 4-6 Adults 7-10 Adults 11 and more Remarks Adults

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Nil 17 12 5 (45) (22) (23)

1 93 60 33 (284) (137) (147)

2 56 21 30 5 (235) (54) (142) (39)

3 23 7 11 4 1 (113) (18) (51) (33) (11 )

4 5 3 (39) (15) (10) (14)

5 5 2 2 (41) (11 ) (19) (11 )

6 (7) (7)

200 100 84 13 3 (764) (231) (389) (108) (36)

Note: The figures for number of Adults aged 15 and above are given in parenthesis.

213 Appendix Table 12 - Employment Status of Workers by Location and Sex (Survey data) locality Total workers Employer Employees

Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a 9 10

Uttarpara '12 94 18 14 13 , 57 52 5

Bhadrakali 93 81 12 6 6 52 47 5

Kotrung 120 101 19 9 9 72 63 9

Total 325 276 49 29 28 181 162 19

Appendix Table 12 - Employment Status of Workers by Location an~ Sex (Survey data)

Single Workers Family workers

Locality Total Males Females Total Males Females Remarks

11 1~ 13 14 15 16 17

Uttarpara 30 18 12 11 11

Bhadrakali 33 26 7 2 2

Kotrung 39 29 10

Total 102 73 29 13 13

214 Appendix Table 13 - Type of Occupation and Dbtance from Place of Work (Survey data)

Type of Occupation Total number Average DIstance (In Km ) from place of work by Locality workers Uttarpara Bhadrakah Kotrung Remarks

2 3 4 5 6

Unskilled manual 70 09 1 3 1 1

Skilled manual 85 1 4 48 55

Lowest professional and 16 37 10 31 administrative posts

Small busmess 39 31 25 613

Highly skilled and 13 63 80 20 supervisory manual

Clerks and shop assistants 55 116 91 72

Intermediate profeSSional 12 33 80 87 and related posts

Medium business 9 0 50 38

Higher profeSSional and 12 74 200 35 salaried posts

Owners of FactOries 14 131 52 100 and Establishments,

Total 325 48 55 11 9

215 Appendix Tabte 14 - Type of Occupation, Mode of transport to place of work and time taken to ....ch place of work

Total Mode of Transport to place and time taken to reach Number of Type of occupation workers On foot Cycle or Rickshaw Train and Bus

30 mts. 31 mts. 3Omts. 31 mts. 1 hour 30 mts. 31 mts. 1 hour More or less to 1 or less to 1 to 1 \12 or less to 1 to 1 \12 than 1 \12 hour hour hour hour hours hours

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Unskilled manual -70 46 2 10 1 1

Skilled manual 85 47 10 3 4 8 3 1

Lowest professional and administrative posts 16 9 1- 2 2

Small business ... 39 20 1 1 3 1 3

Highly skilled and supervisory manual 13 3 2 2 3 1

Clerks and shop assistants 55 11 3 4 15 6 5

Intermediate professional and related posts 12 3 1 2 1

Medium business 9 2 1 2

Higher professional and salaried posts . 12 4 5

Owners of Factories and Establishments 14 2 3 5

Total 325 139 3 26 5 24 37 26 12

216 AppendiX Table 14 - Type of Occupation, Mode of transport to place of work and time taken to reach place of work - cootd.

Mode of Transport to place and time taken to reach

Type of occupation Bus Number of Workers Remarks 30 mts. 31 mts. 1 hour whose places

Of less to 1 to 1~ of works are hour hours at home

12 13 14 15 16

Unskilled manual 6

Skilled manual 2 3 3

Lowest professional and administrative posts 1 1

Small business 2 7

Highly skilled and supervisory manual

Clerks and shop assistants 2 5 3

Intermediate professional and related posts 2 2

Medium business 2

Higher professional and salaried posts

Owners of Factories and Establishments 2

Total 11 15 4 22

217 Appendix Table 15 - Persons Seeking Employment any Age-group, Sex Educatlonal Level and Reglatered WIth Em~ bchange

Educational Registered with Employment EXchange Level Upto 14 years 15-24 years 25-34 years 35+ years

Males Females Males Femalea Males Females Mates Femal ••

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Illiterate

Literate without Educational level

Primary 2 2 1 Matr:iculation 20 5 3 S Diploma & Certificate 1 Degree and above 7 3 2 3 1

Tl')t~1 30 10 6 9 1

Appendix Table 15 - Persons Seeking Employment any Age-group. Sex Educational ...,,81 and "Regiltered With Employent Exchange

Educational N~t Registered with Employment Exchange Level Upto 10 years 1S-.24years 25-34 years 35+ years~ Remarks

Males Females Males Females Ma'es ,Femafes MaleS Fe1iIafes

Illiterate

Literate without Ectucational level

Primary 11 2 a 2 Matriculation Diploma & Certifioate Degree and above

Total 11 2 3 2

218 Apptr\lIlx Table 1 e - location of Manufacturing Establishments

National Nature of Establish'71ents Total number Number of Certificated located in Remarks II)dusutriai of estab- Classification lishmant Uttarpara Bhadrakali 'Kotrung

2 3 4 5 6 7

20-21 Food Products (sweetmeat. bakery. grain products) 117 53 30 34

22 Beverage. tobacco. and its products 14 7 4 3

23 Cotton. textiles 7 2 4

26 Textile products 123 39 22 6:2

27 Wood and wood products. furniture and fixtures 78 31 20 27

28 Paper. paper products. and printing 35 16 14 5

29 Leather products 7 5

30 Rubber, plastio and coal products 34 7 11 16

31 Chemical and chemical products 6 :2 3

32 Non-metallic mineral products 39 7 15 17

33 BaSic Metal and alloy industries 15 6 1 8

34 Metal products and parts 29 10 9 10

35 Machinery. machine tools and parts 13 6 3 4

36 Electrical Machinery, appliances and parts 4 2 1

37 Transport equipments and parts 2

38 Other manufcturing industries 3B 19 7 12

39 Repair 116 51 30 35

Total 677 258 175 :244

219 Appendix Table 17 - Manufacturing Establishments by Registered Factories, Unregistered Workshop. and Size of Employment

Number 01 establishments emploYing

NIC Nature of establishments Total Number of Numb.rof 1 person 2-4 persons Major Group numbers registered unregistered factones workshops Number of Persons Number of Persons establlsh- employed establlsh- employed ment ment

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

21·21 Foodl'roducts 117 117 47 47 48 124 22 Beverages, Tobacco and Its Products 14 2 12 10 25 23 Cotton Texttles 7 7 2 2 3 26 TextIle Products 123 123 49 49 58 150 27 Wood and Wood Products 78 78 19 19 42 115 28 Paper, Paper Products and 35 35 17 17 15 44 Pnntlng 29 Leather Products 7 7 3 3 2 6 30 Rubber, PlastiC and Coal Products 34 34 8 8 7 24 31 Chemical and Chemical Products 6 6 4 11 32 Non-metaltc minerai Products 39 39 7 7 13 42 33 BasIc metal and alloy Industnes 15 2 13 5 10 34 Metal Products and Parts 29 29 8 B 13 35 35 Machinery. Machtne tools and Parts 13 13 7 18 36 Electrical machinery, appliances and Parts 4 4 3 37 Transport equipment and Parts 2 2 , 4 38 Other manufactunng mdustnes 38 38 14 14 20 54 39 Repair 116 116 77 71 35 86

Total 677 4 673 255 255 282 754

220 Appendix Table 17 - Manufacturing Establishments by Registered Factories, Unregistered Workshops and Size of Employmjht -conlel.

Number of establishments employing

N.te. Nature of establishments !)'9 persons 1()'25 persons 26 persons & above Major Group Number of Persons Number of Persons Number of Persons Remarks establish- employed establish· employed establish- employed ment ment ment

2 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

21-21 Food Products 12 68 9 132 32 .. 22 Beverages, Tobacco and its Products 5 2 517 23 Cotton Textiles 2 11 15 127 26 Textile Products 12 69 4 56 27 Wood and Wood Products 15 90 2 22 28 Paper, Paper Products and Printing 3 26 29 leather Products 5 10

30 Rubber, Plastic ~nd Coal Products 13 87 6 67 31 Chemical and Chemical Products 6 32 Non-metaUo mineral Produots 6 42 6 73 7 480 33 Basic metal and alloy Industries 4 26 2 21 3 378 34 Metal Products and Parts 6 41 2 31

35 ~chinery, Machine tools and Parts 4 22 2 27 36 Electrical Machinery, appliances and Parts 2 14 37 Transport Equipment and Parts 1 5 38 Other Manufaoturing Industries 4 24 39 Repair 3 21 15

Total 90 562 36 469 14 1534

221 Appendix Table 18.-lndustrialestablishments by type of power used

N.I.C. Nature of establishments Total Number of establishments using Major numbers Group Manual Electricity Fuel Gas Remarks Power

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

21-21 Food Products 117 5 46 66 22 Beverages, Tobacco and its Products 14 5 4 5 23 ,Cotton Textiles 7 7 26 Textile Products 123 123 27 Wood and Wood Products 78 59 19 28 Paper, Paper Products and Printing 35 21 14 29 Leather Products 7 7 30 Rubber, Plastic and Coal Products 34 8 24 2 31 Chemical and Chemical Products 6 3 2 32 Non-metalic Mineral Products 39 17 3 19 33 Basic Metal and alloy Industries 15 9 5 34 Metal Products' and Parts 29 3 17 9 35 Machinery, Machine Tools and Parts 13 2 11 36 Electrical Machinery, Appliances and Parts 4 4 37 Transport Equipment and Parts 2 2 38 Other Manufacturing Industries 38 5 10 21 2 439 Repair 116 69 21 25

Total 677 334 186 153 4

222 Appendix Table 19 - Trading and Commercial establishment by type and Location

Major Groups Minor Groups of N I C Total number Number of establishment located m ofN I C of estabhshment Remarks Uttarpara Bhadrakah Kotrung

2 3 4 5 6 7

65 Retail 650 Gram and Grocery Store 104 37 32 35 trade In 651 Vegetable and frUit selhng 104 31 36 37 food and 652 Dealers In Fish, Meat, Poultry 21 33 29 29 Tobacco 653 Dealers In Sweetmeats, bakery, Dairy Poducts and eggs 98 33 30 35 654 Pan, Bldl. ClgareHe Shops 91 29 34 28

655 Dealers In soft drinks and Ice Cream 42 12 13 17 656 Wine and LJquor Shops 4 2 659 Other Food Statls 62 13 24 25 66 Retail 660 Dealers In non readymade TextIles 30 16 7 7

Trade In 661 Dealers In readymade Garments 54 29 13 12 rextttes

6TAetall 670 Dealers In firewood. coal and kerosene 011 46 19 16 11

Trade In 671 Utens,ls Shops 28 12 9 7 Feuland 672 Fancy Stores 17 7 6 4 other house- 673 Dealers In electriC and electriC goods 43 18 14 11 holds 674 Furniture Shops 37 14 12 11 utlhtles 675 Jewellery Marts 22 10 6 6 676 Footwear Shops 22 9 6 7 679 Others (Includmg Hardwares) 26 9 9 8 68 Retail 68Q.Medlcal Shops 56 23 18 15 trade In 681 Booksellers and StatIoners 101 44 29 28 others 682Dealers In bUIlding matenals 40 19 11 10

683Dealers In transport equipment 2 2 684 Petrol - flHeng stations 2 69 Restau- 690 Restaurants, Cafes and other eattng and rants and dnnktng places 96 38 27 31 Hotels 691 Hotels and Lodging Places

Total 1219 461 382 376

223 Appendix Table 20 - Retail Trading Establishments by Broad type. and Size of Employments.

Nature cif Establishments Total number Total number Establishment Employing (N.I.C. Major Group) of establishment of workers • One person 2 - 4 Persons

No of Persons No of Persons establish- employment establish- employment ment ment

2 3 4 5 6 7 ~ :

65 Retail Trade in food, food articles Beverages, Tobacco and Intoxicantes 596 882 432 432 148 354 66 Retail Traders in TeJtiles 84 158 41 41 38 87 67 Retail Trader in fuel and other household Utilities I\nd Durables 241 377 161 161 74 180 68 Retail Trade in others 201 348 127 127 63 152 69 Restaurants and hotels 97 173 63 63 26 66

Total 1219 1938 824 824 349 839

Appendix Table 20 - Retail Trading Establishments by Broad types and Size of Employments

Nature of Establishments Establishment Employing {N.LC. Major Group} 5-9 persons 10 persons and above Remarks

Noot Persons No of Persons establish­ employment establish- employment ment ment

8 9 10 11 12

65 Retail Trade in food food articles Beverages, Tobacco and Intoxicantes 15 86 10 66 Retail Trader in Textiles 5 30 67 Retail Trade in fuel and other household Utilities and Durables 6 36 68 Retail Trade in others 10 59 10 69 Restaurants and hotels 8 44

Total 44 255 2 20 I

224 Appendix Table 21 - Residual Establishments by Broad Types and Number of Workers

Nature of Establishments Total (Major group of N,I.C,) number of es- Number of establishments located in No, of tablish- persons ments Uttarpara Bhadrakali Kotrung engaged

2 3 4 5 6 7

02 Uvestock production (including productio(l of milk and production of eggs) 89 30 19 40 189 03 Agricultural Services (Nursery) 2 2 8 06 Fishing 3 2 5 I 41 Gas and steam 3 3 8 42 Waterworks 2 1 100 50& Construction and 51 allied activities 49 3 39 7 117 70 Land transport 65 23 19 23 118 71 Water transport 1 7

74 Storage and ware hOUSing 10 4 1 5 52 lp Communication 4 2 133 80 Banking and allied ir'lstitution 9 4 3 2 132 81 Products and Insura(lce 1 3 82 Real estate and business services 16 9 6 39 83 Legal servicess 1 1 1 90 Public Administratio(l 14 8 4 2 315 92 Edvcational Services 54 13 20 21 490 93 Medical & Health services 80 36 16 28 389 94 Community Services 18 4 5 9 35 95 Recreation,al and cultural services 4 3 9 96 Personal services (laundry, saloons etc,) 118 39 34 45 313

Total 543 '81 174 188 2463

225 Appendix Table 22 - Surveyed establJahment According to Management Physical Structure, Manpower, Volume of Transaction Approximate

Type of establishment Nature of Nature of Ownership Duration of establishment establish- mentsur- Private Partner- 1-3 4-6 7-10 11 Yrs. veyed ship Years Years Years & above

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A. COMMERCIAL

1 Grocery 3 3 2 2 Grain Stores 3 3 3 3 Vegetable and Fruits 3 3 Stalls 4 Dealers in Fish, 3 3 2 Meat & Egg 5 Pan, Bidi and 3 3 1 Cigarette stalls 6 Garment Store 3 3 2 7 Coal and Kerosene 3 2 2 8 Furniture shop 3 3 2 2 9 Medicine stores 3 3 1 1 10 Electric and 3 2 2 Electronic shops 11 Stationeries 3 3 2 12 Eating HOlJse 3 3 2 1 13 Tea Stalls 3 3 2 14 Sweetmeat shop 3 3 2

B. INDUSTRIAL

Wooden Furniture and 3 2 2 Fixtures 2 Tailoring 3 3 1 3 Bakers 3 2 2 1 4 Grill manufacturing 3 3 2 5 Automobile reparing 3 2 2 6 Brick manufacturing 3 3 3

226 Appendix Table 22 - Surveyed Establishment According to Management Physical Structure, Manpower, VoluR\e of Transaction Approximate - contd.

Type of establishment Religion of Owners Caste of Owners of Establishment

Hmdu Muslim Brahmin Kayastha Mahlsya Moyra Saha Gandha Banik

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

A COMMERCIAL

Grocery 3 2 2 Gram Stores 3 3 Vegetable and Fruits 3 Stalls

4 Dealers In Fish, 2 Meat &Egg 5 Pan, Sidl and 3 Cigarette stalls 6 Garment Store 3 2 7 Coal and Kerosene 3 2 8 Furniture shop 3 9 MediCine stores 3 2 10 Electric and 3 2 Electronic shops 11 Stationeries 3 12 Eatmg House 3 13 Tea Stalls 3 14 Sweetmeat shop 3 3

S INDUSTRIAL

Wooden Furniture and 3 Fixtures 2 Tailoring 2 2 3 Bakers 3 4 Grill manufacturing 3 2 5 Automobile repanng 3 6 Brick manufacturing 3

227 Appendix Table 22 - Surveyed Establishment According to Management Physical Structure, Manpower, Volume of Transaction Approximate - contd.

Type of establishment Caste of Owners of Establishment

Goala Sutra­ Kumar Jelia Tanti Kangsa dhar Banik

1 17 18 19 20 21 22

A. COMMERCIAL

Grocery 2 Grain Stores 3 Vegetable and Fruits Stalls 4 Dealers in Fish, 2 Meat & Egg 5 Pan, Bidi and '\ Cigarette stalls 6 Garment Store 7 Coal and Kerosene 8 Furniture shop 9 Medicine stores 10 Electric and Electronic shops 11 StatJone(les 12 Eatmg House 13 Tea Stalls 14 Sweetmeat shop

B. INDUSTRIAL

Wooden Furniture and Fixtures 2 Tallo(lng 3 Bakers 4 Gnll manufactunng 5 Automobile reparing 6 Brick manufacturing

228 Appendix Table 22 - Surveyed EatabUshment According to Management Phy.ical Structure, Manpower, Volume of Transaction Approximate - contd.

Type of establishment Nature of Ownership Average Annual volume of Transaction number of Unauthorised Owned Rented workers up to Rs.12001 Rs.18001 Rs.24001 employed Rs. to to to 12,000 18,000 24000 50000

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

A. COMMERCIAL , 1 Grocery 2 1 1.7 2 Grain 3tores 2 2.0 3 Vegetable and Fruits 2 1.0 2 Stalls 4 Dealers in Fish, 2 1.3 2 Meat & Egg 5 Pan, Bid; and 2 1.0 _2 Ogarette stalls 6 Garment Store 1 2 2.3 7 Coal and Kerosene 1 2 2.3 B Furniture shop 2 3.0 9 Medicine stores 2 2.7 10 Electric and 2 2.7 Electronic shops \ 11 Stationeries 2 2.0 12 Eating House 3 4.0 13 Tea Stalls 2 2.0 2 1 14 Sweetmeat shop 2 1 3.0

B. INDUSTRIAL

Wooden Furniturt:t and 8.0 Fixtures 2 Tailoring 2 3.0 3 Bakers 2 6.3 4 Grill manufacturing 2 1 5.0 5 Automobile reparing 2 1 4.0 6 Brick manufacturing 3 5.9

229 Appendix Tab" 22 - Survey" Establlahment According to ManagerMnt Physical Structure, Manpower, Volume of Tran.actlon ApprQxlmate - concld.

Type of establishment Annual Volume of Transactions General condition of Remarks the establishment Rs.50001 1000001 150001 Above to to to As. Satis· un satis· 1 lakh 150000 200000 21akhs factory factory

1 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

A. COMMERCIAL

1 Grocery 1 1 1 3 Above 15 2 Grain Stores 1 2 3 per cent 3 Vegetable and Fruits 2 of the Stalls workers 4 Dealers in Ash. 2 1 commutete Meat & Egg the town 5 Pan, Bidi and from outside Cigarette stalls 6 Garment Store 3 1 2 7 Coal and Kerosene 3 2 1 8 Furniture shOp 2 2 9 Medicine stores 2 1 2 1 10 Electric and 3 3 Electronic shops 11 Stationeries 2 2 12 Eating House 3 2 1 13 Tea Stalls 2 14 Sweetmeat shop 2 2

8. INDUSTRIAL

Wooden Furniture and 3 2 Fixtures 2 Tailoring 2 1 2 3 Bakers 2 3 4 Grill manufacturing 2 2 5 Automobile (eparing 2 :; 6 Brick manufacturing 3 2 seasonal

230 Appendix Table 23 - Particulars about Sankers in the Town for (1986-87)

Name of Bank Location Fixed Savings Current Others

Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

United Bank of India Uttarpara 7525 7666000 29930 40634000 224 1786000 8271 7400000

UCO Bank Kotrung 3035 18700000 9619 16500000 130 300000 110 21000

UCO Bank Bhadrakali 2874 18275000 5970 13297000 37 138000 7

United Industrial Bank Kotrung 5940 4500000 6277 145000 45 93000 754 4200000 (Hindi Motor Branch)

UCO Bank Uttarpara 5079 27133100 13558 28283400 222 3040400

UCO Bank Uttarpara 250 1500000 2663 4047461 8 2820252 392 728715 bazar

State Bank of India Uttarpara 3458 30364000 7300 17580000 181 4260000

Allahabad Bank Kotrung 3230 20007258 6617 12065783 100 324888 550 2103319 (Hind Motor Branch)

231 Appendix Table 23 - Particular. about Bankers In the Town for (1986-87) - contd.

Name of Bank Transac· Loans· Land on Mortgage Investment during last one year tlons and During advan- Hectors Amount Govern- Agricul- Indus- Others last one ces advanced ment tural trial year Bill against securi- produc- produc- discounted mortgage ties tion tion and pur- chased

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

United Bank of India 25046n 648000 25000 631677 1225000

UCO Bank 86 4200000 2100000

UCO Bank 500 2324000 541000 465000 232000

United Industrial Bank 50000 500000 (Hindi Motor Branch)

UCO Bank

UCO Bank 2330803

State Bank of India

Allahabad Bank 2150287 (Hind Motor Branch)

232 Appendlx Table 24 - Distribution of Population According to Religion

Name of religion 1971 Census 1981 Census

Persons Males Females Percentage Persons Males Females Percentage Remarks of population of population

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Hindus 66287 38184 30103 98.1 77,711 40,688 37,023 97.6

Muslims 1128 701 427 1.7 1613 887 726 2.0

Jains 96 53 43 0.1 156 B6 70 0.2

Sikhs 18 10 8 36 25 11 0.1

Christians 37 25 12 0.1 77 37 40 0.1

Buddhists 2 2

Others 5 3 2

Total 67568 36975 30593 100.0 79,598 41,726 37,872 100.0

233 Appendix Table 25 - Distribution of Population by Mother Tongue

1971 Census

Mother Tongue Persons Males Females Percentage to Remarks total population

2 3 4 5 6

Bengali 58703 31164 27539 66.9 - Negligible Gujarati 81 42 39 0.1 Hindi 7355 4813 2542 10.9 Kannada Kashmiri 2- 1 1 Malayalam 58 43 15 0.1 Merathi 16- 9 7 Oriya 779 567 212 1.2 Punjabi 82 57 25 0.1 Sanskrit Sindhi Tamil 33 20 13 0.1 Telugu 113 62 51 0.2 Urdu 71 43 28 0.1 English 2- Nepali 81 52 29 0.1 Kurukh (Oraon) Munda 2- 2 Santhali 159 81 78 0.2 Konkani 2- Others 29- 19 10

Total 67568 36975 30593 100.0

234 Appendix Table 20 - Di'stributlon of Pop'liation by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

Census Population of the Town Scheduled Caste Population Scheduled Tribe Population Combined Remarks yeat perpentage Persons Male. Females Persons Male. Females Persons Males Females of total SC&ST population

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1961 52163 28682 23481 2389 1487 902 384 214 170 5.3 (4.6) (5.2) (3.8) (0.7) (0.7) (0.7) 1971 67568 36975 30593 1453 808 645 252 140 112 2.6 (2.2) (2.2) (2.1) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) 1981 79598 41726 37872 2934 1503 1431 269 131 138 4.0 (3.7) (3.6) (3.8) (0.3) (0.3) (0.4) '"

Appendix Table 27: Distribution of Scheduled easte Population in Sample Households

Name of the No. of Persons Males Females Percentage to Remarks Scheduled Castes workers total sample population

2 3 4 5 6 7

Aajueif 1 1 1 0.1 (4.2) (1.0) Poundra 2 5 2 3 0.5 (8.3) (4.9) Dhobj 4 20 8 12 2.0 (6.7) (19.6) Bagdi 1 4 1 3 0.4 «4.2) (3.9) Rajbanshi 3 10 2 8 1.0 (12.5) (9.8) Jolia 2 12 5 7 1.2 Kaibartha (8.3) (11.8) Muehl 4 19 12 7 1.9 (16.7) (18.6) Mehter 2 10 5 5 1.0 (8.3) (9.8) Namasudra .5 21 9 12 2.1 (20.8) (20.6)

~ Total 24 102 45 57 10.0 (100.0) (100.0)

235 Appendix Table 28 - Distribution orcastes and Communities In the Sample Houaet\old

Name of Caste Number of· Persons Males Females Percentage to Remarks households total population

2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Brahman 53 257 133 124 25.3 (26.2) 2 Kayastha 45 230 125 105 22.7 (22.5) 3 Mahisya 8 55 30 25 5.4 (4.0) 4 Saha 5 28 16 12 2.8 (2.5) 5 Agarwal 3 28 12 16 2.8 (1.5) 6 Jeli 4 27 13 14 2.7 (2.0) 7 Gandha Banik 5 27 14 13 2.7 (2.5) 8 Tanti 5 26 15 11 2.6 (2.5) 9 Sadgope 3 25 10 15 2.4 (1.5) 10 Gaola 5 24 15 9 2.3 (2.0) 11 Chhetri 4 24 16 8 2.3 (2.5) 12 Kangsha Banik 3 16 ,6 10 1.6 (1.5) 13 Sarnakar 3 15 9 6 1.5 (1.5) 14 Shaw 3 14 9 5 1.4 (1.5) 15 Tambuli 2 12 6 6 1.2 (1.0) 16 Other Castes 17 68 38 30 6.7 (8.5) 17 Scheduled Castes 24 102 45 57 10.0 (12.0)

236 Appendix Table 28 - Distribution of Castes and Communities In the Sample Household - contd.

Name of Caste Number of Persons Males Females Percentage Remarks households total population

2 3 4 5 6 7

18. Scheduled Tribes 2 11 3 8 1.1 (1.0) 19. Muslims 6 26 16 10 2.5 (3.0)

Total 200 1015 531 484 100.0 (1pD.O)

Notes: 1. The other castes include two 'Barojibi' households with nine persons, two Kumbharkar household with eight persons, one 'Ugrakshatriya' households with three persons, one 8aidya households with 'four persons, one Kurni household with four persons, one 'Jugi' household with four persons,. Three Napit households with nine persons, one Paswan household with three persons, one Maheswari houseld with five persons, one Khandait with three persons, one Rao household with six persons, one Kahar household with six persons and one 'Subarnabanik' household with four persons

2. The Scheduled tribes cover two Oroon households.

3. Figures in brackets indicate percentages.

Appendix Table 29 - Population by Age and Sex (1971 Census)

I Age-group Persons Males Females Sex Ratio Percentage of persons Remarks (Females per of tlie age-group to 1000 males total population

2 3 4 5 6 7

0-14 22338 11475 10863 947 33.1 15-19 7006 3633 3373 928 10.4 20-24 6560 3526 3034 860 9.7 25-29 6308 3727 2581 696 9.3 30-39 10681 6304 4377 694 15.8 40-49 6958 4346 2612 601 10,3 50-59 4020 2175 1845 848 5.9 60+ 3697 1789 1908 1067 5.5

Total 67568 36975 30593 827 100.0

237 Appendix Table 30 - Age, Sex and Mar'tal Status of Persons (Sample households)

Age-group Never married Married Widowed

Males Females Males Females Males Females

1 2 Z 4 5 6 7

0-14 131 120 15-19 55 52 7 20-24 57 23 5 20 25-29 25 8 19 37 30-34 8 2 21 37 3 35-49 7 3 115 90 6 50-59 2 42 13 11 60 and Above 37 19 5 28

Total 286 208 240 223 5 48

Appendix Table 30 - Age, Sex and Marital Status of Persons (Sample households)

Age-group Divorced or Separated Total Peroentage of persons Remarks

In age-group to total Males Females Persons Males Females Population

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

0-14 251 131 120 247 15-19 115 56 59 113 20-24 2 107 62 45 105 25-29 1 90 44 46 89 30-34 72 29 43 71 35-49 222 122 100 219 50-59 68 44 24 67 60 and Above 90 43 47 89

Total 5 1015 531 484 1000

~38 Appendix Table 31 - Percentage of Uterates In Different Censuse. In the Town

Total Uterate Illiterate

Census year Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Remarks

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 19 11

1951 31303 NA NA 13122 NA NA 18181 NA NA ·-Figures in , (100.0) (41.9) (58.1) brackets indicate 1961 52163 28682 23481 30662 18364 12298 21501 10318 11183 percentages (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (58.8) (64.0) (52.4) (41.2) (36.0) (47.6)

1971 67568 36975 30593 44602 26657 17945 22966 10318 12648 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (66.0) (72.1) (58.7) (34.0) (27.9) (41.3)

1981 79597 41726 37872 60925 34039 26886 18673 7687 10986 (100.0) (100.0) (100.0) (76.5) (81.6) (71.0) (23.5) (18.4) (29.0)

Appendix Table 32 -,Distribution of Population by Age, Sex and Educational Level (Sample Population)

Total Population Illiterate

Age-group Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7

All ages 1015 531 484 164 60 104

0-4 55 29 26 46 25 21

5-9 87 44 43 16 5 11

10-14 109 58 51 8 3 5

15-19 115 56 59 6 2 4

20-24 107 62 45 6 2 4

25-34 162 73 89 15 2 13

35-49 222 122 100 39 14 25

50 & above 158 87 71 28 7 21

239 Appendix'Table 32 - Distribution of Population by Age, Sex and Educational Level (Sample Population) - contd.

Uterate without educational level Primary

Age-group Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

8 9 10 11 12 13

All ages 208 93 115 206 111 95 0-4 9 4 5 5-9 70 38 32 1 10-14 28 13 15 65 37 28 15-19 7 5 2 28 12 16 20-24 17 9 8 16 10 6 25-34 18 7 11 33 16 17 35-49 16 9 7 37 18 19 50 & above 43 8 35 26 17 9

Appendix Table 32 - Distribution of Population by Age, Sex and Educational Level .(Sample Population)

Middle level Matriculation or Higher Secondary

All-group Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

14 15 16 17 18 19

All ages 154 81 73 184 121 63 0-4 5-9 10-14 8 5 3 15-19 31 13 18 42 24 18 20-24 26 12 14 26 18 8 25-34 31 15 16 38 20 18 35-49 41 23 18 50 33 17 50 & above 17 13 4 28 26 2

240 Appendix Table 32 - Distribution of Population by Age, Sex and EducatloMl t.veI (Sample PopulaUon) - concld.

Graduate and above Dip\oma equal to Degree

Age-group Persons Male. Females Persona MaJ •• Females

1 20 21 22 23 24 25

All ages 93 60 33 3 3 04 5-9 10-14 15-19 1 20-24 16 11 5

25-34 24 ~11 13 35-49. 38 24 14 1 50 & above 14 14 2 2

Appendix Table 32 - Distribution of Population by Age, Sex and Educational Level (Sample Population)

Diploma not equal to Degree Remarks

Age-group Persons Males Females

26 27 28 29

All ages 3 2 1 0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25·34 3 2 35-49 50 & above

241 Appendix Table 33 - Age at Marriage Related to Educational Level

Educational The member of married males with age at marriage :...eve I Below 14 14-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 4()-44 45+

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Illiterate 4 11 5 Ute rate without 2 13 4 educational level Primary 6 48 26 7 4 Matriculation or 3 16 24 15 5 1 Higher Secondary Diploma and. 2 1 Certificate Degree & above _I 7 18 13 5 I

Total 2 15 97 78 36 16

Appendix Table 33 - Age at Marriage Related to Educational level

Educational No of married females with age at marriage Remarks Level Below 14 14-19 20-24 25·29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45+

1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Illiterate 22 37 1 Utetate without 14 39 5 educational level Primary 8 63 26 2 Matriculation or 14 14 7 Higher Secondary Diploma and Certificate Degree & above 3 14 4

Total 44 156 60 15 1

242 Apppendix Table 34 - Mean Age at Marriage a. Related to leve' of Education ane TIme of Marriage

Educational Number of Married Mean age at Mariage of currently Mean age at marriage of currently Level males who Married married females who married

Males Females Earlier Within Within Earlier Within Within Remarks than 30 16-30 15 than 16-30 15 Years Years Years 30 Years Vears Years

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Illiterate 21 60 19.5 22.8 25.0 12.5. 14.0 15.5

Uterate 20 59 26.7 22.5 21.8 14.6 16.0 15.9 without level

Primary (inclu- 92 99 22.2 24.4 25.9 16.0 16.2 19.5 ding Under matriculation

School Final inclu- 69 36 24.4 26.6 29.7 21.0 18.2 22.0 ding Diploma or Certificate & Higher Secondary)

Degree & above 43 22 28.0 28.7 28.8 20.6 22.5 (including diploma equal to Degree)

Total 245 276 23.5 25.5 27.4 14.3 16.4 19.6

243 Appendix T8bIe S5 - Age at ...... Related to Sex IU\d Preaent Age

No. of Male, with age at Marriage

PI ...ntage Below 14-19 20-24 25-29 35-39 40-44 45+ 14

1 2 5 6 7 8 9

BIlow 14

14-24 1 5 ,

25-34 1 2 20 13 4

1 3 23 22 16 5

45-54 6 25 30 11 3

55+ 3 24 13 5 8 1

Total 2 15 97 78 36 16

AppendIx Table 35 - ~ at Marriage .. Re'ated to Sex and Present Age

No. of Females witt) age at marriage

Present age Below 14-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 45+ Remarks 14

1 10 11 12 13 14. 15 ~ 16 17 18

Below 14

14-24 22 7

25-34 9 7

35-44 9 44 16 7

45-54 4 15 9 1

55+ 22 37 3 1

Total 44 156 eo 15 1

244 Appendix Table 36 - Percentage of litera., Among lndMduei Scheduled Cut.. (1171 een. ...) In ~

Name of Number of persons Number of I~rat•• Percentage of li1era\ls Remarks Scheduled Castes Persons Male., Females Persons Males Females Persons MaJes Female.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Chamar (Muchi) 255 118 137 68 23 45 26.7 19.5 32.8

Oom 121 72 49 31 11 20 25.6 15.3 40.8

Dhobi 92 45 47 34 12 22 37.0 26.7 46.8

Mehtor 79 36 43 17 10 7 21.5 27.8 16.3

Jalia Kaibarta 60 51 9 21 18 3 35.0 35.3 33.3

Rajbansi 53 11 42 20 5 15 37.7 45.5 35.7

Keot 40 9 31 1 2.5 , 1.1

Bagdi 39 23 16 10 5 5 25.6 21.7 31.3

Mal 34 18 16 11 4 7 32.4 22.2 43.8

Koch 30 18 12 3 3 10.0 16.7

Bauri 29 12 17 10 3 7 34.5 25.0 41.2

Other Castes 87 53 24 23 19 4 26.4 30.2 16.7

Unspecified 534 332 202 287 198 89 ~.7 59.6 44.1

Total 1453 808 645 536 312 224 369 38.6 34.7

245 Appendix Table 37 - Percentage of Literates Among IndMdual Scheduled Tribe. (1971 Census) In Uttarpara - Kotrung

Name of Number of persons Number of literates Percentage of literates Remarks Scheduled Tribes Pe,rsons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males FemaJes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1.1

Oraon 73 41 32 22 18 4 30.1 43.9 12.5

Munda 64 40 24 5 4 1 7.8 10.0 4.2

Santhal 50 20 30 14 4 10 28.0 20.0 33.3

Unspecified 65 39 26

Total 252 140 112 41 26 15 16.3 18.6 13.4

246 Appendix Table 38 - Educatloftlll Standard Among Individual Scheduled c.sta and ScheduNcl Tribes (Sampfe Populadon)

Total Population Illiterate - Uterate without educational lev.I Name of ..... Communities Persons Males Females Persons Males Female. Persons Males Females

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

(A) SCHEDULED CASTES

Namasudra 21 12 4 4 8 4 4

Dhabi 20 8 12 6 2 4 7 3 4

Chamar 19 12 7 8 3 5 8 7 1

Jalla Kaibartta 12 5 1 9 3 6 2 2

Rajbanshl 10 2 8 4 3 2 2

Mehtar 10 5 5 7 2 5 1 1

Poundra 5 2 3 2 2 3 2

Bagdi 4 3 2 1

Rajwar

Sub-total 102 45 57 42 12 30 31 19 12

(8) SCHEDULED TRIBES

Oraon 11 3 8 9 2 7 2 1

Total 113 48 65 51 14 31 33 20 ~a

247 Appendix Table 38 - Educational Standard Among IndlvldWlI Scheduted c..ts and Scheduled Tribe. (Sample Population). - contd.

PrImary Middle School Final or Graduates and Higher Secondary above

Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Female

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

(A) SCHEDULED C4STES

Namasudta-' 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 3

Dhabi 4 2 2 2 2 1 1

Chamar 3 2 1

Jalia Kaibartta 1

Elajbanshi 4 3

Mehtar 1 1 1

Poundra ,

Bagdi 2 2

Rajwar 1 1

Sub-total 18 7 11 6 2 4 5 5

(8) SCHEDULED TRIBES

Oraon - .

Total 18 7 11 6 2 4 5 5

248 Appendix T__ 38 - Level of Utracy, eo-relmed wtth Mother Tongu.

Mother Total Population Hliterate Uterate without Primal)' Tongue aducationallevel

p M F P M F P M F P M F

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

\ Bengali 874 451 423 126 45 81 176 78 98 176 91 85

Hindi '15 67 48 27 12 15 28 11 17 25 18 7

Oriya 15 8 7 5 4 2 2 5 2 3

Telegu 8 4 4 4 3 2 2

Tamil•

Oroan 2 1 1 2

Total 1015 531 484 164 60 104 208 93 115 206 111 95

Appendix Table 39 - Level of Utracy Co-related with Mother Tongue

Mother Middle Matriculation or Graduates and above Diploma Equal to Diploma not equal tongue Higher Secondary degree to degree

p M F P M F P M F P M F P M F Remarks

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Bengali 137 68 69 168 110 58 86 54 32 3 3 2 2

Hindi 17 13 4 15 10 5 3 3

Oriya 2 2

Telegu 2 1

Tamil 1 - 1

Oroan

Total 154 81 73 184 121 63 93 60 33 3 3 3 2 1

249 Speakers of Subsidiary Languages

Bengali

Mother Total Speak.rs Knowledge of Subsidiary Number Edn. Score Tongu. Languag.s

Persona Male, Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Bengali 814 451 423 299 233 66 Hindi 1'5 67 48 105 66 39 99 63 36 1.4 1.6 10 Oriya 15 8 7 14 8 6 Telegu 8 4 4 8 4 4 Oraon 2 1 2 Tamil 1 1 1 1

Appendix Table 40 - Knowledge of Subsidiary Language. and Educationa' Score

Speakers of Subsidiary Languages

English Hindi

Mother Number Educational Score Number Educational $core Tongue, Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Bengali 7 4 3 3.6 3.0 4.3 182 145 37 2.0 2.1 1.9 Hindi Oriya Telegu Oraon Tamil

250 Appendix Table 40 - Knowledge of Subsidiary Languages and Educational Score - contd.

Speakers of Subsidiary Languages

Hindi and English Bengali and English

Mother Number Educational Score Number Educational Score Tongue Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

1 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Bengali 110 84 26 4.6 4.4 5.2 Hindi 6 3 3 4.0 5.0 3.0 Oriya 3 3 4.3 4.3 Telegu 5.0 5.0 Oraon Tamil

Appendix Table 40 - Knowledge of Subsidiary Languages and Educational Score

Speakers of Subsidiary Languages

Bengali and Hindi Bengali, Hindi and English

Mother Number Educational Score Number Educational Score Tongue Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

Bengali Hindi Oriya 6 4 2 0.8 1.3 Telegu 6 3 3 0.3 0.7 1 1 5.0 5.0 Oraon 2 1 Tamil 4.0 4.0

251 Appendix Table 40 - Knowledge of SubSldtary lAnguage. and Educational Seore - concld.

Speakers of Subsidiary Languages

Bengali, Hindi and Telegu

Mother Number Educational Score Tongue Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

50 51 52 53 55

Bengali

Hindi

Oriya 5 4 1.4 1.0 1.5

Telegu

Oraon

Tamil

252 Appendix Table 41- Distribution of Defaulting Househotds by easte, TrIbes and Community

Caste and Communl~ No. of house­ No. of household not No. of household having children of school going age

holds having any child

of school going age Male Female Both males

only only and females

2 3 4 5 6

Brahman 53 26 12 8 7

Kayastha 45 27 5 5 8

Saha 5 3 1 1

Tanti / 5 1 2 2

Barujibi 2 2

Sarnakar 3 1 2

Goala 4 2

Sadgope 3 3

Mahisya 8 1 4 3

Subarnabanik 1 1

Kumar 2 2

Ugra Kshatriya 1

Shaw 3 2 1

Baidya 1 1

Kurmi '1

Tambuli 2 1 1

Jugi 1 1

Napit 3 1 1 1

Kangsabanik 3 2

Gandhabanik 5 2 2

Chetri 5 3 1 1

Teli 4 2 2

253 Appendix Table 41 - Distribution 01 o.fauttlng Households by east.) Tribes and Community - contd.

Caste and Community No. of hoUS84 No. of household oot No. of household having children of school going age

holds having any child

of school going age Male Female Both males

only only and females

1 2 3 4 5 6

Paswan 1

Maheswari , ,

Agarwal 3 2 1

Khyandayat 1 ,

Telegu (Rao) 1

Kahar

Poundra 2 1 1

Dhoba 4 1 2

Bagdi 1

Rajbanshi 3 2

Jalia Kaibarta 2 1

Muehl (Chamar) 4 2 2

Mehtor 2

Namasudra 5 1 1 2

Rajwar 1 ,

Oraon 2 1 1 MUa!lm 6 4 1 1

Total 200 39 29 36

254 Appendix T.bl. 41 - Distribution of o.r.uitlng HouHholdI bye.... , Tribe. and Community - confd.

Caste and Botl'l Male & Female Children

Community No. of households> having but fall to send to school

Only male children Only temale children Only Only Both Remark,

but defaulting to but defaulting to male or female.

send to school send to' school acme or some

males females

All Some All Some

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

•Brahman

Kayastha 1 1

Saha

Tanti

Barujibi

Samakar

Goala 1

Sadgope

Mahisya 1

Subarnabanil<

Kumor

U"ra Kshatriya -

Shaw

Baidya

Kurmi

Tambuli

Jugi

Napit

Kangsabanik

, Gandhabanil<

255 Appendix Table 41 - Distribution of Defaulting Households by Caste, Trt~s and Community - concld.

Caste and Both Male & Female Children

Community No. of households ~aving but fail to to send to school

Only male children Only female children Only Only Both Remarks

but defaulting to. but defaulting to male or females

,send to school send to school some or some

males females

All -Some All Some

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Chetri

Teli

Paswan •

Maheswari

Agarwal

Khyandayat

Telegu (Rao)

Kahar 1

Poundra

Dhoba 2

. Bagdi

Rajbanshi

Jalia Kaibartta

Muchi (Chamar) 1

Mehtor 1

Namasudra

- Rajwar

Oraon 1

Muslim 1

Total 4 3 4 2 1 5

256 Appendix Table 42 - Distribution of HoUHhoids by locality a",d Place of birth of Head of Households

Locality Total No. of Number of heads of households who were born in

number of Non-

household migrant Same district Other Districts

household Hugly

(born in Midnapur Haora Barddhaman 24 Parganas

the town)

Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Uttarpara 64 13 6 , 2 2 1 5 3 3 1

Bhadrakali 62 12 5 2 5 1

Kotrung 74 9 2 2 1 1 5 2 1

Total 200 34 13 3 4 2 4 10 10 4 2

257 Appendix Table 42 - Distribution of Household. by locality and Place of birth of Head of Households contd.

o Locality Number of Heads of households who were born in

Other districts Other States

Nadia Bankura Purulia Murshidabad Calcutta Haryana Orissa

Rural Urban Urban Rural Rural Urban Rural Urban Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Uttarpara 3 4 3

Bhadrakali 1 1 3

Kotrung 2 1 1 2 2

Total 3 4 1 1 1 9 1 5

258 Appendix Table 42 - Distribution of Households by Locality and Place of birth of Head of Households - concld

locality Number of Heads of households who were born In

Other States Other countnes

Andhra Pradesh BIhar Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan Assam Deihl 8angla Desh

Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Urban Rural Urban

1 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

Uttarpara 1 3 1 8 2

Bhadrakah 7 1 16 5

Kotrung 1 7 7 24 3

Total 17 8 1 1 48 10

259 Appendix Table 43 - Distribution of Sample Poputatton by Plac. of BJrth

Place of Rural Peraons Mal••

Birth Urban

2 3 4 5

Referent Town 448 257 191

Hugli R 41 15 32

U 36 12 24

Haora R 15 7 8

U 36 16 20 Ba(ddhaman• R 17 11 6

U 5 2 3

Medinipur R 8 E 3

U 6 3 3

24 Paraganas R 12 8 4

U 29 7 ~ Bankura R 10 5 5

.U 3 1 2

Puruliya R 3 2

U

-Nadia R 10 5 5

U 14 7 7

Mu(shidabad R 3 2

U 1

Birbhum R 1 1

U

Calcutta U 97 49 48

Jalpaiguri R

U 1 1

260 Appendix Table 43 - Distribution of s.mp.. Population by Place of Bir1h contd.

Place of Rural Persons Males Females

Birth Urban

2 3 4 5

Other States U 41 27 14

Bihar R 3 2

Uttar Pradesh U 4 2 2

R

Andhra Pradesh U 6 4 2

R

Orissa U 7 6 _,_ R

Rajasthan U 28 13 15

R

Tamil Nadu U

R 1 1

Assam U 1 1

R 2 2

Delhi U 1

Haryana R 3 2 1

U

OTHER COUNTRIES

Bangia Desh R 97 49 48

U 19 12 7

Total 1015 531 484

261 Appendix Tabkl 44 - Migrant. by Place 01 La_t Residence and Duration 01 Stay In the Town

Place of Less than 1-5 6-10 11·20 21+ All

Last 1 Vear Years Vears Years Years Duration

Residence

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

HugJl R 1 1 10 11 23 100 U 3 16 4 10 21

Haora R 5 8 4 71

U 1 3 10 14 26

Barddhaman R 6 10 23

U 3 3

Medinipur R 2 4 13

U 4 3

24 Parganas R 1 1 5 5 63

U 2 10 16 15 8

Bankura R 5 3 10 U 2

Puruliya R 1 U

Nadia R 6 34

U 3 12 10

Murshidabad R 1 2 U

Birbhum Ft U

Jalpaiguri R 1

U

Calcutta U 7 15 19 57 51 149

262 Appendix Tabl. 44 - Migrants by Place of lAst Realdence and Duration of Stay In the Town - con~.

Place of Less than 1-5 6-10 11-20 21 + All

Last 1 Year Years Years Years Years Duration

Residence

2 3 4 5 6 7

Other States

Bihar R 2 20 12 39

U 2 2

Orissa R 1 4 7

U 1

Rajasthan R 1 2 3 5 4 15

U

Andhra Prodesh R 2 1 3

U

Uttar Pradesh R 3 4

U 1

Madras R

U

Assam R 1 7

U 5 ,

Haryana R 3 3

U

Madhya Pradesh R 2

U :2

Delhi U 2 :2

OTHER COUNTRIES

Bangia Desh R 4 16 34

U 14

Total 18 64 77 189 236 584

263 Appendix Table 45 - Migrants by Place of Last Residence and Educational Level

SI. Place of Rural Total Educational Level of the Migrants

No. Last or Number of

Residence Urban Migrants Illiterate Uterate with­ Primary Middle

out any level

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Elsewhere in

the District

Hugli Rural 46 16 10 10 7

Urban 54 10 7 11 6

2 Haora Rural 11 3 2 7

Urban 54 12 10 8 10

3 24 Parganas Rural 12 4 3 3 2

Urban 51 3 5 13 7

4 Calcutta Rural

Urbar. 149 15 30 22 29

5 Other Districts of

West Bengal Rural 40 6 9 3 5

Urban 45 2 7 14 5

Other States

6 Bihar Rural 35 15 3 5 6

Urban 4

7 Rajasthan Rural 15 5 3 3

Urban

8 Other Rural 16 4 3 3 1

States Urban 12 4

OTHER COUNTRIES

9 Rural 20 4 3 4 4

Urban 14

264 Appendix Table 45 - Mtgram. by Place of Last Residence and Educational Leve' - contd.

~. Placeof Rural Education Level of the Migrants

No. Last or

Residence Urban Matriculation Graduage and Technical Diploma not Percentage of

or Higher above Diploma equal equal to Degree Ute rate

Secondary to Degree

1 2 3 9 10 11 12 13

Elsewhere in

the District

Hugll Rural 3 74

Urban 7 13

2 Haors I, Rural 1 2 1 78.9

Urban 11 3

3 24 Parganas Rural 88.9

Urban 16 7

4 CaICtltta Rural 89.9

Urban 39 14

5 'Other Districts of

West ~ngal Rural 10 6 90.6

Urban 10 7

Other States

6 Bihar Rural 5 • 1 61.5

Urban 2

7 Rajasthan Rural 3 93.3

Urban

8 Other Rural 1 3 82.1

States Urban 4

OTHER COUNTRIES

9 Bangia Desh Rural 2 3 85.3

Urban 2 7 1

265 Appendix Table 46 - Place of Last Residence of Heads and their Duration of Residence In the Town

51. Place of Last Rural Total Duration of Residence In the Present Town

No. Residence of or No. of

Heads of Urban House­ Less than 1-5 6-10 11-20 21 years

Households holds 1 year Years Years Years and above

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Elsewhere in the District

Hugli Rural 11 1 9

Urban 12 2 2 2 6

2 Haora Rural 5 2 2

Urban 22 3 3 16

3 Bardhaman Rural 8 2 6

Urban 1

4 24 Parganas Rural 3 1 2

Urban 10 1 4 4

5 Nadia Rural 1

Urban 9 5 4

6 Calcutta Urban 38 3 3 11 21

7 Other Districts Rural 5 4

of West Bengal Urban 4 3

266 Appendix Table 46 - Place of Last Residence of Heads and their Duration of ResIdence In the Town -contd.

51. Place of Last Rural Total Duration of Residence in the Present Town

No. Residence of or No. of

Heads of Urban House­ Less than 1-5 6-10 11-20 21 years

Households holds 1 year Years Years Years and above

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Other States

8 Bihar Rural 12 5 7

Urban 2 2

9 Orissa Rural 4 4

Urban

10 Rajasthan Rural 3 2

Urban

11 Other States Rural 3 1

Urban 3

12 Other Countries Rural 9 8

Urban 2 2

Total Rural 64 2 15 46

Urban 103 8 9 26 60

267 Appendix Table 47 -;- Classification of the Migrant Workers by Occupational Division and Last Residence Occupational Division of the Workers

Number of workers in each occupational division

51. Place of Number of Professional Adminis- Clerical Sales Service Farmers Chemical Mechanical Transport

No Last Re~idence Workers by Sex and techni- trative workers workers and and pro- fitters equipment cal workers and exe- fisher- cessing and operators cutive men workers assemblers and cons- and mana- truction gerial workers workers

2 3 4 5 6 1 8 9 10 11 12

A Withm the State Hugh Male 26 5 2 7 2 3 5 2 Female 6 3 2 2 Haora Male 22 4 3 3 2 2 3 4 Female 3 3 3 Barddhaman Male 9 3 1 4 Female 2 4 24 Parganas Male 15 4 5 3 Female 7 4 1 5 Nadia Male 10 2 3 2 3 Female 6 Calcutta Male 40 2 4 10 10 2 9 2 Female 7 2 2 7 Other Districts Male 8 4 4 Female 3 2 OutSide West Bengal 8 Bihar Male 22 2 3 2 2 8 3 Female 6 2 2 9 Orissa Male 4 Femate 10 Rajasthan Male 5 3 Female 11 Other States Male 5 4 of India Female ~ 12 Other Countnes Male 10 3 4 Bangia Desh Female 2 2

Total Male 176 12 14 36 35 7 5 8 39 20 Female 38 4 2 4 2 18 2 5

268 Appendix Table 48 - Migrants by Size of Household. and Place of Birth

Place of Birth No. of Households having members of head of Household 1 2 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-12 13+ Total

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1 Non-Migrant Referent

Town 1 2 4 7 10 6 3 34

1 Hugli Rural 3

Urban 1 2 4 2 4 13

2 Haora Rural 1 3 1 2 10

Urban 2 4

3 Barddhaman Rural

Urban 3 5 2 10

4 Medinipur Rural 2 2

Urban 2 4

5 24 Parganas Rural 2

Urban 2 11

6 Bankura Rural 1

Urban 2 4 \ 7 PuruJiya Rural

Urban

8 Nadia Rural 1 2 3

Urban

9 ,Murshidabad Rural

Urban

10 Calcutta Urban 3 3 2 9

11 Other States Bihar Rural 3 3 2 2 5 17

Urban

269 Appendix Table 48 - Migrants by Size of Households and Place of Birth - contd.

Place of Birth No. of Households having members of head of Household 1 2 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-12 13+ Total

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 Orissa Rural 5

Urban 2 1

13 Uttar Pradesh Rural-

Urban

14 Rajasthan Rural 2 1 2 8

Urban 1

15 Assam Rural

Urban 1

16 Delhi Rural

Urban 1

17 Haryana Rural 2

Urban

18 Andhra Prodesh Rural

Urban

19 Madhya Prodesh Rural

Urban

Other countries

20 Bangia Desh Rural 2 6 4 13 11 6 2 48

Urban 2 3 2 10

Total 10 12 30 38 42 17 3 6 200

270 Appendix Table 49 - Households by Size and Place of Last of Residence of Heads

Place of Last Number of Households Having Members residence of Head of Household 2 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-12 13+ Total

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Non-Migrant 4 7 10 6 3 33

(PI in AT)

Hugli A 2 3 3 11

U 2 2 2 2 1 12

Haora A 2 5

U 2 2 6 5 4 22

Bardhaman R 1 3 1 2 1 8

U

Medinpur R 2 2

U 2

24-Parganas R 3

U 3 3 2 2 10

Bankura R 3

U

Nadia A

U 2 2 2 9

Murshldabad R

U

Calcutta u 4 8 9 11 2 38

271 Appendix Table 49 - Households by Size and Place of last of Residence of Heads -contri.

Place of Last Number of Households Having Members residence of Head of Household 2 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-12 13+ Total

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Other States

Bihar R 2 2 2 3 1 12

U 1 2

Orissa R 2 4

U

Rajastha,n R 2 3

Assam R

U 1

Delhi U

Haryana R

Andhra Pradesh R

Madhya

Pradsesh U

Bangia Desh R 4 2 9

U 2

Total 10 12 30 38 42 42 17 3 6 200

272 Appendix Table 50 - Distribution of Hou.ehokl. by MlgratJon Statu. and Duration of Stay of any Member who has stayed longest

No. of households with last residence in rural area and duration of stay of any member

who has stayed the longest

No. of ~otal No. of Non-Migrant house- Less 1-5 6-10 11-20 21+

Members Households hold and last Resi- than Years Years Years Years

dence in the town 1 year

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 3

2 12 4

3 30 4 6 5

4 38 7 3 6

5 42 10 3 6

6-7 42 6 12

8-9 17 3 B

10-12 3

13+ 6

Total 200 33 2 15 46

273 Appendix Table 50 - Distribution of Household. by Migration Status and Duration of Stay of any Member who hal Itayed Iongeat -contd.

No. of household with last residence in Urban area and duration of stay of any

member who had stayed the longest

No. of Total No of Non-Migrant house- Less 1-5 6-10 11·20 2H

Members households holds and last Resi- than Years Years Years Years

dence 1 year

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

10 1 1 3

2 12 1 1 3

3 3p 4 4 5 5

4 38 7 3 2 15

5 42 10 3 9 10

6-7 42 6 2 7 14

8-9 17 3 5

10-12 3 2

13 . 6 1 3

Total 200 33 8 9 26 60

274 Appendix Table 51 - Place of Last residence of Members related to Place of Birth Place of Last Residence

PJace of Birth Same as Place of birth Different from Place of birth ------.---- Males Females Males Females

1 2 3 4 5

Referent Town 250 181 7 10

Same District R 13 31 2 1

U 11 22 2

Other District

Haora R 7 6 2

U 15 19 1

Barddhaman R 8 5 3

U 2 2

Medinipur R 2 2 3

U 2 2 1 1

24 Parganas R 6 3 2

U 6 16 6

Ban k-u ra R 3 5 2

U 1 1

Puruliya R

U

Nadia R 3 2 2 3

U 6 7

Murshidabad R 1 2

U

Birbhum R

U

Jalpaiguri R

U

275 Appendix Table 51 - Place of Last residence of Members related to Place of Birth Place of Last Residence - conto.

Place of Birth Same as Place of birth Different from Place of birth

Males Females Males Females

2 3 4 5

Calcutta u 40 39 9 9

Other States

Bihar R 19 11 8 3

U 2

Uttar Pradesh R 2

U

Andhra Pradesh R 2 2

U

Orissa R 5

U

Rajasthan R 8 11 5 4

U

Tamil Nadu R

U

Assam R

U 2

Hanyana R

U 2

Deihl U

Bangia Oesh R 8 9 41 39

U 5 9 7 7

Total 426 386 105 98

276 Appendix Table 52 - Migration Stages of the Households Halling from Outside Member 0' Households Immigrating to the town In

Number of households migrating Place from where Number of the household household 1965 or earlier 1~1970 hailing Directly 2 stages 3 stages 4 or more Directly 2 stages 3 stages 4 or more from place stages from place stages of origin of origin

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Hugli R 11 7 U 2 Haora R 4 1 U 6 4 1 Bardhaman R 9 3 2 U Medinipur R 5 3 1 U 2 24 Pargonas R 4 2 U Calcutta U 6 3 1 Other Districts R 6 2 U 3 Outside the State Bihar R 18 8 2 2 2 1 U Orissa R 5 3 U Rajasthan R 8 2 2 U Other States R 5 1 U Outside India Bangia Desh R 53 11 20 4 6 2 U 9 3 4

Total R 41 27 7 2 6 12 4 U 13 5 2

277 Appendix Table 52 - Migration Stages of the Households Halling from Outside Member of Households Immigrating to the town In -contri.

Number of households migrating Place from where the household 1971-75 1976 and later hailing

Directly 2 stages 3 stages 4 or more Directly 2stag~s 3 stages 4 or more from place stages from place stages of origin of origin

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Hug/i R 1 U 1 Haora R 1 1 1 U 1 Barddhaman R 1 , U Medinipur R , 1 U 24 Parganas R U Calcutta U

Other Districts R ~ 1 U 2 Outside the State Bihar R 1 U Orissa R U Rajasthan R U Other States R 1 U Outside India BangIa Desh R 3 2 U 2

Total R 5 7 2 1 4 5 5 U 2 3 2

278 Appendix Table 53 - Broad Category of Places from where the Households hall, 11m. and reason for leaving the Place of O. !gb

Broad cate- Time of Number of Number of households leaving the place of origin because of gory of the migration house- places from from place holds In search High rent Educa- Difficulty Marriage Inherited In search Referent Partition where the of origin of live- derth of tion in reach property of better town riot in- households lihood space or ing place prospect being security hail accomo- of service place of of life & dation of occupa- service property tion oroccpn.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hugli Prior to 1966 10 5 2 . 1 1966-70 1971-75 "- 1976-8Z, 3

Haora Prior to 1966 4 3 1 1966-70 2 2 1971-75 2 1 1976-87 2 ,

Barddhaman Prior to 1966 5 2 2 1966-70 1 1 1971-75 2 1976-87

Medinip~r Prior to 1966 4 3 1966-70 - 1971-75 1976-87 2 1

24-Parganas Prior to 1966 2 2

1~66-70 1 1971-75 1976-87

Calcutta Prior to 1966 4 3 1966-70 1 1971-75 1976-87 1

Other Priorto 1966 4 2 2 r District 1966-70 1 1971-75 4 1 1 1 1 1976-87

279 Appendix Table 53 - Broad c.tegory 0' Place. from where the Households haU, tkne and reason for leaving the Place of Origin -eonld.

Ekoad cate- Time of Number of Number of households leaving the pl~ of origin because of gory of the migration house- places from froQ") place holds 1n search High rent Educa- Difficulty Marriage Inherited In search Referent Partition where the of origin of live- derth of tion in regard- property of better town riot in- households lihood space or Ing place prospect being security hail ac:como- of service place of of life & dation of occupa- service property tion ofoccpn.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 e 9 10 11 12

Other States Prior to 1966 10 9 of India 1966-70 5 4 Bihar 1971-75 1 , 197&-87 2 2

Orissa Prior to 1966 4 4 196e.70 1971-75 1976-87 1

I Rajasthan Prior to 1966 4 3 1 1966-70 1971-75 2 1976-87 2

Other States Prior to 1966 1 1 1966-70 3 2 1 1971·75 1976-87

Other Prior to 1966 43 2 3 '37 Countries 1966-7Q 9 2 6 1971-75 6 4 2 BangIa Desh 1976-87 4 2 2

Total 156 57 10 2 13 6 19 6 43

280 Appendix Table 54 - Broad Category of ~ from where the Houaeho" hall, time and ,.ason for migration for the referent town

Nurr ,bar of households migrating to the referent from because of

Bfoad cate- Peciodof Number In search Batter Const- Unique Edu- {nheri- Refer- Cheap Availa- gory of the migration of of Iive- Pros- ruction local at cation ted Pro- ent town & better bility plaCe8from to the house- lit}ood pects of own advant- pertyin being accord- accord- where holds town holCis hllm, ages of place of ingly ingly halls referent service refugees colony

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hug Ii Prior to 1966 10 3 3 , 1 1966-70 1971-75 1976-87 3 r

Haora Prior to 1966 5 2 1 1966-70 1 1 1971-75 2 1976-87 2 1 1 "

Barddhman . Prior to 1966 4 1 2 1966-70 2 2 1971-75 2 1 1 1976-87 1

Medinipur Prior to 1966 4 3 1 1966-70 1 1971-75 1976-87 2

24-Parg an as prior to 1966 :2 2

1~70 1 1 1971-75 1976-87 1 1

Calcutta Prior to 1966 4 1 2 1

1966-70 ~ 1971-75 1976-87

Other Prior to 1966 4 1 1 , District 1966-70 1 1971-75 4 1 1 2 1976-87

281 Appendix Table 54 - Broad Category of Places from where the Household. hall, time and reason for migration for the r.ferent tOWJ:l -oontd.

Number of households migrating to the referent from because of

Broad cate- Period of Number In search Better Const- Unique Edu- Inheri- Refer- Cheap Avails- gory of the migration of of live- Pros- ruction local at cation ted Pro- ent town & better bility places frorn to the house- lihood pects of own advant- pertyin being accord- accord- where holds town holds home ages of place of ingly ingly hails referent service refugees

col~ny

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Other States Prior to 1966 10 8 of India 1966-70 5 4 Bihar 1971-75 1 1976-87 2 2

Orissa Prior to 1966 4 3 1966-7Q 1971-75 1976-87

Majasthan Prior to 1966 4 1966-70 1971-75 2 1976-87 2 2

Other States Prior to 1966 1966-70 3 2 1971-75 1976-87 1

Other Prior to 1966 43 3 2 37 Countries 1966-70 9 2 2 2 2 1971-75 6 2 4 Bangia DeSh 1976-87 4 2 2

Total 156 28 15 12 28 2 6 19 7 39

282 Appendix Table 55 - Segment-wise Size of Households Average Size of Households

Name of Average Size of Househojds

segments

1951 1961 1971 1981 1987

Census Census Census Census Sample Survey

Uttarpara 7.1 5.8 5.1 5.1 5.0

Bhadrakali 5.6 5.0 5.3 5.0 4.7

Kotrung 7.8 5.1 5.7 5.1 5.5

Town as a whole 6.8 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.1

Appendix Table 56 - Composition of Household by Number of Members and Age of Heads

Age of head Number of Households Having members of Household

2 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-12 13+ Total

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Below

20 years

20-29 3 2 7

30-39 1 7 5 6 4 25

40-49 2 3 8 20 14 14 4 66

50-59 3 2 11 5 8 14 5 50

60+ 4 6 3 5 13 8 7 2 4 52

Total 10 12 30 38 42 42 17 3 6 200

283 Appendix Table 57 - Nature of Relationship of Members to head of Household

Number of households with migratiol'l' status of heads of households

SI. No. Nature of relationship of members

to head of households Non-migrent Migrant Total

1. Self 9 10

2. Self, spouse 8 9

3. Self, Spouse, unmarried

sons and daughtes 14 76 90

4. Self, spouse, one married 3 14 17

son and son's wife with or

without unmarried sons

and daughters

5. Self, spouse, married brother, 3 3

brother's wife, with or without

unmarried sons and daughters

6. Self, spouse, married brother,

brother's wife, married son,

son's wife with or without

unmarried son and aaughter

7. Self (male) unmarried 1 1 2

son/daughter

8. Self (female) u!'lmarried 12 13

son/daughter

9. Self, spouse, with or without 2 2

unmarried son/daughter and

widowed fathers

284 Appendix Tabte 57 - Nature 0' Relationship of Member. to heed of Hou.ehokI- conld.

Number of households with migration status of heads of households

51. No. Nature of relationship of members

to head of households Non-migrent Migrant Total

10. Self, spouse, with or without 7 18 25

unmarried son/daughter and

widowed mother

11. Self. (male) unmarried

brother/sister

12. Others (Specify)

(I) Setf. spouse, two or more 2 7 9

married sons, sons wives

(ii) Self, spouse, married 5 5

brothers, brothers wife

one of the parents

\ (hi) Self, spouse, unmarried 3 2 5

brothers and sisters

(iv) Self, spouse and married 1

brothers

(v) Self, spouse, married

father

(vi) Self, spouse, married son 1

son's wife, and mother

(vii) Self (widowed) and

widowed Sister

285 Appendix Table 57 - Nature of Relationship of Member. to head of HouMhoki - conoid.

NumDer of households with migration status of heads of households

SI. No. Nature of relationship of members

to head of households Non-migrent Migrant Total

(viii) Self, spouse, married son 1

(ix} Self, spouse, married 1 1

brother's son

(x) Self, (mafJiad) married 2 2

brother's son

(xi) Self (married) and father 1 1

sister's son (md)

(xli) Self, spouse and brother's 1 ,

widowed wife 33 167 200

Appendix Tab'e 58 - Households by Number of Members

Size group No. of Number of ME.. nbers Percentage of Percentage of

of household household household to Members to

Male Female total total

1 2 3 4 5 6

Member 10 6 4 5.0 1.0

2 Members 12 12 12 6.0 2.4

/ 3 Members 30 55 35 15.0 8.9

4 Members 38 86 66 19.0 15.0

5 Members 42 103 107 21.0 20.7

6-7 Members 42 139 121 21.0 25.6

8-9 Members 17 68 72 8.5 13.8

10-12 Members 3 19 13 1.5 3.1

13+ Members 6 43 54 3.0 9.5

Total 200 531 484 100.0 10~).Q

286 Appendix Table 59 - Distribution of Household by Composition According to Composition by Age and Sex of Members

Migration Adult Adult Adult Adult Adult Adult Total status male, rnale& male or female male & Female and place of Female female males or minor and minor birth of & minor only females male & male & head of male and only female females household female

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Referent town West Bengal 17 15 1 1 34 Hugli R 10 3 13 U 2. 3 Haora R 2 1 4 U 3 6 10 24-Parganas R 3 4 U 2 2 Barddhaman R 3 7 10 U Calcutta U 5 3 9 Other Districts R 8 2 10 U 4 2 7 Bihar R 10 3 4 17 U Orissa R 3 2 5 U Rajasthan R 7 8 U Other States R 2 2 5 U 1 Bangia Desh R 31 13 3 48 U 5 E 10

Total ~ 17 65 10 6 2 200

287 Appendix Table 60 - Type of Households by Ethnic Group., Distribution of Household. by Caste, Tribe,

Community of Head of Household

Type of Total No. of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household Household

hold Brahmin Kayastha Saha Tanti Barujibi Sarnakar

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Nuclear 99 26 22 2 3 2

2 Supplemented 37 10 9 1

nuclear

3 Sub-nuclear 15 4 5

4 Single person 10 2

5 Supplemented 1

Sub-nuclear

6 Collateral 3

joint

7 Supplemented 5 3

collateral

joint

8 Uneal joint 17· 4 4 2

9 Supplemented 1

lineal joint

10 Uneal 9 3 3 1

collateral

joint

11 Supplemented

lineal

collateral

joint

12 Other 3

(specify)

Total 200 45 5 5 2 3

288 Appendix Table 60 - Type of Houa.tK>kla by Ethnic Groups, Diatrlbutlon of Hou.. holda by east., Tribe,

Community of Head of Househ04d -contd.

Type of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household

Goala Sodgop Mashiya Subarna­ Kumor Vgra Shaw

banik Khatriya

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

1 Nuclear 3 5 2

2 Supplemented 2 1

nuclear

3 Sub-neuclear

4 Single person

5 Supplemented

sub-nuclear

6 Collateral

joint

7 Supplemented

collateral joint

8 Lineal jOint

9 Supplemented

lineal joint

10 Lineal

collateral

joint

11 Supplemented

lineal

collateral

joint ,

12 Other

(speify)

Total 4 3 8 1 2 1 '-..3

289 Appendix Table 60 - Type of Households by Ethnic Group., Distribution of Household. by c.ste, Tribe,

Community of Head of Household - contd.

Type of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household

8aidya Kurmi Tambuli Jugi Gandha Chettri Teli

Banik

1 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Nuclear 1 1 3 3,

2 Supplemented 1 2 1 1

nuclear

3 Sub-neuclear

4 Single person

5 Supplemented

sub-nuclear

6 Collateral

joint

7 Supplemented

collateral joint

8 Uneal jOint 1

9 Supplemented

lineal joint

10 Uneal

collaterat

joint

11 Supplemented

lineal

collater~.I

joint

12 Other

(specify)

Total 1 1 2 5 5 4

~ 290 Append'.)( Table 60 - Type 0' HouHholda by Ethnic GroulM. Distribution of Households by Caste, Tribe, Community of Head of Household -contd.

Typ. of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household

Paswan Mahaswari Agarwala Khyandyar Rao Kahar Poundra

(Telegu)

1 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

1 Nuclear 1 1 1

2 Supplemented

nuclear

3 Sub-neuelear

4 Single person 1

5 Supplemented

sub-nuclear

6 Collateral

joint.

7 Supplemented

collateral joint

8 Uneal jOint 1 9 Supplemented

lineal joint

10 Unaal

collateral

jOint

11 Supplemented

lineal

collateral

joint

12 dther 1

(specify)

Total 1 1 3 1 2

291 Appendix Table 60 - Type of Households by Ethnic Groups, Distribution of Households by Caste, Tribe,

Community of Head of Household - contd.

Type of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household

Dhoba Bagd Raj Bans Jeliaji Muchi Methor .Namasudra

Kaibarta (Chamar)

31 32 33 34 35 36

1 Nuclear 2 2 2

2 Supplemented 1

nuclear

3 Sub·neuclear 2 2

4 SlOgle person 1 1 1

5 Supplemented

sub·nuclear

6 Collateral

JOlOt

7 Su pplemented

collateral Joint

8 Llneal]olnt 1 1

9 Supplemented

lmeal Jomt

10 Lmeal

collateral

JOlOt

11 Supplemented

Imeal

collateral

JOint

12 Other

(specify)

Total 4 3 2 4 2 5

292 Appendix Table 60 - Type of ttouseholds by Ethnic Groups; Distribution of Households by Caste, Tribe,

Community of Head of Household - coneld.

Type of Number of households where head of the household belongs to

Household

Rajwar Oraon Muslim Napit Kansa

Banik

37 38 39 40 41

Nuclear 2 2 2 2

2 Supplemented

nuclear

3 Sub-neuclear

4 Single person 1 1 1

·5 Supplemented

sub-nuclear

6 Collateral

joint

7 Supplemented

collateral joint

8 Lineal joint \ 9 Supplemented

lineal joint

10 Lineal

collateral

jOint

11 Supplemented

lineal

collateral

joint

12 Other 2

(specify)

Total 2 6 3 3

293 Appendix Table 61 - Type of Households According to level of Education of Heads of Households

Broad levels Number Type of Households of education of house· of heads of holds Nuclear Inter­ Joint Others households mediate

2 3 4 5 6

Illiterate 33 15 6 1 11

Uterate Below 98 43 21 21 13

Matriculation standard

Matriculates 69 41 10 13 5 and above

Total .. 200 99 37 35 29

294 Appendix Table 62 - Co".a.tion of Type of Households wtth ~cupatlon of Heads of Households

SI. Type of occupation of Type of households

No. heads of households

Simple Intermediate Joint Others

(percentage) (percentage) (percentage) (percentage)

2 3 4 5

1. Unskilled labourers 57.7 19.2 23.1

2. Skilled labourers 66.7 11.1 11.1 11.1

3. Highly skilled and 87.5 12.5

~upeNisory staffs

4. Engaged in profession 58.8 17.7 23.5

5. Trade and business 56.7 23.3 20.0

6. Clerks and shop assistants 70.6 11.8 17.6

7. Retired and pensioners 21.0 26.3 47.4 5.3

8. Non-workers 21.0 15.8 63.2

Total 49.5 18.5 17.5 14.5

295 Appendix Table 63 - Type of Houaeholds Corelated with Mother Tongue and Heads

SI Mother tongue of Type of households

No heads of households

Simple Intermediate JOint Others

(percentage} (percentage) (percentage) (percentage)

2 3 4 5 6

Bengali 494 195 177 134

2 Hindi 524 191 95 19 a

3 Onya 400 200

4 Marwan 375 SOD 125

5 Telegu 1000

Total 495 185 175 145

296 Appendix Table 64 - Distribution of Households by Locality and District/State/Country of the Origin of Household

Locality Number of households with ongm of the heads of households

Same Same Medmlpur Haora 24-Parganas Barddhaman Calcutta Other

town Dlstncts Districts

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Uttar para 18 7 4 5 3 3 5

Bhadrakah 14 4 2 2 4 3 2

Kotrung 12 2 3 2 2 2

Total 44 13 7 10 4 9 6 9

Appendix Table 64 - Distribution of Households by Locality and District/State/Country of the Origin of Household

Locality Other States Other country

Bihar Onssa Rajasthan Other states Bangia Desh Total ofnumber of

Desh household

10 11 12 13 14 15

Uttarpara 3 3 1 11 64

Bhadrakah 7 21 62

Kotrung 8 2 7 3 30 74

Total 18 5 8 5 62 200

297 Appendix Table 65 - Particulars of Family Members Staying Outside by Age and Relation to Head of Households

Age-group Total number Number of members staying outside and related to head as of members Father Mother Unmarried Unmarried Unmarried Unmarried son daughter brother sister

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

0-9 23 6 5 10-14 12 4 5 15-24 32 14 6 2 25-34 12 3 35-59 15 3 60& 5 2 2 above

Total 99 2 5 27 16 3

Appendix Table 65 - Particulars of Family Members Staying Outside by Age and Relation to Head of Households

Age-group Number of members staying outside and related to head as Other relation

Husband Wife Married Married Son's Son's Male Female son son's wife sons daughters

9 10 11 12 13 ~ 14 15 16

J-9 1 2 4 5 10-14 3 15-24 5 5 25-34 4 2 2 35-59 9 1 60 and above

Total 1 9 5 7 1 2 8 13

298 Appendix Table 66 - Age of Houses In Different Segments

Name of Total Age of houses Segments number of houses More than 81-100 61-80 41-60 21-40 11-20 Upto studied 100 years years years years years years 10 years

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 Uttarpara 64 5 6 11 15 15 7 5

2 Bhadrakali 62 4 2 2 13 27 5 9

3 Kotrung 74 3 1 6 38 20 5

Total 200 12 9 14 34 80 32 19

Appendix Table 67 - Number of Selected Houses With Adioinlng Houses by Locality

Locality Number Number Number of separate houses with Number of separate houses without of of house- compound compound houses holds Number Problems Number Problems faced faced if any congestion

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

Uttarpara 64 64 19 Nil 16 9 Bhadrakali 62 62 14 Nil 27 10 Kotrung 74 74 23 Nil 17 13

Total 200 200 56 60 32

299 Appendix Table 67 - Number of Selected Houaes With Adjoining Houses by Locality locality No of houses whlcI'I are flats Number of houses which are floors In No of houses whIch are portions of houses In multI-fiat housing unit multi floor hOUSing unit Number Problems faced Number Problem Number Problem faced If any faced If any Lack of Unsatisfactory Privacy sanitary arragement

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Uttarpara 9 Nil 2 Nil 18 12 6 Bha,drakall 4 Nil Nil 17 9 8 Kotrung 13 Nil 4 Nil 17 7 10

Total 26 6 52 28 24

Appendix Table 68 - Distribution 0' Hou$etype. in Dinerent Location

Name of Total No of Number of households hVlng In BUlldmgs which are locality HOllSeholds Kutcha Pucca One­ Two Three Four houses houses storeyed storeyed storeyed storeyed

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uttarpara 64 6 7 12 34 5

Bhadrakall 62 2 16 23 21

Kotrung 74 ..11 8 31 18 5

Total 200 19 31 66 73 10

300 Appendix Table 89 - Distribution 0' Hou•• Type. by Predomlnan Materials

L.ocaJity Number Predominant materials of floor Pr~omlnant materials of wall of housea Mud Cement,. Mosaic Mud Brick or Split tile cement bamboo

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uttarpara 64 6 48 10 4 58 2

Bhadrakali 62 2 38 22 2 60

Kotrung 14 11 39 24 2 67 5

Total 200 19 125 56 6 185 7

Appendix Table 69 - Distribution of House Types by Predominan Materials

LbcaIity Predominant materials of roofs Predominant materials of ceiling Predominant materials of doors & windows Tiles C.1. Sheet R.C.C. Tin Wood Wood

1 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Uttarpare. 10 2 51 1 3 64

Btladrakali \ 12 3 44 3 4 62

Kotrung • 18 1 55 5 74

Total 40 6 150 4 1~ 200

301 Appendix Table 70 - Households etasalfted by Number of Member., number of Rooms and Locality

Locality Number of Total persons Number of Household with one room households rooms Males Females No. of Members Households Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uttarpara 64 164 153 157 24 52 55 Bhadrakali 62 159 130 132 21 36 36 Kotrung 74 -208 201 160 25 60 51

Total 200 531 484 449 70 148 142

Appendix Table 70 - Households Classified by Number of Mel'J'lber., number of Rooms and L()t,;ality

Locality Average Households with two rooms Average Households with three rooms No. of of members members No. of Members per room No. of Members per room House- House- holds Male Female holds Male Female

, 9 '0 11 12 13 14 15 16

Uttarpara 4.5 16 34 35 2.2 8 19 18 Bhadrakali 3.4 20 62 42 2.6 14 39 29 Kotrung 4.4 28 66 68 2.4 9 31 25

Total 4.1 64 162 145 2.4 31 89 72

302 Appendix Table 70 - Households C.... 1fled by NL'mber of Members. number of Rooms and locality - can'td.

Locality Average Households with four rC)oms Average No. Households with FIve rooms No. of of members members No. of Memb9rs per room No. of Members per room House- House- holds Male Female holds Male Female

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Uttarpara 1.5 7 23 15 1.4 4 17 11 Bhadrakali 1.6 6 18 18 1.5 1 4 5 Kotrung 2.1 6 28 24 2.2 3 1~ 18

Total 1.7 19 69 57 1.7 8 35 34

Appendix Table 70 - Households Classified by NlJmber of Member•• number of Rooms and locality - eaDcld.

Locality Average Households with six or more rooms Average of Flemarks No. of members members No. of Members per room per room House- holds Male Female

25 26 27 28 29 30

Uttarpara 1.4 4 17 19 1.2 One household with two male members has no regular room Bhadrakali 1.8 Kotrung 2.1 2 8 15 1.8 One household with one male member no regular room

Total 1.7 p 25 34 1.4 In tWo households with 3 male members has no regular room

303 Appendix Table 71 - Household. Classified by Number of Married Couple. with and Without member. aged five and more and members of room occupied by them

Classification Total Total number of members One room of households Number of households Male Female No. of No. of members house- holds Male Female

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

One Without other mem- 13 18 16 6 9 8 married bers aged-5 & above couple With other members 123 312 280 47 117 113 aged 5 & above

Two Without other mem- 1 2 3

married b~rs aged 5 & above couple With other members 23 89 72 6 4 , aged 5 & above

Three Without other mem- 1 4 3 married bers aged 5 & above couple With other members 7 37 46 aged 5 & above

Four Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With other members 2 17 15 aged 5 & above

Five Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With other members 1 8 11 aged 5 & above

Total 171 487 446 54 132 125

304 Appendix Table 71 - Household. Classified by Number of Married Couples with and Without members aged fiye and more and members of room occupied by them - contd.

Ctassification Twdrooms Three Rooms of households No. of No. of members No. of No. of memi?ers House- House- holds Male Female holds Male Female

1 2 9 10 11 12 13 14

lOne Without other mem- 4 6 5 married bers aged 5 & above I couple With other members 44 113 99 22 56 43 aged 5 & above

Two Without other mem- 1 2 3 married bers aged 5 & above couple lNith other members 4 14 11 aged 5 & above

Three Without other mern- a 27 26 man:ied bers aged 5 & above couple With other members 3 14 14 aged 5 & above

Four Without other mern- Married bers aged 5 & above Cquple With other members aged 5 & above

Five Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With othel\ members aged 5 & above

Total 56 146 130 30 86 71

305. Appendix Table 71 - Households Classified by Number of Married Couples with and Without member. aged flve and more and member. of room occupied by them - contd.

Classification of Four rooms Rve Rooms households No. of No. of members No. of No. of members House- House- holds Male Female holds Male Female

1 2 15 16 17 18 19 20

One Without otner mem- 3 3 3 married bers aged 5 & above couple With other members 7 20 17 2 3 aged 5 & above

Two Without other mem- married bers aged 5 & sQove couple With other members 4 14 11 4 19 12 aged 5 & above

, Three Without other mem- 1 4 3 married bers aged 5 & above couple With other members 2 13 16 1 5 4 aged 5 & above

Four Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With other members 1 10 aged 5 & above

Rve Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above

Couple -/ With other members 1 8 11 aged 5 & above ..,

Total 18 64 56 7 34 30

306 AppEtndix Table 71 - Households Classified by Number of Married Couples with and Without members aged five and more and

memb~rs of room occupied by them - cone/d.

Classification of Six rooms households No. of No. of members household Male Female

2 21 22 23

One Without other mem- married bers aged 5 & above couple With other members 2 4 5 aged 5 & above

Two Without other mem- married bers aged 5 & above couple

With other members 2 I 9 8 aged 5 & above

Three Without other merT1- married bers aged 5 & 'above couple With other members 5 12 aged 5 & abcive

Four Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With other members 7 9 aged 5 & above

Five Without other mem- Married bers aged 5 & above Couple With other members aged 5 & above

Total 6 25 34

307 Appendix Tabl. 72 - Househ6fds Classified by LocaRly and Per Capita Floor Space

Per capita floor space

Locality Total Total 1 sq. metre 2-3 sq. metre 4-5 sq. metre

No. of No. of

house­ mem~rs No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of

holds house­ members house­ members house­ members

hofds holds holds

1 2: 3 - 4 5 7 8 9

• .. Uttarpara 63 315 5 36 9 45 12 50

Bhadrakali 62 289 2 15 13 58 9 54

• Kotrung 73• 408 5 32 17 88 20 137

Totar 198 1-012 12 83 191 41 241

308 Appendix Table 72 - Households Cr.ssilled by locality and Per Capfta Floor ~ - coma.

Per capita floor space

Locality 6-9 sq. metre 1()"15 sq. metre 16-20 sq. metre 21 + sq. metre

No. of No. of No.ot No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of

house­ members house­ members house­ members house­ members

holds holds holds holds

1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Uttarpara 21 121 10 43 3 12 3 8

Bhadrakali 22 111 13 40 2 9 1 2

Kotrung 18 106 8 33 4 11 1 1

Total 61 338 31 116 9 32 5 11

Note: One household in Uttarpara with two members and another household in Kotrung with one member have no regular room at

their disposal.

309 Appendix Table 73 - Availability of Amenities by locality

Locality No. of Having/ Kitchen Bath- Lavo- Source Water Elect-

house- Not room tory of for ricity

hold having drink- washing

king

water

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Uttarpara 64 Not having 7 4 3 6 4 16

Having

separately 55 40 41 43 40 35

Shares with

others 2 20 20 15 20 13

Bhadrakali 62 Not having 6 4 4 17

Having

separately 52 43 42 43 20 30

Shares with

others 4 15 16 18 41 15

Kotrung 74 Not having 8 6 5 9 4 24

Having

separately 61 47 46 39 42 33

Shares with

others 5 21 23 26 28 17

Total 200 Not having 21 14 12 16 9 57

Having

separately 168 130 129 125 102 98

Shares with

others 11 56 59 59 89 45

310 Appendix Table 74 - Tenural Status of Householas

Locality Total No. of Number of households living in houses Number of

households house hold

Owned Rented allotted Forcibly having not

Occupied regular room

2 3 4 5 6 7

Uttarpara 64 30 30 3 1

Bhadrakali 62 41 16 3 2

Kotrung 74 44 26 3

Total 200 115 72 9 2 2

311 Appendix Tabl_ 75 - Rang- of Monthly Rentals Associated with Number of Rooms Occupied by locality - Number of households -

Paying Monthly rents

Name of No. of house­ Number of Upto Rs 51 to Rs 101 to Rs 151 to As 201

Locality holds living rooms Rs50 100 150 200 250

in rented houses' occupied

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Uttarpara 30 1 room 10 4

2 rooms 2 2

3 rooms

4 rooms 1

5 rooms or

more room 1

2 Bhadrakali 16 1 room 7 4

2 rooms 2

3 rooms

4 rooms

5 fOOIlAS or

more room

3 Kotrung 26 1 room 4 6 4 2

2 rooms 2

;3 rooms

4 rooms

5 rooms or

more room

312 Appendix Table 75 - Range of Monthly Rentals Associated whh Number of Room Occupied by LocaUtv ~ Numb., of household.

Paying Monthly rents - contd.

Number of house­ No. of house- As. 251 to As 301 to Rs 401 to Ra501 to

Locality holds living in rooms 300 400 500 and rented houses occupied above

2 3 9 10 11 12

1 Uttarpara 30 1 room 1

2 rooms 2 1 1

3 rooms 1

4 rooms

5 rooms or

more room

2 Bhadrakali 16 1 room

2 rooms 1 1

3 rooms

4 rooms

5 rooms or

more room

3 Kotrung 26 1 room

2 rooms 3 1 1

3 rooms 1

4 rooms

5 rooms or

more room

313 Appendix Table 76 - ExJstance 0' Furniture by Locality and Durations of Stay In the Present Residence

Locality Duration of Total No. of Chair Table Bed stead Almirah

stay in the No. of House-

present house- holds

residence holds having

furniture

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uttarpara Less than 1 Year

1-4 years 2 2 2 2 2

5-9 years 3 2 2 2 3

10+ years 59 5 43 35 31 36

Bhadrakali, Less than 1 Year

1-4 years 2 1 1 1

5-9 years 2

10+ years 58 2 37 35 28 29

Kotrung Less than 1 Year

1-4 years 2 2 2 2 1

5-9 years 4 3 3 3 3

10+ years 68 2 42 34 29 35

Total 200 11 132 114 98 110

314 Appendix Table 76 - Exlstance of Furntture by Locality and Durations of Stay In the Pr•• ent Residence - contd.

Locality Duration of Cot Dressing Sofa Dining

stay in the table tabkJ

present

residence

2 9 10 11 12

Uttarpara Less than 1 Year

1-4 years

5-9 years 1 2

10+ years 22 16 8 8

Bhadrakali Less than 1 Year

1-4 years

5-9 years 1

10+ years 27 14 9 8

Kotrung Less than 1 Year

1-4 years 1

5-9 years

10+ years 39 16 8 10

Total 91 49 25 28

315 Appendbr. Tab" 77 - Mater.als of UtenSl's tor =servIng fOOd and Also for drinking purposes by Locality

Name of Percentage of households whef. materials of utensils are as follows • Locality Only stain- Stainless Stainless Aluminium, Aluminium, less steel steel and steel & brass German silver & enamel and bell metal stainless steel German silver

1 2 3 4 5 6

Uttarpara 7.8 65.6 3.1 12.5 11.0 BhadrakaJi 9.7 64.5 1.6 6.5 17.7 Kotrung 8.P·- 51.3 17.6 6.8 16.2

Total 8.5 60.0 8.0 8.5 15.0

Appendix Table 78 - Different Items of Ught and Fuel

Name of Different items of light Different items of fuel locality Percentage of household using Percentage of hcusehold using

Electric Hurricane Kerosene Uquid petro- Coal Coal Kerosene Wood lamps lantern lamp leum gas bricKet stove

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Uttarpara 75.0 14.1 10.9 31.2 39.1 21.9 7.8 BhadrakaJi 72.6 14.5 12.9 24.2 37.1 33.9 4.8 Kotrung 67.6 20.3 12.1 23.0 40.5 29.7 4.1 2.7

Total 71.5 16.5 12.0 26.0 39.0 28.5 5.5 1.0

316 Appendix TabS. 79 - Presence of Luxury" CosUy Good. by Locality

Locality Total No. of Wrist Table Radio Tele- Grama- Tape recorder Sewing Rafri- Moped or

No. of households watch clock vision phone or Record machine gerator Motor

house- possessing Player cycle

holds no costly

goods

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Uttarpara 64 5 58 9 57 29 2 24 3 17 2

Bhadrakali 62 8 50 39 47 18 11 2 13

Kotrung 74 7 64 40 60 25 15 1 13

Total 200 20 172 88 164 72 2 50 6 43 2

317 Appendix Tab" 80 - Location of Slum. by Type

Name of Total Type of slums Location of slums. by wards Approximate Remarks locality number No. of house· of Type Number holds living slums in the slums

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uttarpara 10 Large Lawrence Street and 250 Chanditala Road Junction in Ward No. II

Medium 2 Talpukur slums in Ward 325 No. VI and Harijan quarters inWard No. V

Small 4 Shib Narayan Road in 165 (Ward No.1) Pros Quarters Ward No. III on the bank of river Hugli (IV) facing the National Highways, Railway side Jhupri (V)

Very 3 Banerjee Para Road 60 small (III) Bazar Area of Ward No. rv Dhoba Pukur slum in Ward No.lI

800

Badrat

Medium 1 Along the Railway traok 180 around a Jhil in Ward No. XIU, to the west of Makaltala

Small 5 In the vicinity of 275 Kanthal Bagan Market area of households and traders. Railway side shanty in Ward No. X, Refuger Settle on forcible occupied land \ on northern side B.P.N.B Sarani (XII) Junction of Sibtala and D.J. Road, A shanty of non-Bengalis in Ward No. 13

318 Appendix Table 80 - Location of Slums by Type - contd.

Name of Total Type of slums Location of slums by wards Approximate Remarks locality number No. of house- of Type Number holds living slums in the slums

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Very 11 Hutments of Kumor & 245 small Patna in IX Several Pockets jn Ward Xli & brick field quarters

700

Kotrung 20 Large

Medium

Small 9 In Junction of New 355 Station Road and Battala By lane (14) 8 Brick Fields quarters in 16,18,19 wards

Very 11 One Shanting in Rabindra 245 small Nagar in 16, Near Sarna Bright wire on National Highway, Oraon hutment in XVII, 8 Brick Fields Shanting in 16, 18, 19 Wards

600

Total 47 47 2100

319 Ap~ndix T.ble 81 - Distribution of tfousehold. In Slums by Number of Members

Name of the Total Number of houeholds having members Slum No. of hOuse- Single 2-3 4-5 6-7 Band Total Average Remarks hoids members members men}bers - more number of size of studied members members family

1 3 4 5 ( 7 8 9 10

Lawrence 10 6 4 53 5.3 Street slum

Talpu~rn slum 10 2 4 3 1 33 3.3 Brick field 10 1 4 4 1 36 3.6 workers' shanty

Total 30 3 a 13 5 1 122 4.1

Appendix Table 82 - Ty,... of Households in Selected Slums

Name afthe No. of Type of households Slum house- holds Incom- Simple 'nter- Joint lnstitu- Remarks studied plete mediate tional

2 3 4 5 6 7 a

1 Lawrence 10 8 1 1 Street slum 2 Talpukur slum 10 4 5 1 3 Brick field 10 4 6 workers'shanty

Total 30 8 19 2 1

320 Appendix Table 83 - Participation Rate Among Slum-Dwellers

Name of the P~pulation Workers Percentage of Workers Remarks Slums PF.lrsons Males Females Persons Males Females Persons Males Females

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1 Lawrence 53 28 25 26 15 11 49.1 53.6 44.0 Street slum

2 Talpukur slum 33 17 16 17 10 7 51.5 58.8 43.8

3 Brick field 36 20 16 19 12 7 52.8 60.0 43.8 workers' shanty

Total 122 65 57 62 37 25 50.8 56.9 43.9

Appendix Table 84 - Type of Occupation of the Slum Dwellers

Name of the No. of Number of Male workers engaged as Slums of male workers Workers Workers SeUer of Rickshaw SeUer of Worker in Sweepers in Hind inSWIL cow dung puller phuchka Live stock Motor factory cakes firm

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Lawrence street Slum 15 1 2 1 2 2 1

Talpukur slum 10 Brick field working shanty 12 3

Total 37 2 2 5 2

321 Appendix Table 84 - Type of Occupation of the Slum Dwellers - contd.

Name of the Number of Male workers engaged as Slums Workers Workers Hakares Owner Seller Worker Night of small of scrap of scrap of a of vege- in const- gaurd shops coal iron. khatal tables ruction paper & (live of home glasses Stock firm)

1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Lawrence street 2 Slum falpukur slum 1 1 4 ,

Brick field working shanty

Total 2 2 1 5

Appendix Table 84 - Type of Occupation of the Slum Dwellers

Numbers of male workers engaged as Number of female workers engaged as

Name of the Jute mill Worker Worker Number Casual worker Seller Maid worker Remarks Slums worker in rn elec- of female attand- in brick of vege- service in cons-

brick trical workers ant In field tables truction field repairs hospital as helper -- 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Lawrence street 11 11 Slum

Talpukur slum 7 4 1

Brick field 8 7 7 working shanty

Total 8 25 7 15 1

322 Appendix Table 85 - Detailed Activities of Some Important Clubs

Name of the Nature of the Location Important Year of Number of Whether Nature of Remarks Club, asso- Organisation persons establish- Members possesses Activities ciation or associated ment own room organisation or ground

2 :3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ideal SocIety Atheletlc NatIonal Santosh 1961 250 Rental club OrganIses Indoor OrganIses vanous

of Youth SOCial and HIghways (2) Mukharjee(P) room games and annual SOCial actlvltes.

cultural club Uttarpara Kaslnath No play sports blood donation

BanerJee(S) ground camp and speCIal

help to poor and

kall pUja

ProgressIVe ·do- Harendra 1928 100 Own Club Orgamses bO)(lng -do-

SOCIety Saranl, room other games and

LJllarpara sports

Ullarpara Gymnastic Ward No 8 Amblka Pada 1928 200 Own Club room Organises gymnastic Anusllan Samltl

GymnasIum Sports Club Uttarpara Maltra (P) but uSlOg be- and phYSIcal actlvlt,es other wing club

Club Saml( OasIS) long to other and sports for the looks after sports

IUntOr

UnIted Atheletlc do Shaktl 1955 200 Own room dnd Organtses mdoor OrganIses various

Cultural Culturdt MUkharJee (Pf playground and outdoor games, SOCIal actIVIties

Club tRegd.1 Club Basudev and also knockout cultural programmme

Roy(S) tournament and commercial workS

Shtlamandlf Atf1eletlc & Jay Krtsllna Pronab 1943 200 Own room Organises phYSical The club has setup

Club PhyslCrl Street, BanerJee(S) Uses others exercise and vanous a Kall Temple near

fxerCls'" Uttarpata ground outdoor games and also the club

C, ... b partiCipates In local

tournaments

Uttarpara Athelellc Club At Junella" An)an 1970 51 R~nted club Organises vanous Organls~'s NG

Young Star of R K Streel MUKhar)ee :PI room but own Indoor and outdoor party and arranges

al'ld B '" Gururlas play ground games blood d"nal>on campi

Street Datta (S,

Nabarun Sangha AthletIC 8- N Avenue Sukhen<:l" 1964 100 Own Club room OrganIses various Organises Soc,al

(Regd I Sports C,ub Uttarpa,,, Banerjee (p) uses M. Uddyle sports and partiCIpates actiVitIes and N.G

In SubdIVision tour- groups

nament and also

practice Band party

323 Appendix Table 85 - Detailed Activities of Some Important Clubs - contd.

Name of the Nature of the Location Important Year of Number of Whether Nature of Remarks

Club, asso- Organisation persons establish- Members possesses Activities clation or associated ment own room organisation or ground

2 3 4 6 7 8 9

Ch,rantan Orgamses RaJe(ldra 1977 70 No room or Orgamses social Organises commun,ty

Club soc,al works Avenue, ground actiVities, such as Kahpuja

UUarpara NIght Vlgelence. help

to poor pallents In

hospitals, arranges

donation of blood

Young SOCIety Athletic club Chandltala Rablndra 1971 laO No club room

(NetaJi Street, Nath but uses

Brigade) Uttarpara Banerjee (P) hosp,tal

(Retd) ground

SanJay

Chakravorty is}

SUJ,t Guha (S)

Rambow Athletic club Dr SaraJ Bldyut 1965 50 Uses hosp,tal Organises mainly outdoor OrganIses cultural

Spowng Club Mukherjee Karmakar (S) ground games programmes

(Regd 1 Street,

Utlarpara

Saraswat, PhYSical Mohanlal AK 1923 75 Own bUlldlf\9 Organises phYSical and Won Lawels If\ the past

Sansad E)(ercise Club MUkhefJee MUkherJee, (P) Instrumental exerc,ses In 'Hugh Shree',

Road T K Sarkar (S) 'Hercuhcs of India'

Uttarpara

324 Appendix Table 86 - Selected Dance, Drama, and Musical Groups

SI. No. Name of Organisatibn/lnstitution Type Location Remarks

2 3 4 5

1. Agragami ShiJpa Man Dramatic Organisation Shadrakali 2. Amora Natya Sangastha -do- Uttarpara 3. Cine Club Organiser of Cinema Show -do- 4. ShHpa Sangaskrithi Dance and Drama Bhadrakali 5. Chhaya Nat Musical School -do- -do- 6. Unit Theatre Theatre Uttarpara 7. Boisakhi Gosthi '-do- -do- B. Theatre Procenium -do- -do- 9. Friend's Unit Natya Gosthi Drama & Theatre Bhadrakali 10. Aleakash Musical Sorle UUarpara 11. Unit Natya Sangastha Drama & Theatre Bhadrakali 12. Cultural Unit Classical Muslfaf"'functions Uttarpara 13. Mitra Nir Cultural programme Uttarpara 14. Uttarpara Kalayan Samity Variety of Cultural functions Uttarpara 15. Sur-O-bani Dance, Drama & Music -do- 16. Sangeet Chakra Musical functions -cto- 17. Chhandabitan Variety cultural functions -do- 18. Sur-O-Sharati Dance, Drama & Music -do- 19. Rupa Kalpa Cultural programme in motion (train, bus, cars etc.) -do-

325 Appendix Table 87 - Details of Newspapers and Journals Circulated In the Town

SI Name of newspaper and Journal Frequency of Language Approximate Remarks rio circulation numbers circulated

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ananda Bazar Patnka Dally Bengali 2500 2 Jugantar Dally Bengali 800 3 Ajkal Dally Dally Bengali 1100 4 Statesman Dally English 800 5 The Telegraph Dally English 200 6 Amnta Bazar Patnka Dally English 70 7 Bartaman Dally Bengali 800 8 Dalnlk Basumatl Dally Bengali 250 9 Ganasaktl Dally Bengali 500 10 Kalantar Dally Bengali 50 11 The Times of Il"dla Dally English 20 12 The Economic Times Dally English 20

13 The Blitz I Weekly English 30 14 The Illustrated Weekly Weekly English ,20 15 Sportsworld Weekly English 40 16 Sportsweek Weekly English 50 17 Sportstar Weekly E!l9llsh 50 18 Desh Weekly Bengali 525 19 Panbartan Weekly Bengali 450 20 Anandalok Weekly Bengali 300 21 Sukanya Fortnightly Bengali 100 22 Pratlskhan Weekly Bengali 100 23 Sanmarg Dally Hindi 250 24 Damlk Biswamitra Dally Hindi 200 25 Sananda Fortnightly Bengali 75 26 Monorama Fortnightly Bengali 50

326 Appendix Table 88 - o.mograpbic Ch.,acwlstlc•• 0' the North-Western Metropolitlon Region 1181 Census

Name of the Area in Percentage of area Population Sex D.codal Density Constituent Sq. kms !=\atio growth per sq. parts Rural Urban Persons Males Females rate kms.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Calcutta 104.0 100.0 3,305,006 1,930,320 ',374,686 712 5.0 31,779

Haora City and 75.2 100.~ 947,023 538.166 406.857 760 21.9 12,$87 Bally

Serampore 414.4 87.3 12.7 909,387 484,301 425,086 878 25.5 2,194

North Western 593.6 60.1 39.9 5,161.416 2,952,737 2,208,629 747 11.3 8,694 Metropolitan Region

Uttarpara- 7.25 100.0 79,598 41,726 37,812 908 17.8 10.971 Kotrung

Appendix Table 88 - Demographic Characterlstices of the North-Western Metropolitlon Region 1981 Census

Name of the Ratio of Percentage of Percentage of Percentage of Percentage of R Constituent households lierates Urban total sch. castes to schedule tribes E parts to house population population to population M A R K S

11 12 13 14 15 16

Calcutta 1.02 69.1 100.0 4.5 0.1

Haora City and 1.02 65.2 100.0 4.6 0.3 Bally

Serampore 1.00 57.0 52.1 14.0. 1.1

North Western 1.0 66.3 84.4 6.2 0.3 Metropolitan Region

Uttarpara. 1.0 76.5 100.0 3.7 0.3 Kotrung

327 AppendIx Table 89 -Economic CharacMrlstica of NorIh-Weatern Region (1981 Census)

Name of the Percentage of main and marginal workers Percentage of main workers engaged in constituent parts Total Males Females Cultivations Agriculture Household Other work Remarks labour industry

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Calcutta 35.2 55.7 6.3 0.3 0.2 1.7 97.8 Trade, Mfg., and other service

Haroacity 30.7 51.9 2.90 0.3 0.4 2.6, 96.7 Mfg. Trade and Transport

Serampore 28.7 49.8 4.7 10.5 13,2 5.9 70.4 Mfg. cultiva- tion and other service

- North-Western 33.3 54.1 5.4 1.8 2.2 2.5 93.5 Metropolitan Region

Utt8rparaj -Kotrung 27.5 47.9 5.0 0.1 0.3 3.2 96.4 Mfg. other service & Trade

328 Appendix Table 90 - Economic and o.,mographlc Characters of Adjoining Urban Centre

Name of Area Population Sex ratio Percentage Percentage Density Urban Unit of literate of workers of population sq kms

2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Calcutta 1040 3,305,006 712 691 352 31,779

2 Haora 5174 744,429 766 651 306 14,388

3 Bally(M) 11 81 117,735 703 644 345 12,509

4 Serampore (M) 588 127,.304 804 672 294 21,650

5 Rlshra(M) 648 81,001 693 550 319 12,500

6 Uttarpara Katrung- 725 79,598 908 765 275 10,971

7 Baldyabatl (M) 906 70,573 919 677 250 7,790

8 Bally(N M) 1168 54,859 841 685 268 4,697

9 Konagore (M)

10 Nabagrkm Colony 433 51,211 845 673 271 11,827 (N M) 254 17,550 880 821 277 6,909

11 Makhla (N M) 533 14,800 783 618 348 5,491

12 Mngala (N M) 398 9,112 870 646 270 2,289

13 Monoharpur 214 8019 900 567 260 3,747 (N M)2 12

14 Begampur (N M ) 212 7,007 919 627 275 3,305

15 Kotrung (N M) 376 4,769 550 718 380 1,268

329 Appendix Table 90 - Economic and Demographic Characters of Adjoining Urban Centre

Name of Percentage of Percentage of Workers engaged In Clases of Remarks Urban UOit Sc &ST Town CaltlvatlOn Agriculture Household Others Labour Industry

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Calcutta 47 03 02 1 7 978

2 Haora 4J 03 04 29 964

3 8ally(M) 39 o 1 01 13 985

4 Serampore(M) 54 01 03 29 967

, 5 Rlshra(M) 60 o 1 1 2 987 II

6 Uttarpara- Kotrung 40 01 03 32 964 II

7 Baldyabatl (M) 88 15 37 39 909 II

8 8ally(N M) 107 06 19 19 956 JJ

9 Konagore(M) 46 1 0 990 II

10 Nabagram Colony (N M) 19 10 07 1 1 972 IV

11 Makhla (N M) 244 07 23 07 963 IV

12 Mngala (N M) 11 9 16 50 25 909 V

13 Monoharpur (N M) 85 13 62 24 901 V

14 8egampur (N M) 125 32 27 234 707 V

15 Kotrung (N M) 38 04 02 994 VI

330 Appendix Table 91 - Marital Zone

Segments of Total No. of No. of marri- Number of marriages taking place within a radios of Population I'l_larriage age taking studied place within 5 kilometers , 0 kilometres the referent forms Rural Urban Rural Urban

2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Old and Original setters 52 8 1 3 2 15

2. Migrants 30 5 2 2 1 hailing from different parts of West Bengal

3. Migrants 14 3 2 hailing from other States

4. Migrant 74 9 2 2 25 hailing from Bangia Desh

Total 170 25 2 7 6 43

331 Appendix Table 91 - Marital Zone - contd.

Segments at Number of Marriages taking Place within a radious of population 20 Kilometres 30 Kilometres 40 Kilometres

Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban

a 9 10 11 12 13

1. Old and 2 original Settlers

2. Migrants 2 2 hailing tram different parts of West Bengal

3. Migrants hailing from other States

4. Migrant 1· 3 2 3 2 4 hailing from Bangia Desh

Total 5 5 3 3 3 ~

332 Appendix Table 91 - Marital Zone - cone/d.

Segments of Number of Marriages taking Place within a radlous of .population 50 Kilometres , 00 Kilometres More than 100 Kilometres Remarks

Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 Old and 3 2 anginal Settlers

2 Migrants 3 2 3 hailing from different parts of West Bengal

3 Migrants 7 hailing from other States

4 Migrant 2 4 3 2 hailing from Bangia Desh

Total 3 4 6 6 11 4

Appendix Table 92 - Travel Index .. Travel Index In respect of

Name of locality Persons Males Females Remarks

1 2 3 4 5

Uttarpara 6881 7285 6453

2 Bhadrakall 6487 6764 6147

3 Kotrung 4490 4764 4206

Total 5819 6153 5453

333 Appendix Table 93 - Characteri$\lc$ of Rural Zone

51. Name of the Distance Name of Population Sex Ratio Deasity Percentage No. village from town Police Station per sq. km. of literacy

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1. Raghunathpur 3 Uttarpara 5,504 912 3.677 50.4 2. Kharial 3 Chandi- 1,916 994 1.554 52.4 tala 3. Kalipur (JL 99) 6 -do- 1,584 904 3,007 56.0 4. Krishnapur 6 -do- 4,171 952 2.363 477 5. Garalgacho 6 -do- 3,555 953 3,536 76.1 6. Chanditala 9 -do- 2,847 816 2,498 60.5 7. Janal 12 -do- 8,729 926 2,210 60.7 8. Ramnathpu( 12 ·do- 5,179 946 1,301 55.4

Appendix Table 93 - Characterlstic$ of Rural Zone - contd.

51. Name at Percentage Percentage Percentage of workers in No. village or Sc/St of workers Cultivation Agriculture Household Other labour Industry Workers

9 10 11 12 13 14

f: Raghunathpur 72.1 32.6 17.6 5.0 4.5 72.9 2. Kharial 31.1 24.2 18.1 17.8 0.7 63.4 3. Kalipur (JL 99) 19.9 25.3 0.8 4.8 94.4 4. Krishnapur 20.4 24.0 19.1 14.2 0.8 65.9 5. Garalgcho 23.2 0.2 4.2 0.8 94.8 6. Chanditala 22.4 30.1 4.0, 14.1 2.1 79.8 7. Janai 14.7 27.0 8,4 15.9 6.0 69.7 B. Ramnathpur 18.5 2B.2 21.9 24.1 5.6 48.4 Appendix Table 93 - Characteristics of R~ral Zone

SI Name ofihe Education Medical Post office Tram, Bus Road & Market faCIlity No Village faCIlity faCIlity facility faCIlity ElectriCity faCIlity

15 16 17 18 19 20

RagMunathpur P3,M PO BS PREA

~ 2 Khanal P PREd . 3 Kalrpur (JL 99) P BS PR,ED Dally market

4 Knshnapur P. BS ED,PR . 5 Garalgcho M,H RP2 PO BS PR, ED Dally market PUC

6 Chandltala P2 . PHC PTO BS ED, PR Phone . 7 Janal PMH HCRP PO+ as,RS ED,PR Phone 8 Ramnathpur PM* RP P05 BS PR, ED

Education facility: Medical facility: Train bus facility: Road facmt~ \

P- Pnmary School - (I to IV) RP - Registered Pnvate Practltlons as - Bus PR Pucca road M- Middle School - N to VIII) PHC Primary Health Center R S - Railway Station H- High School - (IX to Xl H - Hospital PUC- HIgher Secondary School (XI & XII)

Post office faClli,!y Electricity

P 0 - Post Office ED - Electlclty P T 0 Posts Telegraph office for domestic consamptlOn Phone-Telephone