Uttar Dinajpur district


Uttar Dinajpur or উত্তর দিনাজপুর is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur district, it comprises two subdivisions: Raiganj and Islampur.
Tourist - Places Swaminath Temple at Swaminath, Rajbari at Rajbari Gate, Shiv Mandir at Itahar, Danhasori Pithasthal at Chandigram, Shree Shree Ma Bhabani Devi Than at Bouaha.

Geography

Uttar Dinajpur district lies between latitude 25°11' N to 26°49' N and longitude 87°49' E to 90°00' E occupying an area of 3142 km² enclosed by Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts of Bangladesh on the east, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar districts of Bihar on the west, Darjeeling district and Jalpaiguri district on the north and Malda district and Dakshin Dinajpur district on the south. Uttar Dinajpur is well connected with the rest of the state through National Highways, State Highways and Railways. NH-27 and NH-12 pass through the heart of the district.
The regional topography is generally flat with a gentle southerly slope towards which the main rivers like Kulik, Nagar, Mahananda. The District forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the east. The older alluvium is estimated to be Pleistocene age. Uttar Dinajpur is bestowed with a very fertile soil. The soil is very rich in nature due to the alluvial deposition which helps to grow Paddy, Jute, Mesta and Sugarcane etc. Raiganj on the banks of the River Kulik is the District Headquarters where the "Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary", the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia, is situated.
In Uttar Dinajpur district, there are 2 sub-divisions, Raiganj and Islampur, apart from each other. There are 4 Municipalities, 9 Blocks and 99 Panchayats covering 1577 villages. The total population is nearly 25 lakh, consisting mainly of rural masses. Bengali is the main language but a sizeable number of Urdu, Hindi and Maithili speaking people live in Islampur sub-division. It is one of the most backward districts of India educationally and economically owing to state neglect. The major native dialect is called locally Surjapuri or Rajbanshi.

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Uttar Dinajpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.
but now Dalkhola the main commercial, business town with well connected railway and roadways. increasing the economy of Dalkhola and Uttar Dinajpur District.

Divisions

Sub-divisions

Uttar Dinajpur District comprises 2 subdivisions:
The district is divided into 9 assembly constituencies:
  1. Chopra,
  2. Islampur,
  3. Goalpokhar,
  4. Karandighi,
  5. Raiganj,
  6. Kaliaganj ,
  7. Itahar
  8. Chakulia
  9. Hemtabad
Raiganj and Kaliaganj constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes candidates. Along with five assembly constituencies from Darjeeling district, Chopra and Islampur constituencies form the Darjeeling. Goalpokhar, Karandighi, Raiganj and Itahar constituencies are part of the Raiganj, which also contains three assembly constituencies from Malda district. Along with six assembly constituencies from South Dinajpur district, Kaliaganj forms the Balurghat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes candidates.

Impact of delimitation of constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 9 assembly constituencies:
  1. Chopra,
  2. Islampur,
  3. Goalpokhar,
  4. Chakulia,
  5. Karandighi,
  6. Hemtabad ,
  7. Kaliaganj ,
  8. Raiganj,
  9. Itahar and
Hemtabad and Kaliaganj constituencies will be reserved for Scheduled Castes candidates. Along with six assembly constituencies from Darjeeling district, Chopra constituency will form the Darjeeling. Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj and Raiganj constituencies will form the Raiganj. Along with six assembly constituencies from South Dinajpur district, Itahar will form the Balurghat.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Uttar Dinajpur district has a population of 3,007,134, roughly equal to the nation of Albania or the US state of Mississippi. This gives it a ranking of 124th in India. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 22.9%. Uttar Dinajpur has a sex ratio of 936 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 60.13%. Along with Bengali language, Rajbanshi, Surjapuri is also commonly spoken in this district.

Flora and fauna

In 1985 Uttar Dinajpur district became home to the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of.

Transport

Major railway stations are Raiganj, Radhikapur, Kaliyagunj, Dalkolha and Aluabari Road Jn. Dalkolha is most important stoppage of long distance train. NH 27 and NH 12 are two National Highways in this District. Radhikapur-Kolkata Express train is the only direct train for Raiganj to South Bengal Communication. Although RDP-SGUJ DEMU is the only direct train for Raiganj to North Bengal Communication. NBSTC, SBSTC are transport corporations serving the area. Siliguri More is that point zone which connect four district zone North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, North Bengal and South Bengal through High Ways.

Education

As of 2012, there were 3282 schools in the Uttar Dinajpur district. 3100 of these are in rural areas, and 182 urban.