Asansol
From Freepedia
Asansol is an important industrial city in the state of West Bengal, India and the third largest city in West Bengal, after Kolkata and Howrah. It is a sub-division located in Burdwan District, in the western periphery of the state, adjoining Dhanbad in the Jharkhand state. It is about two hundred kilometres from Kolkata.
The city's economy is based on primarily the coal and steel industries. Situated in the Damodar River valley, the city has evolved and expanded over time to a current population of one million, ranking it 29th in India.
Asansol was built on the sides of the Grand Trunk Road and is essentially a linear city stretching approximately forty kilometeres along this ancient highway. The city has very good road and railway connectivity with Kolkata, and is a divisional headquarter of the Eastern Railways, a subsidiary of Indian Railways. The railway station is an important junction for the Eastern Railways, transporting people as well as minerals, grain and finished goods. It has a direct route to Jamshedpur and its industries that passes via Adra and Puruliya to the south of Asansol. There are also direct trains from here to New Jalpaiguri that connects the city to Darjeeling, a famous hill station in north West Bengal.
It lies near the border of the State of Jharkhand, which is rich in mineral resources, mainly coal and aluminium. Being the central city for the coal belt, Asansol is heavily industrialized though many of the industries have fallen on hard times in recent years, leading to the transformation of Asansol into a trading town that utilizes its position as the transport centre of both agriculture and mines. The largest employers here are Eastern Coalfields and IISCo (Indian Iron & Steel Co.) with its integrated steel plant at Burnpur. Other major industries are Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, Hindustan Cables, Disergarh Power Supply, Damodar valley Corporation (DVC), Burn Standard, Reckitt and Coleman, couple of cement plants and quite a few refractories.
Asansol is an important educational hub, acting as the educational centre for the entire population of the coal belt from Dhanbad to Ranigunj. The Eastern Railway School, St. Vincent's High and Technical School, St. Patrick's Higher Secondary School, Assembly of God Church School , Ramakrishna Mission and Loreto Convent are amongst the oldest and most respected schools in eastern India. There are four colleges , an engineering college and two ploytechnics.
Asansol is a corporation administered by the Asansol Municipal Corporation.
Nearby places
The following places are under the control of Asansol administration:
Churulia - here the famous poet - Kazi Nazrul Islam was born. He is considered the national poet of Bangladesh. The village is about 17 km from Asansol, and contains a museum with his works and a memorial for him.
Maithon and Panchet Dam - Two major multipurpose dams of DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation). These are big picnic spots.
Chittaranjan - a major installation for manufacture of railway engines under the ministry of railways, Government of India.
Kulti - coal mining and factories.
Barakar - on Damodar River linking Burdwan to Dhanbad
Raniganj - A major area for coal mining.
Shantinekatan - The great memories of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore
Durgapur - A industrial city fifty kilometers to the east of Asansol and home to the Durgapur Steel Plant
Other Main Industries:
In addition to IISCo and various other smaller steel foundaries. "Chittaranjan Locomotive Works" (CLW) in nearby Chittaranjan was the first locomotive Workshop in India.
Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (ECL) has its headquarter at Sanctoria, near Asansol. Other industries such as Hindustan Cables Ltd. for wires and cables, the Dishergarh Power Supply Co. at Dishergarh and the Damodar Valley Corporation (hydel power) lie on the outskirts of Asansol.
