Siliguri
—  city  —
View of Siliguri with the Himalayas as background
Siliguri Location of Siliguri in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	26°43′N 88°26′E / 26.71°N 88.43°E / 26.71; 88.43Coordinates: 26°43′N 88°26′E / 26.71°N 88.43°E / 26.71; 88.43
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Darjeeling district
Mayor	Gangotri Dutta
Parliamentary constituency	Siliguri
Assembly constituency	Siliguri, Dabgram-Phulbari
Population • Metro	5,09,709 (It's not 18,09,709, you blind! Check in the Census Report) • 7,01,489 (It's not 17,09,709, you blind! Check in the Census Report)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• −-666,000 metres (−1,384.5 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 734001-734006 (city); 734007-734033 (suburbs) • Telephone • +0353 • Vehicle • WB 74 / WB 73 2
Footnotes 1The coordinates given here are in metric system and based upon the Microsoft Encarta Reference Library Map Center 2005 2 The Vehicle Code given here based upon the Siliguri Sub Divisional Court documentations.
Website	www.siligurismc.com

Siliguri ( pronunciation (help·info), Bengali: শিলিগুড়ি Nepali: सिलीगुड़ी ) also known as Gateway of North East India is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Siliguri is located on the banks of the Mahananda River and the foothills of the Himalayas, it is a principal commercial, tourism, transportation, and educational centre of North Bengal.

As of 2011, the city had 5 lakhs residents; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to approximately 7 lakhs, making it the most populous city in North Bengal. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and to the North East. It is famous for its four 'T's i.e.; Tea, Transport, Tourism and Timber. Presently, Siliguri has been witnessing an economic boom in the organised retail, hospitality and real estate industries due to population growth and its strategic geographical location. It is the largest city in the entire North East. The total area of Siliguri Metro is 210 sq km whereas the suburbs area comprise 62 sq KM. The city of Siliguri runs 48km from North to south and 34km from east to west. Siliguri is a commercial hub for the North East drawing in many new residents from other states.

History[link]

As it is one of the newest city in the country, so doesn't contain much historical evidence, the city of Siliguri started from the small village Saktigarh which is now in southern part of the city, When the British east India Company introduced Railway to North East India, it grew the importance of the region, the present city area was once covered with dense forest of Dolka forest Range which was the habitance of Tigers, Leopard, Elephants and other wild animals. Siliguri town was opened in the year 1878. It was still a small town till 1947.

After the partition of India and Pakistan the huge migration of population from Bangladesh taken place. The population continuously expanded, huge migrants from adjacent states helped in rise in population.^{[citation needed]}

Geography[link]

Siliguri is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. The total area of Siliguri City is 272 km², most of which lies in Darjeeling district, however a part of the city spreads over neighbouring Jalpaiguri district. Siliguri being situated in the plains at the base of the Himalaya mountains, it connects the hill stations such as Gangtok, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik and North East to the rest of India. It is the largest city of North Bengal and largest in entire North East. The Mahananda River bifurcates the city.

Siliguri has three distinct seasons: summer, winter and monsoon. In summer the temperature reaches 34 degree Celsius.^{[citation needed]} Winters are generally chilled and cool when temperature goes down to 4 to 5 degree Celsius.^{[citation needed]} During the monsoons (between June and September), the city is lashed by moderate to heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim. The city is blessed with natural beauty of flora and fauna. The city has several fault line or uplands near by it is the reason for most frequent earth quakes. The most dangerous earth quake was recorded in the region on 7th July 1988 which was recorded as 9.7 Ricter scale.^{[citation needed]} The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding regions have many tea gardens. The winters are becoming shorter year by year due to urbanization.^{[citation needed]} The city has expanded towards hills which leads to destruction of vegetation, due to which the summers are becoming hot and winters are losing their coldness. There are some areas which remain chiller then the other parts of the city.^{[citation needed]}

Economy[link]

Siliguri City Centre Mall

Siliguri Orbit Mall(Inox)

Siliguri is described as the gateway to the North East of India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The strategic location of the city makes it a base for essential supplies to the above regions. Siliguri has gradually developed as a profitable centre for a variety of businesses. As a central hub, many national companies and organizations have set up their offices here. The four "T"s - Tea, Timber, Tourism and Transport - are the main businesses of Siliguri.

The Hong Kong market near Khudirampally is the chief hub for buying low-cost Chinese and illegally imported goods. Seth Srilal Market, Sevoke Road and Hill Cart Road are other prominent market places. Bagdogra airport market is one of the shopping hubs in Siliguri. Another important market is at Matigara hut where people from Hills n plains comes for shopping. In recent times, the city has seen the establishment of a number of shopping malls and multiplexes to cater to the growing needs of the populace. The organised retail sector has created a large number of jobs in the region. The presence of Indian army, Border Security Force (BSF), CRPF, SSB and the Assam Rifles around the city have contributed to the growth of the local economy.

Being a tourist destination, the hospitality sector and tourism sector constitutes an important part of Siliguri's economy. Siliguri is the headquarters of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of North Bengal. As a gesture of international co-operation and friendship, the road network of Siliguri is being used by the governments of Nepal and Bangladesh to facilitate easy transportation of essential commodities, such as food grains. The Silk Route of India, i.e. trade route between India and Tibet (China) is accessible only after crossing Siliguri through Nathula and Jelepla. There are also business routes to Bhutan.

In order to develop the city in a planned manner and to make arrangement for the exploding population of the city, new townships of Uttarayon, The Kanchanjunga Integreted park and Shushruta Nagar-Kawakhali township have been proposed to be built around the fringes of Siliguri.

Siliguri is one of the three satellite IT hub and township that the Government of West Bengal is developing. Some leading IT companies have shown interest and some of them have already started operating. Siliguri Jalpaiguri Developement Authority has taken a initiative to develop Siliguri into an IT/ITES hub. A Software technology park is under construction which will be completed by December 2012. The likes of Acclaris Hinduza and Firstsource are in operation here since 2005.

Transport[link]

Public transport includes cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, local buses and tempos. There is no metered vehicular transport. While 6-seater city autos ply between two fixed destinations of about 10–15 km, one can hire petrol-driven auto rickshaws from auto stands at a rate fixed by the municipal authorities. A total of 6,000 rickshaws licensed by the municipal corporation and an additional 15,000 illegal ones ply in this increasingly congested city.^{[citation needed]}

Rail[link]

Railway stations in the city include:

New Jalpaiguri station

1. Siliguri Town - This is the oldest station in the area. Opened on 23 August 1880 during the British Raj, this station used to be the terminus for the trains coming from Kolkata, and the starting point for the world-famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway for journey to Darjeeling. It is this station where such world-renowned personalities as Rabindranath Tagore, Chittaranjan Das and Subhash Chandra Bose set their feet on their way to Darjeeling and other places.

2. Siliguri Junction - This station was opened in 1949 and used to be the point of departure of all trains to the north-eastern states, until the broad gauge was extended to New Bongaigaon. Siliguri Junction is the only station in India with tracks of all the three gauges used in India.^[1]

3. New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri - Opened in 1964 as a totally greenfield project 2.5 km south of the Hasmi Chowk. Initially named New Siliguri (but later renamed New Jalpaiguri as it is located in Jalpaiguri District), this is now the most important station in the region. It is also known as NJP. This station connects Siliguri to every nook and corner of the country by railway. The city has now been expanded and included New Jalpaiguri as one of its ward of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The Darjeeling Himalayan Toy train is the main attraction of this station.The station is the largest Railway station in entire North East with wide parking area and has awarded as cleanest Railway stn of India in the year 2011.

4. Bagdogra, Siliguri- Is situated in the western part of the city is one important railway terminal in the city.

With the extension of broad-gauge railway track to the Siliguri Junction station, people can now travel directly to the heart of the city without having to alight at New Jalpaiguri. This new broad-gauge track extends to the old Dooars metre-gauge track up to Alipurduar and beyond.

5. Naxalbari,Siliguri- Is situated at further western part of the greater Siliguri city, in the heart of Naxalbari. The railway station has strategic importance as it facilitates not only the people of Naxalbari and Panitanki to connect with the other parts of the country but it also facilitates the people of Nepal(of places like Kakarvita, Dhulabari,Bittamore, etc.) to utilize the railway station as the means of communication with rest of India. The station is to be facilitated with computerised railway ticket reservation centre very soon. The new broad gauge track that passes from Siliguri Junction to Aluabari Road(Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur) through Bagdora, Naxalbari, Thakurganj(Bihar) provides an impetus to travel and trade through this part of the country.

Air[link]

Bagdogra Airport, airside view

Bagdogra International Airport, Siliguri, situated about 15 km away frm the heart of the city, is the only airport in the region. The airport is connected to Bengaluru, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangkok, and Paro (Bhutan).

Bus[link]

The Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus situated next to the Siliguri Junction Railway Station is a major stop for most private and state-owned buses in the region. The Royal Government of Bhutan also operates buses from Siliguri to its border town Phuentsholing. Air conditioned sleeper coach bus service is available from Siliguri to Kolkata, Patna and Assam. Jeeps also link Siliguri to neighbouring hill towns of Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik, Jorethang, Namchi, etc.

The Sikkim Government buses run to various destinations of Sikkim from the Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) bus station near the Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus. There is another bus terminus named P.C. Mittal Bus Stand on Sevoke Road. All buses heading for the Dooars region via the Sevoke Coronation Bridge start from here.

The bus service from Siliguri Court More interconnects the different parts of the city such as Sivmandir, Bagdogra, Naxalbari, Panitanki, Medical, and Chatterhut. The Bus service from Howrah Petrol pump and Jalpaimore connects the city with lower parts of Jalpaiguri district and Cooch Behar district.

Demographics[link]

Siliguri has experienced a huge surge in population in recent times. Based on Census data of 2011, the city agglomeration had a population of 1801489 ^[2]. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. In Siliguri, 11% of the population is under six years of age. Siliguri has a majority Bengali population. Other minority communities include Gorkhas, Marwaris and Biharis. Bengali, Hindi, English, Nepali, Marwari, Bihari, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Punjabi, Gujrati, and Tibeten languages are spoken by the local people of Siliguri.

Siliguri has seen waves of massive immigration over the years, most prominent being the migrants from the erstwhile East Bengal during the Partition of India, Nepal and Bihar. In addition, people from Jharkhand and other parts of India have also come to the city in search of livelihood.^[3]

Culture[link]

Major festivals observed at Siliguri include Durga puja, Chhath Puja, Ganesh puja, Laxmi puja, Saraswati puja, Dipawali etc. Baishaki mela is one of the oldest mela in Siliguri. The fashion week during winters are celebrated for entertainment. Various concerts are organised by local clubs, which continues from mid-October to mid-December.

There are a lot of fairs that take place in Siliguri. The famous fares in siliguri are Boishakhi Mela, Hosto Shilpo Mela,Book Fair, Lexpo Fair etc. Most of the fairs happens in Kanchanjangha Stadium.^[4]

Education[link]

SIT(siliguri Institute of Technology)

Siliguri(SIEM)

Siliguri has always been the hub of education in the Terai as well as the Dooars region. Apart from the residents of West Bengal, students from neighbouring states of Sikkim, Bihar and Assam and neighbouring countries of Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh come here to pursue education.

Siliguri's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Nepali and Hindi are also used. ^[5][6] Schools in Kolkata follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE.^[5] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.^[5] Siliguri Boys' High School (SBHS) is the oldest school of the city founded in 1918.

Siliguri has two engineering colleges, viz. Siliguri Institute of Technology & Surendra Institute of Engineering & Management. Siliguri College established in 1950, is the oldest higher educational institution in the city. Other colleges are Suryasen Mahavidyalaya, St Xaviers College, Bagdogra College, Naxalbari College, Gyan Jyoti College.

The North Bengal Medical College, located in Sushrutanagar, is the sole medical college in the region and is connected to the main city through the 3rd Mahananda Bridge. The University of North Bengal was established in 1962, 10 km away from the main Siliguri city, in Raja Rammohanpur. Approximately 80 colleges are affiliated to the university, with approximately 36,000 and 1,500 students enrolled in graduate and post-graduate courses respectively, every year.

Media[link]

• Newspaper: English-language newspapers in Siliguri include the Times of India, The Economic Times, The Asian Age, The Statesman and The Telegraph. Several Bengali newspapers, including Uttarbanga Sambad, Bartaman, Ganashakti, Aajkaal and Pratidin are also available. Leading Hindi daily Prabhat Khabar is also being published from here.International news agencies like Reuters, AFP and AP also have correspondents here.

• Radio: In addition to All India Radio, Siliguri has four private FM radio stations in Nine FM 91.9 MHz, Radio High 92.7 MHz, Red FM 93.5 MHz and Radio Misty 94.3 MHz.^[7]

• Television : Siliguri receives almost all the television channels that are received by the rest of India. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial network Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the town, while satellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthier households. Besides mainstream Indian channels, local news broadcasts, sporting events, and concerts are broadcast live or delayed via cable to many households. DTH services both by government and private companies are also available such as Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, Digital TV (Airtel) and Big TV (Reliance). Siliguri has three private channels - CCN, AMAR CABLE and HTV.

• Internet: Internet cafes can be easily found in the main market area, served through broadband services provided by BSNL and other private companies like MetroNET (Orange Networks) and Sinet (CCN).

• Mobile phone: The area is serviced by cell phone companies such as Idea, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Tata Indicom, MTS, Tata Docomo, Virgin Mobile and Uninor. And also has 3G network of BSNL, Reliance Communications, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Aircel.

Sports[link]

Table tennis, cricket, taekwon-do, chess and football are the most popular sports here. The Kanchenjunga Stadium is the city's only outdoor stadium and have hosted national and international level matches. The stadium houses the SAI sports hostel for athletes. There is an indoor stadium at Deshbandhupara in the southern part of the city. This new stadium has facilities for lawn tennis, badminton and table tennis as well as other indoor sports. However, the city is best known for being the training grounds for table tennis players. Siliguri has produced a number of national champions like Mantu Ghosh, the Gold Medal winner in the 1996 and 1999 SAF Games, Subhajit Saha and Nandita Saha. In recent years the close proximity of the Teesta river has made Siliguri a destination for the white water rafting enthusiasts. Indian international cricketer Wriddhiman Saha also hails from Siliguri.

References[link]

External links[link]

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• Siliguri Municipal Corporation
• Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
• Information on Siliguri at West Bengal Government website

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