Wikipedia

North Bengal division

North Bengal is a geographical region consisting of eight districts in the northern part of West Bengal in India. To the north of this region are Sikkim and Bhutan; to the east are Assam and the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions of Bangladesh; to the south is the Murshidabad district of West Bengal; and to the west are Bihar and Nepal. The Ganges River separates North Bengal from South Bengal.

North Bengal
উত্তরবঙ্গ
Geographical region
North Bengal Districts, Districts of West Bengal
North Bengal Districts, Districts of West Bengal
North Bengal is located in West Bengal
North Bengal
North Bengal
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 26°30′N 88°30′E / 26.5°N 88.5°E / 26.5; 88.5
CountryIndia
StateWest Bengal
DivisionsJalpaiguri, Malda
Government
 • TypeRegional administration
Area
 • Total
26,282 km2 (10,148 sq mi)
 Comprises Darjeeling hills and Dooars plains
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
17,211,010
 • Density654.86/km2 (1,696.1/sq mi)
DemonymNorth Bengali
Religion
 • Major religionsHinduism, Islam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Postal code
Varies by district
Area codeVaries by district

Geographically, this region is made up of the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars plains. Economically, North Bengal is backward compared to South Bengal. However, due to its scenic natural environment, the tourism industry in this region is very well developed. Siliguri is the main city of North Bengal; it is the third most populous city in West Bengal and also the gateway to the entire northeastern region of India.

Geography

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The Teesta River flows southward and the Rangit River joins the Teesta from the west

Geographically, North Bengal is formed by the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars plains. The Darjeeling hilly region consists of the Darjeeling Sadar, Kurseong, and Mirik subdivisions of Darjeeling district, and the entire Kalimpong district.[1] Sandakphu in this region is the highest peak in West Bengal. The Dooars plain region is formed by the plains of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and the plain areas of Darjeeling. The narrow strip of land in North Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor connects Northeast India with the mainland of India.[2][3] Additionally, the Tin Bigha Corridor leased to Bangladesh connects Dahagram with the mainland of Bangladesh. The main rivers of North Bengal are the Teesta, Torsha, Jaldhaka, Raidak, Mahananda, etc.

Biodiversity

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The vegetation of North Bengal depends on altitude and the amount of rainfall. For example, the Duars region is full of sal and other tropical evergreen plants. On the other hand, at elevations above 1000 meters, most forest plants are subtropical. At 1500 meters altitude, the Darjeeling hills are dominated by various temperate plants like oak, conifer, and rhododendron.[4]

Among the national parks of North Bengal, the notable ones are Gorumara National Park, Jaldapara National Park, Buxa National Park, Singalila National Park, and Neora Valley National Park.[5][6] Among these, Gorumara and Jaldapara are famous for the one-horned rhinoceros. Neora Valley National Park, located in Kalimpong district, is one of the richest biological zones in Eastern India.[7]

Administration

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North Bengal consists of the entire Jalpaiguri division and the Malda division, excluding Murshidabad district. The districts included in North Bengal are Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, and Malda.

The North Bengal Development Department of the Government of West Bengal is responsible for the administration of the districts of North Bengal. Besides, in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, there exists a self-governing body called the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Demographics

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Gorumara National Park
Darjeeling Toy Train on Batasia Loop

According to the 2011 census, the population of North Bengal is 17,211,010. Hinduism and Islam are the major religions in this region.

Transport

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Rail

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North Bengal is connected to various cities of India by rail. The New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station in North Bengal is an important station under the Northeast Frontier Railway. Some of the major broad-gauge rail services of North Bengal include the Darjeeling Mail, Uttar Banga Express, Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express, Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express, and the international Mitali Express. Besides these, the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train) is one of the major attractions for tourists in North Bengal.

Bus

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The North Bengal State Transport Corporation provides bus services in North Bengal. Its headquarters is in Cooch Behar, and the corporation has bus depots in various towns of North Bengal. Apart from North Bengal, this corporation also operates bus services in other parts of West Bengal and even in some neighboring states.

Tourism

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There are many tourist spots in North Bengal, among which Darjeeling, Jaldapara, Gorumara, Buxa, Cooch Behar, and Malda are notable.

Proposal for separate states

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Gorkhaland

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Gorkhaland is a proposed state in India, which has long been demanded on the basis of ethnic-linguistic rights by the Indian Gorkha community of the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars in West Bengal.[8] The Gorkhaland movement gained momentum due to ethnic, linguistic, and cultural sentiments among those who feel comfortable identifying themselves as Indian Gorkhas. Two major movements for Gorkhaland have taken place under the Gorkha National Liberation Front (1986–1988) and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (2007–present).[9]

Kamtapur

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The demand for the creation of a Kamtapur state in North Bengal has mainly been led by the Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO).[10] The proposed state includes the plains of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling in West Bengal, and the districts of Goalpara, Dhubri, South Salmara, Bongaigaon, and Kamrup in Assam.

North Bengal state

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In 2021, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator John Barla proposed a separate North Bengal state or union territory, separated from West Bengal. BJP legislators Jayanta Kumar Roy, Anandamay Barman, and Shikha Chattopadhyay supported the proposal.[11][12] At that time, out of 54 MLAs in North Bengal, 30 were from the BJP.[13]

However, the West Bengal unit of the BJP distanced itself from this separate state proposal.[11] West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that it was a conspiracy to separate the Muslim-majority region of the state and alleged the involvement of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh behind it.[14] A Trinamool Congress leader filed a complaint against John Barla for demanding a separate state.[15]

Various communities in North Bengal—such as Bengalis, Nepalis, Adivasis, and Rajbanshis—opposed the proposal for a separate North Bengal and any division of West Bengal.[16]

On 24 July 2023, BJP state president and Member of Parliament Sukanta Majumdar proposed including the eight districts of North Bengal under the North Eastern Council without dividing West Bengal. However, Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma opposed it.[17] Trinamool called Sukanta's proposal "separatist." Trinamool spokesperson Riju Dutta labeled the BJP "anti-Bengal" and "anti-Bengali" for the proposal.[18]

On 25 July, another Member of Parliament, Nishikant Dubey, demanded the creation of a separate union territory comprising Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, Araria, Katihar, and Kishanganj districts of Bihar, and the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand. According to him, the Hindu and tribal populations in those areas are declining due to an increase in the number of Bangladeshi immigrants.[19][20]

On 29 July, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opposed the division of West Bengal in the Legislative Assembly.[21]

References

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  1. ↑ Roy, Nirmal Chandra; Biswas, Debasish (2021-01-29). Human Resource Management in the Indian Tea Industry. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003133339. ISBN 978-1-003-13333-9.
  2. ↑ Singh, Mayank (2021-11-07). "Army steps up efforts to safeguard Siliguri Corridor". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  3. ↑ "What if China wrings India's 'Chicken's Neck' – the Siliguri corridor? Here are some countermeasures – USI". 2022-01-18. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  4. ↑ "webindia123.com-West Bengal-land of West Bengal-natural vegitation of west bengal-forests in west bengal". Webindia123.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  5. ↑ "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | North Bengal & Sikkim | Centre s…". archive.ph. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2025-04-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ Ghosh, Chandra; Ghatak, Sumita; Biswas, Kishor; Das, A. P. (2021-03-01). "Status of tree diversity of the Jaldapara National Park in West Bengal, India". Trees, Forests and People. 3 100061. Bibcode:2021TFP.....300061G. doi:10.1016/j.tfp.2020.100061. ISSN 2666-7193.
  7. ↑ north-bengal.com. "Neora Valley National Park". north-bengal.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  8. ↑ Debnath, Sailen (2010). The Dooars in historical transition (1st ed.). Siliguri, West Bengal: N. L. Publ. ISBN 978-81-86860-44-1.
  9. ↑ "Why Gorkhaland | PDF | Politics | Social Science". Scribd. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  10. ↑ "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | North Bengal & Sikkim | Factions merge for Kamtapur fight". 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  11. 1 2 "Two BJP MPs demand North Bengal UT, Mamata Banerjee says won't allow to divide state". India Today. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  12. ↑ "After North Bengal UT, BJP MLA Revives Gorkhaland Demand In Darjeeling". Outlook India. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  13. ↑ "Why BJP MPs want a separate state in North Bengal". India Today. 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  14. ↑ Ranjan, Abhinav (2021-06-23). "Demand for dividing Bengal part of larger conspiracy of BJP, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  15. ↑ "Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  16. ↑ PTI (2021-06-22). "Ethnic groups in north Bengal reject BJP MP's separate UT proposal". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  17. ↑ সংবাদদাতা, আনন্দবাজার অনলাইন. "'উত্তরবঙ্গ' মন্তব্য করে দলে বিতর্কের মুখে মন্ত্রী সুকান্ত, উত্তরের বিধায়কের মুখেই রাজ্য সভাপতির নিন্দা" (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  18. ↑ "Why BJP is fishing in Bengal's north-south cracks". India Today. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  19. ↑ সংবাদদাতা, আনন্দবাজার অনলাইন. "সুকান্তের তোলা 'উত্তরবঙ্গ' বিতর্কের মধ্যেই বাংলা ভাগ চাইলেন নিশিকান্ত, নজরে মালদহ, মুর্শিদাবাদ" (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-12-24. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  20. ↑ "BJP's Nishikant Dubey demands new Union Territory: '...or Hindus will disappear'". India Today. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  21. ↑ "আসুক বাংলা ভাগ করতে, দেখিয়ে দেব, বিজেপি নেতাদের হুঁশিয়ার করলেন মমতা". najarbandi.in (in Bengali). 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
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