37-632: McLeod's Light Railways (MLR) consisted of following four 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) narrow-gauge lines in West Bengal in India. The railways were built and owned by McLeod & Company, which was the subsidiary of a London company of managing agents, McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd. On 1 July 1967, the Bankura Damodar Railway was merged with South Eastern Railway . Ahmedpur–Katwa Railway connecting Ahmedpur and Katwa in West Bengal
74-578: A lot many were used in the following years till 1953 when the last order was placed. One of the 1916-built Bagnall locomotives has been preserved by the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust at the Vale of Rheidol Railway in the UK. It is a small line—26’2 miles of narrow gauge. A private company was running it at a deficit and according to the agreement entered into with that company by
111-583: A result of the Esplanade-Joka Metro Project. Behala is served by Majherhat , Brace Bridge and New Alipore railway stations on the Sealdah South section of Kolkata Suburban Railway . Behala was also served by Gholesapur, Sakherbazar and Thakurpukur railway station of Kalighat Falta Railway (KFR) , which has been closed in 1957. Behala Airport more commonly referred as Behala Flying Training Institute (BFTI) or Behala Flying Club (BFC)
148-486: A snail's pace during the peak office hours. Previously there were tram lines along the middle of Diamond Harbour Road from Joka to Mominpur and often people used the trams to go to Esplanade. The service on this stretch has been withdrawn now. Mominpur to Behala Bazaar service was closed in 2006 due to the Taratala flyover. Behala Bazaar to Joka service was also closed in 2011 due to the elevated metro railway construction on
185-620: Is a locality of South West Kolkata in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal . Behala is a part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. It is broadly spread across Ward Nos. 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 and 132 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and is divided into two Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Behala Paschim and Behala Purba . This area
222-425: Is also known that Behala comprised many small villages before the whole place was urbanised and each village here had a suffix -behala with its name i.e. Bazarbehala, Tamtelbehala, Bnorshebehala ( Barisha ), Sorshunnobehala ( Sarsuna ) etc. Names like Rajarbaganbehala, Sahapurbehala, Naskarpurbehala and Santoshbatibehala are also found in the old proceedings of South Suburban Municipality. Behala encompasses one of
259-490: Is bring outside every year during Rath Yatra Celebration. Jagatdhatri Puja is also celebrated in many Localities of Behala. Just Like rest of Kolkata, Behala is also famous for Durga Puja, some of the popular Durga Puja pandals are At kalipuja, Chamunda Kali Puja and a big Mela also happen every year at Bahadur Math in Dakshin Behala Road,Sasthir More. Other famous Kali Puja of Behala is The biggest celebration of
296-510: Is commonly believed to have its root in Behula , the name of the female protagonist of Manasamangalkavya . Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term Bahulapur ("land of many rivers" or "dark city"). "Bahula" is also an epithet of the goddesses Chandi and Kali . Rev. James Long , who used to live in this parts, described Behala as Byala in one of his early writings. It
333-543: Is expected to be completed by 2024. The whole Behala region is surrounded by numerous hospitals and medical centres. The State General Hospital for region Behala is Vidyasagar State General Hospital, which is beside the Behala bazar metro station and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Behala. Nearby Behala, at Thakurpukur M.G Road, another famous hospital and medical research centre situated named as "Saroj Gupta Cancer Research Institute" locally knows as "Thakurpukur cancer hospital". It
370-627: Is one of the oldest cancer treatment centres in Kolkata. Some other hospitals in Behala are:- Barisha Chandi Mela, a 10-day fair held every year in November–December since 1792, attracts people from all over the city. There are various stalls, rides and plenty of shops for people of all age groups. On some days during the fair, the crowd count crosses One Lakh as well. Many popular artists also perform during this festival. During Christmas, all Behala roads lead to St. Peter's Church, CNI located inside
407-559: Is served by the South West Division of Kolkata Police also known as Behala Division (The division comprises Behala, Taratala , Parnasree , Sarsuna , Thakurpukur and Haridevpur ). Behala is one of the oldest residential areas of the city. The Sabarna Roy Choudhury 's, one of the oldest zamindar families of western Bengal and the trustee of Kalighat Kali Temple lives here. It is also home to Sourav Ganguly , former Indian national cricket captain and Sovan Chatterjee ,
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#1733085818687444-601: Is the second of the two airports in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and other being the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport . There are plans to upgrade the airport. Previously there was helicopter service from behala airport to digha and durgapur, but it was later suspended by the authority. Currently, there is no commercial helicopter service available from behala flying club. Former President Ms. Pratibha Patil laid
481-509: The 120.3 kilometres (74.8 mi) long railway section was converted to 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) Broad Gauge and train services were resumed which extended its part to Masagram in 2012, thus making Masagram Junction point of Bankura Damodar Railway & connecting Howrah–Bardhaman chord . The Bankura-Purulia Light Railway(BPLR) was a similar proposal to connect Bankura with Purulia via Dhaldanga, Puabagan, Kumidiya, Teghori, Hatgram, Bishpuria, Hura & Hutmura. The plan
518-522: The Central Government, we have been paying a subsidy, on an average, of Rs. 3 71 lakhs, from year to year. Therefore, we decided that it will be better to take over this and dismantle it, if adequate facilities are provided for the public. The West Bengal Government also took up the matter with us and they gave an assurance that they would make all possible efforts; they said that the road services would be sufficiently developed in that area to cope with
555-668: The Diamond Harbour road, which will run from Joka to Esplanade ( Kolkata Metro Line 3 ). SL Dhanuka Girls' hostel that has come up at Behala on Diamond Harbour Road, inaugurated on 24 March 2017 by the Chief minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee. The localities of behala area are served by South West Division (Behala Division) of Kolkata Police. It includes Taratala Police station, Behala Police station, Thakurpukur Police Station, Parnashree Police station, Sarsuna Police station and Haridevpur Police station. Behala Women police station, located at
592-746: The Oxford Mission compound ,Infant Jesus Church located next to Ellora Cinema hall, Sacred Heart Church and many other churches located near Behala and Thakurpukur. A big Rath Yatra festival and mela also occur every year on Diamond harbour road, Thakurpukur . The festival and mela starts from day of Ratha Yatra and the mela ends at the day of Ulta Ratha Thakurpukur rath Mela is the biggest Rath Yatra Mela of Behala area. Apart from Thakurpukur rath yatra mela, Barisha rath yatra mela(Sakherbazar), Sarsuna (Badamtala) Rath Yatra Mela and Sonamukhi Rath Yatra Mela(Sarsuna and Maheshtala Border) also occurs every year. Rath made of brass of sonar Durga Bari made in 1871,
629-521: The South-Eastern Railways So, on both these points, namely, hardship to the public and unemployment to the staff, we have taken measures so that the public will not be put to inconvenience when this line is eventually dismantled and the staff who have not superannuated will be offered alternative employment. Due to ever-increasing losses, the KFR was closed in 1957.The land where the tracks used to be
666-410: The Taratala flyover, a large portion of traffic flowed through James Long Sarani to avoid construction activity, causing development of other areas of Behala. Encroachments by street-hawkers of the sidewalks on both sides of the busy Diamond Harbour Road is a major problem. Areas like Behala Bazar, Behala Chowrasta and Behala Sakherbazaar have been added to the 'Calcutta Green Zone' and traffic moves at
703-409: The area being on the radar of both the daily wage earners, common populace and educated classes. Due to this enormous and unplanned growth, the traffic is by and large dependent on the arterial Diamond Harbour Road, in spite of the availability of the parallel James Long Sarani (Commonly known as Rail Line since the old and now defunct Kalighat Falta Railway ran here) as an option. During the construction
740-414: The area. Now, a new bridge has been made which successfully connects Behala with other areas. Some notable buses connecting Behala with central and north Kolkata are: Trams used to be popular vehicles connecting Behala with Esplanade ( Route 35 ). After the construction of Taratala flyover, the route was truncated and trams would ply only along Behala-Joka stretch. In 2011, the route finally closed as
777-407: The festival of Eid is held at Behala 18 Bigha Masjid. The Diamond Harbour Road is dotted on both sides with shops and eateries. Clothes, jewellery, electronic items, sports goods, books and footwear can be found in a multitude of stores all along the stretch from Taratala to Manton. Recent additions to the shopping scene include shopping malls and factory outlets. Apart from the standard stores,
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#1733085818687814-797: The first in India to use three brand new 2-6-2 side tank AK16 locomotives, built in November 1916 by W. G. Bagnall Ltd. of the Castle Engine Works at Stafford in England. They entered service with KFR in February 1917. The 'AK' in the name stood for 'Ahmedpur-Katwa'. They were also known as the 'Delta Class' engines (since they were originally ordered by the Egyptian Delta Light Railways but were more successful in India) and they were very successful and
851-402: The former Mayor of Kolkata. The Durga Puja celebration of Sabarna Roy Choudhury family at Barisha was launched in 1610 by Laksmikanta Majumdar, making it the second oldest family Durga Puja in western Bengal. Today Durga Puja at Behala is marked by exotic theme-based sarbojanin pujas. Barisha Chandi Mela is a 10-day fair held every year in November–December since 1792. The word Behala
888-626: The foundation stone of Joka to Esplanade Metro Rail Project ( Kolkata Metro Line 3 ) in presence of Union Finance Minister and Governor of West Bengal in September 2010. The metro has partially started from Joka to Taratala, and has been inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 30 December 2022. Currently six stations are active that are Joka Metro Station, Thakurpukur Metro Station, Sakherbazar Metro Station, Behala Chowrasta Metro Station, Behala Bazaar Metro Station and Taratala Metro Station. The construction of Majherhat Metro Station
925-428: The largest suburban agglomerations of the city of Kolkata. It consists of many small localities like Sahapur, New Alipore (partially), Parnasree Pally , Behala Bazaar, Manton, Behala Chowrasta ( Barisha ), Muchipara, Sakherbazaar, Silpara, Bakultala, Shakuntala Park , Kadamtala, Thakurpukur , Haridevpur , Dakshin Behala , Sarsuna and Joka . Huge growth of population especially since the early eighties resulted in
962-636: The normal traffic; That is the position so far as public are concerned As regards the staff of the Kalighat-Falta Railway, it had been decided by the Government of India to offer fresh employment(during 1952) to such of the staff as are below the age of superannuation and are otherwise found suitable. Detailed instructions in this connection have already issued to the General Managers of the Eastern and
999-893: The pavements of Behala are crowded with hawkers selling everything from toothpicks to bedsheets. Some popular shops of Behala are Panna Sweets, Panna Restaurant, Haji Saheb, Bhaskar Sriniketan, Mayukhardo, New Ladies Own (Behala Tramdepot), Ramkrishna Sarighar, Debnath Electric, Shilpalay, Tanishq, P.C. Chandra Jewellers, Titan, Aminiah, Arsalan, Zeeshan, Feardeal, Great Eastern, Frankfros, Bata, Khadims , Elite, Raipur Electronics, Dhannwentari, Adidas Showroom (Silpara), Thakurpukur Reliance Complex and many more. Tarsons Products has two of its major manufacturing units located in Behala. Some popular commercial offices in Behala are BSNL, CESE, Behala Industrial Area, Patton Tank, East India Pharmaceuticals, Union drugs, BG Press, Taratala Mint, Brand Factory, Alankrita Careers and many more. Famous place described as Residence of Ghanada(Mess-Bari) in " Ghanada "
1036-484: The same address as Behala Police station, covers all police districts under the jurisdiction of the South West division i.e. Sarsuna, Taratala, Behala, Parnasree, Thakurpukur and Haridevpur. There are many educational institutions situated in Behala. Various buses are available to move around Kolkata. Majerhat Bridge is one of the major roads connecting Behala to the rest of Calcutta has led to massive traffic snarls in
1073-490: Was 97 kilometres (60 mi). The railway was known as Bankura Damodar Railway, as it used to terminate at Rainagar, which was on banks of Damodar River . People used to take ferries to cross river to go on other side. The standard locomotive for BDR was a powerful 0-6-4 T design from W. G. Bagnall of Stafford , but during the First World War some 2-6-2 T engines were also obtained from Bagnall, same as
1110-474: Was completed in early 2017. On 24 May 2018, the section was opened to passenger traffic. Bankura–Damodar Railway (also called as Bankura Damodar River Railway) connecting Bankura and Rainagar in Bankura and Bardhaman districts in now West Bengal was opened to traffic in sections between 15 December 1916 and 6 June 1917. The railway was built in 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge and total length
1147-447: Was opened to the public on 12 January 2018. Kalighat–Falta Railway connecting Gholeshapur in Behala to Falta was opened on 28 May 1917 and was extended a further 0.92 miles (1.48 km) to Kalighat, now Majherhat in West Bengal on 7 May 1920. The railway was built in 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge and total length was 27 miles (43 km). The KFR line was
McLeod's Light Railways - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-437: Was opened to traffic on 1 December 1915. The railway was built in 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge and total length was 53 kilometres (33 mi). The engines chugged along at the maximum speed of 30 km per hour. The 52 km long railway section was converted to 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. The Bardhaman-Katwa line after conversion from narrow gauge to electrified broad gauge
1221-434: Was opened to traffic on 29 September 1917. The railway was built in 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge and total length was 52 kilometres (32 mi). In 1966, Indian Railways had taken over the operation of this narrow gauge railway from McLeod & Company. The 52 km long railway section has been converted to 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. The conversion work started in 2013 and
1258-576: Was ordered for the Egyptian Delta Light Railways (and hence known as the Delta class). The 1953 additions were also of this type. There were two Sentinel locomotives; one (No.8) is now preserved at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi . A steam loco shed at Bankura served the narrow gauge line. The BDR services were withdrawn in 1995 after it incurred huge losses due to higher maintenance costs, falling passenger numbers as well as falling freight. In 2005,
1295-464: Was promoted especially in the colonies of the British Empire during the second half of the nineteenth century by Thomas Hall and Everard Calthrop . Several Bosnian-gauge railways with 760 mm ( 2 ft 5 + 15 ⁄ 16 in ) are found in south-eastern Europe. 760 mm (29.92 in) is well within tolerances of 762 mm (30.00 in). Behala Behala
1332-494: Was to connect Bankura & Purulia belt with a 84.4 kilometres (52.4 mi) long Narrow Gauge railway line. From 1916-17 the line was laid from Bankura to Puabagan & from Purulia to Hura. But a catastrophic flood in 1917-18 washed away line from Bankura to Dhaldanga & lack of Passengers prompted McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd. to scrap the route. Burdwan–Katwa Railway connecting Bardhaman (earlier known as Burdwan) and Katwa in now Bardhaman district , West Bengal
1369-461: Was used to construct a road, the James Long Sarani, in Behala. The McLeod's Light Railways were labeled as Class III railways according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926. 2 ft 6 in gauge railways 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauge of 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ). This type of rail
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