Belakoba

Belakoba
Town
Nameplate of Belakoba Rail Station
Belakoba Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Belakoba Belakoba (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 26.590°N 88.589°E / 26.590; 88.589
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Jalpaiguri
Area
• Total	33.96 km^2 (13.11 sq mi)
Population  (2001)
• Total	17,615
• Density	520/km^2 (1,300/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	WB
Lok Sabha constituency	Jalpaiguri
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Rajganj

Belakoba is a small town in Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision of Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal, known for its Chamcham, a type of sweet originating in the Pora Bari locale of Bangladesh. Belakoba is not only a cradle to Chamcham, but also cradle to art and music.[1][2]

Geography

15km
10miles

B

A

N

G

L

A

D

E

S

H

B

H

U

T

A

N

Jaldhaka
River

River

Teesta

Chapramari
Wildlife
Sanctuary

NP

Gorumara
National
Park

NP

New Jalpaiguri JRS

F

Lakhipara TE

TE

Gandrapara TE

TE

Danguajhar TE

TE

Belakoba

R

Rajganj

R

Phulbari
checkpoint

R

Binnaguri 1

C

Dhupguri

M

Jalpaiguri

M

Telipara TG

CT

Banarhat

CT

Gairkata

CT

Dakshin Khagrabari

CT

Mainaguri

CT

Kharia

CT

Binnaguri 2

CT

Chakiabhita

CT

Dabgram

CT

  

Places and tea estates in Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision (including Rajganj, Jalpaiguri, Maynaguri and Dhupguri CD blocks) in Jalpaiguri district
CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, N: neighbourhood, C: cantonment, NP: national park/ wildlife sanctuary, TE: tea estate
Abbreviations used in names – TG for Tea Garden (town/village), TE for Tea Estate, JRS: junction railway station
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Area overview

The map alongside shows the alluvial floodplains south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas. The area is mostly flat, except for low hills in the northern portions.[3][4] It is a primarily rural area with 62.01% of the population living in rural areas and a moderate 37.99% living in the urban areas.[5][6] Tea gardens in the Dooars and Terai regions produce 226 million kg or over a quarter of India's total tea crop.[7][8] Some tea gardens were identified in the 2011 census as census towns or villages.[9] Such places are marked in the map as CT (census town) or R (rural/ urban centre). Specific tea estate pages are marked TE.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics

As per 2001 census, Belakoba had a total population of 21,615. Decadal growth for the district was 21.52 per cent.[2] Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.84 per cent.[10]

Transportation

Belakoba is located 17 km distance from the city of Jalpaiguri, which is the district as well as the subdivisional headquarters & 28 km from the City of Siliguri, which is the largest city in the region. The town is 446 km far from its state capital city of Kolkata. Other nearest towns are Rajganj (9.2 km), Maynaguri (24.4 km), Mal (32.9 km). Belakoba has a well-developed transportation network. The town can be accessed by rail or roads. The Belakoba railway station serves the place directly.

Healthcare

Belacoba Rural Hospital, with 30 beds at Prasannanagar, is the major government medical facility in the Jalpaiguri CD block.[11]

Notable people

• Ratan Lal Basu, an economist and a fiction author in English. Most of his books and articles in economics are based on ancient Indian economic ideas, especially embedded in the epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata), dharmasastras and Arthasastra of Kautilya and their modern relevance. He is also specialized in yoga and tantra cult and has written several books and articles on these topics.

References

1. "Contact details of Town Development Officers". Jalpaiguri district. West Bengal Government. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
2. "Provisional Population Totals, West Bengal, Table 4". Census of India 2001, Jalpaiguri district (02). Census Commissioner of India. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
3. Debnath, S. (2010). The Dooars in Historical Transition (PDF). Shiv Mandir: N. L. Publishers.
4. Dinerstein, E., Loucks, C. (2001). "Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
5. "Jalpaiguri". District Profile. District administration. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
6. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Jalpaiguri". Tables 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Planning and Statistics, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
7. "Tea Growing Regions". Dooars and Terai. Indian Tea Association. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
8. "Dooars-Terai". Tea Board India. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
9. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
10. "Provisional Population Totals, West Bengal. Table 4". Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
11. "Health & Family Welfare Department" (PDF). Health Statistics – Rural Hospitals. Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2020.