Transport

Development of proper transport network was the need of the hour for the growth of the new township of Kalyani. Kalyani being a planned town and covered with the blanket of greenery attracted people gradually towards this town. With the growth in population, the transport system slowly started to develop as a part of necessity. The location of the town is very interesting and viable connecting various places from multiple directions.

First of all, Kalyani is well connected by railways along with having a chord line from Kalyani main station to Kalyani Simanta. Kalyani is connected directly via rail with Sealdah (Kolkata). There are numerous trains connecting Kalyani with Sealdah along with Kalyani Simanta local trains reaching the last station of the town that is Kalyani Simanta. However, as far as the history is concerned there was a railway connectivity established between Kalyani main and Kalyani simanta for the transport of resources during the World War 2 but was abandoned. Later, it was temporarily set up during the Congress session of 1954 for the purpose of movement of the people related with it. Finally we see that on 7^th April in the year 1978, the chord line was officially inaugurated extending to the north-east direction of the town. This was inaugurated by the then Union Railway minister Madhu Dandabate and the then chief minister of West Bengal Mr. Jyoti Basu.

Secondly, the township is well connected by road connecting it with various places and directions. The Kalyani Expressway connects the township with Kolkata along with linking it with the Assam road and the Grand Trunk Road via the Ishwar Gupta Setu, a bridge over the river Ganges. However, before this was made the connectivity between the two sides of river Ganges was very problematic in this part and adjoining areas of the state. The bridge also proves to be a viable connection between the districts of Nadia and 24 Parganas with that of Hooghly. Kalyani is also well connected via road with National Highway no. 34 which enables or makes Kalyani a kind of junction point between National Highway 34, Kalyani Expressway, Assam road and Grand Trunk Road. We can say that the township of Kalyani gained a good amount of prominence due to its important location as a junction point.

Thirdly, it may be said that transport via water has not developed well as the river is almost 2-3 kilometres away from the main township of Kalyani. People are mainly dependant on rail and road links for their transport purpose.

The transport system within the town has also developed gradually over the time. The roads are very wide and are built keeping in mind the idea of proper planning and inter connectivity. According to the residents of the township, the transport system of Kalyani in its initial years was very much under developed. People said that in those days the transport facilities from the Kalyani station to the interior of the town almost became null and void after 8.30pm. The main medium of transport was the auto rickshaw and a bus service known as the 27 no. bus. Auto rickshaws hardly exceeded 10 and bus service operated consisting of 7 buses a day.

Gradually with the passage of time and increase in population and popularity of the town the transport system became developed and upgraded. A bus service was also started between Kalyani station and Bandel station which was later extended to Kalyani Gayeshpur. In recent times we have seen the rapid progress in the sector of transport with the gradual increase in the number of auto rickshaws and buses. However, the 27 no. bus service is still there but passing through the era of development now there are buses with the interval of 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the bus service that once connected 3 no. Market which is one of the most interior parts of the township has been discontinued due to lack of passengers and ever increasing possession of private vehicles.

The routes of the auto rickshaws have also increased and now it connects not only the township of Kalyani with the station but also connects places beyond the township. The main auto routes are extended from the station to places like Central Park, I.T.I crossing, Gayeshpur and so on. Recently, a bus terminal has been set up for connecting places like Bongaon, Mogra, Bardhaman and so on. A travel route also came up recently connecting Kalyani with Digha. Along with such developments, the coming up of tata magic (a vehicle for public commutation) and toto rickshaw (battery drawn rickshaw) have come up connecting almost each and every corner of the town.

The development of transport is intricately related with the development of Kalyani into an educational hub and an important health centre. Without transport both within the town and that with other places this would not have been possible. The roads in the town are well maintained by the government authority adding to the rapid progress of the town.