KNOW YOUR CITY : DURGAPUR

Durgapur is in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, on the bank of the Damodar River, just before it enters the alluvial plains of Bengal. Durgapur is a tier-II city and a municipal corporation in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri in West Bengal and was planned by two American architects, Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk in 1955.

Durgapur is by far the most industrialized city in eastern India and the second planned city in India. It started with the first prime minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru. His dream of transforming the backward agricultural country into an industrially advanced nation was picked up in West Bengal by Dr. B.C.Roy. Damodar Valley Corporation constructed Durgapur Barrage in 1955 and shortly followed with the Durgapur Thermal Power Station. There was a massive follow up – Durgapur Steel Plant (commissioned 1960), Alloy Steels Plant (commissioned 1965), and Durgapur Projects Ltd. (established 1961).

The topography is undulating. The coal-bearing area of the Raniganj coalfields lies just beyond Durgapur; some parts intrude into the area. The area was deeply forested till recent times, and some streaks of the original Sal and eucalyptus forests can still be seen.

Durgapur is located at 23.55°N 87.32°E. It has an average elevation of 65 metres (213 ft). Durgapur is the only city in eastern India to have an operational dry dock. Durgapur has been aptly nicknamed as the Ruhr of Bengal.

Durgapur is the preferred gateway to the districts of Bankura, Birbhum (Bolpur, Rampurhat, Suri ), and Purulia. Durgapur happens to be one of the very few cities that have an Asian Highway (AH) passing directly through the city jurisdiction. The AH1 links Japan with Turkey, through Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran

The domestic airport of the city is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport. The airport is roughly 15 kilometres from Durgapur's City Centre. It is India's first private-sector Greenfield airport. It is located in a place called Andal.[16] The airport has direct flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.