Siliguri

Siliguri pronunciation (Bengali: শিলিগুড়ি) is a Metropolitan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck — a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighboring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The town hosts over 500,000 domestic and 15,000 foreign visitors annually. It is the commercial nerve center of North Bengal.
Siliguri is situated in Darjeeling district, and though it is the district's largest city, the district headquarters is located at Darjeeling. Siliguri is a unique city as 15 out of 47 wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation falls in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district. The Indian army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Shashatra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Assam Rifles have bases around the city. The Bagdogra Airport is located within the Indian Air Force (IAF) cantonment area. Siliguri has an Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) oil depot near the southern edge of the town. Siliguri is the second largest city of West Bengal after Kolkata and second largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata.

Geography
Siliguri is situated at the base of the Himalaya mountains in the plains. It is the largest city in the area (North Bengal) and second largest city in West Bengal and connects the hill station towns of Gangtok, Rangpo, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik and Darjeeling with the rest of India. The Mahananda River flows past Siliguri. Siliguri has three main seasons summer, winter and monsoon. Dense fog,a characteristic of Siliguri till a decade ago,is a rare occurrence nowadays. During the monsoons between June and September, the town is lashed by moderate to heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim. The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding region has many tea gardens. The ancient Baikunthapur Forest is nearby. The region is also a huge producer of Tea. Siliguri is one of the fastest growing cities of India.

Economy
Flyover
Siliguri is described as the gateway to the North East of India. The strategic location of the city makes it a base for essential supplies to the region. Siliguri has gradually developed as a profitable centre for a variety of businesses. As a central hub, many national companies and organizations have set up their offices here. The Hong Kong market near Khudirampally is a chief hub for buying low cost Chinese goods and imported goods, nearby Seth Srilal Market, Sevoke Road and Hill Cart Road is a prominent place to buy daily use goods, and is very popular among people from nearby areas. 4 "T" s - Tea, Timber, Tourism and Transport are the main businesses of Siliguri. Recently many hotels had mushroomed up & a very good increment had been seen in this sector at past. Siliguri is the headquarters of FOCIN (Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of North Bengal). The latest development is the development of malls like COSMOS and ORBIT. The city recently also witnessed the arrival of its first set of multiplexes,CINEMAX in early Dec'09 and INOX at ORBIT on Christmas of 2009.
The rapidly growing city also has showrooms of numerous automobile companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel, Toyota Kirloskar, Ford, Tata, JCB, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai,Skoda, General Motors. There are numerous two wheeler showrooms also of companies : Hero Honda, Kinetic, Honda scooters, Yamaha, Tvs, Suzuki, Bajaj, LML.
With the growing economic transactions there has opened up some major banks in the city namely Standard Chartered, HDFC, ICICI, Allahabad, State Bank of India, Axis Bank, UCO, Vijaya, IDBI and UBKG bank. There are also some other banks such as Bank of Maharastra, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Andhra Bank, Sonali Bank.
In a recent gesture of international co-operation and friendliness the road network of Siliguri is being used by the government of Nepal and Bangladesh so as to facilitate easy transportation of essential and urgent commodities (like rice etc.). The Silk Route of India i.e trade route between India and China is accessible only after crossing Siliguri (Nathula and Jelepla). Thus making it important for international trade between India and other countries and also among other countries.There also are business routes to Bhutan and security manned border with Bangladesh.

Demographics
A house in Siliguri
Siliguri is experiencing a rapid expansion of its population. In a 2001 India census,[1] the number of residents was 1,220,275. According to estimates for 2008, 1,559,275 people live in the city.[2]. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Siliguri has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 66.0%; male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 65%. In Siliguri, 12% of the population is under six years of age.
Siliguri is a metropolitan city with Marwari, Bengali and Nepali people living peacefully. Marwaris are a majority followed by Bengalis, Nepali speaking communities.
Siliguri has seen waves of massive immigration over the years. Most prominent being the migrants from Bangladesh, Assam, Nepal and Bihar. In addition, people from Jharkhand and other parts of India are also coming to the city in search of livelihood. The influx has led to an abnormally high population growth.[3]

Transport
Hasmi
Local public transport include city buses, cycle rickshaws-often paddled by illegal Bangladesh immigrants and auto rickshaws,buses,and Mahindra/Ape tempos. There is no metered vehicular transport. While 6-seater City Autos ply between two fixed destinations of about 10–15 km away, one can hire petrol-driven auto rickshaws from auto-stands at a rate fixed by the Municipal Authorities.A total of 6000 rickshaws of the Municipal Corporation area and an additional 15000 unlicensed ones ply in the increasingly congested city.

Rail
Railway crossing
Siliguri has three important railway stations:
1. Siliguri Town - This is the oldest station in the area. Opened on 23 Aug, 1880 during the British Raj, this station used to be the terminus for the trains coming from Kolkata, and the starting point for the world-famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway for journey to Darjeeling. It is this station where such world-renowned personalities as Rabindranath Tagore, Chittaranjan Das and Subhash Chandra Bose set their feet on their way to Darjeeling and other places.
2. Siliguri Junction - This station opened in 1949, and used to be the point of departure of all trains to the north-eastern states, until the broad gauge was extended to Dibrugarh. Siliguri Junction is the only station[4] in India with tracks of all the three gauges used in India.
3. New Jalpaiguri - Opened in 1961 as a totally greenfield project 6 km south of Siliguri. Initially named New Siliguri (but, later renamed New Jalpaiguri as it is located in Jalpaiguri District) this is now the most important station in the region. It is also known as NJP. This station connects Siliguri to every nook and corner of the country by railway. The city has now been expanded and included New Jalpaiguri as one of its ward of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The Darjeeling Himalayan Toy train is the main attraction of this station.
With the extension of broad-gauge railway track to the Siliguri Junction station, people can now travel directly to the heart of the city without having to alight at New Jalpaiguri. This new broad-gauge track extends to the old Dooars metre-gauge track up to Alipurduar and beyond. Travelling over this railway line is a beautiful experience as it passes through the picturesque tea gardens of the Dooars area in the backdrop of Darjeeling and Bhutan hills.

Air
Bagdogra airport, situated about 15 km away is a International airport in the region. The airport, since falls within Air Force area (having some restrictions over length of runways and time of flight, etc.), is not well connected to most Indian cities. However, daily flights are available for the state capital Kolkata, New Delhi, Guwahati,Mumbai, Chennai, Bangkok and Paro.

Bus
Siliguri
The Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus situated next to the Siliguri Junction Railway Station is a major stop for most private and state-owned buses in the region. The Royal Government of Bhutan also operates buses from Siliguri to its border town Phuentsholing. Jeeps also link Siliguri to neighbouring hill towns like Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik, Jorethang, Namchi.
The Sikkim Government buses run to various destinations of Sikkim from the Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) bus station near the Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus. There is another Bus Terminus named P C Mittal Bus Stand on Sevoke Road. All Buses heading for the Dooars region via the Sevoke Coronation Bridge originate here.

Road
City Auto
A new four-lane road, named Vivekananda Road, has been rebuilt connecting Burdwan Road to Mahabirsthan bringing much relief to the chaotic section of the city and bifurcation of Nivedita road is also going on.The major roads-Hill Cart Rd,Bidhan Road and Sevoke Rd were historically rail routes of the trains "Toy Trains" that went towards Sevoke/Darjeeling.Street lighting and bifurcation of Hill Cart Road took place only in 1988 during the Nehru Cup football tournament. The Mahabirsthan area recently got a fly-over the first of its kind in the city.
National Highway no. 31 and 31A passes through Siliguri. In a recent national level project of building a golden quadrangle linking the major cities of India the NH 31 has been converted into a four way expressway.
The neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and border region of Bangladesh are also connected through the road network.

Education
Siliguri has always been the hub of education in the Terrai as well as the Dooars region. Apart from the residents of the town, students from states like Sikkim, Nagaland and Assam come here to pursue education. The region also sees an influx of students from the neighbouring countries of Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. While previously there had been just a handful of schools, of late there has been a spurt of growth in numbers with most catering to the CISCE,CBSE and West Bengal Secondary and Higher Secondary board(s).
In and around Siliguri, there are a number of colleges, viz., Siliguri College, Siliguri College of Commerce, Siliguri Women’s College, Surya Sen College. All these deliver general degrees as well as specialization (Honours) in the fields available under the University of North Bengal.
The University of North Bengal, located in a serene backdrop of the Terai foothills and tea gardens, was established in 1962, 10 km away from the main Siliguri town, in Raja Rammohan Pur. Approximately 80 colleges are affiliated to the University, with approximately 36,000 and 1,500 students enrolled in graduate and post graduate courses respectively, every year. A sprawling campus, this University boasts having the second largest campus in the country. Huge stretches of green, in the form of quite-dense vegetation, lakes, and seasonal flowers are woven in between the buildings housing the departments.

Siliguri Institute of Technology
The North Bengal Medical College, located in Sushrutnagar is the sole medical college in the region and is connected to the main city through the 3rd Mahananda Bridge. Students from across the state as well from neighboring sates come to study here, after having cleared the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations for engineering and medicine. The recently set up Siliguri Institute Of Technology (SIT)[5] located at Sukna, a few kilometers away from the city has fast become one of the major and regular centres for the state’s corporate houses to recruit fresh engineers.

Sports
Table Tennis, cricket, taekwon-Do, chess and football (soccer) are the five most popular sports here. People are football crazy and support the local clubs. The Kanchenjungha Stadium is the city's only outdoor stadium and matches are regularly held here. The Stadium houses the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sports hostel for athletes. There is an indoor stadium at Deshbandhupara in the southern part of the city. This new stadium has facilities for lawn tennis, badminton and table tennis as well as other indoor sports. However, the city is best known for being the training grounds for many Table Tennis players. Siliguri has produced quite a few National Champions like Maantu Ghosh, the Gold Medal winner in the 1996 and 1999 SAF Games, Subhajit Saha (2007), Nandita Saha (Juniors, 2000). In recent years the close proximity of the Teesta river has made Siliguri a destination for the adventure sports (White Water Rafting) enthusiasts. Wriddhiman Saha (cricketer) celebrated his first class debut for Bengal with a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy against Hyderabad. This wicket-keeper from Saktigarh, Siliguri in North Bengal possesses an extremely safe pair of hands and his performances for Bengal have been rewarded with a place in the East Zone teme. He has also been selected for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Bikes / Motorcycles too are a favorite sports of the young generation of Siliguri. To cater the needs, xKmph.com, an Indian Bikers community runs an offline base to bring all the bikers from all over Siliguri and neignbouring cities together and spread the news of biking.

Media
English language newspapers in Siliguri include the Times of India (Kolkata editions), The Economic Times, The Statesman and The Telegraph are widely circulated. Several Hindi, Nepali and Bengali newspapers, including Uttarbanga Sambad, Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ganashakti, Aajkal, Sunchari Samachar, Nepali daily Purbanchal Bharat Darpan, Dainik Jagran, Ganadabi and Janpath Samachar , Samvad Sanjaal are also available.
In addition to All India Radio, Siliguri has four private FM radio stations: Radio High 92.7FM, Radio Misty 94.3, FM 91.9. and Red FM 93.5.
Siliguri receives almost all the television channels that are received by the rest of the country. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial network Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the town, while satellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthier households. Besides mainstream Indian channels, the town also receives Nepali Television Channels and Bangladesh Television Channels. Local news broadcasts, sporting events, and concerts are broadcast live or delayed via cable to many households. DTH services both by Government and private companies are also available like Tata sky, Dish tv, Digital tv - Airtel, Big tv - Reliance.
Internet cafés are well established in the main market area, served through broadband services provided by BSNL and other private companies like MetroNET[Orange Networks] & Sinet (CCN).
The area is serviced by cell phone companies such as Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Reliance Communications, Tata Indicom, MTS, Tata Docomo and Virgin Mobile. The major number of subscribers of mobile service are that of BSNL. With the improved service of quality Airtel and Vodafone are also gaining a huge market. The most popular and preferred connection among the Business class is BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone whereas for the Youth is Smart - Reliance GSM Service.