Asansol
Asansol is most important industrial city in the state of West Bengal, Indiaand second largest City after Kolkata(Capital city). It is located Burdwan district, in the western periphery of the state, adjoining Dhanbad in the Jharkhand state.
It is about two hundred miles from Kolkata, the city is based on primarily the Coal and Steel industry. Situated in the Damodar River valley, the city has evolved and expanded over time having more than one million population 'ranked 29th' in India.
It has very good road(NH 2) and railway connectivity, and a divisional headquarter of INDIAN RAILWAYS. The station is of-course a junction, i.e. trains diverge from here to many other destinations.
It shares it's border with the State of Jharkhand, which is rich in mineral resources, mainly coal, which is another reason Asansol also is based on that mineral. It is the Mini India in Eastern India because it is crowded and have much wider variety of people from almost all parts of the country.
The most important industry here is that of IISCo (Indian Iron & Steel Co.) factory at Burnpur. The IISCo plant is part of the SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd.) establishment.
Nearby Places
The following places are under the administrative control of Asansol administration:
Churulia – here the famous poet – Kazi Nazrul Islam was born. He is considered the national poet of Bangladesh. The village is about 17 kms from Asansol, and contains a museum with his works and a memorial for him.
Maithon and Panchet Dam – Two major multipurpose dams of DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation). It is also a picnic spot.
Chittaranjan – a major installation for manufacture of railways under the ministry of railway, Govt. of India.
Kulti – coal mining and factories.
Barakar – on Damodar River linking Burdwan to Dhanbad
Raniganj – A major area for coal mining.
External Links
Categories: Cities and towns of West Bengal | India geography stubs