About Howrah
It is bounded on the north by the Arambagh and Serampore subdivisions of the Hooghly district; on the east by Calcutta and the Barrackpur, Alipur and Diamond Harbour subdivisions of the 24-Parganas district; on the south by the Tamluk subdivision of the Midnapur district; and on the west partly by the Tamluk and Ghatal subdivisions of the latter district and partly by the Arambagh subdivision of the Hooghly district. The boundaries are partly natural and partly artificial. On the west and south-west the Rupnarayan, and on the east and south-east the Bhagirathi constitute natural boundaries, while on the north, except for small stretches to the north-east and north-west bounded by the Baly Khal and the Damodar respectively, the boundary is formed by an artificial line marking the southern limits of the Hooghly district.
Howrah, the second largest city of West Bengal and twin of Kolkata is said to have a rich history that dates back to 500 years. The name itself is possibly derived from a village named Harirah which was located in or about the site of modern day Howrah City. Venetian explorer Ceasare Federici was the first european who mentioned a place called Bator in his journal in 1578 AD which is identifiable with the modern day place around the Howrah City. The Bengal Council of East India Company, on the accession of the Emperor Farrukshiyar to the throne of Delhi in AD 1713, sent a deputation to him praying for a settlement of the villages 'Salica' (Salkia), 'Harirah'(Howrah), 'Cassundeah'(Kasundia), 'Ramkrishnopoor' (Ramkrishnapur), and 'Battar'(Betor) to the west of river Bhagirathi and once the settlement was made in favour of the East India Company the places were quickly adopted as exit and entry point of sea fareing business hubs and the modernisation of Howrah city as we know it now, began.
The Howrah Railway Terminus came up in 1854 and in 1862 the first municipal administration started functioning though the modern day Corporation as we see it now came into being in 1980 when the Howrah Act,1980 was implemented.
The Rabindra Setu ( Howrah Bridge )
Rabindra Setu is a suspension type balanced cantilever bridge with central span 1500 ft between centers of main towers. The anchor arms are 325 ft and the cantilever arms 468 ft long at both ends, which the middle suspended span is 564 ft. Main towers are 280 ft high above the monoliths and 76 ft apart at the top. Bridge deck width is 71 ft with two footpaths of 15 ft 6½ on either side.
The Kolkata port Trust through its Rabindra Setu division serving Kolkata and the nation by properly maintaining this bridge through continuous monitoring satisfying all the safety aspects, in addition to its normal Port activities. The Rabindra Setu Division too is determined to keep this structural marvel in active condition as long as possible.
The Howrah Bridge is India’s biggest, world’s busiest, and longest single span and the third longest cantilever bridge in the world.
Like any other monument, the Howrah Bridge, originally named the New Howrah Bridge and later renamed as Rabindra Setu (named after Rabindranath Tagore a great poet and the first Indian Novel laureate) on 14th June 1965 has its own story to tell.
Floating bridge (Howrah Bridge) :
At the end of the 17th Century, the British traders founded Calcutta (Kolkata ) by merging three villages- Kalikata, Sutanuti and Gobindapur on one side of the river Hooghly. Howrah on the other side of the river grew up as a commercial and cultural centre later. To connect these towns situated on opposite banks of the river, Sir Bradford Leslie’s famous floating pontoon bridge came up in 1874.
The newly appointed Port Commissioners in 1871 were also appointed Bridge Commissioners and enjoined to take charge of the structure on completion. The Commissioners took over the management of the Howrah Bridge in February 1875.
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editor
on
28 February, 2008 12:12:56
rishab
on
27 February, 2008 03:42:46
rishab
on
27 February, 2008 03:42:46
Chiranjib
on
15 February, 2008 07:33:23
vivek
on
09 February, 2008 12:51:53
