The Bhagirathi River splits the Murshidabad district into two natural physiographic regions – Rarh on the west and Bagri on the east. The Lalbag subdivision is spread over both Bagri and Rarh physiographic regions from the Jalangi-Bhagirathi Interfluve to the Ganges-Bhagirathi basin to the Nabagram plains.[1][2][3]
History
In 1704, when Murshid Quli Khan was Divan, he shifted his headquarters from Dhaka to Maksudabad and renamed it Murshidabad. In 1717, when Murshid Quli Khan became Subahdar, he made Murshidabad the capital of Subah Bangla (then Bengal, Bihar and Odisha).[4]
Cities, towns and locations in the Lalbag and Domkal subdivisions, Murshidabad district M: municipal town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical place Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Murshidabad district has a 125.35 km long international border with Bangladesh of which 42.35 km is on land and the remaining is riverine.[12]
There are reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators entering Murshidabad district.[13][14] An estimate in 2000 places the total number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India at 1.5 crore, with around 3 lakh entering every year. The thumb rule for such illegal immigrants is that for each illegal person caught four get through. While many immigrants have settled in the border areas, some have moved on, even to far way places such as Mumbai and Delhi. The border is guarded by the Border Security Force.[15] During the UPA government, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, had made a statement in Parliament on 14 July 2004, that there were 12 million illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators living in India, and West Bengal topped the list with 5.7 million Bangladeshis. More recently, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs in the NDA government has put the figure at around 20 million.[16] Critics point out that the Bengali politicians, particularly those from the ruling Trinamool Congress and the CPI (M), believe that a soft approach to the problem help them to win Muslim votes.[17]
Blocks
Community development blocks in Lalbag subdivision are:[18][19]
Murshidabad–Jiaganj CD Block - Bahadurpur, Kapasdanga, Prasadpur, Dahapara, Mukundabag, Tentulia, Dangapara and Natungram.
Bhagawangola–I CD block - Bhagawangola, Hanumantanagar, Kuthirampur, Mahisasthali, Habaspur, Kantanagar, Mahammadpur and Sundarpur.
Bhagawangola–II CD Block - Akheriganj, Baligram, Nashipur, Amdahara, Kharibona and Saralpur.
Lalgola CD Block - Airmari Krishnapur, Dewansarai, Lalgola, Nashipur, Bahadurpur, JasaitalaJasaitala., Manikchak, Paikpara, Bilborakopra, Kalmegha, Maiya and Ramchandrapur.
Nabagram CD Block - Amarkundu, Kiriteswari, Narayanpur, Shibpur, Gura–Pashla, Mahurul, Panchgram, Hajbibidanga, Nabagram and Rasulpur.
River bank erosion
As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone in Murshidabad district.[21] The main channel of the Ganges has a bankline of 94 km along its right bank from downstream of Farakka Barrage to Jalangi. Severe erosion occurs all along this bank. The encroaching river wiped out 50 mouzas and engulfed about 10,000 hectares of fertile land. The following blocks have to face the brunt of erosion year after year: Farakka, Samserganj, Suti I, Suti II, Raghunathganj II, Lalgola, Bhagawangola I, Bhagawangola II, Raninagar I, Raninagar II and Jalangi. As per official estimate, till 1992-94 more than 10,000 hectares of chars (flood plain sediment island) have developed in main places, which have become inaccessible from the Indian side but can be reached easily from Bangladesh.[22]
All inhabited villages in Murshidabad district have power supply.[23]
See the individual block pages for more information about the infrastructure available.
Agriculture
Murshidabad is a predominantly agricultural district. A majority of the population depends on agriculture for a living. The land is fertile. The eastern portion of the Bhagirathi, an alluvial tract, is very fertile for growing Aus paddy, jute and rabi crops. The Kalantar area in the south-eastern portion of the district, is a low-lying area with stiff dark clay and supports mainly the cultivation of Aman paddy. The west flank of the Bhagirathi is a lateritic tract intersected by numerous bils and old river beds. It supports the cultivation of Aman paddy, sugar cane and mulberry.[24]
Given below is an overview of the agricultural production (all data in tonnes) for Lalbag subdivision, other subdivisions and the Murshidabad district, with data for the year 2013-14.[25]
Murshidabad district had a literacy rate of 66.59% (for population of 7 years and above) as per the census of India 2011. Barhampur subdivision had a literacy rate of 72.60%, Kandi subdivision 66.28%, Jangipur subdivision 60.95%, Lalbag subdivision 68.00% and Domkal subdivision 68.35%.[26]
Given in the table below (data in numbers) is a comprehensive picture of the education scenario in Murshidabad district for the year 2013-14:[26]
Note: Primary schools include junior basic schools; middle schools, high schools and higher secondary schools include madrasahs; technical schools include junior technical schools, junior government polytechnics, industrial technical institutes, industrial training centres, nursing training institutes etc.; technical and professional colleges include engineering colleges, medical colleges, para-medical institutes, management colleges, teachers training and nursing training colleges, law colleges, art colleges, music colleges etc. Special and non-formal education centres include sishu siksha kendras, madhyamik siksha kendras, centres of Rabindra mukta vidyalaya, recognised Sanskrit tols, institutions for the blind and other handicapped persons, Anganwadi centres, reformatory schools etc.[26]
The following institutions are located in Lalbag subdivision:
Sripat Singh College was established in 1949 at Jiaganj. The ŚvetāmbaraJainzemindar of Jiaganj, Sripat Singh Dugar, gifted the palatial out-house of his palace and a handsome sum in cash for the college. Affiliated with the University of Kalyani, Along with undergraduate courses, it offers post graduation in Bengali.[31][32]
Jiaganj College of Engineering and Technology at Jiaganj offers diploma courses in engineering.[35]
Healthcare
The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the medical facilities available and patients treated in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2014 in Murshidabad district.[36]
Airmari Krishnapur, Bahadurpur, Bilbora Kopra, Dewansarai, Jasaitala, Kalmegha, Lalgola, Manikchak, Nashipur, Paikpara and Ramchandrapur GPs of Lalgola CD Block and Kantanagar GP of Bhagawangola I CD Block
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad, Tables 2.2, 2.4(a)". Note: At the time of uploading of the revised version of this page the internet version of the District Statistical Handbook had been taken off but there is a print version. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Table 2.1. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Tables 2.1, 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Table 2.1. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Table 18.1. Data for subdivisions/ district calculated by totalling the CD Block data provided. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ abc"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Basic data: Table 4.4, 4.5, Clarifications: other related tables. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"District Statistical Handbook 2014 Murshidabad". Table 3.1, 3.3. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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