OVERVIEW OF SERAMPORE SUB DIVISION:-

Serampore sub division is the most urbanised, and the one with the highest density of population, of all the subdivisions of Hooghly district. Urbanisation started with industrialisation of the Hooghly Flats, the narrow strip of land along the Hooghly and spread inland covering a large portion of Hooghly-Damodar Plain, the agriculturally rich alluvial plains lying between the Hooghly and the Damodar. The entire area is a part of the Gangetic Delta. The Hooghly is a tidal river and has a high west bank. The spread of urbanisation obviously affected the livelihood of the people, with a high proportion of workers being engaged in non-agricultural pursuits.

LOCATION:-

Serampore sub division is located at 22.75°N 88.34°E. 

ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS:- 

Serampore sub division has 7 police stations, 4 community development blocks, 4 panchayat samitis, 34 gram panchayats, 240 mouzas, 208 inhabited villages, 6 municipalities and 34 census towns. The municipalities are Uttarpara-Kotrung, Konnagar, Serampore, Baidyabati, Rishra and Dankuni. The census towns are: Belumilki, Dakshin Rajyadharpur, Rishra, Bamunari, Nawapara, Nabagram Colony, Basai, Kanaipur, Raghunathpur, Masat, Jangalpara, Gangadharpur, Manirampur, Dudhkalmi, Nababpur, Kumirmora, Ramanathpur, Bhagabatipur, Kharsarai, Tisa, Kapashanria, Jaykrishnapur, Purba Tajpur, Begampur, Baksa, Panchghara, Chikrand, Janai, Pairagachha, Naity (Naiti), Barijhati, Garalgachha, Krishnapur and Rajbalhat.

The sub division has its headquarters at Serampore town.

INDUSTRY:- 

1. The first jute mill in India was set up at Rishra in 1855. Hastings Jute Mill, established in 1875, in what was the country retreat of Warren Hastings, on the banks of the Hooghly at Rishra is owned by Sanjay Kajaria, MD of Murlidhar Ratanlal Exports. Another jute mill at Rishra, the Wellington Jute Mill, stopped operations in 2016. India Jute Mill at Serampore, established in 1866, also stopped working from 2015.
2. Jaya Shree Textiles Limited, a unit of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. was established at Rishra in 1949.
3. Hindustan National Glass & Industries Ltd., was founded by C.K.Somany in 1946, with the commissioning of India’s first fully automated glass manufacturing plant, at Rishra. It is a key player in India’s container glass industry.
4. The manufacturing activities of ICI India Limited commenced in 1939 with the setting up of Alkali and Chemical Corporation of India at Rishra.
5. The plant manufactures paints and special chemicals. Aditya Birla Insulators, the largest Indian manufacturers of high voltage porcelain insulators, has one its two plants at PO Prabhas Nagar, Rishra. It caters to the entire spectrum of substation and transmission insulators. It exports to over 58 countries.
6. Dankuni Coal Complex, operated by South Eastern Coalfields, at Dankuni, produces 1,000 MT per day of solid smokeless fuel branded as CILCOKE, 18 million cft per day of coalgas for supply in and around Kolkata and Howrah, tar chemicals etc.
7. Diesel Locomotive Component Factory of the Indian Railways was inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee at Dankuni in 2012. It produces high horse power diesel locomotive underframes etc. It functions as a sister unit of Banaras Locomotive Works at Varanasi.
8. Electric Loco Assembly and Ancillary Unit of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works of Indian Railways at Dankuni has started functioning in 2016.
9. Hindustan Motors started operations at Hindmotor, a neighbourhood in Uttarpara Kotrung Municipality in 1948. The Ambassador was the best known amongst its models.
10. United Spirits produces fast moving brands of Indian-made foreign liquor at Bhadrakali.
11. Berger Paints India Ltd., the second largest paint company in India, has its headquarters at Kolkata and 10 manufacturing units spread across the country. It has a water based paint plant at Rishra.
12. The Phosphate Company Limited which manufactures and markets the super phosphate fertiliser under the Lakshmi brand, started production at Rishra in 1950.
13. Kusum Products Ltd. manufactures vanaspati, soap and detergents at Rishra.
14. Hooghly Alloy & Steels Co. Pvt. Ltd. was established in 1985 and have a 60,000 tonnes per annum rolling mills at Dakshin Rajyadharpur.
15. Shalimar Wires Industry Limited was initially set up in 1961 at Uttarpara to provide import substitution support for the Indian paper industry.

Srirampore subdivision has a large migrant presence in the workforce. They have come from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. They have settled in the slums around or near their work place and many of the locality names reflect their origins – Chhapra basti, Gayapar basti, Odiya basti and Telengipara.

The handloom sarees of Begampur, Jangipara, Rajbalhat areas and dhutis of Rajbalhat areas of serampore sub division are widely familiar.

AGRICULTURE:-

Hooghly is an agriculturally prosperous district of West Bengal. Although the economy has been shifting away from agriculture, it is still the pre-dominant economic activity and the main source of livelihood for the rural people of the district. One third of the district income comes from agriculture.

Netaji Subhas Training Institute of Agricultural Marketing, the training institute of West Bengal State Agricultural Marketing Board under Department of Agricultural Marketing, Govt. of West Bengal was inaugurated on 4th April, 2010 at Sheoraphuli. All the Kishan Mandis help the farm communities to get remunerative price of Agricultural produces.