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Ghatal

Ghatal
ঘাটাল
Town
Ghatal is located in West Bengal
Ghatal
Ghatal
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 22°40′N 87°43′E / 22.67°N 87.72°E / 22.67; 87.72Coordinates: 22°40′N 87°43′E / 22.67°N 87.72°E / 22.67; 87.72
Country  India
State West Bengal
District Paschim Medinipur
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 51,586
Languages
 • Official Bengali, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
ISO 3166 code IN-WB
Lok Sabha constituency Ghatal
Vidhan Sabha constituency Ghatal
Website paschimmedinipur.gov.in

Ghatal is the headquarters of the Ghatal subdivision in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It also has a community development block. Ghatal is flood-prone area and in many years is flooded by the Rupnarayan River. This town is old one. The river Shilabati divided the town into two parts. The Ghatal Police station is lying at the west bank of the river. There is one peculiar floating bridge on the river made of by joining some boats tied with rope from the both sides in the banks, called "Bhasa Pool" (Floating bridge). Also one cement bridge is constructed on the main pitch road passing through Chandrakona Town, Ghatal, Daspur and Mechhogram.

Ghatal Sub-Division and the town Ghatal have their old history of civilization, business, struggle for freedom of India, Many Patriots, Social reformers, freedom fighters were the sons of this PS area. The river Darakeswar and Shilabati meet with rivers Jhumi and Damodar at a place named as Bandar (Port) 3 km (2 mi) East from Ghatal PS.This is the Subdivision of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Patriot Pradyot Bhattacharya, Patriot Pravangsu Paul, Patriot Mohini Mondal, Raja Narendralal Khan, Patriot Manabendranath Roy and so many ever-memorable persons.

In ancient time when Tamralipta was important port for shipping for export and imoprt between Bangal and other countries including Sri Lanka. This Bandar of Ghatal was also used as port for anchoring boats and ships with goods.Ghatal had once become famous for manufacture of cotton,tusser silk,bell-metal utensils,earthen ware etc. and was so important that Dutch had a factory in the headquarters town, which is still used as a sub divisional courts and in the early days of British occupation three Commercial Residents were located in the locality to supervise local trade.The old industries like cultivation and weaving of silk and cotton for which Ghatal and his nearest areas were famous from ancient times were systematically wiped away by the policy of the East India Company's administration. Withdrawal of Company's investments, shrinkage in the marketability of textile goods at home and abroad and heavy competition of the foreign goods were responsible for the decline of textile industries in Ghatal and his nearest areas like Radhanagar, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Khrar. This area was also famous for sugar industry ( mainly in Radhanagar areas) in ancient times.

In 2002, Medinipur District was divided into two parts – Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur for the sake of administrative efficiency and expediency. Paschim Medinipur consists of four sub-divisions - Kharagpur, Medinipur Sadar, Ghatal, Jhargram. Ghatal sub-division now consists of five blocks- Chandrokona-I, Chandrokona-II, Daspur-I, Daspur-II, Ghatal and five municipalities- Ramjibanpur, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Kharar and Ghatal.


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