Balurghat is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Balurghat subdivision of Dakshin Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
Dinajpur district was constituted in 1786. In 1947, the Radcliffe Line placed the Sadar and Thakurgaon subdivisions of Dinajpur district in East Pakistan. The Balurghat subdivision of Dinajpur district was reconstituted as West Dinajpur district in West Bengal. The new Raiganj subdivision was formed in 1948. In order to restore territorial links between northern and southern parts of West Bengal which had been snapped during the partition of Bengal, and on the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission a portion of the erstwhile Kishanganj subdivision comprising Goalpokhar, Islampur and Chopra thanas (police stations) and parts of Thakurganj thana, along with the adjacent parts of the erstwhile Gopalpur thana in Katihar subdivision were transferred from Purnea district in Bihar to West Bengal in 1956, and were formally incorporated into Raiganj subdivision in West Dinajpur. The township of Kishanganj and its entire municipal boundary remained within Bihar. With the introduction of the Community Development Programme in 1960–61, community development blocks were set up in West Dinajpur district. In 1992, West Dinajpur district was bifurcated and Dakshin Dinajpur district was established.
Geography
Balurghat is located at .
Dakshin Dinajpur district is physiographically a part of the Barind Tract. The area is generally flat and slightly undulating. The elevation of the district is about 15 metres above mean sea level. However, the soil varies. CD Blocks such as Balurghat, Hili and Kumarganj have alluvial soil, Tapan CD Block has laterite soil. There are three main rivers. The Atreyee comes from Bangladesh, flows through Kumarganj and Balurghat CD Blocks and goes back to Bangladesh. The Punarbhaba flows through Gangarampur and Tapan CD Blocks. The Tangon flows through Kushmandi and Bansihari CD Blocks. There is a small river named Jamuna in the Hili CD Block. All rivers, flowing from north to south, overflow during the monsoons and cause floods.
Balurghat CD Block is bounded by Kumarganj CD Block and Birampur Upazila in Dinajpur District in Bangladesh, on the north, Hili CD Block and Joypurhat Sadar Upazila in Joypurhat District in Bangladesh, on the east, Dhamoirhat Upazila in Naogaon District in Bangladesh on the south, and Tapan CD Block on the west.
Six out of the eight CD Blocks in the district are on the India-Bangladesh border popularly referred to as a porous border. 2,216 km of the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh border falls in West Bengal. More than 11,000 people live near/ around the zero line in Dakshin Dinajpur. Approximately 252 km of the international border is in Dakshin Dinajpur district.
Balurghat CD Block has an area of 369.39 km2.It has 1 panchayat samity, 11 gram panchayats, 174 gram sansads (village councils), 309 mouzas and 294 inhabited villages. Balurghat police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Balurghat.
Gram panchayats of Balurghat block/ panchayat samiti are: Amritakhanda, Bhatpara, Boaldar, Bolla, Chakbhrigu, Chingishpur, Danga, Gopalbati, Jalghar and Nazirpur.
Demographics
Population
As per 2011 Census of India, Balurghat CD Block had a total population of 250,764, of which 234,139 were rural and 16,625 were urban. There were 129,254 (52%) males and 121,590 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 24,485. Scheduled Castes numbered 73,716 (29.40%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 66,225 (26.41%).
As per 2001 census, Balurghat block has a total population of 228,701, out of which 118,056 were males and 110,645 were females. Balurghat block registered a population growth of 23.49 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the district was 22.11 per cent.
Census towns in Balurghat CD Block were (2011 population in brackets): Par Patiram (3,225), Dakra (5,268) and Chak Bhrigu (6,269).
The only outgrowth in Balurghat CD Block was (2011 population in brackets): Baidyanathpara (1,863).
The only large village (with 4,000+ population) in Balurghat CD Block was (2011 population in brackets): Khidirpur (5,419).
Other villages in Balurghat CD Block included (2011 population in brackets): Boaldar (1,679), Bolla (2,836), Jalghar (2,310), Dangi (2,041), Bhatpara (917), Nazirpur (1,175), Gopalbati (959), Amritakhanda (2,863) and Chingispur (2,297).