Raychak

Raychak
Village
Raichak, riverside
Raychak Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Raychak Location in India Show map of India
Coordinates: 22°13′07″N88°07′18″E / 22.2187°N 88.1218°E / 22.2187; 88.1218
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	South 24 Parganas
CD Block	Diamond Harbour II
Area
• Total	0.58 km2 (0.22 sq mi)
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2011) [1]
• Total	1,243
• Density	2,100/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Bengali [2] [3]
• Additional official	English [2]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	743368
Telephone code	+91 3174
Vehicle registration	WB-19 to WB-22, WB-95 to WB-99
Lok Sabha constituency	Diamond Harbour
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Diamond Harbour
Website	www.s24pgs.gov.in

Raychak is a village within the jurisdiction of the Diamond Harbour police station in the Diamond Harbour II CD block in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Geography

8km
5miles

River

Hooghly

Harinarayanpur

H

Deulpota

H

Dhola

CT

Berandari
Bagaria

CT

Kulpi

R

Netra

R

Durganagar

CT

Mohanpur

CT

Sangrampur

CT

Masat

CT

Diamond Harbour

M

Bhushna

R

Parulia

R

Ramnagar

R

Sarisha

R

Raychak

R

Patdaha

CT

Punya

R

Harindanga

R

Falta

R

Fatepur

CT

Chandpala
Anantapathpur

CT

Baneshwarpur

CT

Hasimnagar

CT

  

Cities and towns in the western part of Diamond Harbour subdivision (including Falta, Diamond Harbour I & II, Kulpi CD blocks) in South 24 Parganas district
M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, N: neighbourhood, H: historical place/ religious centre
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Area overview

Diamond Harbour subdivision is a rural subdivision with patches of urbanization. Only 14.61% of the population lives in the urban areas and an overwhelming 85.39% lives in the rural areas. In the western portion of the subdivision (shown in the map alongside) there are 11 census towns. The entire district is situated in the Ganges Delta and the western part, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, is covered by the Kulpi Diamond Harbour Plain, which is 5–6 metres above sea level. Archaeological excavations at Deulpota and Harinarayanpur, on the bank of the Hooghly River indicate the existence of human habitation more than 2,000 years ago. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Location

Raychak is located at 22°13′07″N88°07′18″E / 22.2187°N 88.1218°E / 22.2187; 88.1218 . It has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 ft).

Demographics

According to the 2011 Indian Census, Raychak had a total population of 1,243, of which 630 were males and 613 were females. There were 125 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate persons in Raychak was 823, which constituted 66.2% of the population with male literacy of 72.2% and female literacy of 60.0%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Raychak was 73.6%, of which male literacy rate was 80.4% and female literacy rate was 66.7%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 1,133 and 3 respectively. Raychak had 282 households in 2011. ^[1]

Economy

Tourism

The fort at Raychak gradually fell into ruins and was converted to a lively 5-star hotel, Raichak on Ganges, formerly Radisson Fort.

a view of Raichak village from Bhagirathi river

There is a scenic view of the river. Those who are adventurous can also use the Raychak jetty or the nearby Nurpur jetty and take a ferry across the river to go to Kukrahati in East Midnapore district or Gadiara in Howrah district.

Transport

A short stretch of local roads link Raychak to the National Highway 12. ^[7]

Bridge proposal

From 2003 to 2007, there was a proposal to bridge the Hooghly River from Raychak to Kukrahati. The proposal went through many phases, with support being sought from Malaysian and Japanese companies. ^{[8] [9]} In the final version of the proposal, the Indonesian Salim Group would have handled construction. ^{[10] [11]}

The Salim Group had also agreed to construct the Eastern Link Highway, which would have been 100 km long and 100 m wide and spread over 2,500 acres (10 km²). The road would have linked Barasat with Raychak, ultimately terminating at Nandigram. The projects were to be implemented by New Kolkata International Development Private Ltd, a special purpose company that had been promoted by the Salim Group, the Universal Success Group and Unitech. ^[12]

The entire project and associated programmes were abandoned by the Left Front government after the Nandigram violence in 2007. There were suggestions in 2012 that the All India Trinamool Congress was considering reviving the project. ^[13]

Healthcare

Sarisha Block Primary Health Centre at Sarisha, with 15 beds, is the major government medical facility in the Diamond Harbour II CD block. ^[14]

References

1. "Census of India: Raychak". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
2. "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
3. "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
4. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 South Twety-four Parganas". Table 2.1 , 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
5. "Census of India 2011, West Bengal, District Census Handbook, South Twentyfour Parganas, Series – 20, Part XII-A, Village and Town Directory" (PDF). Page 13, Physiography. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
6. "District Human Development Report: South 24 Parganas". Chapter 9: Sundarbans and the Remote Islanders, p 290-311. Development & Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
7. Google maps
8. "Who will help Haldia make this highway?". The Statesman, 21 May 2003. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
9. "Bridge feasibility study next month". The Statesman, 7 June 2006. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
10. "Bridge of dreams". Editorial. The Statesman, 29 August 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
11. "Will WB lose its largest FDI investor?". The Economic Times, 12 August 2006. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
12. "Bengal inks pact with Indonesian group". The Hindu Business Line, 1 August 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
13. "Trinamool Congress revives jinxed bridge project". The Times of India, 13 April 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
14. "Health & Family Welfare Department" (PDF). Health Statistics – Block Primary Health Centres. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 25 November 2019.

External links

• Raychak travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Media related to Raichak at Wikimedia Commons