Kalyani

History

Kalyani, located in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, is a relatively young town. During the Second World War, Kalyani, was the site of an American military airbase, formed out of 21 villages in the district of Nadia. The military garrison town was named after the then-sitting President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt as "Roosevelt Town" or "Roosevelt Nagar", with "nagar" meaning "town" in many Indo-Aryan languages, including Bengali. Hangars and other reminders of the airfield are still visible in the 'A' Block and some areas around Kalyani University, whose buildings were built on or over the runways. After World War II, the United States Army Air Force left the base, and the airfield and hangars went into disuse. The development of modern Kalyani is credited to the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy. After the independence of India in 1947, the master plan of the town was developed and the foundation stone for the town was laid by the then Governor of West Bengal, Kailashnath Katju, on 24 February 1951. The town was built quickly in order to host the 59th Indian National Congress meeting in 1954. In memoriam of that conference, a road of the town was named as 'Congress Road'. In 1957, the Kalyani police station was formed, and in 1979, the rail line was extended from Kalyani Central to Kalyani Simanta station, and also established direct connectivity to Kolkata through Kalyani Simanta local EMU trains. In 1995, the Kalyani Municipality was established, which has been crucial in the development of infrastructure in Kalyani. In 2014, Kalyani was selected as a candidate for a "Smart City" project. Although this project has since been abandoned by the State Government.