Basirhat II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Mathurapur, a census town in Basirhat II block, is located at .
Basirhat II CD Block is bounded by Baduria CD Block in the north, Basirhat I CD Block in the east, Haroa CD Block in the south and Deganga CD Block in the west. While Baduria municipality is in the north Basirhat municipality is in the east.
Basirhat II CD Block is part of the Ichhamati-Raimangal Plain, one of the three physiographic regions in the district located in the lower Ganges Delta. It contains soil of mature black or brownish loam to recent alluvium. The Ichhamati flows through the eastern part of the district. The Bidyadhari flows along the south-western border of the CD Block separating it from Haroa CD Block.
Basirhat II CD Block has an area of 127.42 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 9 gram panchayats, 134 gram sansads (village councils), 69 mouzas and 68 inhabited villages. Basirhat police station serves this block, as per the District Statistical Handbook: North 24 Parganas. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Mathurapur.
Gram panchayats of Basirhat II block/ panchayat samiti are: Begumpur Bibipur, Dhanyakuria, Kholapota, Ghorarash Kulingram, Rajendrapur, Chaita, Shrinagar Matia, Champapukur and Kachua.
Demographics
Population
As per 2011 Census of India Basirhat II CD Block had a total population of 226,130, of which 208,940 were rural and 17,209 were urban. There were 115,735 (51%) males and 110,395 (49%) females. Population below 6 years was 27,291. Scheduled Castes numbered 19,794 (8.75%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 5,687 (2.51%).
As per 2001 census, Basirhat II CD block has a total population of 194,006 out of which 99,295 were males and 94,711 were females.
There are three census towns in Basirhat II CD Block (2011 census figures in brackets): Dhanyakuria (5,148), Mathurapur (6,803) and Raghunathpur (P) (5,339).
Large villages in Basirhat II block (2011 census figures in brackets): Eojnagar (11,051), Nehalpur (7,682), Begampur (6,923), Kachua Swarupnagar (8,383), Kripalpur (4,134), Sadiknagar (5,082) Srinagar (11,028), Matia (4,579), Sangbaria (4,452), Chapna Pukhuria (5,738), Zafarpur (15,159), Ghona (5,763), Rajendrapur (10,417) and Tyntra Neora (4,070).
North 24 Parganas district is densely populated, mainly because of the influx of refugees from East Pakistan (later Bangladesh). With a density of population of 2,182 per km2 in 1971, it was 3rd in terms of density per km2 in West Bengal after Kolkata and Howrah, and 20th in India. According to the District Human Development Report: North 24 Parganas, “High density is also explained partly by the rapid growth of urbanization in the district. In 1991, the percentage of urban population in the district has been 51.23.”
Decadal Population Growth Rate (%)
The decadal growth of population in Basirhat II ICD Block in 2001-2011 was 16.55%. The decadal growth of population in Basirhat II CD Block in 1991-2001 was 18.31%.
The decadal growth rate of population in North 24 Parganas district was as follows: 47.9% in 1951-61, 34.5% in 1961-71, 31.4% in 1971-81, 31.7% in 1981-91, 22.7% in 1991-2001 and 12.0% in 2001-11. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal in 2001-11 was 13.93%. The decadal growth rate for West Bengal was 17.84% in 1991-2001, 24.73% in 1981-1991 and 23.17% in 1971-1981.
Only a small portion of the border with Bangladesh has been fenced and it is popularly referred to as a porous border. It is freely used by Bangladeshi infiltrators, terrorists, smugglers, criminals et al.
Literacy
As per the 2011 census, the total number of literates in Basirhat II CD Block was 155,685 (78.30% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 83,196 (81.69% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 72,489 (74.73% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 6.96%. See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate
Language and religion
In the 2011 census Muslims numbered 158,514 and formed 70.10% of the population in Basirhat II CD Block. Hindus numbered 67,085 and formed 29.67% of the population. Others numbered 531 and formed 0.23% of the population.