Kolkata/Northern fringes

The large urbanised industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat and includes such places as Kashipur, Dumdum, Baranagar, Dakshineswar, Belghoria, Nimta, Birati, Khardah, Panihati, Titagarh, Barrackpore and Madhyamgram. The once flourishing manufacturing belt, still has some units working well but the industrial area as a whole is no more in the pink of health and is often in the news for the wrong reasons.
The main line of the Eastern Bengal Railway, that once served to link Kolkata with the eastern part of Bengal (now Bangladesh), ran through this area. The area has a mixed population - high percentage of Hindi-speaking people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and refugees from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), generally outnumbering the local population.
It is part of Kolkata urban agglomeration and is split into numerous municipalities spread across North 24 Parganas district.

By train

The main line links Sealdah and Ranaghat. A branch line links Dum Dum to Bangaon, near the India-Bangladesh border. The Calcutta Chord line links Dum Dum to Dankuni on the Howrah-Bardhaman Chord line. The main stations in the region are:

• Agarpara railway station

• Barasat railway station

• Bamangachhi railway station

• Barrackpore railway station

• Belghoria railway station

• Birati railway station

• Bisharpara-Kodalia railway station

• Dum Dum Cantonment railway station

• Dum Dum railway station

• Durganagar railway station

• Hridaypur railway station

• Ichhapore railway station

• Jaggadal railway station

• Kakinara railway station

• Khardah railway station

• Madhyamgarm railway station

• Naihati railway station

• New Barrackpur railway station

• Palta railway stationbarrackpore &palta & ultadanga railway station & road map

• Shyamnagar railway station

• Sodepur railway station

• Titagarh railway station

• Baranagar Road railway station

  address: Baranagar

• Noapara metro station

  address: Baranagar

By road

The two main roads leading into the area from Kolkata are Barrackpore Trunk Road and Jessore Road (NH 34). Jessore Road is linked with the junction point of NH 2 and NH 6 at Dankuni via Belghoria Expressway across Nivedita Setu. Direct roads link Barrackpore with Barasat and Sodepur with Madhyamgram. Kalyani Expressway is another important link in the area.

By air

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is in this area but it attracts hardly any passengers from this area. All the industry offices are in Kolkata.

By ferry

There are a set of parallel bridges across the Hooghly River - Vivekananda Setu and Nivedita Setu - between Dakshineswar and Bally. Between Naihati and Bandel, there only is a railway bridge. There are numerous ferry points (locally known as ghats) connecting the two banks of the Hooghly River.

• Khadi Pratisthan

  address: Sodepur
  Founded in 1925 by Satish Chandra Dasgupta, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.

• Rishi Bankim Chandra's residence and museum

  address: Naihati

• Dakshineswar Kali TempleThe temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali. It is famous for its association with Ramakrishna Paramansadev, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal. For more information see Kolkata/Dakshineswar.

• Barasat StadiumCapacity:22,000

• Big Bazar Supermarket

  address: Nazrul Islam Avenue, Baguiati

• Big Bazar Supermarket

  address: College More, M.B. Road, Birati

• Pistol

• Saha Textile

  address: Haritala, Barasat

• Sriniketan Fashions Pvt. Ltd.

  phone: +91 33 25834436, +91 33 25834437, +91 33 25834438
  address: Station Road, Sodepur

==Eat==

• Haldiram's

  phone: +91 9830011127, +91 9830011120
  address: P420, Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani, Kaikhali

• Sher-e-Punjab

  phone: +91 33 25672848
  address: Jessore Road, Sukanta Nagar
  Quality Punjabi dhaba food. Chinese & Thai dishes also available. AC or open-air seating. Drinks served.

Dum Dum

• Hotel Airways

  phone: +91 33 25132106
  address: Motilal Colony, Rajbari

• Hotel Gateway Continental

  phone: +91 33 25118324
  address: Crossing of Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani and Jessore Road

• Hotel Shivangan

  phone: +91 33 2576 2711
  address: Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani

• O2 Hotel

  phone: +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113
  address: Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani, Kaikhali

• Rose Valley Hotel

  phone: +91 33 4019 7000
  address: RGM 25/3010, Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani, Raghunathpur, Baguiati

Barasat

• Annapurna Hotel

  phone: +91 9433275251
  address: Taki Road

• Hotel Windsor

  phone: +91 9831260630
  address: Rishi Bankim Chandra Road

• Palash Hotel

  phone: +91 33 25523042
  address: 125 Jessore Road
• For places to sleep in Barrackpore see Barrackpore

For the past several years Barasat has, from time to time, been in the news for crime in general and against women in particular. The victims have generally been local people and life has gone on. However, those traveling to Barasat may keep a note of the emergency police number:100.