Location: North KolkataEstablished in: 1962
Highlights: One of the first planned centers in Kolkata
Salt Lake City, also known as Bidhan Nagar, is one of the first planned centers in Kolkata. It was established in 1962, at the initiative of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, then Chief Minister of West Bengal, after whom it was named as well. In order to build the city, a Yugoslavian firm was hired for a year, to fill the long existing swamps in the area with the sand water. The city was designed in a way that it contains a hexagonal park in the center and has adjoining blocks surrounding it.
Salt Lake City comprises of a well-planned township, with a number of blocks. It is so known because of its similarity of its origin with the Salt Lake City of US. The city is surrounded by water from three sides. Keshtopur Canal, a subsidiary of Hooghly River runs across its three sides. The wet lands of Bidhan Nagar also attract several exotic migratory birds. Apart from its beautiful environment and natural charm, the place is also known for its multi-dimensional development, over the years.
Salt Lake City houses the largest stadium of India, an amusement park, a shopping plaza, a sports training centre and many more such things. The city is now being developed as hub of Kolkata IT sector. Apart from its rapid infrastructural development, Bidhan Nagar of Calcutta is also known for housing reputed institutes, like Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Variable Energy Cyclotron and S N Bose Institute.
