Kalyani, West Bengal

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Kalyani is a planned city and municipality in Nadia district, West Bengal. It is part of the Kolkata metropolitan area and falls under the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The town sits on the east bank of the Hooghly River and covers about 30 square kilometers. As of 2011, about 100,000 people lived there, with a high literacy rate of around 89%.

History and development
- Kalyani began as a garrison town during World War II, when an American airbase operated in the area and the town was often called Roosevelt Town.
- After India’s independence, Bidhan Chandra Roy steered its development. The foundation stone was laid in 1951, and the town was planned to host the 1954 Indian National Congress meeting.
- The town grew with a rail link extension to Kalyani Simanta in 1979 and was upgraded to a municipality in 1995.
- In 2014, the central government approved an AIIMS hospital at Kalyani; the project was completed around 2019. A separate initiative to develop a so-called “Analytics City” (Samriddhi) was announced in 2015.

Structure and living space
- Kalyani is divided into four blocks—A, B, C and D.
- A and B are mainly residential with markets; B also houses the main post office, government offices and banks.
- A hosts the main railway station, a medical college, and a major hospital.
- C is largely institutional, hosting Kalyani University and a government engineering college.
- D is mainly the industrial zone.

Education and research
- Universities and institutes nearby include the University of Kalyani and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (near Mohanpur).
- Other important institutions: Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kalyani; AIIMS Kalyani; BRIC-NIBMG; engineering colleges like Ideal Institute of Engineering, JIS College of Engineering, and Kalyani Government Engineering College.
- There are several colleges and research centers, including the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital and the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (nearby).

Healthcare
- Kalyani has multiple hospitals and clinics, including Netaji Subhash Sanatorium (originally a WWII Army hospital), Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, and the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital (university-affiliated).
- Other facilities include Gandhi Memorial Hospital and an Employees’ State Insurance hospital. A branch of the National Institute of Homoeopathy is also present.

Transport and connectivity
- Kalyani railway station sits on the Sealdah–Ranaghat line of the Kolkata suburban railway. A branch line reaches Kalyani Simanta, with several other nearby stations accessible by road or rail.
- The town is connected to Kolkata via the four-lane Kalyani Expressway, with further links to National Highway 2 and other major roads.
- The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, about 45 kilometers away.

Sports and culture
- The Bengal Cricket Academy Ground hosts national and club cricket, and Kalyani Stadium hosts football matches. Several Kolkata clubs have used Kalyani Stadium as a venue for national-level games.

Language and administration
- The official languages are Bengali and English. Kalyani serves as the administrative center for the local subdivision and is part of the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency for national elections and the Kalyani Vidhan Sabha constituency for state elections.