Magrahat

Magrahat is a census town and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Magrahat police station in the Magrahat II CD block in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History
Once upon a time this place was occupied by Mog pirates. They set up a Hat (village market). That Hat are well known in the name of Mograhat or Magrahat. The inhabitant of Arakan Province of present-day Myanmar was called as Mog. Portugease pirates helped them to come here. According to a researcher, Mogra is a such place where different flow of rivers meet each other. Such type of place we find in Mogra in Hooghly district near Tribeni. Another Mogra we find in Sagar Island. One of inland transport river Banai flowed from here. This oblivion river touched Mandirbazar, Lakshmikantapur, Beluni, Chandipur and at last met with Gobdia Gang (one of the creek of Sundarban islands). About hundred years ago Magrahat was well connected with Jaynagar Majilpur by a canal.

Area overview
Diamond Harbour subdivision is a rural subdivision with patches of urbanization. Only 14.61% of the population lives in the urban areas and an overwhelming 85.39% lives in the rural areas. In the eastern portion of the subdivision (shown in the map alongside) there are 24 census towns. The entire district is situated in the Ganges Delta and the eastern part of the district is a flat plain area with small towns, many in clusters. Location of places in the larger map varies a little. It is an OpenStreetMap, while we are using coordinates as in Google Maps.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Location
Magrahat is located at 22.242°N, 88.3784°W. It has an average elevation of 8 m.

Uttar Kalas, Dihi Kalas, Swangrampur and after a small gap Magrahat and Bilandapur form a cluster of census towns in the south-east corner of the Magrahat II CD block, as per the map of the Magrahat II CD block in the District Census Handbook for the South 24 Parganas. Dhamua, Shyampur and Nainan form another cluster of census towns closeby in the Magrahat II CD block.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Magrahat had a total population of 17,392, of which 8,643 (50%) were males and 8,749 (50%) were females. There were 2,264 persons in the age range of 0–6 years. The total number of literates in Magrahat was 11,259 (74.40% of the population over 6 years).

Police station
Magrahat police station covers an area of 135.184 sq km. It has jurisdiction over the Magrahat II CD block.

CD block HQ
The headquarters of the Magrahat II CD block are located at Magrahat.

Infrastructure
According to the District Census Handbook 2011, Magrahat covered an area of 3.021 km2. Among the civic amenities, it had 12 km roads with open drains, the protected water supply involved overhead tank. It had 310 domestic electric connections. Among the educational facilities it had were 7 primary schools, 1 middle school, 2 secondary schools, 1 senior secondary school, 1 general degree college. It had 1 recognised shorthand, typewriting and vocational training institution. Among the social, recreational and cultural facilities it had 1 cinema theatre. An important commodity it produced was embroidery work. It had the branch of 1 nationalised bank.

Social scenario
According to the District Human Development Report for the South 24 Parganas, “The district is typically at the lower rung of the ladder in terms of district per capita income compared to other districts of West Bengal… This place also houses the largest proportion of backward people compared to the state… So far as the crime scenario is concerned the economically weaker group, i.e. the women and children, suffer the most in this district.”

Transport
Magrahat is on the Usthi-Magrahat-Dakshin Barasat Road.

Magra Hat railway station is on the Sealdah–Diamond Harbour line of the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.

Commuters
With the electrification of the railways, suburban traffic has grown tremendously since the 1960s. As of 2005-06, more than 1.7 million (17 lakhs) commuters use the Kolkata Suburban Railway system daily. After the partition of India, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and Bangladesh had a strong impact on the development of urban areas in the periphery of Kolkata. The new immigrants depended on Kolkata for their livelihood, thus increasing the number of commuters. Eastern Railway runs 1,272 EMU trains daily.

Education
Magrahat College, established in 1996, is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It offers honours courses in Bengali, English, education, history, geography and political science, and a general course in arts.

Healthcare
Magrahat Rural Hospital, with 30 beds, at Magrahat, is the major government medical facility in the Magrahat II CD block.