Bata Nagar, Kolkata

Batanagar is a town in South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.[1] It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata.[2] There is a plant of the Bata company here. The employees mostly reside in Batanagar.

History

Batanagar was established to start the first shoe factory in India by Czechoslovak industrialist Tomas Bata. The Bata brand was established on August 24, 1894 in Zlín, then in Austria-Hungary (now in Czech Republic). The company first established itself in India in 1931 by renting a building to start an experimental shoe production plant in Konnagar, West Bengal with 75 Czechoslovak experts. Jan Antonin Batathen built up an industrial manufacturing city called Batanagar in 1934, as well as other factories in Digha near Patna, and elsewhere in India, employing more than 7,000 people. Later Batanagar became one of the bigger suburban towns near Kolkata.

Geography

Batanagar lies near the river Ganges. Nungior Nangi, the nearest rail station, is 23 km from Sealdah on the Sealdah-Budge Budgesection of Eastern Railway.and just 9 km from Taratala.

Economy

Not only the Bata India Shoe factory, another very remarkable feature of Batanagar, is that shoe-making is a predominant cottage industry in Batanagar. Countless houses and families are dedicated to manufacturing shoes of various makes - leather, PVC, jute, etc. for some of the leading shoe brands in India. For example, - Khadim's, SreeLeathers, Titas and Liberty which are some of the most renowned shoe makers in India, have outsourced a major portion of their shoe making process to the various entities in Batanagar. Every alternate home in Batanagar houses a small unit which is manufacturing shoes.

This feature was born out of necessity, as most of the families residing in Batanagar are dependent on the Bata factory for their livelihood, hence whenever the factory gets locked-out, these families are very severely affected. Hence shoe making from their homes has given them an alternate source of earning.

Education

There are several higher secondary level schools including the Bata Boys' School, Bata Girls' School, Nangi Boys' School and Nangi Girls' School in Batanagar area. There are also some secondary level schools. There is no college in Batanagar; the nearest colleges are Maheshtala College and Budge Budge College. Mahestala College was accredited by NAAC in May 2004