AN ANALYSIS OF TREND AND PATTERN OF URBANIZATION

IN BIRBHUM DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL

Sandipan Ganguly

M.Phil Scholar in Geography

Mewar University

Chittorgarh, Rajasthan

Email: sandipan.suri@gmail.com

Contact No. : 9474748347

Dr. Mandira Ghosh

Assistant Professor in Geography

David Hare Training College

Kolkata, West Bengal

Email: runkikgp@gmail.com

Contact No. : 9474504613

Abstract: Birbhum district of West Bengal is in the process of urbanization like other districts of

the state. Census of India, 2011 has recorded an increase of fourteen urban centres in the district

which includes one municipal town. The paper attempts to study the trend and pattern of

urbanization of Birbhum district in both temporal and spatial perspective. The study is

undertaken on the basis of secondary data and statistical analyses. The population dynamics of

urban centres of Birbhum district reveal that urbanization is taking place at a fast rate and

proper planning should be done for the infrastructural developments of the urban centres to deal

with the increasing population.

Key Words: Census Town, Planning, Rank-Size Rule, Urban, Urbanization, Urban System.

Introduction: Urbanization has become one of the most dominant socio-cultural economic

phenomena in 21st century. According to Statistical Yearbook for the Asia and the Pacific, 2011,

between 2005 and 2010, the urbanized proportion of the world’s population has overlooked the

rural population (rising from 49 per cent in 2005 to 51 per cent in 2010) and the urban population

continues to grow. India has also experienced gradual increase of urbanization since 1951.

According to Census of India, 2011, the percentage of urbanization in India is 31.16 which is

quite significant. An increase in urban population has resulted into fast growing of towns and

cities. But due to shortage of infrastructural services and amenities, these urban centres are

facing a lot of environmental problems. According to India’s Ministry of Urban Development,

20 per cent of the country’s urban households are denied access to safe drinking water, 58 per

cent do not have safe sanitation and more than 40 per cent of garbage generated is left

uncontrolled for want of proper waste management. Thus there is a major deficiency in the

provision of urban infrastructure and services despite major efforts that have been taken so far.

West Bengal has also experienced a high level of urbanization during 2001-2011 (rate of

urbanization is 13.77 per cent) though high inter district disparity exists in urban population

distribution. To enhance the urbanization scenario, district level study should be undertaken. The

present study is oriented towards an analysis of trend and pattern of urbanization of Birbhum

district. A proper understanding of the characteristics of urbanization of a region is essential pre-

requisite for urban governances as well as other programmes for development and management

of its urban areas.

The Study area: The district of Birbhum is the northern most district of the Burdwan division

and is situated at the western boundary of the state of West Bengal (Fig. 1). In shape it

resembles very much the country of Great Britain and looks like an iso scale triangle dissected

by the loop line of the eastern railway which runs due north and south through it. The apex is

situated at northern extremity of far south of the point where the Ganges and the hills of the

Santal Parganas begin to diverge and the river Ajay forms the base of the triangle. It is separated

from the district of Burdwan by the river Ajay. The district of Birbhum lies between 230 32ʹ 30ʺ N

to 240 35ʹ 00ʺ N and 880 01ʹ 40ʺ E to 870 05ʹ 25ʺ E. According to Census of India, 2011, Birbhum

district has a population of 3502387 with a growth rate of 16.15 per cent. In 2011, the percentage

share of urban population to the total population in the district is 12.83.

Fig. 1

Data Sources and Methods: The study is entirely based on secondary data. The secondary

sources of data include Birbhum District Statistical Handbook, 2008; Primary Census Abstract of

India, 2011, Census Handbooks of Birbhum district and official website of Birbhum district.

The paper has been prepared following a systematic methodology which can be

conveniently sub-divided into the following phases:

i. Collection of secondary materials: The secondary data and maps have been collected from the

above mentioned sources in this phase.

ii. Analysis of data: The collected data have been analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Quantitative techniques include Zipf’s Rank Size Rule, Correlation Analysis etc.

Results and Discussions:

Urbanization- Issues of Conception and Definition: Urbanization is a very complex

phenomenon and none of the existing specially the theories of diffusion, migration theory and

economic base theory explain the characteristics of urbanization. As sociologists, economists and

geographers differ considerably in this regard, so there is no universally acceptable definition of

urbanization.

In a very simple way, urbanization is a socio-economic phenomenon rather than a process

of transformation which includes behavioral transformation, structural transformation and

demographic transformation. The demographic interpretation of the process of urbanization

visualizes the process in terms of increasing concentration of population in ‘urban’ places. This

increase of urban population may be due to increasing size of existing urban settlements in

isolation or in tandem with other neighbouring urban settlements. This can also occur through

the appearance of a new ‘urban’ place under certain socio-economic conditions like a new

township being created or a large rural settlements assuring ‘urban’ character (Datta, 2000).

At this juncture, it is very necessary to clarify the definition of ‘urban’. The word ‘urban’

has been defined in various ways by different countries. In India, all statutory i.e. all places with

a municipal corporation, cantonment board or notified area committee etc. are treated as urban.

In addition to these, places which have-

i. A minimum population of 5000

ii.75 per cent of their male working population engaged in non-agricultural activities

iii. A density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. km

The definition of an urban place in India has remained almost the same since 1961. However,

in 1981, while calculating the proportion of workers in non-agricultural activities, the workers in

the occupation of fishing, livestock, hunting, plantation and orchards have been considered as

agricultural activities unlike the census of 1961 and 1971 when these activities were considered

non-agricultural activities (Census of India, 1981). Thus there are two types of towns in India-

a)municipal towns and b)census towns.

In order to make international data comparable, the United Nations suggested that the national

data on urban population should be presented also according to a standardized scale (United

Nations, 1958). In tune with the recommendations of the United Nations, the Census of India

also classifies its urban places into the following six categories:

Class I- having a population of 1,00,000 or more

Class II- having a population of 50,000-99,999

Class III- having a population of 20,000-49,999

Class IV- having a population of 10,000-19,999

Class V- having a population of 5,000-9,999

Class VI- having a population of less than 5,000

An Overview of Urbanization of Birbhum District (Temporal Perspective): In 2001, the

total population of Birbhum district was 3015422. It has increased to 3502387 in 2011 showing

a positive growth of 16.15 per cent. In 1921, the percentage of urban population to total

population in the district was 2.04 and in 2011, the percentage share of urban population to the

total population in the district is 12.83 (Table 1), which is below the state level (31.89 per cent).

Table 1: Total and Urban Population of Birbhum District (1921-2011)

Years Total Population Urban Population Urban Population to Total Population (in %)1921 851725 17355 2.04

1931 947554 45191 4.77

1941 1048317 60339 5.76

1951 1066889 68993 6.47

1961 1446158 100769 6.97

1971 1775909 124772 7.03

1981 2095829 173533 8.28

1991 2555664 229563 8.98

2001 3015422 258420 8.57

2011 3502387 449448 12.83

Source: Census Handbooks of Birbhum District and Primary Computation

1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 20110

5000001000000150000020000002500000300000035000004000000

Trend of Total and Urban Population of Birbhum District (1921-2011)

Total PopulationUrban Population

Years

Popu

latio

n

Fig. 2

It is interesting to note that during last 80 years, from 1921-2001, the net increase in urban

population was 241065, while in the last single decade, 2001-2011, the net increase in 191028

which is quite significant. It indicates that Birbhum district is going to experience fast

urbanization in the future.

Figure 3 gives us the decadal growth of total and urban population of Birbhum district of each

of the nine decades.

1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 20110

50

100

150

200

Decadal Growth of Total and Urban Population of Birbhum District (1931-2011)

TotalUrban

Years

Grow

th i

n pe

r cen

t

Fig. 3

In the decade 1921-1931, the growth of urban population (160.39 per cent) was much higher

than the growth of total population (11.25 per cent). In the period 1941-1951, both growth rate of

total and urban population declined. In the last decade i.e. 2001-2011, though the growth rate of

total population is showing a declining trend (-1.84), but the urban population is growing at a fast

rate (+61.35). So the growth rate analysis is also supporting the fact that Birbhum district is

experiencing fast urbanization.

0 1000000 2000000 3000000 40000000

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

f(x) = 0.135518119699818 x − 95239.1913579385R² = 0.936720646861054

Growth of Urban and Total Population and Least Square Fit,

Birbhum District (1921-2011)

URBAN POPULATIONLinear (URBAN POPULATION)

Total Population

Urba

n Po

pula

tion

Fig. 4

There is also very high positive correlation between growth of total population and growth of

urban population (Fig.4). The Correlation co-efficient is 0.97. The facts emerge from the

relationship as:

i. The urban population has increased with the increase of total population in the district. During

the last decade (2001-2011), urban population has increased at a rate faster than the total

population.

ii. The growth of urban population has almost followed the line of best fit up to 2001.

iii. During the last decade (2001-2011), the growth of urban population has exceeded the line of

best fit. The fact supports the view that the region is marching towards rapid urbanization.

Pattern of Urbanization of Birbhum District (Spatial Perspective): A proper understanding

of the pattern of urbanization is an essential prerequisite for the study of urbanization of a region.

There are nineteen community development blocks in Birbhum district. The block wise pattern

of urbanization of Birbhum district has been studied with the help of Index of Urbanization

prepared for each block (Table 2). It is expressed by the following formula:

Index of Urbanization=Urban Population of the BlockTotal Population of the Block

× 100

Table 2: Block wise Index of Urbanization of Birbhum District, 2011

C.D. Blocks Urban Population Index of Urbanization Rank

Nalhati I 41534 16.86 7

Nalhati II 0 0 15

Murarai I 22861 11.98 8

Murarai II 9796 4.41 10

Mayureswar I 10176 6.37 9

Mayureswar II 0 0 15

Rampurhat I 57833 23.48 3

Rampurhat II 8118 4.32 11

Mohammad Bazar 0 0 15

Sainthia 53843 22.44 4

Dubrajpur 38041 17.33 6

Rajnagar 13965 17.91 5

Suri I 83100 46.36 1

Suri II 0 0 15

Khoyrasole 0 0 15

Bolpur-Sriniketan 92370 32.67 2

Labhpur 5419 2.68 13

Nanoor 5267 2.41 14

Illambazar 7125 4.22 12

Source: Census of India: Birbhum District, 2011 and Primary Computation

Suri I block is most urbanized in terms of its percentage of urban population to total

population followed by Bolpur- Sriniketan and Rampurhat I. The other blocks showing moderate

urbanization status are Sainthia, Rajnagar, Dubrajpur, Nalhati I and Murarai I. Labhpur, Nanoor,

Murarai II, Rampurhat II etc. have recorded very low urbanization. Nalhati II, Mayureswar II,

Suri II, Khoyrasole and Mohammad Bazar have zero urbanization status. It can be observed that

the blocks which have relatively high urbanization status are centrally located within the district.

The peripheral blocks of the district are characterized by less urbanization. Micro relief features,

soil, availability of water, good connectivity etc. have a definite impact upon the urbanization

and urban growth of a region.

Population Dynamics of Urban Centres of Birbhum District: According to Census of India

2011, total number of urban centres in Birbhum district is twenty, out of which six are municipal

towns and fourteen are census towns (Table 3).

Table 3: Urban Centres of Birbhum District, 2011

Towns Status Establishment of

Municipality

& area (in km2)

Class Category Population

(2011)

Population

Growth

(2001-2011)

Ahmadpur C.T. - V 9242 9.88

Ambhua C.T. - IV 10477 38.62

Barua-Gopalpur C.T. - V 6614 7.93

Bishnupur C.T. - V 8118 22.87

Bolpur M 1950 (13.13) II 80210 22.10

Dubrajpur M 1984 (16.83) III 38041 16.15

Fatehpur C.T. - IV 10176 21.11

Illambazar C.T - V 7125 22.05

Kalipur C.T - VI 4770 9.71

Karidhya C.T - IV 10466 12.72

Kashimnagar C.T - V 9796 24.52

Labhpur C.T - V 5419 33.87

Murarai C.T - V 5770 22.98

Nalhati M 2001 (13.81) III 41534 60.93

Parota C.T. - V 5267 16.50

Rajnagar C.T. - IV 13965 16.07

Rampurhat M 1950 (16.32) II 57833 14.27

Sainthia M 1987 (10.00) III 44601 13.94

Suri M 1876 (9.47) II 67864 9.8

Surul C.T. - IV 12160 18.67

Source: Computed from Census of India, Birbhum District, 2011 and Statistical Handbook, 2008

Ahmadpur

Barua G

opalpur

Bolpur

Fateh

pur

Kalipur

Kashim

nagar

Murarai

Parota

Rampurhat Su

ri0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

Population in Urban Centres of Birbhum District

Population (2001)Population (2011)Projected Population (2021)

Popu

latio

n

Fig.5

The observation from Table 3 and Fig. 5 reveals the fact that every urban centre of Birbhum

district has recorded a decadal (2001-2011) population growth of more than 7 per cent with

Nalhati being the highest (60.93 per cent) and Barua-Gopalpur being the lowest (7.93 per cent).

Bolpur, being the 1st ranking town in 2011, is approaching towards a population of 1 lakh in

2021. Though Suri is the administrative headquarter of Birbhum district and 2nd ranking town in

2011 but Nalhati, due to its high decadal growth, is expected to become the 2nd ranking town in

terms of population in 2021, followed by Suri, Rampurhat, Sainthia and Dubrajpur.

Size - Class of towns in Birbhum district is a major component in urban growth continuum.

The size-class distribution of urban population and changes there in over the last three decades

(1991-2011) provides interesting insights into the development dynamics of the district. It is

observed from Table 4 that the class II dominate district’s urban scene in terms of their share of

urban population from 1991-2011 followed by class III. But the shares of class II and III towns

have declined in the last decade (2001-2011). The share of class V towns has increased from

3.26 per cent in 2001 to 12.76 per cent in 2011. The increasing tendency of class V towns

reflects a relatively balanced distribution of urbanization in the district.

Table 4: Per Cent of Urban Population and Frequency of towns in Birbhum District

1991 2001 2011Class I - - -

Class II 51.63 (2) 68.92 (3) 45.81 (3)

Class III 48.37 (3) 27.82 (2) 27.63 (3)

Class IV - - 12.74 (5)

Class V - 3.26 (1) 12.76 (8)

Class VI - - 1.06 (1)

Source: Computed from Census Handbooks of Birbhum District

(Figures in brackets are the frequency of towns)

It is interesting to note that five towns of Birbhum district have been directly credited with class

IV in 2011. It shows a fast trend of urbanization in erstwhile rural areas of the district.

There is a low negative correlation between population, 2011 and area of municipal towns of

Birbhum district. The Coefficient of correlation is -0.30.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 180

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

Area-Population Distribution in Municipal Towns of Birbhum Dis-

trict, 2011

population (2011)Linear (population (2011))

Area (in sq.km.)

Popu

latio

n

Fig. 6

Fig. 6 reveals the fact that the class II municipal towns are scattered over the trend line and the

class III municipal towns are scattered below the trend line. So the populations of the municipal

towns of the district are not proportionately distributed according to their area.

Urban System of Birbhum District-Rank-Size Rule: Rank-Size Rule is one of the methods of

analyzing the settlement system and explaining the relationship between rank and population size

of urban places. The rank-size regularity as expressed by Zipf is as follows:

Pi = Lc / Ri

Where, Pi is the population of a given city

Ri is the rank of the size of the city

Lc is the population of the largest city

So in other words, it can be said that, the number of settlement in any region is inversely

proportional to size of the settlement.

In the application of rank-size rule to our study, we have used the Inverse Rank Method. First,

we have assigned ranks to all the urban centres of Birbhum district according to their 2011

population. Then the expected population of 1st ranking town is calculated by the following

formula:

P1 = ∑P / ∑R

Where P1 is the expected population of the 1st ranking town of the district

∑P is the total population of all the towns of the district

∑R is the total of the inverse ranks of all the towns.

Similarly the expected populations of the remaining towns are calculated by dividing the

expected population of the 1st ranking town by their individual ranks (Table 5).

Table 5: Rank-size Rule, Birbhum District, 2011

Towns Population (2011) Rank Inverse of rank Expected Population (2011)

Bolpur 80210 1 1 124881

Suri 67864 2 0.500 62441

Rampurhat 57833 3 0.333 41627

Sainthia 44601 4 0.250 31220

Nalhati 41534 5 0.200 24976

Dubrajpur 38041 6 0.167 20814

Rajnagar 13965 7 0.143 17840

Surul 12160 8 0.125 15610

Ambhua 10477 9 0.111 13876

Karidhya 10466 10 0.100 12488

Fatehpur 10176 11 0.091 11353

Kashimnagar 9796 12 0.083 10407

Ahmadpur 9242 13 0.077 9606

Bishnupur 8118 14 0.071 8920

Illambazar 7125 15 0.067 8325

Barua-Gopalpur 6614 16 0.063 7805

Murarai 5770 17 0.059 7346

Labhpur 5419 18 0.056 6938

Parota 5267 19 0.053 6573

Kalipur 4770 20 0.050 6244

Source: Computed from Census of India, Birbhum District, 2011

Bolpur

Rampurhat

Nalhati

Rajnaga

r

Ambhua

Fateh

pur

Ahmadpur

Ilambaza

r

Murarai

Parota

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

Rank-size Distribution of Towns of Birbhum District, 2011

Population (2011)Expected Population (2011)

Popu

latio

n

Fig. 7

Fig. 7 clearly depicts that there is no primate city in the district. The 1 st ranking town i.e.

Bolpur’s population would have been more than its present population. Suri (2nd ranking town)

almost follows the rank-size rule. The population size of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ranking towns (i.e.

Rampurhat, Sainthia, Nalhati and Dubrajpur) is larger than their expected population. From

Rajnagar (7th ranking town) to Karidhya (10th ranking town), the line of actual population runs

closely parallel under the line of expected population. From Fatehpur (11 th ranking town)

onwards, both lines almost merge with each other. So the rank-size distribution of Birbhum

district has two aspects- the upper portion of the hierarchy deviates a little from the actual rule

and the lower end of the hierarchy more or less confirms to it. Though Bolpur is going to be a

dominant urban centre of the district in nearby future, but the even distribution of the population

in class IV and V towns is indicating a relatively balanced urban growth of the district.

Conclusion: The urban population of Birbhum district registered an increase of 95.78 per cent in

the last two decades (1991-2011). According to Census of India 2011, thirteen new urban centres

(census towns) have come into light. The increasing decadal growth and the emergence of these

census towns support the fact that, though, when compared to the state level, the picture of

urbanization of Birbhum district is not so impressive, but it is going to experience fast

urbanization. Inter-block disparity exists in terms of share of urban population to total

population. The backward blocks in terms of socio-economic development are characterized by

the status of zero urbanization. So steps should be taken to reduce this disparity as urbanization

in Birbhum district is still at its initial stage and proper strategies would ensure homogeneous

distribution of urban population throughout the district. On the other hand, the infrastructure of

the newly emerged census towns and the pre-existing municipal towns should be developed by

proper planning so that they can successfully bear the increasing pressure of urban population.

References:

1. Census of India 2011. Provisional Tables: Birbhum District, Office of the Registrar General

and Census Commission, New Delhi, India

2. District Statistical Handbook, Birbhum. (2008) Kolkata: Bureau of Applied Economics and

Statistics, Government of West Bengal.

3. Datta, P. (2000) Urbanisation and Urban Governance in West Bengal. ILGUS, Government

Of West Bengal. p-1

4. Ghosh, B. and Chakma, N. (2014) Urbanisation in West Bengal: An Analysis of Recent

Processes. Space and Culture. 2. (2) pp. 28-41.

5. Ramachandran, R. (1989) Urbanization and Urban Systems in India. Oxford: Oxford

University Press. pp 50-65

6. Roy, D. and Mondal, A. (2014) Human Resource Development of Birbhum District – A

Critical Study. IOSR-JHSS. 19. (2) pp. 62-67.

7. Verma, L. N. (2006) Urban Geography. Jaipur: Rawat Publications. pp. 146-149.