Explain Urbanisation of Calcutta
Answers
Urbanization in India began to accelerate after, due to the country's adoption of a mixed ... the development of Indian economy leading to what is popularly known as Hindu rate of growth. ... The period after 1941, witnessed rapid growth of four metropolitan cities in India, which were Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai.
The Mughal Empire originally opposed Charnock's location at the river port of Hooghly which caused Charnock to move to other places further down the river.
A rebellion broke out in 1696 in a nearby district, causing the servants of the English East India Company to fortify their trading post. After the rebels were crushed by the Mughal government, this defensive structure later became known as Fort William and the English obtained ownership of the three local villages.
The population of Calcutta went from about 10,00o to 12,000 in 1706, to nearly 120,000 by 1752 and to 180,000 by 1821. The population was divided into two distinct areas - one British, one Indian - that came to coexist. In the Indian area, different sections were named to indicate the various occupational castes of the people in the sections (e.g Kurmartuli was the potters' district).
Obstacle 3
However, as Calcutta's population grew larger, social problems also became more insistent, as for demands for home rule for India. The partitioning of Bengal, Gandhi's request for noncompliance with unjust laws, and tensions between Muslims and Hindus caused communal riots. Calcutta was also damaged by Japanese air raids in World War II. Millions of refugees from East Pakistan flocked to Calcutta which further aggravated social problems and increased overcrowding. Economic stagnation in the mid-1960s further increased the instability of the city's social and political life and fueled a flight of capital from the city. Some of these economic and social conditions have been improved by large-scale works programs and centralized regional planning.
Infrastructure
The Mughal officials later realized that they didn't wish to lose what they had gained from the English company's presence, so they permitted Charnock to return and use Calcutta as his seat of operations. Calcutta was the best location because it was protected by bodies of water, including the Hooghly River, on the north, west and east, and access to the sea was not threatened by rival settlements that were higher up the west bank. Indian merchants also settled in three local villages.
Job Charnock of the English East India Company established a trading post in 1690.
Growth of the City
20th Century
Obstacle 1
Obstacle 2
In 1717, the East India Company was granted freedom of trade by the Mughal Emperor in exchange with a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees. This sparked the growth of Calcutta because Indian merchants began to flock to the city. The British fought to defend Bengal from the Mughals and the Nawab from 1742 to 1757, during which the Maratha Ditch was constructed. British rule of Bengal was assured in 1757 and Calcutta became the capital of British India in 1772.
Unfortunately, there were few good roads in Calcutta and the town was labeled as troublesome. In order to finance public improvement, a Lottery Committee was constituted in 1814, which proved effective. In 1864, 1867, and 1870, cyclones devastated poorer, low-lying areas but Calcutta continued to develop as British power extended over India. An open market was created in 1835, and the construction of railways began in 1854. The Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Peshawar (now in Pakistan) was completed. British mercantile, banking, and insurance interests flourished, and the Indian sector also became a busy commerce filled with people from many parts of Asia. Calcutta became the intellectual center of India.
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