Kukrahati


Kukrahati is a village in Sutahata CD block in Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal.

Geography

Location

It is located around 150 km from Kolkata, and stands on the bank of the Hooghly river, opposite Raichak in South 24 Parganas. It is the gateway to the port and industrial city of Haldia.

Urbanisation

79.19% of the population of Haldia subdivision live in the rural areas. Only 20.81% of the population live in the urban areas, and that is the highest proportion of urban population amongst the four subdivisions in Purba Medinipur district.
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.

Economy

Abandoned bridge proposal

There was a proposal to build a bridge across the Hooghly river from Kukrahati to Raichak. The four lane road bridge was expected to be complete by 2012. The construction of the Eastern Link Highway, linking Barasat with Raichak, which would have been 100 km long and 100 m wide and spread over 2,500 acres, was also on the anvil. The road would have ultimately terminated at Nandigram. The projects were to be implemented by New Kolkata International Development Private Ltd, a special purpose company that had been promoted by the Salim Group, the Universal Success Group and Unitech. The government was also agreed on acquiring for the Salim Group at Kukrahati to develop a township. The Kukrahati township was to come up on low and saline land close to the banks of the Hooghly river. The entire project and associated programmes were abandoned by the Left Front government after the Nandigram violence in 2007.

Transport

There is a ferry service across the Hooghly between Raichak in Diamond Harbour II CD Block and Kukrahati. The ferry service is available every 30 minutes from 6-00 am on both sides to 8-00 pm at Kukrahati and 8-40 pm at Raichak. There are regular bus services between Esplanade and Raichak and between Kukrahati and Haldia.