Kalyani City

Discovering an American Town in India.
Kalyani, a West Bengal modern town

Kalyani, a West Bengal modern town

"Story Behind Kalyani City"
Kalyani, located in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, is a relatively young town. During the Second World War, Kalyani, was the site of an American military airbase, formed out of 45 villages in the district of Nadia. The military garrison town was named after the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt as "Roosevelt Town" or "Roosevelt Nagar". Hangars and other reminders of the airfield are still visible in the 'A' Block and some areas around Kalyani University, whose buildings were built on or over the runways. After World War II, the American military left the base, and the airfield and hangars went into disuse.
Development of modern Kalyani is credited to former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who named the city "Kalyani", after the daughter of Nilratan Sircar. After Independence of India, in 1950, the master plan of the town was developed and the foundation stone for the town was laid by the then Governor of West Bengal, Kailashnath Katju, on 24 February 1951. This town was built in a short time in order to host the 51st Indian National Congress meeting in 1954. In memoirs of that conference, a road of the city was named as 'Congress Road'. In the same year, the name of the current Kalyani railway station, was changed from "Chandmari Halt". In 1957, the Kalyani police station was formed. In 1979, the rail line was extended from Kalyani main to Kalyani Simanta station and also established direct connectivity to Kolkata through Kalyani Simanta local EMU trains.
In 1995, Kalyani Municipality was established, which has been crucial in the development of infrastructure in Kalyani. In 2014, Kalyani was selected as a candidate for "Smart City" project.