Spatio-Temporal Changing Scenario of Growth and Structure of Manufacturing Industries in Asansol-Durgapur Region, West Bengal

Abstract

Asansol-Durgapur Industrial Region serves as nerve-knot of the economy of West Bengal as well as the entire economic region of Eastern India because of its enormous reservoir of excellent quality of coal of Raniganj Coalfield, outstanding network of transport by rail and road, skillful and cheap labour in close proximity of states. With the establishment of a number of large industrial units like Iron & Steel Plant, Durgapur Steel Plant, Chittaranjan Locomotive works, Durgapur Alloy Steel Plant, Durgapur Thermal Power Station, and hundreds of medium and small-scale industries have made the region great industrial belt after Hooghly industrial belt in West Bengal. Though there was rapid industrialization after independence period but the growth of industries has not taken place uniformly throughout the study area. This is because, high manufacturing intensity found in Durgapur, Asansol, Raniganj and Kulti areas whereas the Salanpur, Jamuria, Fraidpur, Barabani areas witnesses low manufacturing intensity. The decadal growth of industries also noteworthy, in 1951 there were 46 industrial units and it increased to 430 in 2019. The number of basic metal and engineering units was 2 and 18 respectively in the year 1951 whereas in 2019 the basic metal and engineering unit increased to 122 and 66 respectively. This paper primarily focuses on the estimation of spatial and temporal distribution of manufacturing industrial units, growth and structural changes, manufacturing intensity and concentration of the manufacturing sector during the period of 1951 to 2019 in Asansol-Durgapur Industrial Region.