Asansol is an industrial city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located Burdwan district, in the western periphery of the state, adjoining Dhanbad in the Jharkhand state.

It is about two hundred miles from Kolkata, the city is based on primarily the Coal and Steel industry. Situated in the Damodar River valley, the city has evolved and expanded over time.

It has very good railway connectivity, and a divisional headquarter of railways. The station is of-course a junction, i.e. trains diverge from here to many other destinations.

It shares it's border with the State of Jharkhand, which is rich in mineral resources, mainly coal, which is another reason Asansol also is based on that mineral. It is the 'melting pot' for Eastern India because unlike Calcutta, here it is less crowded and have much wider variety of people from almost all parts of the country.

The most important industry here is that of IISCo (Indian Iron & Steel Co.) factory at Burnpur. The IISCo plant is part of the SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd.) establishment.

Nearby Places

The following places are under the administrative control of Asansol administration:

Churulia - here the famous poet - Kazi Nazrul Islam was born. He is considered the national poet of Bangladesh. The village is about 17 kms from Asansol, and contains a museum with his works and a memorial for him.

Maithon Dam - A major multipurpose dam of DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation). It is also a picnic spot.

Chittaranjan - a major installation for manufacture of railways under the ministry of railway, Govt. of India.

Kulti - coal mining and factories.

Barakar - on Damodar River linking Burdwan to Dhanbad

Raniganj - A major area for coal mining.

External Links

• At Asansol - 1 At Asansol - 2