UpdateBot: robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

2022-06-03T13:31:09Z

robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:01, 3 June 2022
Line 63:		Line 63:

	[[Category:2002 in India]]		[[Category:2002 in India]]
	[[Category:~~History of~~ West Bengal ~~(1947–present)~~]]		[[Category:2000s in West Bengal]]
	[[Category:Geographic history of India]]		[[Category:Geographic history of India]]
	[[Category:Former districts of West Bengal]]		[[Category:Former districts of West Bengal]]

imported>Dawnseeker2000: date formats per MOS:DATEFORMAT by script

2021-03-06T16:27:31Z

date formats per MOS:DATEFORMAT by script

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
[[File:MidnaporeDistrictcopy.jpg|thumb|Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts on 1 January 2002]]
The '''Partition of Midnapore''' ([[Bengali language|Bengali]]: মেদিনীপুর জেলা বিভাজন) was the administrative breakup of the [[Midnapore District]] of [[West Bengal]], [[India]] into the western [[Paschim Medinipur]] and the eastern [[Purba Medinipur]] districts that became effective on 1 January 2002. With a collective population of 97 [[lakh]] or 9.7 [[million]], the undivided district was the largest in terms of population in India and more populous than many countries, including [[Sweden]].<ref name="Anandabazar2">{{cite web
|last = Staff reporter
|date = 1 January 2002
|url = http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020101/1raj2.htm
|title = Abasheshe Medinipur bhenge noya jela aaj (in Bengali)
|access-date = 13 October 2006
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008070510/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020101/1raj2.htm
|archive-date = 8 October 2007
}}</ref> With the division of the district, the subdivisions of [[Medinipur]] Sadar, [[Kharagpur]], [[Jhargram]], and [[Ghatal]] were placed in Paschim Medinipur, with Midnapore, now the district headquarters of only the western half.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/> The subdivisions of [[Tamluk]], [[Contai]], and [[Haldia]] were placed in the eastern district with district headquarters at Tamluk.<ref name="Anandabazar1">{{cite web
|last = Acharya
|first = Prasun
|date = 2 January 2002
|url = http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020102/2raj1.htm
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008070342/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1020102/2raj1.htm
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 8 October 2007
|title = Medinipur bhenge Buddher ashash hotabe jonojuddhoke (in Bengali)
|access-date = 13 October 2006
}}</ref> [[Egra]] subdivision, a new subdivision of Purba Medinipur, was created out of the Contai subdivision.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/>

==Early attempts at Partition==
The earliest recorded attempt to divide Midnapore district was announced during the time of the [[British Raj]] in 1915.<ref name="Local">{{cite book
| last = Chakrabarty
| first = Bidyut
| year = 1997
| title = Local Politics and Indian Nationalism: Midnapur (1919-1944)
| publisher = Manohar
| location = New Delhi
| pages = 72–76
}}</ref> Since, the district was administered by a district magistrate or 'collector'. The idea behind the division was to make the administration of the large district more manageable. The Government of the province of [[Bengal]] had floated the idea in 1907, but had not implemented it, due to the volatile situation in the province following the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|Partition of Bengal]].<ref name="Local"/> A new district of Hijli was to be set up to help in administration. Midnapore was also a hotbed of revolutionary activity, and it was thought that dividing the district would allow the British rulers to tighten their grip.<ref name="Local"/> The announcement of the partition on 26 January 1915 was greeted with protests from [[zamindar]]s who feared they would be taxed twice if their lands spanned two districts, and by the lawyers of the district court who felt their business would be hurt if another district court was set up at Hijli.<ref name="Local"/> Upendra Nath Maity, President of the Midnapore Bar Association commented that the division of the district would be financially unsound since there were, in his opinion, more pressing matters that the administration needed to finance.<ref name="Local"/> [[Birendranath Sasmal]], a prominent barrister and politician, initially supported the partition when it was possible that his hometown, Contai, might be the seat of the new district, but opposed it, when Hijli was announced instead.<ref name="Local"/> A number of members of the [[Indian National Congress]] also opposed the partition citing that they believed the ruling class wanted to break the unity of the politically conscious population of the undivided district. Agitation against the partition continued until 1921, when the whole idea was canned, due to financial reasons.<ref name="Local"/>

==Partition on 1 January 2002==
In independent India, successive governments had expressed a desire to divide the district but this was never done until the government led by [[Chief Minister]] [[Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee]] finalized the details of the partition and set a date.<ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news
| last = Jana
| first = Naresh
| date = 31 December 2001
| url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1011231/national.htm#head3
| title = Tamluk readies for giant's partition
| access-date = 13 October 2006
| location=Calcutta, India
| work=The Telegraph
}}</ref> The mood in various towns in that were affected was variable, as gauged by local newspapers. In general, the event was treated with concern and dismay in Midnapore by inhabitants citing a loss of importance, greeted with parades and other festivities in Tamluk since it was now a district town, and with dismay or apathy in Contai since Contai had failed to become the district town in the newly formed district.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/><ref name="Anandabazar1"/><ref name="Telegraph2"/><ref name="Telegraph1">{{cite news
| last = Telegraph editorial
| date = 3 January 2002
| url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/archives/archive.html
| title = Divide and rule
| access-date = 13 October 2006
| location = Calcutta, India
| work = The Telegraph
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081112044743/http://www.telegraphindia.com/archives/archive.html
| archive-date = 12 November 2008
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> The major opposition party, the [[Trinamool Congress]] opposed the move, but a section of the media was favorable.<ref name="Telegraph1"/> Dividing the district, it was felt would help the administration reach the people and assist in providing better healthcare and educational facilities.<ref name="Telegraph1"/> Opponents mentioned that many of the problems of [[Naxalite]] elements would be plaguing the district of Paschim Medinpur and would take up too much of its now limited resources.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/><ref name="Telegraph1"/> New administrative and legislative buildings began to come up immediately in Tamluk after the partition came into effect.<ref name="Anandabazar2"/> A new district magistrate and superintendent of police was also appointed.<ref name="Telegraph2"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Paschim Medinipur topics}}
{{Purba Medinipur topics}}

[[Category:2002 in India]]
[[Category:History of West Bengal (1947–present)]]
[[Category:Geographic history of India]]
[[Category:Former districts of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Partition (politics)]]
[[Category:Purba Medinipur district]]
[[Category:Paschim Medinipur district]]

Partition of Midnapore - Revision history

UpdateBot: robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

imported>Dawnseeker2000: date formats per MOS:DATEFORMAT by script