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Item Open Access Domestic financial market integration : a study on inter-linkage amongst Indian money, capital and foreign exchange market(University of North Bengal, 2022) Dey, Debashree; Ray, Hirak; Dhar, Samirendra NathThere is endless debate on globalization, free economy and integration of markets. Followers of McKinnon (1973) and Shaw(1973) forcefully argue and advocate that ‘ this is the only game in the town ‘(Obstfeld 1994, Mohan 2005,Trichet 2005, Lane et al., 2006). Again, scholars like Agenor (2001), warns the world about the evils of financial integration. Despite the debate on boons and evils of integration, now almost all economies are following the ‘free regime' and obviously India cannot live in isolation and started to pursue the ‘free economic policies' from 1991 and attempts to reap the benefits of globalization. The central Bank of India, accordingly, sets the objectives of reform of the financial sector. Reddy (1999, 2005), former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, argued and prescribed that more and more policy reforms are necessary to converge the domestic markets. Integration of domestic markets not only help to reap the benefits of liberalisation across the domestic and international financial sectors but also help to increase the efficiency, integrity and competitiveness of all the sectors —be it real or financial and the outcome of which ultimately be translated to the overall development of the economy. The issue of domestic integration has escaped adequate attention of the scholars. Majority of the studies investigated the stock, foreign exchange and money market as secondary or auxiliary issue and a few have investigated the domestic financial markets as the only or primary issue. Studies in the context of India are rare. The use of low frequency data, variety of methodologies, incomplete searching, absence of report on the presence of the variables in the co-integration space, etc, and the fractured findings suggest that there is the scope for further research to unveil the intricate relationship amongst the Indian money, foreign exchange and stock market. The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether Indian domestic financial markets are integrated and would remain integrated in future or not. In pursuing the objectives and considering a time period from 1st January, 2008 to 31st December, 2018, the daily data of the stock, foreign exchange and money market are collected and used in this study. This study transformed all the select time series process under the scrutiny by taking natural logarithm and estimated the entire tests with log-level data. The stationarity tests suggest that all the variables representing the markets are significantly integrated to order one. With the I(1) time series process we assessed the relationship of the markets based on the methodology suggested by Johansen, (1991,95) and Johansen, and Juselius, ( 1990). Results of the test significantly suggest the presence of one co-integrating relation and the deterministic term as, there is ‘a linear trend at level, and intercept with no trend’ which is very common and expected in the studies in finance and economics. Results of the test show the presence of significant long-term stable relationship amongst the markets and all the markets are found to be significantly present in the core of the co - integration space. There is no serial or autocorrelation at and up to the optimum lag order and also found stability of the system. The coefficients of error correction terms are statistically significant and according to the absolute figures, the speed of adjustment of the money market is relatively higher followed by stock and foreign exchange market. Levels of co-integrating relation of the Indian domestic financial markets found in this study do not disappoint the policy planners as it is marked by ups and downs around the critical levels of 95 percent. All these findings suggest strong longterm stable link between the markets. Results of the Granger causality tests point to bi-directional causality in between the stock and foreign exchange and unidirectional from foreign exchange market to call money market. The pair wise Granger causality run in both direction between the markets. In other words, the past values of all the markets grossly influence the future values of all the markets. The findings of the forecast error variance decomposition analysis indicate that the foreign exchange market followed by stock market will remain flexible over the future period of 50 days and steps are needed to make the money market more vibrant and flexible. The results of the impulse response analysis show that the markets transmit shock to other markets and responses to the shocks nearing to zero at or up to 50th day of our study indicating all the markets under study would remain integrated, at least, to the future horizon of the study. The results derived and observations made by the study should be accepted with caution due to the inevitable bias and technical limitations of statistical and econometric tools used. In this study, the modified information criteria in the selection of the optimum lag order are not used, the cases of fractional integration, if any, also not considered when testing the order of integration of the time series process. There is enough scope to use alternative tools and techniques to improve the outcome of these types of studies and the matter is left to scholars to study in future. In investigation, linear co-integrating relationship is assumed. Theoretically, the relation among the markets may well take the nonlinear form. This possibility is not investigated by this study. One of the primary objectives of this study is to investigate whether there is any co-integration among the domestic markets or not, but to investigate the probable reasons for co-integration or no integration is beyond the purview of this study, hence, it is left for future studies. In this analysis ‘narrow base' but highly traded segment of the Bombay Stock Exchange that is S & P BSE SENSEX 30 is used. Future studies considering broad base index is welcome. Real rates in place of nominal rates, basket of currencies or more currencies in place of single currency rates, forward rate instead of spot, Yield on Treasury bills in place of call rates can be used to study the relationship in future.Item Open Access Bharateli nepali kathama hasyatatwako prayog भारतेली नेपाली कथामा हस्यतात्वको प्रयोग गुरुङ(University of North Bengal, 2023) Gurung गुरुङ , Sunil सुनिल; Ghatani घतानी, Krishnaraj कृष्णराजItem Open Access Studies on genetic variability and distribution of begomoviruses affecting economically important crops of sub-himalayan plains of North-East India(University of North Bengal, 2023) Karmakar, Arup; Biswas, Kajal KumarDiseases caused by viruses are responsible for poor crop yield in several vegetable crops. Several million rupees are lost worldwide due to infection of our crops by viruses. Begomoviruses are the most devastating plant pathogens that causes high amount of crop loss every year in India. Several vegetable crops are cultivated in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Assam. Due to yearlong conducive atmosphere production of the vegetable crops are also popular to the local farmers. The present work entitled “Studies on genetic variability and distribution of begomoviruses affecting economically important crops of Sub- Himalayan plains of North-east India” consists of the following objectives such as i) Identification of begomoviruses infecting economically important crops of sub-Himalayan plains of North-east India using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Rolling circle amplification. ii) Sequence analysis and determination of variability among begomoviruses and their strains using bioinformatics tools. iii) Eco-friendly management of important Begomovirus diseases using botanicals. To know the begomoviral diseases of the present study area, a survey was carried. Around 20-75% begomoviral disease incidences have been found in some vegetable crops. Ten important crops of the present study area are tomato, cucumber, potato, kenaf, pointed gourd, papaya, loofah, pumpkin, chilli and ladies finger. Begomoviral symptoms were found in all the ten crops, resulting to significant crop loss. Major symptoms observed were mild to severe yellow mosaic, upward leaf curling, leaf rolling, stunted growth, leaf deformation, networking of yellow veins, followed by thickening of veins and vein lets, puckering, stunting of whole plant and reduced fruit yield. Altogether 55 samples were tested through PCR using different primer sets. Among the 55 samples, 17 samples were positive for begomoviruses. Out of the 17 samples eight were from tomato, seven were from cucumber; one was from kenaf and one was from pumpkin plants. Out of the 16 Begomovirus isolates of the present study, nine were identified as Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), two were identified as Radish leaf curl virus (RaLCV), two were identified as Papaya leaf curl virus (PaLCuV), one was identified as Tomato leaf curl Karnataka virus (ToLCKV), one was identified as Tobacco curly shoot virus (TbCSV) and one was identified as Ageratum enation virus (AEV). Among the ToLCNDV isolates, three were detected in tomato (Accssion Nos. KX108860, KX817297and MZ516898), five in cucumber (Accssion Nos. KY783746, KY807530, MG721011, MG721012 and MG721013) and one in pumpkin (Accssion No. MG721010). Two isolates of tomato of the present study were found to be Radish leaf curl virus [Accession no. MK333456] as they showed 97% sequence similarity with other RaLCV sequences previously submitted in GenBank. Based on 94-96% sequence similarities following results were found: i) Papaya leaf curl virus detected from tomato (Accession No.MZ516896) and cucumber plants (Accession No. MK333457). ii) Tobacco curly shoot virus was also detected from cucumber (Accession No. MG721014) plants iii) one tomato sample was found to contain Tomato leaf curl Karnataka virus (Accession No. KX108859) iv) One Begomovirus species Ageratum enation virus [Accession no. MZ516897] infecting tomato was identified. That AEV showed 95% sequence similarity with the other AEV of the GenBank. In this study, infected leaves of selected plants like tomato, cucumber and kenaf were used for Begomovirus detection through Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA). High molecular weight DNA obtained by RCA of the infected sample was visible in 1% agarose gel under UV-transilluminator, indicating the amplification of circular DNA. RCA product (5 μl) was digested with a number of different restriction enzymes to select an enzyme with a single restriction site in the DNA components. XbaI and BamHI were found to have a single site in both DNA-A and DNA-B component. In the HindIII digested sample two bands of 2.7kb and 1.4 kb were found. In the Pst digested product, three bands of 2.74kb, 1.4kb and 1.45kb were found. In the EcoRI digested sample, two bands of 2.74 kb and 1.4kb were found. The band 2.7kb probably indicate the presence of whole genome of Begomovirus either DNA- A or DNA-B, and the band of about 1.45 kb probably indicate the presence of beta-satellite or alpha-satellite until sequenced. The amplified fragment of 2.74kb were purified and ligated in to pGEM-3Z vector which was also digested by the same enzyme XbaI and cloned according to manufactures instruction. After transformation in to DH5α strain of E.coli, white colonies were screened for the gene of interest by PCR and restriction digestion with XbaI. Positive PCR white colony was selected for sequencing. Three isolates (To/Guw, Cu/Khr and K/Blg) were found positive following RCA and RFLP. Those three isolates produced distinct bands of ~2.7kb and ~1.4kb. The RCA product was subjected to PCR by β satellite specific primer and the amplicons were found to the betasatellite (after cloning and sequencing). Out of the two positive samples, one was identified as Tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) infecting tomato (Accession No. MK333455) as it showed 96% sequence similarity with ToLCB. Another one was identified as Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) infecting Kenaf plants (Accession No. MK358823), which showed 98% sequence similarity with CLCuMB upon BLASTn analysis. The recombination analysis by RDP4 showed that the isolate GUW-01 (Tomato leaf curl betasatellite; Accession No. MK333455) was a recombinant having major parent Tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand betasatellite (TYLCTHB, Accession No.GU058327), and minor parent TYLCTHB (Accession No. GU058324) infecting tomato in China. This suggests that the ToLCB isolate GUW-01 (Accession No. MK333455) may have derived from recombination and it contains sequences derived from TYLCTHB (Accession No. GU058324). The sequences of AEV infecting tomato were clustered together with other tomato infecting AEV isolates in the phylogenetic analysis. PaLCV isolates of the present study clustered with PaLCV infecting Carica papaya whereas PaLCV from other hosts showed separate clusters. RaLCV isolates infecting tomato of the present study showed close relationship among them and clustered with tobacco infecting RaLCV isolate. Phylogenetic analysis of TbCSV isolate infecting cucumber showed that the isolate formed separate small cluster with Phaseolus vulgaris infecting TbCSV whereas the isolates infecting other host formed different cluster. Tomato infecting ToLCKV of the present study clustered with tomato infecting ToLCKV of GenBank and showed close relationship with tomato infecting isolates found worldwide. Phylogenetic analysis of the present nine ToLCNDV sequences along with other ToLCNDV sequences obtained from public database revealed close relationship among them and clustered together. Pumpkin-infecting isolate of the present study showed close relationship with other pumpkin-infecting ToLCNDV isolates. Cucumberinfecting isolates was also clustered together with other cucumber-infecting ToLCNDV isolates except one isolate which positioned alone. But tomato infecting isolates clustered with cucumber-infecting In phylogenetic analysis Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB) isolate showed close relationship and clustered together with other CLCuMuB isolates whereas Tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) isolate showed close relationship with Tobacco curly shoot betasatellite (Accession No. KX857135) and also clustered together with that isolate. In the present study, four enzymes (peroxidise, β-1,3-glucanase, Polyphenol oxidase and PAL) activity was studied following application of the chemical inducers. BABA treated and BABA treated-inoculated plants showed highest peroxidase activities followed by AABA treated and AABA treated-inoculated plants. Highest increase in β-1,3-glucanase activity was found after 12 days of treatment in the GABA treated-ToLCNDV inoculated plants followed by BTH treated-ToLCNDV inoculated plants as compared to the control plants. Polyphenol oxidase activity was also increased in all treated plants except BABA treated plants. Among the inducer treated plants, BABA treated plants showed maximum PAL activity. GABA and BTH treated plants showed comparatively less PAL activity. Among the „plant extract-treated‟ plants, P. betel treated plants showed Maximum peroxidase enzyme activity followed by A. indica treated plants. Treated-inoculated plants also showed significant increase of enzyme activity. Among the experimental plants, A. indica leaf extracts treatedinoculated plants showed highest enzyme activity followed by C. sinensis treated-inoculated plants. Botanical plant extracts also increased the level of β-1,3-glucanase activity in treated plants. Among the treated and treatedinoculated plants, C. sinensis treated and treated-inoculated plants showed maximum enzyme activity followed by P. betel treated and treated-inoculated plants. PAL enzyme activity was also studied after exogenous application of the plant leaf extracts. Here in this study A. indica leaf extract treated and treated-inoculated plants showed highest enzyme activity than the control. Piper betel treated-inoculated plants also showed an increased level of PAL activity. PPO activity was also significantly increased in the plant extract treated and treated-inoculated experimental plants of this study. B. diffusa treated and treated-inoculated plants showed highest enzyme activity followed by P. betel treated and treated-inoculated plants. Some of the new findings are (i) New host (tomato) infected by Radish leaf curl virus, (ii) New host (Cucumber) infected by Papaya leaf curl virus and Tobacco curly shoot virus (iii) Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus infecting cucumber is being reported for the first time from this region and (iv) betasatellites of begomovirus isolate like Tomato leaf curl betasatellite infecting tomato plants along with their recombination events. Genetic variability of the isolates was also studied. Finally management of the begomoviral disease caused by Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus has been done by four chemical inducers and five botanical leaf extracts. Some of the chemical and botanical inducers showed significant disease reduction.Item Open Access Food security and poverty : a case study of tea gardens in North Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2023) Chakraborty, Abhijit; Roy Mukherjee, SanchariFood Security has attracted a lot of interest in the economic literature, especially in recent years1. One of the ways to measure poverty is food security. Since minimum calorie intake is a basis for measuring poverty. Food security on the other hand is defined as “Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’’2. Thus, if enough food is not available, we would call a certain population food insecure. On the other hand, out of the various measures of poverty the basic needs approach tries to identify the nutritional requirement as per person calorie requirement and then convert it into monetary terms to determine a poverty line(Atkinson 2019). The other method is the capability approach as proposed by Amartya Sen which tries to explain poverty in terms of basic capabilities or functioning. The basic needs approach is an old theory. The poverty literature also identifies the measurement issues under two broad heads one is the direct method and the other is the indirect method. The direct method takes into consideration the shortfall in minimum calorie requirement, whereas the indirect method takes into consideration the income required to satisfy the minimum calorie required3. The minimum calories required for basic sustenance are used as a method for determining poverty lines in many countries4. There is also a vast literature which has tried to identify the relation between food security and poverty(Kakwani and Son 2016). The interest by economists in the hypothesis of calorie intake and its effect on income is central to the efficiency wage hypothesis, proposed by Leibenstein (Leibenstein 1957). The seminal work states that the efficiency of work depends on wages, which comes from nutrition (Dawson, Tiffin 1998) and thereby nutrition will play a major role in the country. Thus, we can claim there is a relationship between poverty and food security. In India, the poverty line is determined using the minimum calorie approach and therefore we state that people falling below a certain calorie norm are considered to be food insecure. The required dietary allowance or the recommended calorie at the poverty line is usually taken from the RDA proposed by ICMR. We use the direct method to determine the extent of poverty and thus food security in our surveyed population. The research hypothesis we propose are: Research Hypothesis • Poverty and food security are related, poverty leads to food insecurity and food insecurity leads to poverty. • Tea gardens of North Bengal exhibit marked regional disparities in terms of food security and poverty • PDS has helped to address the problems of Food Insecurity in the Tea Gardens of North Bengal. • Other determinants of Food Security show that there exists food insecurity in Tea Plantations Research Questions: • What is the present socio-economic status of the Tea Plantation workers in the selected gardens? • What is the role of the public distribution system in India in mitigating food security? • How has the PDS evolved in the tea gardens? • Is Poverty and Food Security related? • Are the people in Tea Gardens suffering from undernourishment? • What are the other determinants of Food Security? We use household-level data to test the hypothesis. We also determined the other factors that might affect food security. We find evidence that food security and poverty are indeed related. Results also show high incidence of undernutrition among the Tea plantations, which is a core indicator of food security. Our analysis suggests among the various determinants of food security, the most important are household size and education.Item Open Access Exploration of the chelation property of few newly designed (N,O)-type schiff base ligands with d-block metals and bio-oxidase activities of their synthetic coordination compounds(University of North Bengal, 2023) Mahato, Shreya; Biswas, BhaskarThis dissertation comprises a total of seven chapters. Chapter I consists of a concise introduction to the design, foundation, and applications of the coordination compounds based on synthetic and commercially available ligands and the applicability of the present work in the recent trends of scientific development. Chapter II represents the synthesis, X-ray structural analysis, supramolecular architectures, and oxidative coupling of 2-aminophenol of a copper(II) complex, [Cu(L1)](H2O) (1) containing a previously reported Schiff base, H2L1 = 2,2'-((1,2- phenylenebis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))diphenol. The analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the Cu(II) centre adopts a square planar coordination geometry within the R3̅ space group. Furthermore, the aqua molecule located nearby actively participates in significant intermolecular hydrogen bonding, resulting in the formation of a water-mediated dimeric unit of the Cu(II) complex. The Hirshfeld surface analysis suggests that C−H…O and O−H…O types of hydrogen bonding, as well as π⋯π interactions play a crucial role. The catalytic properties of complex 1 were assessed for the oxidative dimerization of 2-aminophenol (2-AP) in methanol, revealing high catalytic efficiency with a kcat/KM value of 2.14×105. Additionally, studies utilizing mass spectrometry confirmed that the catalytic process involves the formation of an enzymesubstrate adduct in the solution phase. Chapter III represents the synthesis, X-ray structural analysis, Hirshfeld surface analysis, oxidative dimerization of 2-aminophenol and antibacterial activity of a newly designed copper(II)-Schiff base complex, [Cu(L2)2] (2), [Schiff base (HL2) = 2-(2- methoxybenzylideneamino)phenol]. X-ray analysis of complex 2 reveals that the Cu(II) complex forms crystals in a cubic crystal system with the Ia3̅ d space group. In its crystalline phase, the Cu(II) centre adopts a unique tetragonal bipyramidal geometry. Complex 2 has been tested for its phenaxozinone synthase activity in acetonitrile, mimicking biological systems, and demonstrated significant catalytic activity with a high turnover number of 536.4 h−1. Electrochemical analysis of complex 2 showed the appearance of two additional peaks at −0.15 and 0.46 V in the presence of 2-AP. This suggests the formation of AP−/AP•− and AP•−/IQ redox couples in the solution. The presence of the iminobenzosemiquinone radical at g = 2.057 was confirmed in the reaction mixture through electron paramagnetic resonance, indicating its role as the driving force for the oxidative dimerization of 2-AP. The ESI-mass spectrum exhibited a peak at m/z 624.81 for complex 2 in the presence of 2-AP, confirming that the catalytic oxidation proceeds through the formation of an enzyme-substrate adduct. Furthermore, complex 2 showed potential antibacterial properties against pathogenic bacterial species such as Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus, and Klebsiella pneumonia. Scanning electron microscope studies provided evidence that the antibacterial activity is attributed to the destruction of the bacterial cell membrane. Chapter IV represents the synthesis, crystal structure, supramolecular architecture, 4- methylcatechol oxidation, and bactericidal activity of an interesting zinc(II)-Schiff base complex, [Zn(L2)2Cl2] (3), [Schiff base (HL2) = 2-(2- methoxybenzylideneamino)phenol]. The analysis of the crystal structure of complex 3 indicates that the zinc centre is present in a distorted tetrahedral arrangement. The Schiff base molecule adopts three donor centres, but it becomes protonated and exists as a zwitterionic form, acting as a monodentate coordinator towards zinc. Complex 3 has been studied for its ability to catalyse the biomimetic oxidation of 4-methylcatechol (4-MC) in methanol, and it demonstrates high efficacy with a good turnover number of 1.45 × 103 h−1. Various techniques such as electrochemical studies and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis have been employed to investigate the behaviour of complex 3 in the presence of 4-MC. The results confirm that the catalytic reaction proceeds through enzyme-substrate binding, and the generation of radicals during the catalytic process drives the oxidation of 4-MC. Additionally, an antibacterial study has been conducted against several clinical pathogens including Bacillus sp, Enterococcus, and E. coli. To assess the antimicrobial properties of complex 3, scanning electron microscope and EDX analysis were performed on the pathogens treated with a low dosage of the complex. The results reveal the destruction of the bacterial cell membrane in the selected zone of inhibition area, with a zinc occurrence of 1.44%. This finding holds significant promise for the development of future antibacterial agents. Chapter V represents the synthesis and crystal structure of a palladium(II) complex [(κ4- {1,2-C6H4(N=CH−C6H4O)2}Pd] (4) supported by a dianionic salen ligand [1,2- C6H4(N=CH−C6H4O)2]2− (H2L1) was synthesized and used as a molecular pre-catalyst in the hydroboration of aldehydes and ketones. Complex 4 was evaluated as an effective catalyst in the hydroboration of aldehydes and ketones using pinacolborane (HBpin). This process yielded boronate esters in exceptional yields at room temperature without the need for solvents. Furthermore, complex 4 demonstrated its competence as a catalyst in the reductive amination of aldehydes with HBpin and primary amines. This reaction occurred under mild and solvent-free conditions, resulting in a high yield (up to 97%) of secondary amines. Both methodologies exhibited remarkable conversion rates, excellent selectivity, and a wide range of applicability, accommodating electron-withdrawing, electron-donating, and heterocyclic substituents. A computational investigation utilizing density functional theory (DFT) elucidated the reaction mechanism behind the complex 4-catalyzed hydroboration of carbonyl compounds in the presence of HBpin. Additionally, the protocols unveiled the dual functionality of HBpin in facilitating the hydroboration reaction. Chapter VI represents the design and preparation of metal complex salts of the novel hybrid d-f block type, [Cu(bpy)2]2[Ce(NO3)6]2 (5), [Cu(phen)2(NO3)]2[Ce(NO3)6](HNO3) (6), [Zn(bpy)2(NO3)][ClO4] (7), and [Zn(phen)2(NO3)]2 [Ce(NO3)6] (8); [bpy = 2,2'- bipyridine; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline]. X-ray analysis of the structures of 5 and 6 reveals that the copper(II) centres in the cationic complex units have highly distorted tetrahedral and rare bicapped square pyramidal coordination geometries, respectively. Similarly, 7 and 8 exhibits rare bicapped square pyramidal geometry for their zinc(II) ions, while 5, 6, and 8 contain cerium(IV) ions arranged in a dodecahedral geometry. Studying the supramolecular interactions, it is observed that intermolecular O⋯H and O⋯π short contacts contribute to binding the complex units in 5. In contrast, complex salt 6 demonstrates predominantly π⋯π interactions, along with O⋯H and O⋯π short contacts, which facilitate binding among the complex units. To investigate the chargetransport phenomenon, we utilized complex salts (5-8) to construct Schottky devices. The carrier mobilities (μ) for salts 5-8 were determined as 1.76 × 10−6, 9.02 × 10−6, 1.86× 10−8, and 4.31 × 10−8 m2 V−1 s−1, respectively, with corresponding transit times (τ) of 439, 85, 4.17 × 103, and 1.79 × 103 ns. These results indicate that complex salt 6 exhibits the highest transport properties among all the complex salts. Analysing the charge-transport properties from a crystal engineering perspective, the superior performance of 6 can be attributed to its predominant π⋯π interactions. Overall, the synthesis of these novel complex salts, along with their physicochemical properties and charge-transport applications, holds significant promise for the development of new crystalline materials with intelligent functionalities. Chapter VII outlines an overview of the progress made thus far and identifies prospective avenues for future research.Item Open Access Tin bonger tin kobir (Manik Dutta, Dwijmadhab o Mukunda Chakraborty) Chandimangal kabye devi Chandir swarup : ekti tulonamulok anweshon তিন বঙ্গের তিন কবির (মানিক দত্ত, দ্বিজমাধব ও মুকুন্দ চক্রবর্তী) চন্ডীমঙ্গল কাব্যে দেবী চন্ডির স্বরূপ : একটি তুলনামূলক অন্বেষণ(University of North Bengal, 2023) Mandal মণ্ডল, Falguni ফাল্গুনী; Bera বেরা, Manjula মঞ্জুলাItem Open Access Livelihood conditions of census town dwellers of Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2023) Ali, Ershad; Sarkar, Bipul ChandraUrbanization is the process by which cities grow and population is concentrated in urban areas. The growth of census towns makes a notable contribution to the process of socio-economic and socio-cultural transition of dwellers. The separate recognition of census towns and statutory towns contributed to a better understanding of the urbanization pattern. In the new era of urban development, increasing urbanization has a direct impact on the demographic and socio-economic situation of statutory and census cities. Census Towns are the towns which are not legally registered areas and administer the area like a city, they are in rural revenue village, i.e., they are administratively in the rural area but their population has attained urban characteristics. The role of Census Towns (CTs) in the urbanization process in sub-Himalaya West Bengal as well as in the Dooars region is very crucial. It influences not only the rate of urbanization in this region, but also changes in land use and land cover as well as the sociocultural conditions of the study area. The CTs are helping to change the land use pattern of the sub-Himalayan regions of West Bengal. The extent and pace of urbanization have had a profound impact on the livelihoods and demographics of cities and CTs. The growth and expansion of CTs are directly influenced by the rate of urbanization and indirectly by the sociocultural changes in the study area. The present study is an attempt to assess the trend and growth of CTs more accurately and scientifically, the livelihoods and infrastructural development of the Census Towns accordingly, to identify the key issues disrupting the growth of CTs and the allocation of facilities and services to ensure a better socio-economic life of residents of census cities in the study area. In addition, it aims to examine various urban problems and provide some remedies. Jalpaiguri district is in the northeast of West Bengal. Geographically, the district is bordered by Alipurduar district to the east, Cooch Behar district to the southeast, Kalimpong district to the north, Darjeeling district to the north, and the Bangladesh International Border to the south and southwest. Geographically, Jalpaiguri district is located at 26⁰ 16′ to 27⁰ North latitude and 88⁰ 23′ to 89⁰ 8′ East longitude. The study is based on five main objectives: i) To find out the pattern and growth of CTs of the Jalpaiguri district, ii) To find the livelihood conditions of Census Town dwellers, iii) To scrutinize the levels of infrastructural development of the CTs of the study area, iv) To analyze the problems associated with the urban development of the CTs of the study area, v) To recommend the developmental strategy of the Census Town dwellers. Based on the selected objectives, there are four main hypotheses, namely i) The levels of urbanisation of the CTs are increasing over periods, ii) The socio-economic and socio-cultural status of the CTs are facing several challenges, iii) The infrastructural development of the CTs is inadequate, and iv) The problems associated with the urban development of the CTs are more in the case of large CTs and low in the case of small CTs. The first objective and hypothesis has been proved by the fact that the census towns share a significant percentage (almost half of the total urbanization) of the urbanization rate in Jalpaiguri district. While the concept of Census Towns (CTs) was introduced by the 1961 Census of India, the trend and growth of CTs varies from time to time. In 1961 the number of CTs in Jalpaiguri district was only 3, 3 in 1971, 4 in 1981, 6 in 1991, 4 in 2001 and 15 in 2011. The district's first Census Towns (CTs) were Maynaguri, Dhupguri, and Mal. The growth history of the Census Towns (CTs) of Jalpaiguri district shows the fact that there are no constant growth characteristics from the first decade of the CTs to the last few decades. Very slow, negative, and high growth rate of some CTs proves poor growth rate of district urbanization. But the past two decades, the growth rate is increasing due to the increase in the number of CTs of such a district. The 1961-1971 and 1971-1981 period was identified as a very slow growth period. The period from 1991 to 2001 has been identified as a negative growth period due to the declining of few census towns (CTs). The number of CTs was decreased from 6 in 1981 to 4 in 1991. The period from 2001 to 2011 has been considered a high growth period due to the emergence of several new Census Towns (CTs) over the past decade. The number of CTs was increased from 4 in 2001 to 15 in 2011. There are some important statistical tools such as growth indices, census town population balance sheets, annual exponential growth rate, etc. to measure the trend and growth of census towns. Urban geographers use these tools to measure urban growth. The same tools were also used in this study. Using the different measurement tools, it was found that the Census Towns (CTs) experienced low growth and experienced significant to high growth percentage over time from inception to the last census. The population balance for the census towns in the study area is calculated. The calculation shows that the growth rate and size classes of the CTs increase over time. The correlation coefficient was calculated and graphed to show the relationship between the total population size of CTs and the annual exponential growth, and it was shown that there is a very strong relationship between these two variables. The second objective and hypothesis has been proved by the fact that the social elements such as caste composition, sex ratio, marital status, age-gender structure, literacy status, health information, language, religion, etc. and economic elements such as economic activities, workforce composition, monthly family income, house type, housing conditions, basic housing amenities, household wealth, etc. were discussed in order to get an idea of the socioeconomic conditions of CT residents. The analysis revealed that the socio-economic characteristics of CT differ from town to town. The analysis has shown that the CTs in the tea and forest region have a higher concentration of the ST population in the northern part of the district than in the southern part. In terms of the sex ratio of Jalpaiguri district CT residents, Jalpaiguri district has an urban sex ratio of 943, slightly lower than the state average of 944 but higher than the national average of 926. The study shows that all CTs homogeneity and marriage similarities in the under 20s and over 30s age group, and the number of married women in the first age group at marriage is higher than that of men. On the other hand, the participation of men and women in marriage in the middle age group varies between CTs in the district. Looking at the total population as well as the population in different age groups in the CTs, the proportion of men in the entire district is comparatively higher than the proportion of women. The study also shows that residents use several common languages (Bengali, Hindi and Tribal) and a significant number of residents use other languages for their daily communication in the district's census towns. Several religious people also live in the CTs, even without any creed. Analysis was also conducted for common diseases of residents of the CTs across the district, and it was found that most of the residents face common diseases such as diarrhoea, fever, cough, hyperacidity, Covid-19, and some other diseases. There are also regional imbalances in the economic profile of census town residents. The census towns concentrated in the tea and forest region were found to have relatively lower economic status. Much of their workforce worked on tea plantations, resulting in a lower per capita income. The economically dependent population is also higher in these census towns, since the possibility of finding a job or other employment is comparatively low. Aside from these census towns, others have other difficult economic conditions. However, as the study shows, the overall economic profile of residents of census town is significantly low. Overall economic development is essential for a better economic livelihood. Residents had lower livelihoods throughout the study period. The differences between the Jalpaiguri district CTs were calculated to show the relationship between the various indicators of the CTs and their developmental scores, and it was shown that the maximal CTs range from the least developed to the moderately developed CTs. The third goal and hypothesis were supported by the fact that the spatial and temporal growth of CT and the improvement of urban infrastructure over time. The analysis revealed that the infrastructural characteristics of CT differ from town to town. The composite index was calculated to measure the infrastructural development of CTs. The spatial distribution of the CTs based on their infrastructural characteristics also showed some essential characteristics. The majority of the CTs had low to very low levels of infrastructure development in 1991 and 2001. The scenario of the CTs was upgraded in 2011, with the level being reduced from low to very low level of infrastructure development and upgraded to the level of high to medium level of infrastructure development. However, almost 50% of CTs belong to high-medium level and a little more than 50% of CTs belong to low to very low-level level infrastructure development. The fourth goal and hypothesis were supported by the fact the census towns and their dwellers suffer from many problems related to their daily livelihood. There is a lack of some basic facilities within the CTs such as access to clean drinking water, latrine and bathrooms, drainage, and separate kitchens, etc. All issues were discussed separately in every CT to understand the problem scenario. One of the main problems faced by CT dwellers is the lack of drinking water supply in the CTs. Due to the lack of proper water treatment facilities, a large percentage of households do not have access to clean water. Another problem is that to date, a large percentage of the homes of many CTs in the study area do not have latrines on their premises. This is because some of the CTs are in rural areas and a significant number of residents are uneducated. As for the proportion of households without separate kitchen facilities, in some CTs there are many households that do not have separate kitchens, particularly those whose occupants are economically vulnerable and dependent workers in the tea garden. In terms of the percentage of households without a drainage system, many households, almost all CTs, do not have a proper drainage facility in their home. Regarding the pH of the drinking water and the TDS of the water in the CTs, some of the CTs have a pH below 6.5, indicating the presence of acidic elements in the water, which non-potable according to the Bureau of Indian Standard. There is a CT where the TDS level in the water is below 50ppm, indicating it is not suitable for drinking. Regarding the noise level in the CTs, 73% of the CTs in the study area found an above-average noise level. There is a lot of noise pollution in the Jalpaiguri district CTs. Regarding the air quality (PM2.5 and PM10) in the CTs, the survey result shows that some of the CTs have a PM2.5 concentration higher than the safe limit, and regarding PM10, there are no CTs of the study area with more than 100g/m3. This means that the concentration of PM10 in the CTs is safe compared to PM2.5 in the atmosphere of the CTs across the district. There is a strong positive correlation between the total population and the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 of the CTs. Regarding the air quality (TVOC and HCHO) in the CTs, the survey result shows that there is one CT that has TVOC above 0.2 mg/m3. The survey also shows that there are 3 CTs that have HCHO above 0.0123 mg/m3. Regarding the traffic volume in the CTs, the traffic load at the junction of all the CTs is heavy, and the CTs that are close to the highways have heavier traffic. On the other hand, the CT away from the highways have a low traffic load. Based on the average waiting time in minutes at the junction of all CTs, it shows that 33% of CTs have no waiting time for traffic at the junction. It is important to mention that the CTs located along the highways must wait a long time for traffic. Regarding the health infrastructure in the CTs, on average, most CTs have a lack of adequate health facilities in their CT area. As such, residents of CTs face several health challenges, particularly among the larger CT dwellers. Regarding the modern employment opportunities within the CT, the primary survey shows that almost all CT residents of any individual CT are dissatisfied with the availability of modern employment opportunities within the CT. They claim that the CTs lack modern facilities. Regarding solid waste, there is no system for collecting waste from residents. The dwellers of the CTs throw their daily rubbish everywhere. Therefore, the situation was getting worse day by day and it was observed that most respondents were dissatisfied with the solid waste in their CTs. The fifth goal has been proved by the various recommendations along with their problems within the CTs. Suggestions are made from the viewer’s own perspective. Since these are the Census Towns (CTs), the Gram Panchayats cannot provide adequate urban amenities for CT residents. The CTs should be declared as a Notified Area or Municipality. When the CTs become a municipal body, almost all the problems of the CTs will automatically disappear. As the municipality or notified area has its own laws and functions. Aside from that, the continued growth of CTs also creates some demographic issues. Therefore, the competent authority should take some necessary measures to minimize this problem. Education is another background that causes some breaks in the development of CTs. However, the literacy rate and level of literacy among CTs show spatial variation in the district. Some of the CTs have a standard literacy rate with a standard literacy level, but some of the CTs have a low literacy rate compared to the Indian urban literacy rate. Therefore, the government should need to set up more educational institutions within the CTs. Also, the existing health facilities in the CTs are not sufficient to cope with the health problems of the CT residents. So, to minimize these problems, the government should have to set up a health facility. Also, most of the CTs in theItem Open Access Socio-economic study on arsenicosis affected inhabitants in Maldah District, West Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2023) Poddar, Debapriya; Mukhopadhyay, SarbariArsenic (As) concentration in groundwater is a significant environmental issue for the different parts of the Ganga basin. In 1984, groundwater arsenic contamination was detected in lower Ganga Plain of West Bengal (Garai et al., 1984). Maldah district is one of the worst Arsenic affected district of West Bengal and severe contaminated blocks of Maldah district are Kaliachak-I, Kaliachak-II, Kaliachak-III, Manickchak, English bazar Ratua-I, and Ratua-II, which have contained beyond the permissible limit of arsenic in groundwater (0.05 mg/ l, Indian standard). In these contaminated blocks, the maximum concentration level of Arsenic in a shallow tube well varies between 0.072 mg/l to 0.929 mg/l (Source: PHE, Maldah). The rest of the blocks contain an insignificant amount, i.e., the permissible limit of Arsenic in groundwater. Moreover, a considerable number of tube wells were contaminated with Arsenic. So, the Department of Public Health Engineering and the Government of West Bengal has arranged to supply Arsenic-free safe water to the Arsenic affected people. However, there are still many pockets in this district where no Arsenic-free safe water supply is available. Hence, extensive groundwater arsenic contamination has become a major issue of concern, where the water supply is profoundly reliant on groundwater (Madhuvan and Subramanian, 2006) extracted from the shallow aquifers. Common trace of Arsenic in drinking water causes significant health risk, and public health is severely endangered for its high toxicity and its ability to induce skin cancer after a long-term ingestion (Panigrahi, 2016), responsible for the socio-economic demolition. Arsenic pollution has been thought to be a menace for the population of Maldah district (Panigrahi, 2016) which is really of significant concern. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the causes and consequences of arsenicosis in Maldah district and to study the socio-economic conditions of the people suffering from arsenicosis. Present researcher has also tried to find out the suitable alternatives to overcome the problems of arsenicosis by estimating the public WTP (willingness to pay) for access arsenic-free safe water by installing the different arsenic free water supply sources across the different Arsenic risk zones of the study area. Hence, the following objectives are sets for this purpose 1. To study the spatial distribution and causes of arsenic concentration in groundwater in Maldah district 2. To study the socio-economic status of the arsenicosis inhabitants in the study area 3. To study the socio-economic determinants of arsenicosis in the study area 4. To assess the impact of arsenicosis on the health and socio-economic condition of the inhabitants in the study area 5. To find out the present status of demand and supply of arsenic-free safe water in Maldah district 6. To suggest some remedial measures to overcome the problems of arsenicosis The present studies try to prove the following research hypothesis, either true or false: 1. The prevalence of arsenicosis varies with some socio-economic determinants. 2. The impact of arsenicosis is related to some socio-economic variables. 3. Willingness to agree with mitigation strategies depends on the socio-economic condition of the respondents. In order to full fill the mentioned objectives several methodologies have been used A. The present study utilized both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected from arsenic-affected areas within the study region, using a survey employing both schedule and questionnaire methods. The multi-stage random stratified sampling design was adopted to select a sample of households, with a sample size of 300 determined by using Cochran's method (Cochran, 1963). B. The level of prevalence of arsenicosis patients was assessed using the Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) (Hwang and Yoon, 1981). To examine the prevalence of respondents' knowledge (10), attitude (4), and practices (5) regarding arsenicosis, (19) criteria were considered. Then these criteria are categorized into two groups, beneficial and non-beneficial, and an equal weight (0.042) has been assigned to each criterion to rank the different dimensions. The Euclidean distance from ideal best (S+) and ideal worst (S-) has been calculated for each criterion. Finally, the performance score (Pi) of the level of their prevalence about arsenicosis was calculated, where a lower value indicates poor condition and a higher value indicates the good prevalence of arsenicosis. C. The socio-economic and health impacts of arsenicosis are assessed using a scaling technique. Specifically, a five-point Likert scale is employed to collect data on individuals' perception levels of the impacts related to both arsenicosis illness and arsenic contamination. The Likert scale is also used to measure the social, economic, and health-related impacts, with scores assigned to each statement. D. A self-created S.E.H.V.I (Socio-Economic Health Vulnerability Index) has prepared in chapter five (5) to measure the perception level of the respondents regarding the overall (social, economic, health) impact of arsenicosis. The respondents’ perception level about the vulnerability in different domain (social, economic, health) can be assessed through Socio Economic Health Vulnerability Index (SEHVI). Analysis of these different vulnerability (social, economic, health) among arsenicosis patients in Maldah district highlights the socio-economic impact of arsenicosis. For this purpose, individual S.V.I (Social Vulnerability Index), E.V.I (Economic Vulnerability Index), and H.V.I (Health Vulnerability Index) have been prepared. Then social, economic, and health vulnerability scores have also been calculated through the scaling technique and consolidated efficiently through a Socio-Economic Health Vulnerability Index. Each vulnerability (social, economic, and health) is assessed at five stages. They are 1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree and 5. Strongly agree. E. One-way ANCOVA is used to explore the relationship between each of the social, economic, health impact and a variable by measuring the effect of the socio-economic status of the arsenicosis inhabitants. Several independent socio-economic variables are selected for this analysis, including family size, age, household monthly income, and marital status. Social, economic, and health impacts are considered as the dependent variables. F. Karl Pearson's product-moment coefficient of correlation was employed to assess the relationship between the indices of different hazard indexes, including the Social Hazard Index and Economic Hazard Index, Social Hazard Index and Health Hazard Index, and Economic Hazard Index and Health Hazard Index. The 't-test' technique was then used to determine the level of significance of the observed correlations. G. A binary probit model was used to investigate the factors that may have influenced the respondents' willingness to pay for installing the community Arsenic-free water supply sources. Respondents' Willingness to Pay (WTP) was defined as a binary variable with two categories: zero and one. A response of 'zero' indicated that the respondent was unwilling to pay, while a response of 'one' indicated that the respondent was willing to pay. The dependent variable was the respondents' WTP, while the independent variables were the socio-economic factors that may influence people's WTP, including age, sex, marital status, number of years spent in formal education by the respondent, households’ average monthly income, marital status, presence of PHED pipeline, identification of the danger level of ‘As’ in individuals’ tube well, and inadequate stand posts. For testing the hypothesis, three tests, likelihood ratio test (-2 Log (Like.)), the Score test and the Wald test were performed. The study has been arranged in to seven chapters. Major findings of the present research work are as follows The study is organized into seven chapters, with the first chapter covering objectives, hypotheses, literature review, and methodologies. The second chapter focuses on the spatial distribution and causes of groundwater arsenic concentration in Maldah district. The study found that the regional and spatial distribution of arsenic concentration is not uniform, with the Diara and southwestern parts of the Tal region being more vulnerable. This heterogeneity is attributed to various geogenic factors, including geology, geomorphology, elevation, slope, characteristics of the river, and soil texture. In the third chapter, the socio-economic status of the arsenicosis inhabitants in Maldah district is discussed. The findings suggest that the socio-economic status of these inhabitants is generally poor, with the illiterate, male, and aged (>40) respondents being more vulnerable to arsenic pollution than the female, young, and less educated inhabitants. The lack of an arsenic clinic in their village has also contributed to their suffering, with financial constraints, unawareness, and dissatisfaction with the treatment hindering their ability to seek proper care. In the fourth chapter, the socio-economic determinants of arsenicosis were analyzed using TOPSIS method. The study found that demographic, social, and economic factors significantly influence arsenic toxicity. The key social and economic determinants of arsenicosis were identified as age, sex, education status, household income, poverty level, and health infrastructure. The prevalence level among the respondents was categorized into five classes based on the TOPSIS results, namely Very low (value <0.2), Low (value 0.2 - 0.3), Medium (value 0.3 - 0.4), High (value 0.4 -0.5), and Very High (value >0.5). To test the hypothesis that "the prevalence of arsenicosis varies with some socio-economic determinants," education status and household income were selected as the main social and economic determinants. A paired t-test was performed between the prevalence score and education status, and between the prevalence score and household income. The results showed that the prevalence of arsenicosis varies with the educational status and monthly household income of the respondents, with the corresponding two-tailed p-value being less than 0.05. Therefore, the research hypothesis is accepted, and it is concluded that the prevalence of arsenicosis varies with the educational status and monthly household income of respondents. This finding is significant as household income and literacy rates vary considerably across the study area. In the fifth chapter, the impact of arsenicosis on the health and socio-economic condition of the inhabitants of Maldah district was evaluated. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI), and Health Vulnerability Index (HVI) were calculated using a composite standard score. The highest mean vulnerability score of the high level of social vulnerability (0.65), high level of economic vulnerability (0.97), and high level of health vulnerability (0.78) suggested that respondents had experienced a high level of vulnerability in social, economic and health perspective. Arsenicosis had a significant impact on social, economic, and health condition, with only one or two indicators showing no significant influence from certain socio-economic variables. The respective 'F' statistics of these impacts were significant at a 95% significance level. Thus, the research hypothesis, "The impact of arsenicosis is related to some socio-economic variables," is accepted. The sixth chapter delves into the current demand and supply status of arsenic-free water in the Maldah district. The existing arsenic-free water supply system in the study area is inadequate, and therefore, this chapter proposes remedial measures to overcome the problems of arsenicosis by estimating the public WTP for installing arsenic-free water supply technologies to acquire safe drinking water across different arsenic risk zones in the study area. The respondents' WTP was found to be heterogeneous and varied with their socio-economic characteristics. A significant relationship was observed between independent variables such as poverty level, family size, education status, etc., and WTP. The model was found to be statistically significant with a likelihood ratio chisquare of 286.288 and a p-value of 0.0001. The score test and Wald tests were also significant at a 95% confidence interval. Thus, the research hypothesis, "Willingness to agree with mitigation strategies depends on the socio-economic condition of the respondents," is accepted. In the final chapter, a summary and policy implications are presented. The study highlights several major problems related to arsenic contamination and arsenicosis in Maldah district, including: 1. Despite the detection of high levels of arsenic in tube well water (above the permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L), many inhabitants continue to use contaminated water, leading to poisoning. 2. Lack of awareness about arsenic pollution has contributed to the increasing incidence of arsenicosis. 3. Poor health infrastructure, including the absence of arsenic clinics and irregular follow-up systems, has exacerbated the problem. 4. Arsenicosis sufferers have experienced numerous social and economic difficulties. 5. Victims of arsenicosis also suffer from various symptoms and severe health conditions. 6. Irregular supply of arsenic-free water through the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) pipeline has impacted the inhabitants. Some individuals do not have access to any arsenic-free water sources. 7. The economic poverty of the inhabitants of arsenic-prone regions makes it challenging for them to purchase arsenic-free water regularly. 8. The long distance to arsenic-free water supply sources is another significant problem. It is time-consuming for the inhabitants to travel long distances to collect arsenic-free water. These issues must be addressed through a combination of policy initiatives and public awareness campaigns to mitigate the adverse effects of arsenicosis and ensure safe drinking water for all. The following recommendations are proposed to address the socio-economic and health impacts of arsenicosis in Maldah district: Short-term solutions, such as providing safe arsenic-free drinking water and implementing low-cost arsenic removal technologies, can offer immediate relief to affected individuals. Regular testing of tube well water can also prevent longterm exposure to arsenic. Long-term approaches, including rainwater harvesting and surface water supply from rivers, ponds, and tanks, can help tackle the issue of arsenic contamination at the community level. Ensuring the effectiveness of arsenic removal plants and promoting collaboration between stakeholders can further enhance the success of these initiatives. Raising public awareness about the health risks of arsenic exposure and providing access to diagnosis, treatment, and counseling services can help improve the well-being of affected individuals and their families. Implementing health policies and education programs can foster positive behavior change and empower communities to address social discrimination and stigma associated with arsenicosis. Providing financial support, employment opportunities, and relief measures to affected families can help alleviate the economic burden of arsenicosis. By implementing these measures, we can mitigate the negative impacts of arsenicosis and improve the overall health and well-being of the people of Maldah districtItem Open Access Geographical analysis of urban growth in Siliguri planning area, West Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2023) Saha, Arjun; Roy, RanjanTitle: A Geospatial Analysis of Urban Growth in Siliguri Planning Area, West Bengal Introduction: Urban growth is a universal phenomenon. It takes place in almost all the cities in the world. In developed countries, this growth had taken place much before than the developing and underdeveloped countries respectively. In developed countries, this has been taken place in a planned and efficient way, whereas in the developing and underdeveloped countries, it does not follow any rules and regulations, though in maximum cities of developing world there has some certain rules. Due to this unplanned nature of growth of urban built-up features, several productive lands that surround the city are going to extinct which creates an adverse effect on that city. India is a country which falls still in the developing world is facing this same situation in many cities. Some megacities which lie at the top of the table are comparatively follow better regulations and extending themselves in a sustainable way, but maximum cities which have an great economic importance in the country does not follow those rules. Growths in these cities are taking place due to the excessive increase of population mainly for the migration from rural areas primarily for better economic opportunities. Siliguri is a city that lies in the northern part of West Bengal is facing this same problem after its formation. From the beginning this area had been exploited for different purposes and besides this, as this urban centre playing a role of primate city for the entire North Bengal after independence, maximum people had shifted to this place for better livelihood, which makes the growth in a faster rate comparing to other. This faster growth of population and simultaneously urban built-up often captures the productive lands, like forests and agricultural land that surround this city in all sides. So, for this reason, this city with its surrounding area, known as Siliguri Planning Area (SPA) that demarcated by Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) has been taken to find out the land use and land cover changes from 1992 to 2021, to identify the growth of urban built-up in this region, to identify the sustainably suitable places for new development, to analyze the relation between infrastructural development and urban growth and lastly to identify and analyze the possible problems that are occurring in this area due to unplanned and limitless urban growth. Database and Methodology: For this entire work, researcher has used different secondary data that are openly available in different repositories. For the analysis of land use and land cover and to analyze the urban built-up growth from 1992 to 2021, land surface temperature, vegetation index, Landsat satellite images for the year 1992, 2001, 2011 and 2021 have been used in this work. Beside this, for the identification of suitable places for new built-up development and for the analyze of infrastructural development, Census data of 2001 and 2011, Google earth data, data from different government sources, like department of food supply and distribution, department of mass education extension and library services, govt. of West Bengal, department of posts, govt. of India, Bank master data for West Bengal, etc. have been considered. Primary data has also been collected for the analysis of water quality of major two rivers of this region, Mahananda and Balason from total 17 sites. Beside these, some ground verification data has also been collected from using handheld Global Positioning System. First objective that is land use and land cover change analysis from 1992 to 2021 has been performed by using maximum likelihood classification technique after different processing of images in the GIS platform. Urban growth pattern has been analyzed by taking Shannon’s entropy in two ways; first by direction-wise and second by distance-wise and beside this, trends of urban growth and its speed of expansion has been identified by urban density analysis and Urban Expansion Intensity Index (UEII). Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been taken for the identification of new preferable built-up locations. To analyze the relation between different infrastructural facilities and urban built-up growth Borda rule has been used in this work. Unplanned urban growth has some negative impacts on the natural surroundings. For this, in this work, impacts on river water, vegetation and in local temperature have been calculated and identified. Water Quality Index (WQI) has been used to monitor the river water quality, Vegetation index, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been performed for the vegetation density analysis and Land Surface Temperature (LST) has been used for analysing temperature fluctuation from 1992 to 2021. Different correlations have been performed for the analysis of relation between different indices and parameters. Brief Outline of the Study: This whole work has been completed by making total seven chapters. First chapter has been divided into two sections. Section A mainly deals with the overview of the whole thesis, problem of the statement, objectives that are taken, hypotheses that has been framed, rigorous literature surveys, about the study area, chapter details, scopes and etc. and Section B describes the general characteristics of the study area, like its different socio-physical characteristics. Second chapter is about the land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics in this study area and it has been done from the year 1992 with a ten year interval and up to 2021. Third chapter is the heart of this thesis that deals with the pattern, trends and speed of urban built-up growth in this region. Urban built-up growth has been calculated by using the extracted built-up features from the satellite images from 1992 with a ten year interval and up to 2021. Like this the trend and speed also has been analyzed and calculated from 1992 to 2021. Fourth chapter has tried to identify the perfect or suitable patches of land for new urban built-up area. This has been done using the data for the year 2021. Fifth chapter is about to study the relation between different infrastructural developments that has taken place in this region with population growth. This study has been carried out for the two years due to the availability of the data and these are, 2001 and 2011. Sixth chapter has tried to identify the problems or negative impacts on different parts of the environment due to the unplanned and fast built-up development. Negative impacts on river water, local temperature and on vegetation have been analyzed by using primary and secondary sources. Lastly, seventh chapter has summarized the major findings of this work and also put some remedial suggestions with concluding remarks to overcome different problems that this area has been facing. Major Findings: This study area lies in the piedmont of Darjeeling Himalaya and that is why the overall gradient maintains from the north and north-west to the south and south-eastern portion with an average height is about more than 150 metres. Connectivity is good in this region with three major railway stations and one airport and some national and international highways are also present here. Population growth due to the natural and migration is huge in this whole region. As this area lies in the piedmont of the Darjeeling Himalaya and Terai tract, so this area from very beginning is dominated by different forest cover and as this area was facing huge population growth due to its locational importance, so drastic positive and negative changes in different categories of LULC has been seen. Vegetation cover has been lost about 56 sq. km. from 1992 to 2021. Agricultural land has been changed into built-up land in Chandmuni tea estate area. Built up land has occupied the core zone of this study area almost entirely. A significant growth of built up land has seen along the highways that radiated from the core city centre. In case of built-up pattern, the whole area from the 1992 is showing dispersed pattern of development instead of compact one. Though in the last calculated year, it is moving towards the compact pattern just because for the restrain of available lands. In first three years, Shannon’s entropy value lies close to the logn value and for that it can be said that this area has experienced an urban sprawl that destructs different productive lands. The analysis revealed that the urban growth in Siliguri Planning Area follow a regular radial pattern. Ribbon pattern of sprawl is observed along the highways and leapfrog pattern towards southern and northern direction due to working opportunities, educational facility and because of tea planted areas of the study area. This study has identified that the maximum suitable area for new built-up development has seen in between the 5 km. to 9 km. from the core of the city and after this, suitable area decreases. Very little amount of lands has been identified as highly suitable area that is 4.58 sq. km. that denotes this study area presently stays at its well condition in case of built-up categories. Further construction will harm the nature. This study area is mainly dominated by medium suitable area and mostly lies along the accessible roads. Maximum areas of highly suitable area and moderate suitable areas come from wasteland and the vegetated land has been preserved. The core area that is Siliguri city is highly dominated by different infrastructural facilities with the highest score in both two years from the beginning as this area holds more than half of the population of the total study area. Other old centres like Bagdogra, Bairatisal also shows comparatively better infrastructural condition in this region. Dabgram and Binnaguri that are very close to Siliguri city have shown a higher score of infrastructural facilities. Analysis of water quality reveals that Balason River is much better than the river Mahananda as Balason mainly flows from the outer periphery of the core area and population pressure is much lower than that of river Mahananda. Water quality is worst in the Airview sampling site of Mahananda in both seasons due to the pressure of population and their different activities. It has been seen that, a significant change of river water quality between upstream and urban and also urban and downstream. In the southern portion of the study area a fresh water canal has mixed up with river Mahananda which makes is better quality in the downstream portion. Land surface temperature has been calculated for the year 1992 and 2021 and it has been seen that about 0.5⁰C temperature has risen in the highest temperature. Maximum temperature has been recorded in the core of the study area and this is due to the highest density of population, maximum traffic movements, absence of thick vegetation cover etc. Vegetation density has also been analyzed in this region from 1992 to 2021 by using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI. Results reveal that highest value of NDVI was 0.75 in the year 1992 which has reduced in to 0.43 in the year 2021 due to the expansion of impervious surfaces on the study area. Values of NDVI also suggest that in the year 1992, high dense vegetation was there which has come in the medium dense category in the year 2021. Conclusion: Development and destruction goes in the similar way. If any area has seen any major developmental projects then it is obvious that, same place has faced some kind of destruction in the natural environment. Urban built-up growth and successive population growth is now a natural phenomenon and this will happen and increase its magnitude in near future. Developed countries has faced this situation much before than present developing and underdeveloped countries and that is why they had faced different problems in earlier and now they are in a stable condition due to low and even zero population growth. India falls on the developing one and that is why most of the cities in this country are facing tremendous population growth, unplanned urban built-up growth, shortages of suitable lands for new built-up places, and also problems on different parts of natural environment. Siliguri Planning Area is also facing this same problem mainly after the partition at the time of independence. That is why this work has tried to identify the built-up growth, urban sprawling, and different problems of this growth on natural environment, like on water, forest, and also in the local temperature. Overall study in this region reveals that unplanned and haphazard built-up growth and urban sprawling and huge population growth has taken place and due to this local temperature has risen in this area, high dense and thick vegetation cover has almost lost in thirty years, water quality degrades when river enters in the core urban and highly populated area. Outcomes and findings of this study will help to the locals, planners, government officials, policy makers to take necessary and suitable steps for the proper planning and betterment for this areaItem Open Access Bani Basur uponyase narir atmo anusandhan বাণী বসুর উপন্যাসে নারীর আত্ম অনুসন্ধান(University of North Bengal, 2023) Chakraborty চক্রবর্তী, Paromita পারমিতা; Bera বেরা, Manjula মঞ্জুলা