Hili, Dakshin Dinajpur

Hili is a village in Hili CD Block in Balurghat subdivision of Dakshin Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a border checkpoint on the India-Bangladesh border.[1]

Hili
Village
Hili Location in West Bengal, India Hili Hili (India)
Coordinates: 25.286°N 88.994°E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Dakshin Dinajpur
Population  (2011)
• Total	2,185
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	WB
Lok Sabha constituency	Balurghat
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Balurghat

History

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 nearly 400 soldiers of both India and Pakistan were killed in the war that continued from 24 November to 11 December 1971 on the Hili border.[2]

Geography

🌍

Cities and towns in the Dakshin Dinajpur district M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical site Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Hili is located at 25°17′10″N 88°59′38″E.

In the map alongside, all places marked on the map are linked in the full screen version.

Police station

Hili police station under West Bengal police has jurisdiction over Hili CD Block.[3][4]

CD block HQ

The headquarters of Hili CD block is at Hili.[5] [6]

Border checkpoint and land port

Hili is a land port and border checkpoint, on the Bangladesh-India border, being developed (in 2018) as an integrated checkpost (ICP) for the smooth movement of goods and people.[7][8][9][10][11][12] As a part of Hili is located in Bangladesh, the other side of the border is known as Hili Land Port in Hakimpur Upazila in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. Sizeable trade activity is carried on with trucks traveling across the border.[13]

There is a customs office for export/import at Hili.[14]

Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports is a 2013 United Nations treaty designed to promote the cooperation of the development of dry ports in the Asia-Pacific region.[15]

Hili is on the India-Bangladesh border, popularly identified as a porous border. 2,216 km of the 4,096 km long India-Bangladesh border falls in West Bengal. More than 11,000 people live near/ around the zero line in Dakshin Dinajpur.[16] Approximately 252 km of the international border is in Dakshin Dinajpur district.[17]

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Hili had a total population of 2,185, of which 1,181 (50%) were males and 1,084 (50%) were females. Population below 6 years was 173. The total number of literates in Hili was 1,839 (91.40% of the population over 6 years).[18]

Transport

At the time of partition in 1947, Hili railway station (now on Chilahati-Parbatipur-Santahar-Darshana line} got located in Pakistan and is now in Hakimpur Upazila of Bangladesh.[19]

Extension of the Eklakhi-Balurghat Branch Line to Hili was announced in the Rail Budget for 2010-11.[20]Initial work for the 29.6 km Balurghat-Hili railway line has been taken up by Northeast Frontier Railway. In the initial stages major expenditure is anticipated for land acquisition. The estimates are around Rs. 300 crores. 166.281 ha of land is required to be acquired. District Magistrate, Dakshin Dinajpur is also involved in the process. The project is still undone due to some political issues. [21]

State Highway 10, originating from Malda Town terminates at Hili.[22]

Hili is well connected with its neighbouring & main cities of West Bengal by means of buses. There are plenty of private buses from Hili to Balurghat departing at the interval of 15 minutes. There is also government bus service NBSTC from Hili to Malda, Berhampore, Siliguri, Raiganj.

Every evening a huge number of buses like Shyamoli paribahan, Royal Cruser etc. departs for Kolkata & few buses also leaves for Siliguri and Coochbehar.

Education

S.B.S. Government College, Hili was established at Hili in 2015. It is affiliated with the University of Gour Banga and offers honours courses in Bengali, Sanskrit, English, History, Philosophy and Zoology, and general courses in arts and science.[23]

Hili Rama Nath High School, established in 1914, is a government-sponsored high school.[24]

Hili Girls’ High School, a higher secondary school, was established in 1923.

Fatepur Balupara High School, a co-educational higher secondary school, established in 1985.

There are 13 free primary schools across the village run by state government.

Healthcare

Hili Rural Hospital at Hili (with 25 beds) is the main medical facility in Hili CD Block. There are primary health centres at Tear (Binsira PHC) (with 10 beds) and Trimohini (with 10 beds).[25]

External links

External video
- Hili border

• Balurghat travel guide from Wikivoyage

References

1. Chattopadhyay, Dhiman (12 November 2001). "Peaceful coexistence at Hili border". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
2. "Victory day on Hili border". The Telegraph. 13 December 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
3. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Dakshin Dinajpur". Table 2.1. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
4. "Dakshin Dinajpur District Police". Know your PS. District Police. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
5. "District Census Handbook: Dakshin Dinajpur, Series 20 Part XII A" (PDF). Map of Dakshin Dinajpur with CD Block HQs and Police Stations (on the fourth page). Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
6. "BDO Offices under Dakshin Dinajpur District". Department of Mass Education Extension & Library Services, Government of West Bengal. West Bengal Public Library Network. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
7. "Next phase: Road map of ICPs". Land Ports Authority of India. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
8. "Land ports in brief" (PDF). Bangladesh government. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
9. "Union Home Minister reviews Integrated Checkposts and Border Management projects". Current Samachar. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
10. "Centre plans 13 new Integrated Check Posts to encourage engagement with neighbours". The Indian Expres, 18 October 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
11. "Tourist Places – Hili Block". Dakshin Dinajpur district administration. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
12. "Notification No. 63/94-Cus. (N.T.) dtd 21/11/1994 with amendments - Land Customs Stations and Routes for import and export of goods by land or inland water ways". Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
13. "Transport in Bangladesh". Bangladesh – Getting there & away. lonely planet. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
14. "Notification No.:91/2009-Customs". CustomsIndiaOnline. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
15. "Intergovernmental Agreement on Dry Ports comes into force". United Nations ESCAP. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
16. "Living on the Edge". The Telegraph, 14 June 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
17. "Chapter:Background". District authorities. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
18. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
19. "Border cloud on revelry - BDR bar on puja pandals". The Telegraph, 15 September 2004. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
20. "Railway projects galore for Bengal". The Hindu Business Line, 26 February 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
21. "Brief of all projects (as of 31st August 2018)" (PDF). Page 12: New BG line from Balurghat to Hili. Northeast Frontier Railway (Cconstruction). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
22. "List of State Highways in West Bengal". West Bengal Traffic Police. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
23. "SBS Government College, Hili". Examdrive. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
24. "Hili Rama Nath High School". HRNHS. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
25. "Health & Family Welfare Department". Health Statistics. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 7 December 2018.