Cosmos: A Journal of Geography

Population Pressure and Horizontal Urban Growth in Siliguri Municipal Corporation, West Bengal

In most of the urban centres in India population pressure is increasing, which needs a proper planning by the government to avoid negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. It was found that population per unit area of built-up surface may serve as a good indicator of urban sprawl. Since the study area is the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, detailed ward wise decadal analysis is made. The temporal changes were calculated along with population using Location Quotient, in the last three decades. It is also observed that the urban density is higher in the central parts of the wards and lower in the northern wards as most of the northern part was covered by agricultural lands and open space. Siliguri urban agglomeration is extended in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. It incorporates the Bagdogra airport and Cantonment area to the West, New Jalpaiguri Railway Station to the South and Dabgram area to the North and East. The study investigated population growth occurring in the study area and the results show that the overall growth in built-up area is observed in the southeastern parts. The present study highlights the concentration of population ward wise, which necessitates decentralization of smart utility services to the peripheral areas for future planning. In order to ensure long term Sustainability, land resource management is required on priority basis with efficient use of modern techniques.