Durgapur, literally means home of Goddess Durga, is a major rice-trading center and an industrial town situated along the banks of Damodar River in West Bengal. Durgapur was a dream child of the great visionary Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the second chief minister of West Bengal.
The well planned out Industrial Township was designed by Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk. Durgapur is now West Bengal's third largest city after Kolkata and Asansol.
Durgapur was once a wild forested area. Many trees have been evacuated from the area for civilization purposes. However, some parts of the region are forested till today - standing tall and signifying the yester years.
Over a period of time Durgapur city has undergone various changes. Right from being home to the mighty emperors in the former years to the present day industrialization and commercialization, Durgapur Steel Plant has played a prominent role in altering the face of the city. A unit of SAIL (Steel Authority of India), it brought about industrialization and employment in the city.
Alloy Steels Plant, Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation, Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation, Philips Carbon Black Ltd., Sankey Wheels and Bharat Ophthalmic Glass Ltd follow later, further elevating the standard of living in Durgapur.
In addition to this, Durgapur is on the way to become an Aerotropolis, an integrated city with contemporary infrastructure for industries, logistics hub, IT, hospitality, healthcare, education, retail and residential. Just about 10 km away from Durgapur, an airport city is being built by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL). Software biggies, such as Wipro and TCS, are also moving towards Durgapur. In the coming years, the city is sure to experience a facelift.
Durgapur is already growing for its medical facilities and educational institutes. It has many famous schools, colleges and other institutions. In the field of entertainment it has many entertainment centres, richly known clubs, wide range of shopping malls and magnificient parks and picnic spots.
Today, Durgapur has become one of the hotspot destinations in West Bengal. Durgapur provides a good no. of hotels and lodges to suite each and very pockets. Best season to visit Durgapur is between October and February. However, if you want to go on a short vacation then you may also visit Durgapur between June and August where you will be accompanied with rains.