Overview :
Howrah is the second largest city in West Bengal. It is located on the western bank of the Hooghly river. It is also considered as an important transportation hub of West Bengal and a major gateway of Kolkata. It is headquartered of Howrah district and the Howrah Sadar Subdivision. This locality comes under the supervision of Howrah Municipal Corporation. Even though it is the second largest city in the state, it did not undertake appropriate infrastructure development in the last century. It is considered less modern than the Kolkata side. Howrah Junction is also known as Howrah Station, is the largest railway complex in India which serves both Kolkata and Howrah residents. It is among the five intercity railway stations serving the city of Kolkata, other being Sealdah, Santragachi, Shalimar, and Kolkata Railway Station. Howrah Railway Station is the headquarters of Eastern Railways, and well connected to the other parts of India. The British-era Howrah Bridge also known as Rabindra Setu, that serves as a crucial gateway to the city has celebrated its 75th anniversary. It is one of the finest examples of engineering to date. Some of the prominent localities located close to Howrah are Dankuni, North Dumdum, Rajarhat, Newtown, Bidhannagar, Ballygunge, Maheshtala, Behala, Joka, Kalighat, Bargachia, Rajpur Sonarpur, etc. NH 16 and SH 6 is passing through the center of the locality. Other arterial roads are Benaras Road and Makardah Road which further has its access with NH 16 and SH 6. It also connects the metropolitan region to the National Highways - NH 2 and NH 6 are connected to Vidyasagar Setu via the Kona Expressway. Some of the key residential projects in Howrah are Akchat Laxmi Garden, Akchat Place, Merlin Waterfront, Shapoorji Pallonji Joyville, Riya Manbhari Greens Phase II among others.
Connectivity :
Howrah offers good road and rail connectivity. There is a network of important roads such as AH 6 and NH 16 and connecting it to places such as Dum Dum Bidhannagar, Sealdah, Ballygunge, Behala, Salt Lake, Sector-v, Barrackpore, Maheshtala, Newtown, Rajarhat, etc.
It has excellent connectivity to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport which is located at a distance of 27 km via Belghoria Expressway and NH 16.
Howrah can be accessed from its many rail links, as well as its transport connections to Kolkata. Apart from the bridges connecting the cities, there are also ferry services between various jetties. Minibusses, private buses, auto rickshaw, taxis, and cabs are easily available from here.
Howrah Junction, Sealdah, Santragachi, Shalimar, and Kolkata Railway Station are its nearby railway stations. However, Howrah Junction is the major and nearest railway station to Howrah, situated at a distance of 13 km Kona Expressway and Mumbai-Kolkata Highway.
Factors for past growth :
The property rates are reasonably priced as compared to other metros and tier II cities. It simply means that you can benefit more from a mere investment. The rental markets are also less as compared to those in Kolkata city resulting in a lifestyle.
Its proximity to Howrah Junction, Kidderpore Dockyard along with major industrial hubs such as Burn Standard Company (BSCL), and Jute industry have been a plus point for the residents of Howrah, driving residential demand and development in the locality. As a result, the locality has seen huge demand for a rental property in Howrah.
Factors for future growth :
The twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah will be soon connected by a metro service, part of which runs under water. The first tunnel connecting Howrah and Kolkata is ready. Once this phase is complete, two of the busiest railway stations, Sealdah, and Howrah, located on the opposite banks of the Hooghly, will be connected.
Proposed and Planned Infra :
The East-West Metro Project, a 16.6-km line connecting Salt Lake in the north-eastern boundary of Kolkata to Howrah Maidan on the other side of the river.
Infra Development (Social & Physical) :
The locality has some of the best international schools in the city. Schools affiliated to various boards of education are also present here. Some of the famous schools here include the Khasmorah High School, EuroKids, Garfa Primary School, Narayana School, St, Mary’s Convent School, Kidzee, Kendriya Vidyalaya Santragachi, Julien Day School Howrah, Lyceum English Medium School. The area has some famous colleges like Asutosh College, Umesh Chandra College, Calcutta Girls’ College, Maulana Azad College, City College, Scottish Church College among few.
The locality has good options for shopping and has malls like Quest Mall, South City Mall, Merlin Homeland Mall, Gariahat Mall, Avani Riverside Mall, Simpark Mall, E-Mall etc. which house a number of international and national brands like Deepak Kirana Store, Emami Market, Reliance Digital, My Jio Store, More Retail Shop, Capital Electronics, Cantabil Retail India Limited, Apple Store to name a few.
The locality has a number of multi specialty, super specialty and general hospitals. Some of the famous ones here include Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah Lions Hospital, Fortis Medical Centre, Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital etc.
