Authors : Sriya Dhameja

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 2 - February

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/3xjhhuc9

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yu5522vh

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14964376

Abstract : The last three decades witnessed a colossal surge in the transformation of villages into Census Towns (CTs), as an outcome of the ongoing rapid urbanization in West Bengal. Interestingly, it can be noticed that along with the emergence of the new CTs, a substantial number are losing or are on the verge of losing their “urban” status by census of India. A few studies have been done in the past to understand the spatial nature and reasons for such an unusual phenomenon. However, this paper focuses on understanding and bringing out the spatiality and trend of declassified towns in relation to their reasons for declassification. The primary data sources for the study are the various primary census abstracts and district census handbooks of the different districts. Different spatial analysis methodologies like Nearest Neighbor Analysis, Kernel Density Analysis, Standard Deviation Ellipses, and the Moran’s I index (both Global and local) for spatial autocorrelation have been employed to understand the spatiality and distribution of these CTs throughout the state. Upon analysis, it has been noticed from the LISA cluster map that the individual clusters identified for these declassified towns, are near the border area of the districts or surrounding states or international borders. In the different census years, different spatial patterns have been noticed, varying from dispersed to cluster in nature. An estimation of Census Towns that are likely to get declassified in the 2021 Census has also been attempted and its probable spatial nature has been determined accordingly. Field survey was undertaken in selected declassified CTs, to understand people’s perception and their level of awareness about the changing status of their town and the changes in their socio-economic condition over time.

Keywords : Census Towns (CTs), Spatial Distribution, Non-Agricultural Pursuits, Spatial Autocorrelation, LISA

References :

1. (GoI), Government of India;. (2015). Local bodies. Chapter 42.
2. Aghajani, M., Dezfoulian, R., Arjroody, A., & Rezaei, M. (2017). Applying GIS to identify the spatial and temporal patterns of road accidents using spatial statistics (case study: Ilam Province, Iran). Transportation Research Procedia, 25, pp. 2126-2138.
3. A'idah, S. S., Susiloningtyas, D., & Shidiq, I. A. (2021). GIS-based NNA and Kernel Density Analysis for Identifying Distribution of Restaurant's Popularity Index in Bandung. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (pp. 1-7). IOP Publishing. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/940/1/012012
4. Anselin, L., Syabri, I., & Kho, Y. (2006). GeoDa: An introduction to spatial data analysis. Geographical Analysis, 38(1), pp. 5-22.
5. Ayadi, M., & Amara, M. (2009). Spatial patterns and geographic determinants of welfare and poverty in Tunisia. Econmic Research Forum Working Paper, 478, pp. 1-23.
6. Bandyopadhyay, M., Singh, M. P., & Singh, V. (2012). Spatial pattern analysis for finding weighted candidate set for p-median problem in locating emergency facilities. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2(5), pp. 69-74.
7. Bhagat, R. B., & Mohanty, S. (2008). Trends and Patterns of India's Urbanization: A Demographic Assessment. Retrieved from http://paa2008.princeton.edu/papers/80531
8. Chakraborty, S., Chowdhury, S., Roy, U., & Das, K. (2017, June 24). Declassification of Census Towns in West Bengal: Empirical Evidences from Patuli, Bardhaman. Review of Rural Affairs, Economic & Political WEEKLY, Vol LII, Nos. 25 & 26 , pp. 25-31.
9. Chakraborty, S., Das, K., & Roy, U. (2015). Concentrated or Dispersed Urbanization: A crictical analysis of newly emerged Census Towns of West Bengal, India in 2011. Journal of Geopgraphy and Regional Planning, 218-227.
10. Dasgupta, B. (1987). Urbanization and rural change in West Bengal. Economic and Political Weekly, 22(8), pp. 337-344.
11. Denis, E., Mukhopadhyay, P., & Zehra, M. H. (2012). Subaltern Urbanisation in India. Review of Urban Affairs, Economic & Political Weekly, Vol 47, No. 30, pp. 52-62.
12. Duijne, R. J., & Nijman, J. (2019, May). India's Emergent Urban Formations. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, pp 1-21. Retrieved from ResearchGate.
13. Er, A., Rosli, M., Asmahani, A., Mohamad Naim, M., & Harsuzilawati, M. (2010). Spatial mapping of dengue incidence: A case study of HAulu Langat district, Selangor, Malayasia. International Journal of Geological and Environmental Engineering, 4(7), pp. 251-255.
14. Giri, P. (1998, November 21). Urbanization in West Bengal, 1951-1991. Economic and Political Weekly, pp. 3033-3038.
15. Guin, D., & Das , D. N. (2016, October 12). Spatial Perspectives of the New Census Towns, 2011: A Case Study of West Bengal. Retrieved from ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282965535
16. Guin, D., & Das, D. N. (2015, April 04). New Census Towns in West Bengal: 'Census Activism' or Sectoral Diversification? Economic & Political WEEKLY, Vol. L(No 14), pp. 68-72.
17. Illian, J., Penttinen, A., Stoyan, H., & Stoyan, D. (2007). The Homogeneous Poisson Point Process, Statistical Analysis and Modelling of Spatial Point Patterns. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. doi:10.1002/9780470725160.ch2.
18. Jain, M., & Korzhenevych, A. (2020, April). Urbanisation as the rise of census towns in India: An outcome of traditional master planning? Retrieved from Cities (Volume 99): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102627
19. Konar, D. N. (2009). Nature of Urbanization in West Bengal in the post independence period. Econ. Affairs. 54 (3&4), pp. 149-164.
20. Kundu, A. (2011). Trends and Process of Urbanization in India. Retrieved from Human Settlement Group, IIED, Populationand Development Branch, UNFPA, Urbanization and Emerging Population Issues-6: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10597IIED.pdf
21. Ma, R., Gu, C., Pu, Y., & Ma, X. (2008). Mining the urban sprawl pattern: A case study of Sunan, China. Sensors, 8(10), pp. 6371-6395.
22. Musakwa, W., & Niekerk, A. (2014). Monitoring urban sprawl and sustainable urban development using the Moran Index: A case study of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
23. Pradhan, K. C. (2013). Unacknowledged Urbanisation: New Census Towns in India. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 48, No. 36, pp. 43-51.
24. Pradhan, K. C., & Roy, S. N. (2018, June 05). Census Towns in India: Current Patterns and Future Discourses. Retrieved from CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH's Policy Engagements and Blogs: https://cprindia.org/census-towns-in-india-current-patterns-and-future/
25. Sairi, N. M., Burhan, B., & Saifan, E. M. (2021). PLANNING MALAYASIA: Journal of the Malayasian Institute of Planners, Vol. 19(Issue. 3), pp. 363-374.
26. Samanta, G. (2021, July 05). In Between Rural and Urban: Challenges for Governance of Non- recognized Urban Territories. Retrieved from ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352991839
27. Sivaaramakrishnan, K. C., Kundu, A., & Singh, B. N. (2011). Oxford Handbook of Urbanization in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
28. Tang, L., Tong, L., & Xue, C. (2024). Charaterization of Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Study Tour Bases in Zhejiang Province. Journal of Education and Education Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp 90-97.
29. Wang, G., & Hu, X. (2007). Small Town Development and Rural Urbanisation in China. Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol 29, No. 1, pp 76-94.
30. Wang, T., Wu, P., Ge, Q., & Ning, Z. (2021, April). Ticket prices and revenue levels of tourist attractions in China: Spatial differentiation between prefectural units. Tourism Management, vol. 83, pp. 104214. doi:doi: 10.10166/j.tourman.2020.104214
31. Wang, W., Chang, Y., & Wang, H. (2019). An application of the spatial autocorrelation method on the chane of real estate prices in Taitung City. International Journal of Geo-Information, 8(6), pp. 1-20.
32. World Urbanization Prospects, The 2011 Revision Highlights. (n.d.). Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved from http://esa.un.org/unup/pdf/WUP2011_Highlights.pdf
33. Yan, 7., & Mengqin, Y. (2021). Study of the evolution of the spatial structure of A-class tourist attractions in Sichuan Provine. Geographic Information World, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 49-53+99.
34. Zhang, C., Luo, L., Xu, W., & Ledwith, V. (2008). Use of local Moran I and GIS to identify pollution hotspots of Pb in urban soils of Galway, Ireland. Science of the Total Environment, 398(1-3), 212-221.
35. Zhu, Y., Qi, X., Shao, H., & He, K. (2009). The Evolution of China's In Situ Urbanisation and Its Planning and Environmental Implications: Case Studies from Quanzhou Municipality. Retrieved from http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/repository/pern/papers/urban_pde_zhu_etal.pdf