Ichapore

Ichapore Ichapore
city

Ichapore (also written as Ichapur) (In Bengali: ইছাপুর) is an Indian city near Barrackpore, by the River Ganges. This is a small city, most famous for two ordnance factories, viz., rifle factory and a metal & steel factory. The rifle factory makes rifles and guns for the defence sector and recreational purposes. The city has a population of around 100,000 and is densely populated.

Overview

The majority of the population speaks Bengali as their native language. The city is connected to Kolkata and nearby cities by railroad as well as paved highway. The distance between Ichapur and Sealdah Railway Stations is approximately 27 km.

There are numerous schools which caters to the need of the residents - Rifle Factory High School, Anandamath Vidyapith, Northland High School and Sridhar Banshidhar High School, and two Kendriya Vidyalayas (under CBSE board). There are trade schools run by the ordnance factories.

Most part of the city is urbane in nature with planned housing built for the factory employees with modern water and sewage system. Crime rate is fairly low and the city is conservative in nature. There are quite a few dining places suitable for family as well as young adult population. Hotels are few in numbers though guest houses are available for business visitors.

This town is also referred to as "Ishapore" with anglicized spelling. The armaments production facility here has been a model of "corporate responsibility" for over one hundred years, with amenities for its workers including good-quality provided housing and extensive recreational facilities. Weapons tested and later produced here for the Indian Army included the Vickers-Berthier light machine gun, turned down by the British Army in favour of the Bren gun on cost grounds. The largest production was of the Indian version (in various guises and marks) of the Lee Enfield rifle. The recent model from the stable of Ishapore Rifle Factory is famous INSAS which is the mainstay in Indian Army as well as other security forces of India. The bank of Ganges provides the most beautiful scenic views of Ishapore and is very pleasant in the spring evenings.

Famous Food Joints

Abhiruchi is one of the most crowdest food joint of Ishapore. It served almost 170 dishes and they are pretty delicious. The rates are normal but the taste of the food is brilliant. It is located at the Kanthadar More in Ichapur opposite Allahbad Bank. It has been there for more than a decade.

Sonar Tori Situated near Chowmatha this is a Restruant cum Bar.Though basic customers are mainly here for alcoholic drinks. Other cuisine are also served here. It is a new boy in the town and already cornered a large chunk of Drinkers to its kitty.

Banks and Financial Houses

There are lots of Banks and financial houses which caters to the need of the people living in Ishapore and near by areas such as Shyamnagar and Palta. While State Bank of India is the busiest of all banks like Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank,Canara Bank also have their presence here. Most of the customer to these banks are the employees of Ishapore Rifle Factory and Ishapore Metal and Steel Factory. Various private financial houses are also operational here but they mainly work in the investment areas.

State Bank of India and SBI ATM. It is the busiest bank in Ishapore. It is situated oppsite to North Land Bazaar.

Allahabad Bank(no ATM). It is one of the oldest bank in Ishapore. This bank has recently been upgraded and now computers are mainly used here which was not the case a few years ago. It is located at the Kanthadar More.

Canara Bank. Situated near Badamtala.

Punjab National Bank and ATM.It is another Public sector bank operating in Ishapore.It is located near Badamtala.

AXIS Bank ATM.It is located in Kanthadar More.

Healthcare

The Two Ordinance Factories jointly maintain a hospital (both in-patient and out-patient) as well as few dispensaries. Basic care and surgical services are available here. North 24 Parganas district has been identified as one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.