Bhutni is an island in the

Malda district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The island is part of the Manikchak community development block and is surrounded by the Ganga River and the Fulhar river.

Geography

Location

The island is located at . Bhutni is an island fully bounded by the river

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

and the Fulahar river.

Area overview

The area shown in the adjoining map is the physiographic sub-region known as the ''diara''. It “is a relatively well drained flat land formed by the

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

deposition of newer

alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

.” The most note-worthy feature is the Farakka Barrage across the Ganges. The area is a part of the

Malda Sadar subdivision Malda Sadar subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Malda district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Geography Malda Sadar subdivision covers both the Barind Tract and the Diara, two of the three ph ...

, which is an overwhelmingly rural region, but the area shown in the map has pockets of

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

with 17 census towns, concentrated mostly in the

Kaliachak I Kaliachak I is a Community development block in India, community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. History Gau ...

CD block. The bank of the

between Bhutni and Panchanandapur (both the places are marked on the map), is the area worst hit by left bank erosion, a major problem in the Malda area. The ruins of Gauda, capital of several empires, is located in this area. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the area. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics

The island has 3 out of the 7 gram panchayats of the Manikchak Block. They are Dakshin Chandipur, Uttar Chandipur, and Hiranandapur. At the 2011 Census of India, Bhutni island had a total population of 89021, of which 46052 are male, while 42969 are females. Scheduled Castes numbered are 30149 and Scheduled Tribes numbered are 33063. There are approximately 63 villages in Bhutni. It has three high schools, one senior

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

, one government sponsored library, five post offices, four commercial banks, and one rural hospital. The only way to travel to Bhutni is by boat, but a bridge is under construction. This will be opened to the public in 2019. The bridge is funded by the North Bengal Development Board, part of the

government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

References

{{Malda District Villages in Malda district Islands of West Bengal Islands of India Populated places in India