Sona Chura

Sona Chura
Village
Sona Chura Sona Chura Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 21°54′7.6″N 87°57′52.9″E / 21.902111°N 87.964694°ECoordinates: 21°54′7.6″N 87°57′52.9″E / 21.902111°N 87.964694°E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Purba Medinipur
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	5,736
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	721 646 (Tekhalibazar)
Area code(s)	03224
Vehicle registration	WB
Website	wb.gov.in

Sona Chura is a village and a Gram panchayat in Nandigram I CD Block in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Nandigram movement

Sona Chura was one of the six gram panchayats mentioned in the notification issued for land acquisition of a proposed chemical hub in 2006. Protests led by Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee snowballed into a major movement and repression followed. Amongst the other affected areas were: Bhangabera, Saudkhali, Maheshpur, Gokulnagar and Adhikaripara. The location of the proposed chemical hub was later shifted to Nayachar and the proposal was finally scrapped.^[1][2][3][4]

Geography

Sona Chura is located at 21°54′7.6″N 87°57′52.9″E / 21.902111°N 87.964694°E.

Martyrs Memorial

Nandigram Andolan Sahid Smarane is a 130 ft tower that stands as a memorial to those who lost their lives at Sona Chura in 2007. It was built by Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee in 2014. There are pictures of 21 people who died, 14 of them died on 14 March 2007 when police fired upon a procession headed for Nandigram from Sona Chura, 15 km away. Another 10 people disappeared from Tekhali.^[5]

Bhangabera Bridge

The Bhangabera Bridge, across the Talpati canal, near Sona Chura (3.3 km away), is located at 21°53′29″N 87°58′15″E / 21.89139°N 87.97083°E.^[6] Talpati is a drainage canal which allows river waters to come inwards at times of tides and floods and helps in irrigation.^[7] Talpati canal served as a ‘boundary’ between Nandigram I and Khejuri II CD Blocks. When the two CD Blocks were under control of two opposing forces – Khejuri under CPI (M) and Nandigram under Trinamool Congress, Bhangabera Bridge formed a sort of a check point with flags of the two political parties fluttering on either side.^[8]

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India Sona Chura had a total population of 5,736. There were 2,974 (52%) males and 2,762 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 736. The number of literates were 4,239 (84.78% of the population above 6 years.^[9]

References

1. "A Timeline of Nandigram". by Asis Kumar Das, 18 June 2008. Mazdoor Mukti. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
2. "Trinamool leader shot dead in Nandigram". The Indian Express, 23 September 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
3. "Nandigram revisited: the scars of battle". by Tushar Dhara, a Mumbai based Journalist. InfoChange News & Features, April 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
4. "Nandigram and the Struggle against Forced Displacement in India". by Dave Pugh. Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle, March 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
5. "All that matters in Nandigram: 2007". Esha Roy. The Indian Express, 3 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
6. "Bhangabera Bridge (Nandigram)". Wikimapia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
7. "District Human Development Report: Purba Medinipur" (PDF). Page 18 – May 2011. Development & Planning Department, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
8. "A bridge too far". The Telegraph, 25 March 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
9. "C.D. West Bengal – District-wise CD Blocks". Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 10 July 2016.