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Bhadrapur, or Chandragadhi (Nepali: भद्रपुर), is a town and municipality in Jhapa District in the Koshi Pradesh of southeastern Nepal. It lies on the banks of the Mechi River and shares borders with Bihar on the south and West Bengal on the north. There is a border crossing with a customs office for goods. Galgalia village in Kishanganj district borders Bhadrapur.
Bhadrapur Municipality
भद्रपुर नगरपालिका | |
|---|---|
    Clockwise from top: Bhadrapur Airport, Main city center, Celebration in Bhadrapur school and Concrete house (photos are from 1960's) | |
| Nickname: Bhadrapur Bazaar | |
  Bhadrapur Municipality Location in Koshi province  Bhadrapur Municipality Bhadrapur Municipality (Nepal) | |
| Coordinates: 26°32′40″N 88°05′40″E / 26.5444°N 88.0944°E | |
| Country |  Nepal |
| Province | Koshi |
| District | Jhapa |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ganesh Pokhrel (NC) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Radha Karki (RPP) |
| • (Executive Officer) | Sunil Niraula [1] |
| Elevation | 91 m (299 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 18,164 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (NST) |
| Postal code | 57200 |
| Area code | 023 |
| Website | www |
Bhadrapur is one of Nepal's oldest municipalities. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, it had a population of 18,164.[2] Bhadrapur Airport has flights to Kathmandu. This airport is the best way to reach Kathmandu from the eastern part of Nepal and India (i.e., West Bengal and Sikkim).
Bhadrapur is one of the most multi-cultural cities in Nepal. In this city live people from all the districts of Nepal and others who migrated from India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Different ethnic and religious backgrounds, such as Rajbanshi, Dhimal, Meche, Brahmin, Chhetri, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tamang, Madbadi, Bengali, Muslim, etc., live in Bhadrapur by maintaining cordial relations, peace, and harmony among the people. Bhadrapur is the "tea city" of Nepal. It is a starting point for tourist attractions. A few hours' ride north takes one close to the Himalayas. There are good roads up to a height of around 3,700 metres (12,100 ft).
Bhadrapur has important governmental and other infrastructure, including a zonal hospital, airport, Mechi Multiple campuses, different schools, Mahendra Park, stadium police and military headquarters, and hosts the Central District Offices.
However, due to the construction of the Mahendra Highway or East-West Highway (north of Bhadrapur), economic activities have shifted north to the junction of the highway Birtamod. This has left Bhadrapur with a receding population and crippled its once-booming economic activity.
In the last decade, Bhadrapur has slowly transformed itself into a tea hub with new plantations and tea factories being established every year. The much-awaited Mechi Bridge joining Bhadrapur to India (Galgalia) is now constructed and acts as a lifeline to the revitalization of Bhadrapur as well as the far eastern part of Nepal. There is a checkpoint at the border.
History
editBhadrapur was a very prosperous city during the early 1900s. It was renowned for its rice cultivation due to its rich, fertile soil. This period saw rice mills being established. The prosperous rice business led Bhadrapur to its most prosperous period. Now, Bhadrapur has transformed into a major city of tea factories as the old rice mills are no longer operating.
Industries
editBhadrapur is home to Momento Apparels, which was one of Nepal's largest exporters of ready-made garments. The factory has been forced out of operation since 2012. In its heyday, the factory had a workforce of 2,000 and supplied ready-made garments to the US (including retail outlets such as Walmart and JCPenney) and several European countries.[3][4]
Transport
editBhadrapur Airport is served by Nepal Airlines, Saurya Airlines, Shree Airlines, Yeti Airlines and Buddha Air with daily flights. Nepal Airlines flies 3 times a week, the others have daily flights. The first flight to Kathmandu is at 06:30am and the last flight is 9:00 pm.
Image gallery
edit
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Bridge foundation reinforcements -
Caisson being drained -
Mechi Bridge under construction, 2011 -
Bhadrapur Airport -
Busy airport -
Bhadrapur Bazaar -
Bajra Tea Garden, Bhadrapur -
Bhadrapur Bus Park -
Kameshwar Complex in the heart of Bhadrapur Bazaar -
Buddha Mandir
References
edit- ^ "Staff Profile of Bhadrapur Municipality". bhadrapurmun.gov.np.
- ^ a b "VDC Municipality Report 2011". Census Nepal 2021. November 2012. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- ^ Dhakal, Chandi Raj (2002-03-14). "We need trade, not aid". Nepali Times (Interview). ISSN 1814-2613. OCLC 244793967. Archived from the original on 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ Portel, Parbat (2014-03-03). "Former garment giant Momento lies in ruins". Kathmandu Post. Jhapa. ISSN 1563-9770. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2020-06-20.