Durgapur, city in eastern India, in Bangla state, located on the lower plain of the Ganges River. Durgapur is a planned city, with residential neighborhoods separated from the industrial zone. The government established a steel plant in the city in the 1960s with British collaboration. The plant obtains coal from various fields in the Damodar Valley, all within a distance of 110 km (70 mi), iron ore from northern Orissa state, and fresh water from the nearby Damodar River. In addition to the steel plant, several other industries, a number of them related to steel, operate within the city. They produce coke oven batteries, metallurgical coke, ammonium sulfate, naphthalene, coal tar, mining machinery, ophthalmic glass, steel alloys, and fertilizers. Durgapur is connected by railroad and national highway to Kolkata, to the southeast, and Asansol, to the northwest. The nearest international airport is in Kolkata. Damodar has several colleges and a research institute. Population (1991) 425,836.
