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KALIMPONG COLLEGE

Govt. Aided College & Affiliated to North Bengal University
Recognized by UGC Under Section 2(f) and 12(B)
Year of Establishment: 1962 :: NAAC Accredited B++ (Cycle 2)
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
  About the Department:
  • Introduction 

The first batch of Kalimpong College was started at Kalimpong Basic College (Now Primary Teacher’s Training Institute) in 1962 with subjects like Nepali, English, Political Science, Economics, History, Philosophy. After a year the College was shifted to Hill Top, Durpin in search of better infrastructure. As the number of students grew year by year the college found a new location in a rented place at Nandu Ram Wool Godown, 11th Mile, Kalimpong. Here Commerce section was introduced in 1972 and Bio-Science in 1974. 

As the present College was run on rented building, a new building was a dire necessity. Therefore, the teaching and non-teaching staff launched an agitation for new college building. As a result, the foundation stone of the present building was laid on 23rd September, 1978 by Sri. Sambhu Ghosh, the then Education Minister, Government of West Bengal. Subsequently, the new College building was inaugurated on 6th June, 1982 by Sri. Bhairab Dutt Pandey, the then Governor of West Bengal. 

The demand for Geography as one of the subjects was felt by the College as well as the public since the time the college was located at 11th Mile, Kalimpong. However, the subject though much in demand was not introduced immediately. A concerted effort to introduce Geography in the College was made by the college office in the year 1988 under the Principalship of Dr. G.S. Yonzon. Finally, the decade long demand for introducing Geography in the College was met with the sanctioning of the subject on 2nd July, 1993 by the Government. The founder of the Department of Geography is Mr. Deo Dutta Rai who was also a faculty member of Department of Commerce, is still serving the department as the Head of the Department since the last 28 years. 

The Department of Geography in the College commenced its General Course from 1994-1995 academic session, vide G.O. No. 457-Edn (CS) dated 2nd July, 1993 with humble beginning of one lecturer, seven (7) students along with one laboratory attendant and with Rs. 10,000. The Honours Course in Geography was started for 2005-2006 academic session with a total of Twenty-Five (25) students. 

The Department is presently run by five qualified teachers. The total number of students in the current session is 60 Honours and 54 Program students. The department also maintains a library from where the students can borrow books for certain period of time. Geography as a subject deal with the study of Earth as a subject matter so the department frequently organizes field trips to various parts of Kalimpong and Darjeeling district. Besides field trips the department also organizes departmental seminars, internal assignments like class tests, tutorial classes and remedial classes. The department also boosts of a well-maintained laboratory with all the required instruments as well as computers with software and internet facility, ICT Classroom along with First-Aid Kit and Lost and Found Section. 

Present Number of Students (2021-22): 

Sl. No. 

Odd Semester (July-December) 

Sl. No. 

Even Semester (January-June) 

Class 

Course 

No. of Students 

Class 

Course 

No. of Students 

1. 

Sem I 

Honours 

18 

1. 

Sem II 

Honours 

18 

Program 

24 

Program 

24 

GE 

0 

GE 

0 

2. 

Sem III 

Honours 

19 

2. 

Sem IV 

Honours 

19 

Program 

22 

Program 

22 

GE 

0 

GE 

0 

3. 

Sem V 

Honours 

13 

3. 

Sem VI 

Honours 

13 

Program 

3 

Program 

3 

GE 

5 

GE 

5 

 

  1. Details of Past Faculties 

Sl. No. 

Name of the Faculty 

Date of joining 

Date of Retirement 

1 

Dr. Samhita Mondal 

12.07.2002 

28.04.2015 (Transferred) 

2 

Mrs. Binita Chettri 

02.07.1999 

02.07.2002 (Resigned) 

3 

Ms. Omu Sherpa 

01.09.2006 

01.09.2009 (Resigned) 

4 

Mr. Gagan Niroula 

01.09.2006 

01.09.2009 (Resigned) 

5 

Mr. Vinay Limbu 

23.11.2009 

31.08.2010 (Resigned) 

6 

Mr. Palash Kr. Mondal 

23.04.2010 

23.04.2009 (Transferred) 

7 

Mr. Sidon Lepcha 

10.08.2016 

 

8 

Mr. Oded Subba 

22.11.2017 

 

 

  1. Any other: (for lab-based subjects include about laboratories, equipment, classrooms etc.) 

Laboratories – 1 

Equipment– 

Sl. No. 

Name of the Instrument/Equipment 

Total 

1 

Prismatic Compass 

3 

2 

Dumpy Level 

5 

3 

Transit Theodolite 

8 

4 

Plate Table Set 

3 

5 

Gunter’s Chain 

3 

6 

Engineer’s Chain 

1 

7 

Barometer 

4 

8 

Hygrometer 

11 

9 

Six’s Max and Min Thermometer 

6 

10 

Rutherford’s (Max) Thermometer 

6 

11 

Rutherford’s (Min) Thermometer 

1 

12 

Simon’s Rain Gauge 

2 

13 

Stevenson Screen 

1 

14 

Desktop (Computer) 

1 (Teachers) + 5 (Students) 

15 

Laptop 

1 

16 

Pantograph 

6 

17 

Planimeter 

9 

18 

Rotameter 

25 

19 

Over Head Projector 

1 

20 

Rocks 

20 

21 

Minerals 

11 

22 

Mirror Stereoscope 

4 

23 

Pocket Stereoscope 

21 

24 

Walls Maps 

9 

25 

Thematic Map 

17 

26 

Topographical Maps 

506 

27 

Binocular 

1 

28 

Altimeter 

1 

 

Classrooms – 2 (Including Laboratory)