Hasimara is a small but significant town in the Jalpaiguri district

Jalpaiguri District

Jalpaiguri district is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between 26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes...

 of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 state, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is located at 26° 45' 0N latitude and 89° 20' 60E longitude at an altitude of 245 metres above sea level and has a population of about 40,000 (2001 census).

The town is located in the central Dooars region of the district and is surrounded by tea gardens. The town also lies on the way to Phuentsholing, the gateway to Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, and the border is just about 17 km away.

The significance of this little town lies in the Air Force Station of the Eastern Air Command

Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force

The Eastern Air Command is one of the five operational commands of the Indian Air Force. Currently headquartered in Shillong in Meghalaya, it had its beginning as No 1 Operational Group on 27 May 1958 at Ranikutir in Calcutta as a part of the Govt's increasing emphasis on defence of the eastern...

 being located here. This is one of the more strategic air force bases of the Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

.

Geography

Hasimara is located at 26.75°N 89.35°E. It has an average elevation of 246 metres (807 feet).
Being Phuentsholing (Bhutan entry gate) only 17 Km, people go for buying foreign made products.
Another town nearby is Hamiltonganj where airmen go for shopping. Way is covered by green jungles.

Transport

The town is served by the Hasimara railway station (Code:HSA) which lies on the Siliguri

Siliguri

Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...

-Alipurduar

Alipurduar

Alipurduar is a sub-divisional municipal city of Jalpaiguri district, and is located at the eastern end of the district. Situated on the east bank of Kaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, the town is a gateway to Bhutan and North Eastern states of India...

 route. This line has recently been converted to Broad Gauge

Broad gauge

Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...

 and many important trains like Sealdah-Alipurduar Jn. Kanchankanya Express, Guwahati-Alipurduar-Ranchi Express,Patna-Kamakhya Capital Express, Alipurduar-New Jalpaiguri Intercity Express now pass through.

Hasimara is also connected by frequent bus services to the district headquarter Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region.-History:...

 and other North Bengal

North Bengal

North Bengal is a term used for the northern parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division. Generally it is the area lying west of Jamuna River and north of Padma River, and includes the Barind Tract. The West Bengal part denotes Cooch Behar, Darjeeling,...

 towns like Siliguri

Siliguri

Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...

, Alipurduar

Alipurduar

Alipurduar is a sub-divisional municipal city of Jalpaiguri district, and is located at the eastern end of the district. Situated on the east bank of Kaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, the town is a gateway to Bhutan and North Eastern states of India...

, Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at . Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage...

, and Phuentsholing Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

.

Indian Armed Forces bases

The Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

's 16 Wing is located near Hashimara. A strategically located airbase, along with the 20 Wing at Bagdogra

Bagdogra

Bagdogra is a small town in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, which is surrounded by tea gardens. Bagdogra is well connected by rail and air to the rest of the country. Bagdogra Airport is the only airport in North Bengal, which is now an International Airport. -References:...

, it is responsible for combat air operations over North Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

, Sikkim

Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...

 and if needed, Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

.
Nos. 22 and 222 Squadrons, operating MiG-23/MiG-27 Floggers are based at Hashimara. The airbase is commanded by an Air Commodore

Air Commodore

Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

.

The Indian Army

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

 also has a well established base at Hasimara, the 17th Infantry Division (India) being located nearby at the Binnaguri

Binnaguri

Binnaguri is a town located in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal state, India. It is located at 26° 46' 0N latitude and 89° 2' 60E longitude at an altitude of 216 metres above sea level....

army cantonment.