city, West Bengal state, northeastern India. Situated in the heart of the Raniganj coalfield, it is the centre of the Kulti-Burnpur industrial complex. Asansol is connected by the Grand Trunk Road and by rail with Kolkata (Calcutta) (Calcutta), Durgapur, and Burdwan. The city is an important coal-trading and railway centre, with large railway workshops and a railway colony. Its major industries include textile, iron, and steel factories. Jaykaynagar, a suburb, has a large aluminum works. Asansol was constituted a municipality in 1896 and has several colleges affiliated with the University of Burdwan. Pop. (2001) city, 475,439; urban agglom., 1,067,369.