hall and Railway Banquet Hall), 14 play grounds and 1 burning ghat (Ramghat :electric and conventional burning ghat). See also Cities and towns in Barrackpore subdivision Economy Industry Naihati had a vibrant industrial area. "Once upon a time, mill sirens would keep the time in Naihati. Sirens at six o’clock, at nine o’clock, at eleven o’clock… Pulse of the factories would impart a collective sense of time, a sense of discipline, a united communal life. Even before the break of dawn tea shops in factory premises and even in far off places, would open shutters. Lines of pedestrians and cyclists would be seen going to work. Night shift workers would come out in hordes to make way for the morning shift." Most of the factories in Naihati-Garifa area have closed down. Workers and employees are in an unbearable state, and the socio-cultural environment of a much larger area has been vitiated. A brief about the past industries follows. Jenson & Nicholson was established in India in 1922 by its parent company Berger-Jenson & Nicholson, UK. The first factory of Jenson & Nicholson at Naihati went into production in 1925. The company produces paints, pigments, varnishes and allied products. The foreign holdings in the company were bought over by S.P.Sinha in 1964. The Naihati paint factory was modernised in the late 1980s. Bijay Chandra Srivastava has been managing director from 2014. Gouripore Jute Mill at Naihati was once upon a time considered by many as the best jute mill in the World. The fairy-tale jute mill environment of the colonial era has been succinctly described by Soumitra Das in The Telegraph, "The mill had its own train and its engine was a museum piece. It carried coal to the power house. The Gouripur mill had its own water filter plant and captive electricity and water supply system...The mill opened in 1862...Gouripore Jute Mills originally belonged to the Inchcape Group under Barry & Co. Later, in 1948, following amalgamation in 1948, MacNeill & Barry owned three jute mills — Gouripore, Nuddea and Ganges Manufacturing at Bansberia. Naihati bustled with activity owing to the presence of Jenson Nicholson, Gouripur Electric Supply and Containers and Closures alongside what was the largest and best jute mill of those times." The Scottish owners left, Gouripore Jute Mill changed hands and was closed in 1998. Nuddea Jute Mills at Naihati became a part of the MacNeill &