Geonkhali is a village and scenic tourist spot in the Mahisadal Block of East Midnapore district of West Bengal. It is located 130 km to the south of Kolkata at the confluence of the rivers Hooghly, Rupnarayan and Damodar. At the confluence, the river is so wide as to resemble the sea, making for a spectacular sight. Geonkhali is connected to Gadiara and Nurpur by regular launch services.[1] Geonkhali houses several water treatment plants that supply fresh water to Haldia where the water is saline. Besides the rivers, tourist attractions in the area include the Mahisadal palace, the Radha Krishna temple at Mahisadal and the nearby town of Kolaghat.[2] Geonkhali lies at the head of the 623-km long NW 5 that includes the Hijli Tidal Canal and the East Coast Canal linking it to Orissa's Paradip and Dhamra ports and the Matai, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers.[3] A proposed 2,200-crore shipyard project by the Apeejay and Bharti groups at Geonkhali was abandoned in the aftermath of the Singur and Nandigram incidents following opposition by local residents to acquisition of their lands.[4]
