Vol. 1, Issue 9, Part B (2015)

Abstract
In pursura block of Hooghly district of West Bengal, many brick kilns are situated on the banks of the Damodar river. Socio-economic activities of this area also depend on these. The paper attempts to study the brick-making process and an overview of brick kilns of the area along with the socio-economic profile of workers engaged in the brick kilns. The paper also deals with the environmental impact of the brick kilns on their surrounding areas. The study also reveals that at present, the brick kilns of the area are facing a lot of problems. The problems should be jointly managed by the state govt. and the local bodies. If properly managed, the brick kilns of Pursura block, forming an industry, would become one of the important forces of economic development of the area.