The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their settlement.

[4][5][6] In the eastern fringes of Kolkata, the neighbourhoods such as Tangra, Tiljala, Topsia and Dhapa, were populated largely with people who migrated from poverty-ridden and caste-ridden villages, in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

They came with dreams of a better life but landed in the slums with open drains, pigsties, factory chimneys and pungent chemicals.

The new police stations are Parnasree, Haridevpur, Garfa, Patuli, Survey Park, Pragati Maidan, Bansdroni and Rajabagan.

At present, Tiljala is a melting pot with great ethnic diversity—there are Bengalis, Marwaris, Punjabis, Anglo-Indians, Nepalis, a number of communities from Bihar and the North-East and a few African nationals.

Sunil Nagar club won the prestigious Asian Paints Sharad Shamman "Best Durga Puja" award three times in 1992, 1995 and 1999.

[11] The auto-rickshaws running in three routes bring the important crossings of Ballygunge Phari, Gariahat and Park Circus within easy reach.