Kharagpur  pronunciation  (Bengali:খড়্গপুর) is an important industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is multi-cultural and cosmopolitan city. It is the most populated city of Paschim Medinipur district. The first Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), a group of Institutes of National Importance, was founded in Kharagpur as early as in May 1950. It is 116 km from Kolkata and forms an important station on Howrah-Mumbai, Howrah-Chennai road and railway route. This city also has one of the largest railway workshops in India, and the third longest railway platform in the world (1072.5 m). Kharagpur has an Air Force base in Kalaikunda, and another in Salua. There have been plans by the IAF to allow civil flights in Kalaikunda. It is one of the four cities where national sports are held.Other being Kolkata,Siliguri and Durgapur.