Maheshtala was previously a Panchayat Samity known as Thakurpukur-Maheshtala Panchayat Samity comprising 21 Gram Panchayats. These panchayats under Maheshtala are very old settlements. It is said that the name of Maheshtala originates from the name of the Lambardar (who is entrusted with land tax collection) by the name of one Sri Mahes Suri who was entrusted with this job by one Sri Ramkanta Banerji, the local Zamindar nominated by Lord Clive, the then Governor of Bengal Province under the East India Company. The population of Maheshtala Panchayet area (the then Mouzas which later conformed to a Municipality) as per 1991 census was 276128. The population of this area is mainly the original inhabitants. There are a certain percentage of people who came from the erstwhile East Pakistan and some who came from the neighbouring areas for re-settlement. The density of population was 6250.06/sq.km. Therefore, it was a vast agglomeration of panchayet area with high density of population ready to become a municipal town as per benchmark fixed by the provisions of West Bengal Municipal Act, 1993 :-

i)              population not less than 30000;

ii)             density of population not less than 750/ sq.km.;

iii)           has an occupational pattern in which more than one-half of the adult population are chiefly engaged in pursuits other than agriculture.

The main occupational pattern of this area is non-agricultural such as, tailoring, leather works, construction workers, factory labour force, fire works, bakery, carpentary, major workforce of unorganized sectors etc. Agriculture and allied works were only a marginal occupational pattern in the area during the early panchayat days. Now it is almost in extinct except some flower nurseries, aman crops production and vegetable  production in certain marginal areas. Therefore, the main occupational pattern is non-agricultural. The area has grown into a big city but the growth was not systematic rather there was sporadic growth. For example, because of the existence of the Bata India Ltd. the multinational company there was a constant systematic growth in the area comprising of portion of Ward no. 27, 28, 32 Further there is ad hoc growth centering round the Budge Budge Trunk Road, Biren Roy Road (West), Akra Station Road and Santoshpur Station Road. Further growth takes place in and around Nangi, Akra and Santoshpur Railway Stations for obvious reasons.