Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Kokrajhar District : VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
Backwardness : 59
Sex Ratio Rank : 308 (Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : C (HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Disability : 451 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : NA
Minority : Yes
Challenges of the district : Our research
with local communities
Kokrajhar lies in the tribal belt and is a remote
area.
The literacy percentage is very low. The quality of education and
the process of admission need a re-check. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
is a total failure in Kokrajhar.
The teachers in Government Schools are not qualified. Drop out rates
are high and hardly any children attend schools regularly. The NREGA
and SHGs are a big failure in our district.
Health infrastructure needs lot of improvement. People mostly fall
prey to malaria.
Brief About Kokrajhar District
Kokrajhar is one of the twenty-three districts of Assam and
can be described as the gateway to the northeastern region of
India. Both road and rail touches this district at Srirampur before
they go on to other districts in Assam and the other northeast
states. The district has a total area of 3,169.22 sq. km. and
a total population of 9,30,404 according to the Census-2001.
Kokrajhar district is located on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra
that slices the state of Assam into two, identified as north and
south banks. The district lies roughly between 89.46' E to 90.38'
E longitudes and 26.19" N to 26.54" N latitudes. The district
is bounded on the north by the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, by
Dhubri district on the south, Bongaigaon district on the east
and the Indian state of West Bengal on the west.
The district can be easily reached as both the
mainline road and rail passes through this district. There are
beautiful places to visit in the district, especially in the northern
side, where the natural scenery is exquisite. There are also numerous
natural picnicking spots. It has to be admitted that these places
are yet to be developed as tourist spots. But there is a great
deal of scope even now for those who are adventurous and willing
to witness the glory of nature in all its rugged beauty.
The kingdom of Bhutan is intricately linked with the district
of Kokrajhar in many vital aspects of life of the people living
both in the Bhutan hills and the plains of Kokrajhar. There is
hassle-free movement of the people across the international border
for the purpose of business and tours. The Bhutanese town of Gelephu
is a nice place to visit from Kokrajhar as it is just across the
international boundary. There is a fine road leading from the
Shyamthaibari point on the National Highway 31(C) to Gelephu.
Further on, inside Bhutanese territory, there is the town of Sarbhang
that also can be visited via Gelephu.
The colourful Bodo community comprises the majority in Kokrajhar
district. It also has a sizeable Rajbongshi and Santhal population.
Kokrajhar is also the headquarter of the Bodoland Autonomous Council
which was created in 1993.
History
Kokrajhar was originally a part of undivided Goalpara district.
Till 1956, it was merely a small village with a railway station
that connected it to the rest of the world. In 1957, when Bimala
Prasad Chaliha was the Chief Minister of Assam, a new Civil Sub-division
was created after carving out the northern part of Dhubri Sub-division
and some parts of Goalpara Sub-division. This new sub-division
was called Kokrajhar Sub-division. Goalpara district thus became
divided into three sub-divisions. The area covered by the then
Kokrajhar Sub-division consisted of five tracts of the Eastern
Dooars, viz., Bijni, Sidli, Chirang, Ripu and Guma with a total
area of 1569.9 square miles or 4065.88 square kilometres.
On the 1st of July, 1983 the Kokrajhar Sub-division
was upgraded into Kokrajhar district with the headquarter at Kokrajhar
town. There were four police stations in the new district. They
were Bijni, Sidli, Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon. The area of the district
extended from the Manas river in the east to the Sonkosh on the
west.
In 1989, there was further reorganization of the districts and
some new districts were created. Thus, about 40% of the total
geographical area of Kokrajhar district was carved out for inclusion
in the new district of Bongaigaon. The area delimited from Kokrajhar
district to Bongaigaon covers the entire Bijni Revenue Circle
along with 347.50 square kilometres of Sidli Circle. Later on
20 villages of Naikgaon G.P. with a total area 40.22 square km
under Chapar Revenue Circle of Dhubri district was transferred
to Kokrajhar district. The present geographical area of Kokrajhar
district is estimated to be 3,169.22 square km.
The district now has two revenue sub-divisions---
Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon Sub-divisions. The river Gongia which
is known as Tipkai in the southern part is the natural boundary
of two civil sub-divisions. Gossaigaon town is the headquarter
of Gossaigaon Sub-division.
Geography
The district is situated in a humid sub-tropical climate
that is characteristic of the lower Brahmaputra Valley of Assam.
There is high rainfall and humidity. The district also has the
largest concentration of forest in the state. The soil in the
district is fertile and suitable for paddy cultivation.
The water that flows along natural dongs and
canals are the main source of irrigation for the agricultural
fields. Rain water flow down from the hill tracts of Bhutan and
along the foothills and reserve forests of the district. The Bhutan
hills are also the source of a number of rivers that flow through
the district and act as tributaries of the mighty Brahmaputra
that flows from east to west far from the southern boundary of
Kokrajhar district. The important rivers of the district that
flow from north to south are the Champamati, the Gaurang, the
Tipkai and the Sonkosh. There are other rivulets like the Bhur
and the colourfully named Laopani. All the rivers and rivulets
flowing through the district have their origin in the Bhutan hills.
The soil throughout the district is composed of sand and clay
in varying proportion ranging from pure sand in the riverbed to
soft clay in different parts. The rocks found in the district
are all sedimentary. In the southernmost part of district there
are two small hills that are composed of metamorphic rocks. These
two hills are called the Dholmara N.C. Hills and Nadanggiri Hills.
