Sunil Sarma
(realsunilsarma@gmail.com)
The name of Dibrugarh is believed to have been derived from the river Dibarumukh, and over the course of time, it became Dibru. Garh means fort. Lord Auckland, the then Governor General of British India, through a notification formed the Lakhimpur district, and Dibrugarh became its administrative headquarters. The Lakhimpur district was a vast landmass on both sides of the Brahmaputra, and for functional conveniences, it needed reorganisation. Thus, the Dibrugarh district was formed on the south bank, and subsequently Tinsukia on the south and Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts on the north bank were segregated from it.
Around 1840, Dibrugarh was a very prominent town of undivided Assam for exports of tea, timber and coal. It is said that the first municipality board of Assam was formed in Dibrugarh in the year 1873. The ART Company established railway services in 1881 for the transportation of tea chests through the Mohanaghat river port, and RSN Company played an important role in this regard. Some gardens even had railway track extensions up to the factory premises; the waggons were pulled with heavy-duty tractors. Therefore, even today it is seen that the railway lines are running through most of the tea-growing areas of upper Assam.
The Dibrugarh Electricity Supply Company was established in 1928 for the supply of electricity within the municipal area of the town. In 1972, the Government of Assam took over the electricity supply company, and subsequently, in 2009, APDCL was formed to control power distribution from ASEB.
Dibrugarh town had a well-designed development plan; its roads and buildings, such as Sundari Ali made out of bricks and brick Surkhi, which was running from the Polo ground to Mohanaghat, Mancotta Road, Convoy Road, AT Road, old DC’s bungalow, circuit house, Berry White Medical School, and the Government Boys’ High School, which was established in 1840 (the oldest high school in upper Assam), etc., speak volumes about the administrative brilliance during British Raj.
Before the great earthquake of 1950, Dibrugarh was a thriving town in Assam, well known for its trade and industry, agriculture, education, and healthcare. Around the mid-1940s, Dibrugarh was one of the highest revenue-generating places in India. Its economy was centred on large-scale tea production by the British companies, oil, coal and timber. Its colonial heritage was seen in the European wards, civil lines, India Club, Planters Club, etc. The river was flowing along the town like the Brahmaputra in Guwahati and posed no threat to the town. One could well imagine the location of the old township before it was gobbled up by the river; the central part of the town was about 4.5 km away from the present location of the district jail. The Chowkidingee field, Milan Nagar, Jibon Phukan Nagar, etc., were under tea cultivation of Chowkidingee TE.
Unfortunately, on the 15th of August 1950, an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude struck the town, resulting in shifting it towards the south bank, followed by large-scale soil erosion when vast areas of land had been lost to the mighty river. The famous river port Mohanaghat now has its name only; the Nagakhelia village is non-existent. The residents of these areas had been settled in Tulasi goan, Nirmali goan, Malasupasa, Barbari Hilaidhari, etc. In spite of the devastating earthquake and erosion, the town bounced back to continue serving as an important location for trade, industry, education and healthcare. The present state government is going to make it the second capital here; the old railway station will be maintained, and the Mankatta Road flyover is being renovated to facilitate the movement of high-speed trains.
Looking forward to seeing a prosperous Dibrugarh even better than its past glory.