20

CHAPTER 2

THE STUDY AREA

2.1 PHYSICAL BACKGROUND

2.1.1 Location and Situation

Assam is a tiny state located in the far north eastern part of India and situated

within the longitude 90° E to 96° E longitude and 24° N to 28° N latitude. The area of

the state is 78,438 sq. kms as against the country’s total area of 32,87,263 sq. kms

which is bordered on the north by the Arunachal Himalayas, on the south by Meghalaya

plateau and the hills of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura ,on the east by Arunachal

Himalayas and the Naga-Patkai hill ranges and on the west by the plains of Bangladesh

and West Bengal (Fig. 2.1).

The state has been divided into 27 districts for its effective administration. The

districts are- Goalpara, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta,

Nalbari, Kamrup Rural, Kamrup Metropolitan, Darrang, Udalguri, Sonitpur, Dhemaji,

Nagaon, Golaghat, Morigaon, Sivsagar, Jorhat, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Karbi-

Anglong, Dimahasao, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. Moreover, in order to

provide autonomy in the administration of tribal areas, three autonomous district

councils are at present working in Assam, these include – (a) Karbi Anglong

Autonomous Council, (b) North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council and (c) Bodoland

Autonomous Council. Meanwhile, Bodoland Autonomous council has been converted

into Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with legislative, administrative and financial

powers so as to meet the aspirations of Bodos in Assam. For administrative purpose,

three new districts within BTC area are being developed, viz. Chirang, Baksa and

Udalguri.

2.1.2 Physiography

Physiography of the state may be described in terms of physiographic elements

like plains, floodplains, hills, foothills, plateaus and river valleys. Thus, the broad

physiographic divisions of Assam can be delineated as (a) the Brahmaputra Valley (b)

the Barak valley (c) the Karbi Plateau and (d) the Barail and Southern Hills.

21

Fig. 2.1: The study area

The Brahmaputra Valley is the major physiographic unit of Assam. It is narrow

valley with an approximate east-west extension of about 720 km and average width of

80 km. The valley is girdled by the Eastern Himalayas on the north and east, and the

Naga hills, Karbi and Meghalaya Plateaus on the south. It is open in the west merging

with the plains of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The 640 km long reach on the

Brahmaputra and its 32 major north and south bank tributaries drain the valley which

22

covers about 72 percent of the total area of Assam. The valley as a whole gently slopes

from north-east to south-west with an average gradient of 13 cm per km. In its upper

reach, near Dibrugarh, the gradient is about 17 cm per km while the same is about 10

cm per km near Guwahati.

The build-up zone of the valley lying between the northern and southern

foothills and the active floodplain is made up of the recent alluvial sediments carried by

the Brahmaputra and its tributaries from the surrounding highlands. This zone

consisting of the north-bank and south bank plains is a region of immense human

significance with high population density, rich agricultural fields and a good network of

roads and railways. The built-up zone provide space for development of urban centers

with administrative, academic and commercials functions and give boost to the growth

and development of varieties of service functions including the hospitality sector.

The north bank plain is relatively wider, being about 30 km on the average in the

lower Brahmaputra Valley while it narrows down to an average of about 10 km in the

upper Brahmaputra Valley. The south bank plain, on the other hand, is narrower on the

average of about 5 km in the districts of Kamrup, Goalpara and Dhubri due to jutting

out of the Meghalaya Plateau towards the south bank of the Brahmaputra. The

continuity of the floodplain is broken by some isolated hillocks of Archaean origin

dotted along both the banks of the Brahmaputra. Starting from the easternmost Sirang

Pahar (189m) in Nagaon district, the other important south-bank hillocks towards west

include the Kukrakata Pahar (270m) and Kamakhya Hill (239m) of Nagaon district, the

Bura Mayang Pahar (348m) of Morigaon district, the Tatimara (160m), Hatisila Pahar

(100m), Kharghuli Pahar (216m), Kamakhya- Nilachal (293m) and Dakhla Pahar

(138m) of Kamrup district, the Surya Pahar (221m), Hulokanda (131m), Pancharatna

Hill (313m), Paglatek (200m), Moronga (221m) of Goalpara district. On the north bank

the important hillocks starting from the eastern-most Bhomoraguri hill (140m) near

Tezpur are the Singri hill (172m) of Sonitpur district, the Kurua (203m) of Darrang

district, the Dirgheshwari (329m), Agyathuri (205m), Rakhasini (93m) and Hatimura

(228m) of Kamrup district, the Mahadeo (110m), Chakrasila(216m), Bhairab Pahar

(498m), and Biswakarma Pahar (320m) of Bongaigaon district and the chandardinga

(245m), Dudhnath (210m) and the Tokrabandha (258m) of Dhubri district. All these

Archaean hillocks are the remnants of the northerly outcrops of the Karbi and

Meghalaya plateaus. These hillocks provide another dimension to the landscape and

23

scenic constituents of the valley and enhance touristic appeal of the otherwise rolling

plain.

The large channel of the Brahmaputra having an average width of 6-8 km

represents a most dynamic fluvial regime and is marked by intense braiding, rapid

aggradation and drastic bank line changes. Such a dynamic fluvial regime is highly

responsible for the formation of a large number of sandbars on its own bed. The wide

alluvial bed is thus dotted with more than 600 small and big sandbars locally called

chars or chaparis which are the characteristic features of a braided river. These chars,

with varying sizes and degree of permanency are separated by several distributary

channels. During summer most of the chars are submerged by flood water and they

change their locations, sizes and other physical parameters. A small number of these

chars are more or less permanent in their existence and among them only a few remain

visible even during high floods. Some chars, being endowed with fertile alluvial top

soil, support a good number of permanent, semi-permanent and also temporary human

settlements. The core areas of the permanent chars, which are relatively high and least

affected by floods, provide sites for permanent settlements. It is also to be noted here

that Majuli, the largest Riverine Island of the world, bounded between 26° 45′ and 27°

15′ N latitudes and 93° 39′ and 94°35′ E longitudes is situated within the river

Brahmaputra in its Upper Assam reach. But, unlike the numerous bars and islands

formed due to intense braiding processes of the river, Majuli has its own history of

genesis. Majuli was formed as a result of the southward migration of the Brahmaputra

which is an important fluvio-geomorphic process of the river. In fact, Majuli was an

integral part of the present Jorhat district of Assam on its south bank. As revealed from

the historical records, southward shifting of the Brahmaputra by way of capturing the

lower course of its tributary, the Burhi Dihing flowing parallel to the master stream had

caused Majuli to emerge as a riverine island during the first half of the 18the century.

Covering presently an area of 645 km2 with a population of 1, 35,378 (1991 census),

inhabiting in 155 villages, the island in now an administrative sub-division of the Jorhat

district of Assam (Bora and Das, 1998).

The foothills bordering the southern fringe of the Brahmaputra Valley comprise

the foothills of the Patkai-Naga ranges, northern foothills of the Meghalaya and Karbi

Plateau and the Barail range. The foothills of the Karbi Plateau which belong to

Archaean formations, extended along its northern, eastern and western margins with an

24

average elevation of 500 m. The rivers like Dhansiri, Kalong and Kopili with their

numerous tributaries extend finger like plain embayments into the plateau along the

foothills. These plains, in their turn, descend to the Brahmaputra plain through terraces.

Such terraces filled with older alluvium and residual soils support rich tea gardens in

Golaghat and Nagaon districts. The foothills lying along the Assam- Meghalaya border

form the parts of the Garo and Khasi–Jaintia hills. These hills after losing their heights

merge with the Brahmaputra plain through gentle gradients punctuated occasionally by

isolated hills and hillocks in the districts of Kamrup, Goalpara and Dhubri. The rivers

like Digaru, Kulsi, Boko, Deosila, Dudhnoi, Krishnai, Jinari and Jinjiram flow

northward down the plateau and create small embayment valleys by dissecting and

denuding the foothills. In general, the southern foothill belt of Nagaon, Kamrup,

Goalpara and Dhubri districts is characterized by erosional platforms born out of age-

old erosion by the streams alternated with a series of beels and swamps. The north-

western part of the Tertiary Barail range also forms a section of the southern foothill

zone of the Brahmaputra valley. The foothills on the north-western face of the Barail

range with elevation between 600 m and 1400 m cover the northern part of the North

Cachar Hills district and comprise the catchment areas of the rivers like Dhansiri and

Kopili. These two river systems, through their headward erosion, have dissected and

denuded the north facing hills of the Barail range to the foothills of lower elevations and

gentle slopes.

Like the Brahmaputra valley, the Barak valley also forms one of the important

physiographic units of Assam. The valley comprising the Barak plain and northern and

southern foothills is the product of the fluviogeomorphic processes of the river Barak

and its tributaries. The Barak river, while moving westward for a distance of 225 km in

Assam through the Cachar district and along the northern border of the Hailakandi and

Karimganj districts, builds up its alluvial plain, sometimes called Cachar plain. This

plain is enclosed by hill ranges on three sides.The Meghalaya plateau and the Barail

range of the North Cachar Hills district on the north, Manipur hills on the east and the

Mizoram hills on the south. The western side is open to the Kushiyara-Surma plain of

the Sylhet district of Bangladesh. The Barak plain is the headward piedmont part of the

Barak-Surma-Kushiyara plain, which lies largely in Bangladesh (Taher, 1986). The

Barak plain slopes downs gently to the west and the river Barak flows sluggishly in

meandering course through it leaving a series of ox-bow lakes and swamps. The

25

immediate neighborhood of the river represents an active floodplain characterized by

extensive marshy tracks and annual inundation. Occurrence of isolated low hillocks in

the plain indicates the erosional activities of the Barak and its tributaries. The western

and central part of the plains is build up of the alluvial deposits. Thus the plain is

created by both the aggradational and degradational activities of the Barak river system.

Tributaries like Chiri, Diksa, Digli, Jiri, Madhura, Jatinga, Larang,etc from Barail range

of N.C Hills and the Sonai , Dhaleswari-Katakhal,Singla and Langai from southern

Mizo Hills join the Barak adding considerable volume of water and load of sediments.

The Barak plain is bounded by the foothills of Barail range on the north and the foothills

of the Mizo hills on the south. As in the Brahmaputra valley, this plain also gradually

rises to the north and south and merges with the foothills. The terraces and isolated

hillocks (tilas) on the interfluves, linked often to the foothills, provide ideal sites for tea

gardens.

The Barail hills of Assam covering the N.C Hills district are the westward

continuation of the Barail range stretching from Tuensang across Nagaland. The Barail

range is a tertiary mountain range topographically bridging the Archaean Meghalaya

Plateau with the tertiary Naga hills which is south-western projection of the Himalayas.

The Barail range divides the N.C Hills into two parts-the northern part falling under the

Brahmaputra basin and the southern part falling under the Barak basin. The range rising

from 300 m in the southern part of Karbi plateau attains a maximum height of 1866 m

in the Theipibung peak of N.C Hills district. The other notable peaks of the Barail range

are the Hemeolowa (1679 m), the Mahadeo (1739m), the Kaukaha (1736m) and the

Tukbai (965m) peaks. The southern range of the Barail range is steeper than the

northern face due to faulting. The north flowing rivers like Kopili and Dhansiri and their

headstreams had dissected the range by their headward erosion and thus have subdued

the northern face to lower elevations with gentle slopes.

The Karbi Plateau genetically belongs to the Meghalaya plateau and consists of

two hilly lobes of unequal size, separated by the Kopili valley. The eastern lobe covered

by Rengma hills spans over the entire Diphu and Bokajan sub-division of Karbi

Anglong district. It is approximately double the size of its western counterpart and is

dome shaped with altitudes ranging from 192 m to the highest Dambak peak and

Chenghehishon (Singhasan) peak (1357 m).The Rengma Hills project northward up to

the proximity of the south bank of Brahmaputra. The western lobe of the plateau

26

continuous to the Meghalaya plateau, on the other hand, covers the Hamren sub-division

of the district. It presents a rugged topography and slopes from south-west to north-east.

This part with an average elevation of 900 m is dissected by headstreams of the Kopili

and its main tributary the Barapani. The highest peak in this region is 1219 m high

Umlaper peak located at its extreme western border. In general, the Karbi plateau has

assumed a roundish shape, giving out some radially patterned rivers like Dhansiri,

Jamuna, Na-noi, Misa, Diju, Diphalu, Kaliani, Doigrung, Nambar, etc. and their

headstreams. These rivers often extend finger-like plain embayments into the eastern,

western and northern margins of the plateau, which may be referred to as undulating

plains with altitudes ranging from 75 m to 200 m above the mean sea level (Bora,

2007).

2.1.3 Climate

The State of Assam lies in the regime of monsoon climate of the sub-tropical

belt. Assam has tropical monsoon climate, associated with dry winter and hot summer.

The temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, etc. vary spatially, which are mainly

determined by the location and physiography of the respective places. Physiography,

alternating sub- continental pressure system of north- west India and the lows of the bay

of Bengal, presence of moist tropical air masses, western disturbances in winter, local

mountain and valley winds and waterbodies are some of the major factors influencing

the climate of the state.

The high Eastern Himalayan mountain chain in the north protects the region

from cold waves of Central Asia in winter. On the other hand, the mountain barrier

obstructs the warm moist south-west monsoon winds in summer, causing heavy rainfall

in the region. Seasonal reversal of pressure system over the entire Indian sub- continent

causes periodical reversal of the direction of wind, as a result of which the region enjoys

a relatively cool and dry winter. The climate of Assam is characterized by heavy rainfall

and high humidity in summer and dry winter associated with relative coolness. The

region receives an average annual rainfall of 2696 mm. The relative humidity stood at

83.09percent and the mean annual temperature was 24.35˚ C (based on the average of 9

stations, viz. Chaparmukh, Rupsi, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Lumding, Majbat, North

Lakhimpur, Silchar and Tezpur). The rainfall of Assam is more or less uniform in the

plains, except in the rain-shadow zone along the northern foothills of the Meghalaya

27

Plateau. Thus the whole state receives heavy rainfall in summer, except parts of

Kamrup, Nagaon and Karbi-Anglong districts, which fall in the rain-shadow zone.

The periodic change of climate in Assam mentioned above reflects four distinct

seasons: (a) pre-monsoon, (b) monsoon (c) post-monsoon or retreating monsoon and (d)

winter. The pre – monsoon season is associated with occasional thunder storm and

heavy shower towards early march. Such a condition continues up to the end of May.

This is caused by the local disturbances and the ‘nor-wester’. The monsoon season starts

in Assam in late June and continues to late September. The period is characterized by

high temperature, heavy rainfall and high relative humidity. On the average 19 to 21

rainy days occur in every month in this period. The post- monsoon or retreating

monsoon period starts with fair weather and morning fog in late September and

continues up to the month of November. This is also the period of autumn with

comfortable weather and the paddy fields being full of eye-catching greenery, which

begins to change to golden hue. From the later part of November, winter begins to set

in, cool bracing weather begins and the horizon becomes foggy in the morning and

evening hours. The rainfall having ceased in September a dry and clean environment

prevails. The situation remains more or less the same up to the end of February (Table

2. 1).

Table 2.1: Seasonal climate characteristics of Assam

Season

Temperature

in (°c)

Rainfall in

(mm)

No. of

rainy

days

Relative

humidity in

(percent)

Pre-monsoon (Mar, Apr,

May)

23.54 540.22

(20.04 %)

38 78.23

Monsoon ( June, July, Aug) 31.42 1540.46

(57.14 %)

65 87.29

Retreating Monsoon (Sept,

Oct, Nov)

24.94 419.22

(15.54 %)

28 83.68

Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) 17.5 196.31

(7.28 %)

17 83.16

* Bracketed figure shows the seasonal share of rainfall

Source: Statistical Handbook of Assam, 1994

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The climate of Assam also reflects spatial variations in terms of some

characteristics. However, the variation is not significant in the case of precipitation and

number of rainy days. Spatio-temporal variation of rainfall and rainy days is an

important aspect to be considered in outdoor tourism planning. It is more significant in

the case of Assam that witness acute seasonality. In fact, the seasonal variation of

climatic condition is an important determinant of livelihood, economic activities and

recreational life of the people of Assam and the North-Eastern region. As the economy

of the region is basically agrobased, the major fairs and festivals have a close link with

the crop cycle, which is determined by the seasonal characteristics of climate regime

(Bhattacharya, 2004).

2.2 SOCIO- ECONOMIC BASIS

Human activities are determined by the social sphere of life of the people. Social

environment and the social structure of the people influence the level of economic

activities and the growth of the economic organizations of an area. There are some

peculiarities in the behavior, customs and traditions and social institution of every

nation or any section of the society thereof. Similarly, population of Assam is composed

of heterogeneous elements of different races, castes, languages and cultures. This

diversity led to the growth of diverse social institutions. In the past, caste system played

a very significant role in the determination of economic activities of the people of the

state. There are different types of tribal population in Assam, and they maintain

different languages and profess different faiths. Every tribe has its own peculiarities and

peculiar social institutions. However, it is observed that the traditional social institutions

are disintegrating in a rapid pace in the state, which has an important influence in

determining the life and shape of the economy of its people (Dhar,2007).

2.2.1 People and Peopling

Population forms an important component in the whole process of socio

economic development of a region. It is more so because of its dual role as a producer

and consumer. Assam being a state of Indian union is also subjected to high rate of

population growth as that of the country as a whole. The state has a long history of

peopling. It has witnessed several waves and streams of migration of people belonging

to various racial and ethno linguistic groups from different direction since pre-historic

time. But very little can be deciphered to trace the succession of peopling process in the

29

state. Again, the process of intermingling of different racial and cultural elements over

time has made their identity further complicated. But ethno linguistically, broadly three

major groups have been identified in Assam - (1) Austro-Asiatic, (2) Tibeto-Chinese

and (3) Indo-European. These groups of people had settled in certain parts of the state in

segments in different points of the time.

The peopling process in the state is said to have started with the immigration of

the Australoids of Austro Asiatic speaking people from South-East Asia quite a few

millennia before Christ. They are now represented by the Mon-Khmer speaking Khasi

tribe. Although most of them have settled in Khasi and Jaintia Hill districts of

Meghalaya, a small proportion is also found to live in some parts of North Cachar Hills

and Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The Tibeto- Chinese comprised Tibeto-Burman

and Siamese-Chinese groups who entered into Assam at different times beginning from

the pre-historic period. The Tibeto-Burman people who are racially Mongoloid settled

in different parts of the state having migrated from Myanmar, erstwhile Burma. The

Mishings of Upper Assam and the Bodos of lower Assam form the early settlers of this

group. The late settlers (after 1826) of this group of people consisted of the Kachin and

Kuki-Chin of Karbi-Anglong and N.C. Hills districts of Assam. On the other hand, the

Siamese-Chinese group of people who came to this part of the country from Shan state

of Myanmar during the medieval period forms a large segment of Tibeto-Chinese group.

The Ahoms settled in upper Assam represent this segment of people. The Khamtis,

Khamyangs, Aitons, Phakes, and Turungs inhabiting the upper Assam in small groups

represent the later-day Tais. Professing Hindu religion they have contributed a lot

towards building the present Assamese society and culture. The Indo-European group is

another large group of people consisting of both Hindus and Muslims speaking Indo-

European languages. Their migration into this part of the country began as early as first

millennium B.C. They were originally from Caucasoid racial descent, and subsequently

mixed with the later migrants of the same stock and of other racial stocks. The early

settlers of this group are the Hindus who migrated from the northern plains of India and

settled in the plains of Assam. The Muslims of the same stock started entering Assam

from the early thirteenth century. Both these important segments of population who

settled in the plains of Assam speak Assamese and Bengali languages. Further, after the

British annexation, a large group of tradesmen, technicians and other professional came

to this part of the country from different states of India. They belong to all the major

30

religious groups of the country. The Nepalis also entered into the state during the same

period. The Bengali Muslim peasants inhabiting the plains of Assam represent another

important segment of immigrants who came to Assam from erstwhile East-Bengal

(Now Bangladesh) before the country’s independence in 1947. Almost during that time

a substantially large number of Nepalis entered into Assam. Besides, at the time of

India’s partition and after that a large number of Hindu refugees and poverty stricken

Muslim peasants infiltrated into the state from the erstwhile East Pakistan.

Unfortunately, this immigration trend has not yet been completely stopped (Kar, 2007).

The size and growth of population is a very vital factor to determine the

feasibility of economic development of a country. While growing population is

advantageous to the under populated developing country but at the same time growing

population acts as a serious drag on economic development of an over populated

developing country.

Assam being a state of Indian Union is also subjected to high rate of population

growth as that of the country as a whole. Assam’s land area constitutes 2.4 percent of

the total land area of the country, whereas it gives shelters to the extent of 2.59 percent

(2001) of country’s population. Further Assam’s population constitutions 74.7 percent

of the population of the North Eastern region of India. According to the census of 2001,

the population of the state is 26.6 million, with an arithmetic density of 340 persons per

sq.km. In general, the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys have high density of population.

In Assam, the pressure of population is found to be quite high, especially during 1970s

and 80s. Growing population in Assam has been creating multifaceted problems in its

economy. Since 1951 to 1991, the size of population in Assam has increased from 80

lakhs to 224 lakhs. This increase in the population of Assam at a quicker pace has

created serious impact on economy. The pressure of population has been obstructing in

the expected per capita income of the state. The high growth of population is also

creating the problem of poverty and unemployment in the state. According to 2001

census, total number of main working force in Assam was 95.38 lakhs which

constituted 35.8 percent of the total population of the state. The breakup of the main

working force of the state reveals that 39.5 percent engaged as cultivator, 13.2 percent

as agricultural laborers, 10.5 percent in livestock, forestry, hunting , plantation and

allied activities 0.49 percent in mining and quarrying, 4.0 percent in manufacturing

processing, servicing and repairing activities. Construction sector accommodating 1.57

31

percent of the workforce, while 6.8 percent involved in trade and commerce, 2.5 percent

in transport and communication and rests 21.8 percent engaged in other services

(Dhar,2007). It is, therefore, obvious that the economy of the state is agro based and

characterized by a low degree of urbanization. Almost 87.28 percent of the population

of the state is rural. The remaining 12.72 percent live in as many as 101 towns (2001).

The urban centers serve mostly as nodal points of trade and commerce, transport and

communication, education and administration. Among the urban centers, Guwahati,

Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat have more than a lakh of population each, and act as

regional urban centers by providing administrative, business, educational and other

services. Guwahati, the capital city of Assam, having a population of 808,021

(2001census), acts as the gateway for the entire north-east region and emerging as a hub

of comparatively quality services and offers better hospitality avenues and ventures.

2.2.2 Economy and Infrastructure

Assam’s economy is predominantly agrarian in nature. Out of 78.5 lakh hectors of

land area of the state, 34.4 percent is under the net source area category and 25.3 percent

is under the forest. Rice is the staple crop, which is grown on 2/3 rd of the cultivated

area. The other crops, which are also grown here, are tea and jute. The other significant

crops include oilseeds, sugarcane, fruits, peas, beans and canola. More than 53.8 percent

of the total workers populations are cultivators.

In industrial front tea industry which occupies an important position in the

state’s economy is about 150 years old and basically a combination of agriculture and

manufacturing activities. The country’s first petroleum refinery was set up by the British

at Digboi in Upper Assam. Oil and coal are found in eastern Assam. Assam produces

about 1/6th

of India’s petroleum and natural gas. After tea and petroleum, comes the

plywood industry (Ministry of Tourism and Culture Govt. of India, 2003). However,

Assam has a good number of medium scale industrial projects but the contribution of

industrial activities towards the state domestic product, has remained to be low.

Therefore in respect to industrial activities, the state can be referred as backward (Table

2.2).

32

Table 2.2: The sector wise share to the total NSDP of the state during 2006-07

Industries At current prices

(in percent)

At constant (1999-

2000)

1. Primary sector (Total) 36.55 32.62

i. Agriculture 26.76 27.55

ii. Forestry & lodging 1.03 1.01

iii. Fishing 1.81 1.25

iv. Missing & quarrying 6.95 2.80

2. Secondary Sector (Total) 16.62 15.00

i. Manufacturing 10.00 8.49

ii. Construction 5.55 5.39

iii. Electricity, Gas and Water

Supply

1.07 1.11

3. Tertiary Sector (Total) 46.83 52.37

i. Transport storage &

communities

4.45 6.28

ii. Trade, hotel & restaurant 13.93 15.27

iii. Banking & insurance 2.93 3.34

iv. Real estate ownership of

dwelling & business services

2.40 2.44

v. Public administration 6.48 6.64

vi. Other Services 16.64 18.40

Source: Directorate of Economics Statistics, Assam, 2007-08

The impediments for such backwardness of Assam are many and multi-

dimensional. Some of these are historical, some are sociological and some are geo-

political in nature. The state Government is taking various initiatives, especially after

1980s to boost industrial activities substantially within a timeframe through creating an

investment friendly climate in Assam. However, overwhelming dominance of

agricultural sector, especially substantive in nature along with slow pace of progress in

33

secondary sector minimizes the scope of capital formation and hinders in the growth and

development of service sectors like hospitality sector.

2.2.2.1 Transport and communication

A well developed transport and communication system contributes to a great

extent towards serving the social needs and providing necessary infrastructure for rapid

development of various sectors of economy of a region. Assam occupies a very

important position in the political map of India by virtue of her geographical situation. It

is north eastern sentinel of the frontlines of India and gateway to the north eastern

region. It provides the focal points of transport and communication to its neighboring

states. The importance of transport and communication facilities is very high in a state

like Assam as it imports practically all her requirement of consumer goods, machineries,

equipments, raw materials for industries and at the same time exports a sizable amount

of goods produced within the state like tea, jute, timber, silliminite, bamboo and

bamboo products, minerals and mineral oil etc. along with movement of people for

business, recreation, education, health, sports, visiting friends and relatives etc., in and

out of the state. Moreover Assam’s central position in the north-eastern region makes its

transport and communication facilities more important as all traffic in goods or

passengers of north- eastern India have to pass though Assam. A good transport system

brings villages and towns and the remote and developed regions closer to one another

and engaging productivity, widening the market and introducing new stimuli to

economic activity. Though Assam is connected to almost all the other parts of the

country with all the major transport viz. rail, road, water and air, the frequency has to be

improved, as at many a time tourist cannot come to the state because of non availability

of seats through airways and railways. Assam hardly enjoys a creditable position in

respect of transport and communication. The state still continues to suffer from

inadequate transport and communication facility which still continues to act as an

impediment to the economic development of the state (Dhar, 2007). In view of the vital

importance of this sector, the central and state government so far made considerable

efforts though successive five year plans to make up the leeway but much more still

remains to be done. The North-Eastern council, through its own projects, has also lent

support to this cause. Thus, a sizable improvement in this sector is likely to record in

near future with the joint efforts of both the central and state government.

34

Road transport

In Assam the road transport bear the major responsibility of providing an

efficient means of transport throughout the state due to the limitation of its railways and

waterways. Assam is provided with a fairly extensive road network. The road network

of the state under PWD covers a length of 37,555 km out of which 12,211 km is

surfaced, 25,344 km is un-surfaced, 2,754 km is under National Highway and 2,819 km

is under State Highway (Statistical Handbook, Assam, 2007). Assam is connected with

other states by 12 numbers of National Highways. These National Highways have

connected Assam with Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram,

Bihar and West Bengal. Both the NH 31 and NH 31C connect Assam with the rest of

India via Koch Bihar and Alipurduar respectively. The NH 31 and 52 serve the entire

north bank of Brahmaputra valley which was known as North Trunk Road during the

British period. NH 37, once known as the Assam Trunk Road mostly serves the south

bank of the Brahmaputra. The NH 52A connects Assam with Itanagar, capital of

Arunachal Pradesh via Banderdewa. NH 40 and 51 connect Assam with Meghalaya.

The NH 44 connects Assam with Meghalaya and Tripura on the south, while the NH 53

and 54 connect Assam with the neighboring states of Manipur and Mizoram

respectively via Silchar. The NH 38, once known as Stilwell Road, links Assam with

Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh. The NH 36 and 39 link Assam with Nagaland via

Dimapur (Bhattacharya, 2004).

As the road network of Assam plays a pivotal role in the field of intra state and

inter-state traffic (Table 2.3). High priority has been accorded for its development in the

five year plans of the state. The Central Government has given top priority to road

development in the border areas of Assam. Both public and private sector are providing

road transport service in Assam.

Assam also provides a good numbers of buses and small vehicles, especially to

facilitate the movement of tourists. Apart from state government undertaking –the Assam

State Transport Corporation, there are also about nine major travel agencies and transport

operators offering luxury coach services.

35

Table 2.3: Interstate bus service from Guwahati

Sl. no From To Frequency

(daily)

Total

1 Guwahati Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar

Bomdila

Kimin

Aalong

5

1

1

2

9

2 Guwahati Nagaland

Dimapur

Kohima

3

2

5

3 Guwahati Manipur

Imphal

Jiribam

6

1

7

4 Guwahati Mizorzm

Aizwal

3

3

5 Guwahati Tripura

Agartala

6

6

6 Guwahati West Bengal

Coach Bihar

Siliguri

4

5

9

7 Guwahati Meghalaya

Shillong

Tura

William Nagar

2

4

1

7

Total 46

Source: ISBT, 2011-12

Railway transport

Railway serves as the main communication link between Assam and the rest of

the country in terms of long distance travel of man and materials. The total railway

route length in Assam is 2,283.71 kilometers of which 1,126.59 km is under Broad

gauge and 1,057.12 km is under Meter gauge (Economy Survey Assam, 2007-08),

which constituted nearly 3.60 percent of the total railway route length of the country

(63,300 kilometers).

36

The operating condition of railway in Assam is very difficult due to incidence of

breaches from natural causes like floods and heavy landslides in hilly regions during

monsoon. On and above, late running and operational problems are some of the

common phenomena associated with train services in the state. However, Guwahati, the

gateway to the north eastern region, is comparatively well connected by train service

with the rest of the country (Table 2.4). Train service continues to be the major mode of

travel to Guwahati for budget class tourists, especially the domestic ones. During the

different places within the state and also from Assam to other important places of the

country such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin, Puri,

Trivandrum, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir etc. Apart from the train services to the

Table 2.4: Train services from Guwahati to other parts of the country

Sl.

no

Name of train From To Week days Total

1 Rajdhani Express Guwahati New Delhi Mon*, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri*, Sat*, Sun

12

2 North East Express Guwahati New Delhi Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,

Fri, Sat, Sun

7

3 Brahmaputra Mail Guwahati New Delhi Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat, Sun

7

4 Purvottor Sampark

Kranti Express

Guwahati New Delhi Tue,Wed,Sat 3

5 Garib Rath Express Guwahati Kolkata Thu, Sun 2

6 Kamrup Express Guwahati Howrah Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat, Sun

7

7 Saraighat Express Guwahati Howrah Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,

Fri, Sat, Sun

7

8 Kanchanjunga

Express

Guwahati Sealdah Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,

Fri, Sat, Sun

7

9 Dwarka Express Guwahati Okha

(Gujrat)

Mon 1

10 Gandhidham

Express

Guwahati Gandhidham

(Gujrat)

Wed 1

11 Puri Express Guwahati Puri (Orissa) Sun 1

12 Ernakulam Express Guwahati Ernakulam

(Kerala)

Fri 1

13 Trivandrum Express Guwahati Trivandrum

(Kerala)

Wed 1

37

14 Vivek Express Guwahati Kanya

kumari

(Kerala)

Sun 1

15 Jhajha Express Guwahati Jha Jha (Jharkhand)

Thu 1

16 Chennai Egmore

Express

Guwahati Chennai Sun 1

17 Chennai Express Guwahati Chennai Egmore

(Tamil Nadu)

Fri 1

18 Yesvantapur

Express

Guwahati Yesvantapur

(Karnataka)

Fri 1

19 Bangalore Express Guwahati Bangalore (Karnataka)

Mon, Tue, Sun 3

20 Amritsar Express Guwahati Amritsar

(Punjab)

Tue 1

21 Chandigarh Express Guwahati Chandigarh

(Punjab)

Mon 1

22 Barmer Bikaner

Express

Guwahati Bikaner

(Rajasthan)

Sat 1

23 Abadh Assam

Express

Guwahati Lalgarh

(Rajasthan)

Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,

Fri, Sat, Sun

7

24 Secondrabad

Express

Guwahati Secondrabad

(AndhraPrad

esh)

Thu 1

25 Lokmanya Tilak Express

Guwahati Lokmanya Tilak

(Maharastra)

Wed, Sun 2

26 Lohit Express Guwahati Jammu Tawi

(Jammu and Kashmir)

Mon 1

27 Amar Nath Express Guwahati Jammu Tawi

(Jammu and

Kashmir)

Wed 1

Total 80

Source: Railway time table, N.F. railway, 2011-12

* On Monday, Friday and Saturday, two Rajdhani Express runs from Guwahati to New Delhi at

different times of the day.

38

different parts of the country, a good number of local trains are also available to connect

different parts of the state. In Assam, the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge of Dibrugarh

district which will be the longest railway bridge in the country is under construction. It

will be the fourth bridge across the Brahmaputra river and it is expected that the bridge

will open a new vista in the rail connectivity of the state.

Air Transport

Air transport is playing a very important role in movement of passengers and

goods in and out of the state as it provides the quickest mode of transport. Over the

years air connectivity of Assam with the other parts of the country has been developed.

The state has six civil airport viz. (i) Lok priya Gopinath Bordoloi international airport.

(Borjhar), (ii) Salonibari (Tezpur), (iii) Rowriah (Jorhat), (iv) Mohanbari (Dibrugarh),

(v) Lilabari (Lakhimpur), (vi) Kumbhirgram (Silchar). (Table 2.5) Besides Indian

Airlines now known as Air India, there are several other private commercial airlines

with Airbus and Boeing services which have started their operations, especially after

1995 under the ‘open air policy’ of government of India. Besides Indian airlines (Air

India) and carrier of government of Bhutan (Druk Air), there are several other private

commercial airline viz. Indigo, Jet Airways, Jet Light, Spice Jet, Kingfisher and Go Air,

which are providing services to and from Guwahati, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru,

Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Jaipur, etc. and some other places of north eastern

region of the country on regular, biweekly and weekly basis. Pawan Hans Helicopter

Services is also in operation connecting places like Tura, Tawang, Itanagar, etc. in the

North Eastern state with a subsidized air fare. Moreover there is also international flight

which operates from Guwahati to Bangkok and Paro twice in a week. In addition to the

above services, there exists a regular air transport service connecting Dibrugarh

(Mohanbari) and Silchar (Kumbhirgram) civil airports of the state.

Table 2.5: Domestic and International flights from Guwahati

Sl

no.

From To Name of the Airlines Weekly

frequency

1 Guwahati Dibrugarh Jet Konnect 7

Air India 4

2 Guwahati Silchar Air India 7

3 Guwahati Jorhat Jet Airways 3

4 Guwahati Lakhimpur Air India 2

39

5 Guwahati Tezpur Air India 3

6 Guwahati Delhi

Indigo 14

Air India 13

Kingfisher 14

Spice Jet 21

Jet Airways 15

Jet Light 7

Go Air 7

7 Guwahati Kolkata

Indigo 28

Air India 5

Spice Jet 28

Jet Airways 22

8 Guwahati Chennai Indigo 7

Spice Jet 7

9 Guwahati Jaipur Indigo 7

10 Guwahati Mumbai Indigo 7

Spice Jet 21

11 Guwahati Bengaluru

Spice Jet 7

Jet Airways 22

Jet Light 7

12 Guwahati Ahmadabad Spice Jet 7

Jet Airways 15

13 Guwahati Agartala

Air India 7

Spice Jet 7

Jet Airways 1

14 Guwahati Aizwal Air India 7

Jet Airways 2

15 Guwahati Imphal

Indigo 7

Air India 7

Kingfisher 7

Jet Airways 18

16 Guwahati Dimapur Air India 3

17 Guwahati *Bangkok Druk Air Flight 2

18 Guwahati *Paro Druk Air Flight 2

Total 384

*International flights

Source: Air Lines Flight Schedule, LGB International Airport, 2011-12

40

Water Transport

Water transport still continues to be one of the most suitable, cheap and viable

modes of transport for both goods and passenger traffic. It provides opportunities to

move bulky goods over the seas and big rivers, and since it is natural, this mode of

transport remains unavoidable at the regional, national or international level. Assam has

a total navigable waterways to the extent of 4,065.6 km out of which 2,193.6 km are

navigable throughout the year and rest 1,872 km are navigable only during the

monsoons (Dhar, 2007). A length of 891 km along the Brahmaputra, between Dhubri

and Sadiya is being declared as waterway no. 2 by the Government of India. Besides,

the river Barak and the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra, viz Subansiri, Jia Bharali,

Pagladia, Manas, Burhi-Dihing, Disang, Dikhow and Dhansiri are also navigable in

their lower reached. The directorate of Inland Water Transport has ferry service

facilities in Assam across the major rivers for passenger traffic. Such ferry services are

often availed by domestic as well as foreign tourists, especially in Guwahati and Majuli

(Bhattacharya, 2004). Previously about 93 percent of tea and 90 percent of jute products

exported from Assam were carried by waterways till the Indo Pakistan war in 1965.

Now ferries, country boats and cargos are playing a very important role in carrying a

huge number of passengers and goods for internal trades in many other rivers of the

state on a daily basis. Apart from the private operator there are at present two public

sector organizations viz, the state Directorate of Inland Water Transport (IWT) and

Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) are operating water transport

services in the state on commercial basis. The CIWTC is also running water transport

services between Guwahati and Kolkata exclusively for movement of goods. Thus, the

inland waterways of the state enjoyed and continue to enjoy significant position in the

field of transport, communication and trade. In the private sector, Blue Hills Travels (a

private tour operator) had initiated speed-boat service at Guwahati from the early part of

1990. Similarly, Assam Apex Tourism Development Co-operative Society Ltd.

(TOURFED) has started providing river tour facilities from Guwahati, connecting

Mayang, Sualkuchi and Dokhola hill along the Brahmaputra River. In 2004, Assam

Bengal Navigation Company has also started long distance luxury river cruiser in

collaboration with state IWT. Assam Tourism Development Corporation has started a

four storied luxury cruise liner “M. V. Mahabahu” from Guwahati from January 2012

41

in collaboration with Far Horizon which touches tourist destinations like Kaziranga and

river island Majuli.

The above discussion reveals Assam as a state with a unique physico-cultural

background. In context of such uniqueness, the state can develop a fertile ground for

hospitality sector in the light of the gradually transforming economic scenario,

witnessed from local to global levels.

References

Bhattacharya, P. (2004): Tourism in Assam, Trends and Potentialities, Bani Mandir,

Guwahati- 3, pp. 63-64,

Bhattacharya, P. (2004): Ibid, pp. 109-10

Bora, A.K. (2007): Physical background of Assam, in A.K. Bhagabati, et al (eds)

Geography of Assam, Eastern Book House, Panbazar, Guwahati-1, pp 19, 21-26.

Dhar, P. K. (2007): The Economy of Assam, Kalyani Publishers, Panbazar, Guwahati-1,

p. 27

Dhar, P. K. (2007): Ibid, pp. 433-437

Directorate of Economics and Statistics (2007): Statistical Handbook of Assam, Govt. of

Assam, Dispur, Guwahati-6, pp. 162-165

Directorate of Economics and Statistics (2008): Economic Survey of Assam (2007-08),

Govt. of Assam, Dispur, Guwahati-6, pp. 56-58

Kar, B.K. (2007): Population in Assam, in A. K. Bhagabati, et al (eds), Geography of

Assam, pp. 115-117

Mohanty, P (2008): Hotel Industry and Tourism in India, APH Publishing Corporation,

New Delhi -2, p 47

Ministry of Tourism and Culture (2003): Report on 20 Year Perspective Tourism Plan

for Assam, Govt. of India, New Delhi, pp. 10-11