West Garo Hills district

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West Garo Hills district
West Garo
District of Meghalaya
Location of West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya
Location of West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya
CountryIndia
StateMeghalaya
HeadquartersTura, India
Government
 • Vidhan Sabha constituencies7
Area
 • Total3,714 km2 (1,434 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total643,291
 • Density170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Literacy53%
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitewestgarohills.nic.in

West Garo Hills is an administrative district in Garo Hills of the state of Meghalaya in India. Tura town is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district occupies an area of 3714 km². In 2011 its population was 643,291. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Meghalaya (out of 7), after East Khasi Hills.[1]

West Garo Hills district is located at the westernmost part of Meghalaya. The district is bounded by East Garo Hills district on the east, by South Garo Hills district on the south-east, Goalpara district of Assam state on the north and north-west and Bangladesh on the south.

History[]

In 22 October 1976 the was bifurcated into two districts: West Garo Hills district and East Garo Hills district. The West Garo Hills district was further divided into two districts: the present day West Garo Hills district and South Garo Hills district in June 1992.

Economy[]

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named West Garo Hills one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[2] It is one of the three districts in Meghalaya currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[2]

Mahendraganj international border crossing[]

Mahendraganj-Baksiganj international border crossing is at Mahendraganj town in West Garo HIlls district in India on NH12 to Bakshiganj is an international crossing being further developed in the Bharatmala routes (slide 22).[3]

Phulbari-Dhubri Bridge on Brahmaputra river[]

  • ,: After the completion of Phulbari-Dhubri Bridge on Brahmaputra river, the district will be connected to West Bengal via Dhubri, Assam. A rail line extending from Dhubri till Mahendraganj International border can change the economy of the entire region. The Phulbari-Dhubri Bridge will be the longest bridge in the country.

Divisions[]

Administrative divisions[]

West Garo Hills district is divided into six blocks, after the creation of South West Garo Hills district :[4]

Name Headquarters Population Location
Dadenggiri Dadenggiri
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Dadenggiri.png
Dalu Dalu
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Dalu.png
Gambegre Gambegre
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Gambegre.png
Rongram Asananggiri
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Rongram.png
Selsella Selsella
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Selsella.png
Tikrikilla Tikrikilla
West Garo Hills Subdivisions Tikrikilla.png

Demographics[]

According to the 2011 census West Garo Hills district has a population of 643,291,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Montenegro[5] or the US state of Vermont.[6] This gives it a ranking of 514th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 173 inhabitants per square kilometre (450/sq mi) .[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.02%.[1] West Garo Hills has a sex ratio of 979 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 68.38%.[1]

Tura has a mixed population of Garos or Achiks (as they prefer to call themselves), Bengalis, Nepalis, Assamese, members of other ethnic groups such as the Hajong, Rabhas and Koches, Bodo and a fair sprinkling of South Indians in the Catholic Church, the teaching profession and the paramilitary forces.[citation needed]

Languages[]

Languages in West Garo include A'Tong, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by 10,000 people in Bangladesh and India.[7] Apart from Garo language, which has the highest number of speakers in the district, a large number of people speak Deshi language (a dialect of Assamese) and Bengali language. The Muslim non-tribals along with the Rabhas, Koches and Hajongs of the plain belt mostly study Assamese as their MIL, whereas hindu non-tribals study Bengali as their MIL. Very few hindi speakers are also there in the district.

Culture[]

Places of Interest[]

Some places of interest in Garo Hills are Siju Cave, Nokrek Peak, Siju Bird Sanctuary, Imilsang Dare falls, Sosibibra and Rongdong falls.

Some places worth visiting in West Garo Hills are 1. Bhaitbari / Wadagokgre Excavation Site, 2. Pelga Waterfalls, 3. Tura Peak Range, 4. Nokrek Peak, 5. Nokpante Institution, 6. Typical Garo Villages 7. Rongai Valley 8. Phulbari River side.

Flora and fauna[]

In 1986 West Garo Hills district, along with its sister districts South and East Garo Hills, became home to Nokrek National Park. The park has an area of 47 km2 (18.1 sq mi).[8]

Notable people[]

  • P A Sangma, Most famous leader from Meghalaya. He was the Speaker of Indian Parliament and Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
  • Conrad Sangma, Present Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
  • Agatha Sangma, Ex Union Minister and present MP from Garo Hills. She is also the first woman MP from Meghalaya.
  • Larry Sangma, A budding cricketer. Played for Meghalaya team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. ^ Bharatmala
  4. ^ Meghalaya Administrative Divisions (PDF) (Map). The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, New Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  5. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 1 October 2011. Montenegro 661,807 July 2011 est.
  6. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Vermont 625,741
  7. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "A'Tong: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Meghalaya". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.

External links[]

Coordinates: 25°31′00″N 90°13′00″E / 25.5167°N 90.2167°E / 25.5167; 90.2167

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