Silchar Town, 1908
Silchar Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Head-quarters of Cachar District, and of the sub- division of the same name, in Eastern Bengal and Assam, situated in 24 49' N. and 92 4%' E., on the left bank of the Barak river. Silchar used formerly to be extremely inaccessible, as during the dry season only small stern-wheel steamers can ply over the upper waters of the Barak, and the journey from Calcutta used Lo take as much as four or five days. The Assam-Bengal Railway has now reduced the time to 33 hours, the route followed being by Goalundo and Chandpur. Dur- ing the rainy season a service of large steamers plies between Calcutta and Silchar. The town, though small, has been steadily increasing in size and importance, and the population at the last four enumerations was : (1872) 4,925, (1881) 6,567, (1891) 7,523, and (1901) 9,256. As is the case with many of the towns of Assam, the great majority of the inhabitants are foreigners.
Silchar is very prettily situated and commands a charming view down the Barak, which is lined with groves of areca palm and dotted with the sails of native craft, while a little to the north the blue hills of North Cachar rise sharply from the plain. The heavy rainfall (124 inches) and the comparatively high mean temperature render the climate somewhat oppressive during the rains. The place is subject to earthquakes, and in 1869 some damage was done to the buildings. Another severe shock was felt in 1882, but the great earthquake of 1897 did comparatively little harm, Silchar is the head-quarters of the District staff, and of the Surma Valley Light Horse, which in 1904 had a strength of 156 resident in the District, A detachment of military police is also stationed in the town. The jail contains accommodation for 76 males and 8 females, and a hospital provides 33 beds, A clergyman of the Church of England resides here, and there is a branch of the Welsh Presbyterian Mission. Silchar was constituted a municipality in 1893. The receipts and expenditure during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 20,000. In 1903-4 the income and expenditure were Rs. 21,000, the chief sources of income being tax on houses and lands (Rs. 5,900) and tolls on ferries and markets (Rs. 7,400), while the main items of outlay were conservancy (Rs. 7,000) and public works (Rs. 4,300). Silchar is the industrial and educational centre of the District, A considerable trade is carried on in rice, European piece- goods, timber, and other forest produce, and tea-boxes are manufactured by native firms. There is also a small printing press, at which a ver- nacular paper is published, The principal educational institution is the high school, which in 1903-4 had an average attendance of 251 pupils.
