Journal of Seybold Report ISSN NO: 1533-9211

BONGAIGAON: AN INDUSTRIAL TOWN OF WESTERN ,

Dr. Begum Sadeka Yasin Academic Head, Faculty of Arts Brookfield Educational and Research Institute, , Assam, India, 783121 Email id- [email protected]

Abstract

The paper attempts to sketch the history of the city of , which is also known as one of the industrial towns of western Assam, North East India. The history of the development of Bongaigaon from a small urban centre to a major city as well as one of the most populated urban agglomerations of the state of Assam is very fascinating. Therefore the present research paper is designed to study the history of the urbanization process of the aforesaid town with special reference to its industrialization, growth of population, town planning and formation of slums from 1961 to 1981. During the period under consideration, the district was a part of erstwhile undivided Goalpara district until 1989 when declared the formation of a new district. Accordingly, the full-fledged district of Bongaigaon started functioning with effect from 30.10.1992 curving out areas from Goalpara and districts of Assam, North East India.

Key Words: Urbanization, Urban Agglomerations, Industrialization, Town Planning, Slums, North East India.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Bongaigaon town is situated at a distance of 200 k. m. west from the capital of the state of Assam, . The town is known for it rich natural resources, which facilitated the augmentation of its commercial value and gradually boosted it as a commercial nucleus of the western part of Assam. The name of the town is derived from an old village named Bongaigaon alias Bong-ai-gaon, situated on the southern border of the town. According to the oral history, there were plenty of wild (Bon) cows (Gai) found in the surrounding hilly and forest areas and in course of time, the entire area came to known as Bon-Gai-Gaon. Till 1930s, it was a small

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hamlet with a rural railway station of less significance. Normally, it was place for the local traders who came to sell their produces and procure necessary commodities like salt and kerosene oil from weekly markets convened twice a week. The primary occupation of the local population was agriculture. The Bagheswari temple and the Kachari (revenue office) of the Bijni Zamindary Estate were the important places of the town.

During the colonial period, the urbanization process of Bongaigaon town was insignificant but after independence, the process received momentum and eventually in 1961, Bongaigaon was recognized as town. Mention worthy that within only one decade it showed tremendous growth in population and reached the status of Class III town. The industrial developments of the town provided room for the population to acquire employment and turn into the second home of the migrated population.

1.2 INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE TOWN

The urbanization process of the town was notably boosted by the establishment of industries like Railway Loco Workshop, Bongaigaon Refinery & Petro Chemical Limited and Ashok Paper Mill. In 1965, the second Railway Loco Workshop of the state was established in this town. It covered an area of 80 hectares and possessed a capacity of producing 1,500 units of passenger coaches and 300 units of goods wagons per annum. The factory provided daily employment to 2,125 persons.1 But the employment of local population seems to be very less because most of the employees and workers came from other states of the country like , , etc. These migrated populations settled themselves in a township called Railway Colony situated in the heart of the town. Gradually, the people came from Bengal became the largest migrated community of the town. In 1970s, Bongaigaon was selected as an industrial town of the lower by the state government and accordingly, the project for the establishment of two major industries namely Bongaigaon Refinery & Petro Chemical Limited and Ashok Paper Mill were initiated. In course of time, it became the biggest industrial town of the western Assam. Therefore, these industrial arrangements smoothed the urbanization process of the town.

1 Gazetteer of India, Assam State, Goalpara District, Govt. of Assam, 1979, p. 188

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The establishment of Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemical Limited (BRPL) in Bongaigaon was the biggest industrial endeavor of the state government. It was set up at Bherbhari which was 5 kms away from Bongaigaon town. The foundation stone was laid in 1972 with an initial cost of Rs. 810 million. But later, this multiple unit received a grant of Rs. 4500 million and started functioning from 20th February, 1974. The crude oil was supplied by the Oil India Limited (OIL), Naharkatiya and Moran and Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), Lakwa and Rudrasagar. This particular establishment enabled Bongaigaon to be one of the biggest commercial and industrial hubs of the entire North-East India.

Assam was one of the richest bamboo suppliers of the country. Hence, the government of Assam had been looking for the establishment of a paper industry since long. The opportunity came when the Ashok Paper Mill, Darbhanga in Bihar received a serious setback in 1963 due to liquidation. In 1970, the Government of Assam negotiated with the Government of Bihar and finalized a scheme for the establishment of its second unit at Jogighopa. This project had been taken over by the government under a joint venture of Assam, Bihar and Central Government with the Industrial Development Bank of India as its key financier. Accordingly, the Ashok Paper Mill was established in October, 1970. It occupied 2,500 bighas of land and established with a total cost of Rs. 31 crore. The Mill had a capacity to produce 100 tonnes of pulp and 90 tonnes of paper per day and engaged 1000 persons daily. The raw materials were obtained from the nearby forests of the area and the energy was supplied by the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB). In order to ensure steady supply, bamboo trees were planted in hilly areas of the study area particularly around Jogighopa. But due to internal mismanagement and corruption, its performance showed downfall from 1978. Therefore, the production was suspended in 1982 and the mill was closed in 1983.

1.3 GROWTH OF URBAN POPULATION AND TOWN PLANNING

Due to the above mentioned factors, the town began to register tremendous increase in population. In 1961, the population of the town was 8763 and within a decade, it recorded an addition of 16,179 (total 24,942) persons and superseded the share of Goalpara town. 2 Furthermore, the decadal growth rate of the urban population of Bongaigaon town was 185% and it was the highest among all towns of the district.

2 Census of India 1971, Part X-B, Town and Village Dictionary: Civic and Other Amenities, Town dictionary, p. 294.

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Figure 1: Urban Population of Bongaigaon town (1961-1971) 3

24950

8763

Bongaigaon

Table 1: Density of Urban Population

Town Year Area (sq. km) Total Density Per population sq. km Bongaigaon 1961 4.79 8,763 1,829 1971 6.69 24,590 3,675

Earlier, the town was mainly constituted by the Rajbangsi tribe. But the growing economic vibrancy of the town attracted the people belonging to different parts of the state and the country as well. This converted the local population into minority and also compelled them to settle down in countryside with their traditional occupation of agriculture. Eventually, the countryside became the homeland of the local population while the town was predominantly populated by the migrated people. Moreover, the partition of the country also brought new changes and the demography of the town transformed significantly. The town was hit by large numbers of refugees, particularly from East Pakistan and settled in different parts of the town. These segments of population were earning their bread and butter by engaging in trade.

1.4 FORMATION OF SLUMS

3 Ibid, 295.

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The large concentration of the population resulted in the up-gradation of Bongaigaon as a Class- IV town in 1961. But the town grew haphazardly without any facility of water supply, proper sanitation and open playground to satiate the demand of the increasing population. In 1975, the government decided to initiate a Master plan for the town but the plan made little headway. The increasing industrial development of the town, as stated above, attracted a large number of migrated populations to work under different income brackets. But, the town failed to accommodate the demand of the increasing population and consequently, small pockets of settlements occurred particularly in the railway lands and fringe areas. Two slums, namely Station Road and Sankar Dev Colony were formed in the railway lands. Bhakra para, Barpara, Bhakripita slums were grown in the fringe of the town. These slums were populated by the migrated population came from countries like present Bangladesh and Nepal, and states of India like Bihar, West Bengal and other speaking belt. The establishment of the Railway Workshop, Bongaigaon and Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd. contributed to the influx of people especially from the lower income section of the society. Moreover, natural calamities like flood and river erosion occurred in the neighboring town like Goalpara, further aggravated the situation and compelled the population to find shelter in Bongaigaon town.

Eventually, Bongaigaon town became the largest city of Western Assam and one of the most important commercial and industrial hubs of the entire North East India. The town had been ranked as the fourth largest city of Assam by its area and population. The town also came to prominence because of its excellent communication network and transportation facilities. It possessed the second biggest railway station of the Northeast Frontier Railways, which connected Assam with the rest of India. The town was well connected by the National Highway 31B and 31C. This transport accessibility converted it as one of the important trade and commercial centres of the state.

The town emerged as one of the major urban centres of the state. It served the vast hinterland with growing numbers of shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, residential apartments and educational institutions. With the growth of population, various public markets were evolved in different parts of the town. They are mainly Bara Bazaar (Borpara), Balaji Market (B.O.C Gate), Tuniapaar Bazaar (near Railway Station), Dhaligaon Bazaar (near Bongaigaon

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Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited), China Market (New Bongaigaon), Chapaguri Hat (near NH-31), Dangtola Bazaar & Railway Market (New Bongaigaon) etc.

1.5 CONCLUSION

From the above mentioned discussion we may conclude that the process of urbanization in Bongaigaon town was very attention-grabbing. Before Independence and aftermath, the process of urbanization was slow but with the development of industries and good communication system, the scope of external trade had been increased. With the passage of time, the town turned into the centre of a big volume of retail business. This expansion of internal and external trade has given a boost to the urban growth of the town. As a result, we can see a decadal growth of 185% population in Bongaigaon town and it was the highest among all towns of the district. But due to the week intervention of the government agencies the town grew in a haphazard model with inadequate urban civic amenities.

References

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