Digboi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Digboi Oil Town. (Discuss) |
| ?Digboi Assam • India |
|
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 165 m (541 ft) |
| District(s) | Tinsukia |
| Population | 20,405 (2001) |
| Codes • Pincode |
• 786171 |
Please see Digboi Oil Town for oil related information.
Digboi is a town and a town area committee in Tinsukia district in the north-eastern part of the state of Assam, India
Petroleum oil was discovered here in late 19th century and the Digboi oilfield is one of the oldest oil fields. With a significant number of British professionals working for Assam Oil Company until the decade following independence of India, Digboi had a well developed infrastructure and a number of bungalows unique to the town. It has a world class golf courses with 18 holes as part of the Digboi Club. It has guest houses and tourist residential apartments to promote tourism in upper part of Assam.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Digboi is located at [1]. It has an average elevation of 165 metres (541 feet).
[edit] Etymology
“‘Dig boy, dig’, shouted the Canadian Engineer, Mr W L Lake, at his men as they watched elephants emerging out of the dense forest with oil stains on their feet”.[2] This is possibly the most distilled – though fanciful – version of the legend explaining the siting and naming of Digboi. Two events separated by seven years have become fused, but although neither is likely to be provable, such evidence that does exist appears sufficiently detailed to be credible.
Various web sites offer variations on the elephant’s foot story, a consensus of which would be that engineers extending the Dibru-Sadiya railway line to Ledo for the Assam Railways and Trading Company (AR&TC) in 1882 were using elephants for haulage and noticed that the mud on one pachyderm’s feet smelled of oil. Retracing the trail of footprints, they found oil seeping to the surface. One of the engineers, the Englishman (not Canadian) Willie Leova Lake, was an ‘oil enthusiast’ and persuaded the company to drill a well.
Oil India Ltd makes no reference to elephants’ feet in its company history,[3] noting only that Lake noticed “the oil seepages around Borbhil”. Once the project had been approved, Lake assembled equipment, boilers, and local labour, and engaged elephants to haul the machinery to the site. The first well was started in September 1889, but an encouraging first strike at 178 feet turned out to be a small pocket, and drilling recommenced. This continued until November 1890 when the well was completed at a total depth of 662 feet, and it was during this extended period of drilling that Oil India Ltd places the legend of Lake exhorting one or more of his labourers to “Dig, boy!”
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census[4], Digboi had a population of 20,405. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Digboi has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85% and, female literacy is 77%. In Digboi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Culture & Economy
Digboi has always retained a British-influenced culture years into independence. Club going, golfing, swimming and tennis were lifestyles of most Digboites since a long time back. Indian Oil Company (then known as Assam Oil Company) runs its oil refinery in Digboi - the oldest refinery in Asia. Oil is Assam's third-largest industry behind tea and timber. Dibrugarh airport is the closest to this oil town.for more rocking latest contact Govind Sharma or log into www.govind.runs.it
[edit] References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Digboi
- ^ “Digboi, 100, still alive and kicking”, Santanu Sanyal, The Hindu Business Line, 17th December 2001, retrieved online April 2008
- ^ Oil India Limited, Backdrop Of Oil India Limited, retrieved online April 2008
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
This article about a location in the Indian state of Assam is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
