Margherita, Assam

Margherita মাৰ্ঘেৰিটা
city
Margherita Location in Assam, India
Coordinates: 27°17′N 95°41′E / 27.28°N 95.68°E / 27.28; 95.68Coordinates: 27°17′N 95°41′E / 27.28°N 95.68°E / 27.28; 95.68
Country	India
State	Assam
District	Tinsukia
Elevation	162 m (531 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	23,836
Languages
• Official	Assamese
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	786181
Telephone code	91 - (0) 3751 - XX XXXX
Vehicle registration	AS-23

Please see Margherita for disambiguation.

Margherita (IPA: ˌmɑːgəˈrɪtə) is a census town in Tinsukia district in the Indian state of Assam. The small sub-divisional town has scenic beauty though nothing like a tourism business. The town is surrounded by hills, tea gardens, forest and the Dihing River. It has a beautiful golf course at the foot of the hills and a small stream running through. The lack of tourism is mostly due to terrorist activities in the neighboring remote locations. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has been active in the area over past decades. The name Margherita actually derives from the Italian queen and dates back to the late 19th century as a token appreciation for the Italian Chief Engineer of a rail section Chevalier R Paginini who supervised the construction. Margherita was famous for its collieries much developed by the British. Coal India Ltd is the biggest industry here. Apart from this are Kitply and other small plywood industries and tea gardens. Tata Tea has factories in the locality.

Geography

Margherita is located at 27°17′N 95°41′E / 27.28°N 95.68°E / 27.28; 95.68.^[1] It has an average elevation of 162 metres (531 feet). The Dihing River flows through Margherita. The Patkai Hills are visible from the town.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Margherita had a population of 23,836. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Margherita has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 71%. In Margherita, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. The main communities of the area includes Ahoms, Moran, Nepali, Bihari, Singpho, Muttock etc.

Etymology

Before getting its existing name, Margherita was known as Ma-Kum(Singpho, meaning the abode of all tribes). The name has its roots in the Dehing River Bridge which was built around 1880 by a team led by an Italian Engineer Chevalier Roberto Paganini who worked for the Assam Railways & Trading Company Ltd. From historical records, it is not quite clear whether the directors of that company renamed the place as a lasting tribute to that Italian engineer or was it Paganini himself, out of patriotism, christened the place in honour of Queen Margherita, the reigning Queen Consort of Italy.

Religion and Festivals

The population is a mix of Assamese, Bengali, Nepali as well as those who migrated from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other South Indian states to work in the coal mines. A major chunk of the population are Hindus followed by Muslims and Christians. In the interior parts, some people follow Buddhism.The main festival in Margherita is Bihu, celebrated in the month of January(magh bihu),April(bohag bihu) and kati bihu in sep-oct. Madam-me-fi is also celebrated in the month of January.other than that as this place has a multi- cultural heritage Durga puja, Bhai tika, holi Diwali,chat puja, buddha purnima, Idd, Christmas is celebrated with much fun fare.

Transport

Margherita is well connected with all the major towns and districts both by road and rail. Margherita has a railway station of its own and Tinsukia railway station is just 45 kilometres, about an hour's drive from the town. With Rajdhanis and other long-distance trains running from Tinsukia, Margherita is well connected to the rest of India. There are three local trains a day connecting Margherita to Dibrugarh (via Tinsukia). Margherita serves as a transit point to many parts of Arunachal Pradesh and buses ply regularly to and from Changlang, Miao and Jairampur. Tourists, while going to Arunachal, can get their passes from the office of A.P.S.T. Assam state transport corporation and a number of other private buses are also available from there. The nearest airport is in Dibrugarh, 96 km away.

Economy

North Eastern Coalfields operates from here and has its head quarter in the town. Plywood and tea are the other developed industries.

Coal Park in Margherita at night

Politics

Margherita is part of Dibrugarh (Lok Sabha constituency).And the current M.P from this region is Mr. Paban Singh Ghatowar.It is also 124th Legislative Assembly constituency and is presently represented by Sri Pradyut Bordoloi.^[3]

References