HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Margherita (IPA: ˌmɑːgəˈrɪtə) is a
census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...
in Tinsukia district in the Indian state of
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
. The sub-district town is surrounded by hills, tea gardens, forests and the Dihing River. It has a golf course at the foot of the hills and a small stream running through. Although considered to be a small town, Margherita has several hospitals and educational institutions and is regularly frequented by visitors on account of it being the last proper town of Upper Assam. 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 Paganini who supervised the construction. Margherita was known for its collieries much developed by the British. Coal India Ltd has the biggest industrial plant here. The town is also known as Coal Queen as it is famous for coal business. Apart from this there are other industrial plants like Kitply and Tata Tea (amalgamated plantations), along with minor plywood industries and tea gardens. Margherita has Tea Estates of the Williamson Magor Group ( McLeod Russel India Limited). Namdang Tea Estate, Dirok Tea Estate, Dehing Tea Estate, Bogapani Tea Estate and Margherita Tea Estate are the 5 famous estates of the McLeod Russel India Limited Group situated at the sub division Margherita. McLeod Russel India Limited is one of the largest tea producers in Asia.


Geography

Margherita is located at . 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

India census, 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 Assamese, Bengali, Nepali, Bihari, Singpho etc.


Language

Bengali is the most spoken language at 11,299 speakers, followed by Assamese at 6,496, Hindi is spoken by 4,088 people, Nepali at 1,172 and Sadri at 1,030.


Etymology

Before getting its existing name, Margherita was known as Ma-Kum (Ahom, meaning the abode of all tribes). The name has its roots in the Dihing River Bridge which was built around 1880 by a team led by 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 if it was Paganini himself who, out of patriotism, christened the place in honour of Queen Margherita, the reigning Queen Consort of Italy.


Transport

Margherita is well connected with all the major towns and districts both by road and rail. The NH 38 passes through the town and is a stretch of approximately 54 km, starting point being Ledo. Margherita has a railway station of its own and Tinsukia railway station is just 50 kilometres, about 1.5 hours drive from the town. With Rajdhanis and other long-distance trains running from
Tinsukia Tinsukia (Pron: ˌtɪnˈsʊkiə) is an industrial city. It is situated north-east of Guwahati and away from the border with Arunachal Pradesh. Tinsukia serves as the headquarters of the Moran Autonomous Council, which is the governing counci ...
, Margherita is well connected to the rest of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. There are three local trains a day connecting Margherita to
Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...
(via Tinsukia). Margherita serves as a transit point to many parts of
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...
and buses ply regularly to and from Changlang,
Miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...
and Jairampur. Tourists, while going to Arunachal, can get their passes from the office of A.P.S.T. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) buses and a number of other private buses are also available from there. The nearest airport is in
Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...
, 96 km away.


Economy

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


Politics

Margherita is part of Dibrugarh (Lok Sabha constituency). And the current M.P from this region is Mr.
Sarbananda Sonowal Sarbananda Sonowal (; born 31 October 1962) is an Indian politician who has served as Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways since 2021. He also has been the Government of India, Member of the Rajy ...
. Margherita is also 124th Legislative Assembly constituency and is presently represented by Bhaskar Sharma.


Education

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%. Various schools and colleges are situated in Margherita. Some of the prominent ones are: * Margherita College * St. Mary's School, Margherita, * Margherita Public Higher Secondary School, * St. James' School, Margherita, * Town High School, Margherita, * Jatiya Vidyalaya, Margherita, * A.R.&T. Co. High School, Margherita, * Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Margherita, * Margherita Hindi High School, * Axom Junior College, Margherita, * KIDZEE & Sun Shine High School, Margherita. * Margherita Balya Bhawan, Margherita


Media

Margherita has an
All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...
Relay station known as Akashvani Margherita. It broadcasts on FM frequencies.


Nearest town and villages

* Bargolai * Ledo, Assam * Tirap Gaon * Lekhapani *
Digboi Digboi (IPA: ˈdɪgˌbɔɪ) is a town and a town area committee in Tinsukia district in the north-eastern part of the state of Assam, India. Crude oil was discovered here in late 19th century and first oil well was dug in 1866. Digboi is known ...
* Jagun * Tipong


References

Cities and towns in Tinsukia district Tinsukia {{Assam-geo-stub