Samba, Jammu

Samba is a town, municipal committee, and administrative headquarter of Samba district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicised usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below).

(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
(b) (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
(c) C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
(d) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
(e) Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
(f) (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962.";
(g) Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
(h) Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
(i) Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
Samba has his own railway station are Samba railway station on Jammu-Delhi railway line.

Geography

Samba is located at and has an average elevation of . Samba is situated in the Shivalik Hills alongside the National Highway 1-A on the bank of the Basantar River, at a distance of from the city of Jammu. Samba District borders Udhampur District to the north, Kathua District to the east, Tehsils Jammu and Bishnah of Jammu District to the west, and the International Border Pakistan to the south.

Demographics

Overview

According to a report released by Census India 2011, the Samba Municipal Committee has population of 12,700, of which 6979 (55%) are males while 5721 (45%) are females. There are 1365 children under seven years old, or 10.75% of the population. There are 2566 households in the city,

Caste distribution

By caste, 71% of Samba residents are from general caste, 28.57% are from schedule caste, and 0.04% are schedule tribes.

Religion

In Samba, Hinduism is the dominant religion, while, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs are the minorities.

Population growth

The city's population decreased by 20.2% from 2001 to 2011. According to the 2001 census, Samba's total population was about 16,000. The female population growth rate was −8.1%, which was 19.9% higher than male population growth rate of −28%. The general caste population decreased by 27.9%, the schedule caste population increased by 8.5%, and the child population decreased by 24.7% between the two censuses.

Sex ratio

According to the 2011 census, Samba has 820 females per 1000 males compared to the state average of 889 females per 1000 males. For children under seven years old, there are 806 girls per 1000 boys in the city, compared to the state average of 862 girls per 1000 boys. Between 2001 and 2011, Samba's overall sex ratio and child sex ratio have increased by 177 females per 1000 males and 36 girls per 1000 boys, respectively.

Employment

In the census, a worker is defined as a person who does business or performs any job, service, cultivation, or labour activity. Of the population, 4356 (34%) are engaged in work or business activities. 91.80% of workers are engaged in Main Work (full-time), and 8.20% of workers are engaged in Marginal Work (part-time).

By sex, 3885 workers are males while 471 workers are females.

Landmarks

Mansar Lake

Mansar Lake is located on the Samba–Udhampur Road from Samba. The lake is surrounded by hills with different Hindu temples and attracts a large number of tourists and religious pilgrims in the area. A tourist complex comprising five tourist huts and rooms situated on the bank of the lake provides visitor accommodation. The state government has also established the Surinsar-Mansar Development Authority, which is responsible for implementation of tourism developmental projects in all four tourist destinations.

Villages and temples

Purmandal is a village located away from Jammu. It is connected to Samba via the Purmandal–Utterbani–Vijaypur Road. Purmandal is known as "Chotta Kashi" and has old Shiva temples, which have religious importance, surrounded by the Shivalik Hills. Another village, Utterbani, is situated on the bank of the Devika and has historic temples located from Purmandal.

The temple Aap Shambhu Mandir is located in Jammu.
Chichi Mata Mandir, a temple located within Samba, is one of the Shakta pithas where Goddess Sati's little finger fell.It is situated on National Highway only 2 km from Samba town and is very famous temple of the region. It attracts tourists and pilgrims throughout the year.

Terrorist attacks

On 26 September 2013, militants impersonating army personnel attacked the Hiranagar Police Station. After the attack, the militants commandeered a truck to Samba, located from Hiranagar. The militants entered the army cantonment and opened fire. In a day-long operation and combat search, all three militants were killed. Twelve others, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in this incident.

Higher educational institutes

Higher educational institutes in Samba include the following:

* Bhargava Law College
* Central University of Jammu
* Pandit Prem Nath Dogra Government Degree College Samba
* Government Degree College (Vijaypur, Ramgarh, Purmandal, Ghagwal)
* Bhargava Degree College
* Bhargava College Of Engineering And Technology
* Dogra Degree College
* Dogra Law College
* RK Degree College

Transport

By Air

Samba is 31 km away from Jammu Airport in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India

By Rail

There are regular trains from other major cities of the country to Samba. Railway Station(s): Samba Railway station (SMBX)

By Bus

Being on the National Highway 44 (old NH-1A), there are regular Buses plying from the other parts of the country connecting Samba.

References

{{Municipalities of Jammu and Kashmir

Cities and towns in Samba district
Tehsils of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)