Rajdhani train of India travels from capital to capital only & probably Dibrugarh town is the longest extension provided which is around 506 km. from Guwahati city to Dibrugarh Town & takes around 10-12 hours of time by train, which is very exceptional because Dibrugarh Town of Assam State is one of the oldest town of Assam & not the capital of Assam. Dibrugarh (Assamese: ডিব্ৰুগড়) city is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district,Of Assam India. it is one of the major towns of assam. The district of Dibrugarh with only one sub-division is situated in the eastern part of Assam. Dibrugarh Town Railway Station is one of the oldest railway station in India. A new railway junction named is being developed on the outskirts of the city at Banipur. It is the biggest railway junction in the entire north east (India) spreading over 400 bighas of land and it is 2...
more... km in length. One goods yard is also being developed for loading and unloading of goods along with a truck shed, which would accommodate 25 trucks at a time.
Dibrugarh district is surrounded by Dhemaji district in the north and a part of Lakhimpur district in the north-west, part of Sivasagar district to the west and Tinsukia district in the East. Rajdhani train runs from Dibrugarh Town to Delhi & return from Delhi city to Dibrugarh Town.
History: Dibrugarh derived its name from Dibarumukh (as a renowned encampment of Ahoms during Ahom Sutiya War). Either the name Dibru evolved from Dibaru river or from the Dimasa word "Dibru" which means a blister and Garh meaning fort. Both "Dibru" or "Dibaru" is a Dimasa word. The Dimasas add prefix "Di"(which mean "water") wherever there is small stream of river or Big river in Town or city for e.g. Diphu ( which means White-water), Dimapur( City with great river)etc. When the British came to this region they constructed a fort on the bank of river Dibaru. Therefore, this might be considered as the source of the name Dibrugarh.
The British arrived in Assam in the year 1826 as per Yandaboo Accord . They selected Dibrugarh as an administrative and commercial center in Upper Assam making Dibrugarh a hub of activity in this region of North-Eastern India. In the year 1842 Dibrugarh was announced as the Headquarter of Lakhimpur District. During World War-II the town was the principal military base and was used as a transit camp for the evacuees of Burma. In 1971 the Dibrugarh Sub-Division itself became a full fledged district. Later on the Tinsukia Sub-Division separated as district in 1989 from Dibrugarh District. Today Dibrugarh is a separate district with the District Headquarter in Dibrugarh.
Dibrugarh being the District Head-quarter, is the hub of all economic development/activities happening around the district. Economic activities in the district is dominated by two major industries: Oil and natural gas, Tea production. It was in Digboi, 50 miles away from Dibrugarh, that the first oil well was dug during the British era. Today, Duliajan, Hugrijan and Moran are the key locations for oil and gas industry in the district. Duliajan also happens to be the headquarter of the Public Sector Undertaking Oil India Limited.
Apart from this, Dibrugarh district boasts of the highest amount of tea production in India. There are several tea gardens dating back to the British era. The first being at Chabua, a place 20 miles away from Dibrugarh. Dibrugarh is also famous for wood and wood works, plywood factories in Margherita, (now under Tinsukia District) cane and bamboo furniture, etc. Cottage industries specializing in production of Assam silk (Muga Silk), phulam gamosa (a traditional piece of cloth, used as ornate head-scarf as well as towel), mekhela chador (the famous traditional pure silk dress of Assam state). Chador are also in vogue.
Assam Medical College was formally established on 3 November 1947. It was, however, earlier known as Berry-White School of Medicine, which was founded in 1900. It has the distinction of being the first medical college in the entire North-eastern region of India. Following the establishment of 2 other medical colleges in Assam, one at Guwahati and another at Silchar, it now serves as the tertiary medical referral centre for the entire upper Assam as well as the some areas of neighbouring states, especially Arunachal Pradesh.
The Assam Medical College was established by a personal grant from Dr. John Berry White after he retired as the civil surgeon of Lakhimpur district. The medical school, "John Berry White Medical School" was set up in 1900 at Dibrugarh, and thus this premier institute started its history, and marked a new era in education. Assam Medical College started the first Radiology Department in India, in year 1910, along with two X-Ray machine (One 10MA and another 15MA). The X-Ray Machines were bought from England, 15 years after the discovery of X-Rays by Professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895-96. These two were the first X-Ray machines in India.
