Administrative divisions of Assam

The state of Assam in India has five regional divisions, each comprising a number of districts. The person responsible for the administration of a division is designated as a Divisional Commissioner.

The five divisions of Assam

History
Location of the oldest urban centres recognised as a municipality region of Assam before 1947.[1][2]

In 1874, Assam was constituted as a Chief Commissioner's province with the seat of the government in Shillong, the erstwhile capital of Assam, which is now in Meghalaya. To better administer the six districts of Goalpara, Kamrup, Sonitpur, Nagaon (formerly, Nowgong), Sivasagar (formerly, Sibsagar) and Lakhimpur, (the districts in the Brahmaputra valley, also called Assam Valley), the Judge of Assam Valley was given the additional charge of a commissioner in 1880.[3] In 1905, the offices of the Judge and the Commissioner were segregated in the Assam Valley;[4] in addition to adding a separate Commissioner's office for the administration of the Hill Districts and Surma Valley.[5]

List of divisions

Historical divisions (until 2015)
Division NameDivisional OfficeDistricts
Hills and Barak ValleyDispurCachar, Dima Hasao, Hailakandi, Karbi Anglong, and Karimganj
Lower AssamGuwahatiBaksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Nalbari, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup Rural, and Kokrajhar
North AssamTezpurDarrang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Udalguri
Upper AssamJorhatDhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia

Current divisions[6]
Division NameDivisional OfficeDistricts Population Area
Barak ValleySilcharCachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj 3,612,581
Hills and Central AssamNagaonDima Hasao, Hojai, East Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Morigaon, and Nagaon 5,894,460
Lower AssamGuwahatiBaksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Nalbari, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup Rural, Kokrajhar, and South Salmara-Mankachar 13,179,980
North AssamTezpurBiswanath, Darrang, Sonitpur, and Udalguri 4,246,834
Upper AssamJorhatCharaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia 7,840,943

Proposed divisions (new)
Division NameDivisional OfficeDistricts
Assam HillsDiphuDima Hasao, East Karbi Anglong, and West Karbi Anglong
Barak ValleySilcharCachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj
BodolandKokrajharBaksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, and Udalguri
Central AssamNagaonHojai, Morigaon, and Nagaon
KamrupGuwahatiDarrang, East Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup Rural, and South Kamrup
Lower AssamBongaigaonBarpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Nalbari, and South Salmara-Mankachar
North AssamTezpurBiswanath, Lakhimpur, and Sonitpur
Upper AssamJorhatCharaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia

Municipal corporations

Municipal corporation (present)

Municipal corporation (proposed)[7]

Oldest recognised and constantly inhabited urban areas

The list of the oldest urban areas based on the earliest years of formation of the civic bodies,[8][9] constituted before India's Independence of 1947.

TypeFormation periodUrban areas
Municipal board regionPrior to India's independence in 1947
  1. Guwahati[10]
  2. Dibrugarh[11]
  3. Goalpara[12]
  4. Dhubri[13]
  5. Nagaon[14]
  6. Tezpur[15]
  7. Jorhat[16]
  8. Golaghat[17]
  9. Silchar[18]

Notes
  1. "Urbanisation and Growth of Small Towns in Assam, India" (PDF). Rinku Manta, Research Scholar, Deptt. of Geography - Gauhati University and Dr. Jnanshree Borah, Associate Professor, Deptt. of Geography: Arya Vidyapeeth and Cotton College - Gauhati University. 2005.
  2. Report on the Administration of North East India. K. M. Mittal. 1921.
  3. "In 1879, Sir Bayley, therefore, proposed to the Government of India that the Judge of Assam Valley to be the ex-officio Commissioner of Assam Valley. High Court objected to the proposal. But Government of India approved the scheme and the Chief Commissioner invested the Judge of Assam with the powers of a Commissioner of a Division." (Bose 1985, p. 32)
  4. (Bose 1985, p. 33)
  5. (Bose 1985, p. 36)
  6. (Press Trust of India & 31 Sept. 2015)
  7. "Citizens submit memo to Sonowal, The Telegraph (Calcutta – Gauhati)". Avik Chakraborty. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  8. "Urbanisation and Growth of Small Towns in Assam, India" (PDF). Rinku Manta, Research Scholar, Deptt. of Geography - Gauhati University and Dr. Jnanshree Borah, Associate Professor, Deptt. of Geography: Arya Vidyapeeth and Cotton College - Gauhati University. 2005.
  9. Report on the Administration of North East India. K. M. Mittal. 1921.
  10. Saikia, Dr Jugal (8 April 2016). Economics Of Informal Milk Producing Units In Assam
    – Guwahati municipal region, 1853, reconstituted 1873.    . Notion Press. ISBN 9789352069385. Retrieved 5 August 2016 – via Google Books.
  11. "Dibrugarh Municipal Board – Dibrugarh municipal region, 1873.".
  12. "Goalpara Municipal Board-About Us – Goalpara municipal region, 1875.".
  13. "Dhubri Municipal Board – Dhubri municipal region, 1883.".
  14. "Nagaon – History – Nagaon municipal region, 1893.". Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  15. "About Municipal Board – Tezpur – Tezpur municipal region".
  16. "Jorhat Municipal Board(JBM), Jorhat, Assam – Jorhat municipal region, 1909". Archived from the original on 2016-03-27.
  17. "AGP lists civic poll candidates – Golaghat municipal region, 1920". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  18. "Silchar Municipal Board (Silchar Municipality) Assam – Silchar Karimganj Hailakandi – Silchar municipal region, 1922". Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.

References
  • Bose, M L (1985). Development of Administration in Assam. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Press Trust of India (October 31, 2015). "Assam reorganises different divisions". Retrieved November 1, 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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