Changlang district (Pron:/tʃæŋˈlæŋ/) is located in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, located south of Lohit district and north of Tirap district. Naga people reside here . As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh (out of 16), after Papum Pare.[1] It has become one of the major districts in the area owing to the presence of crude oil, coal and mineral resources other than tourism and hydropower.
History
Post-independence
The district was created on 14 November 1987, when it was split from Tirap district.[3]
The Indian Government resettled many Chakmas and Hajong here permanently. They had fled from East Pakistan, which constructed the Kaptai Dam on their lands displacing hundreds of thousands.
Geography
Changlang district occupies an area of 4,662 square kilometres (1,800 sq mi),[4] comparatively equivalent to Indonesia's Lombok Island.[5]
It falls in a region that receives high rainfall. The region is rich in wildlife with a different kind of flora and fauna. The district has both plains and highlands. Most of the plains are in the valley of Dihing. The area is prone to occasional floods.
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The Dihing is the main source of fish for the local people. The freshwater fish are very much in demand they hardly reach major towns nearby like Tinsukia, Doomdooma, Digboi and Dibrugarh.
And Miao Sub-Division (Khagam-Miao Block) covers three circles namely Miao (20,266 people), Kharsang (9,509 people) and Vijoynagar (3,988 people).
Total, there are fifteen Circles, five Blocks, and five Subdivisions in Changlang district.
There are two municipalities Changlang (6,469 people) and Jairampur (5,919 people).
The administrative setup is based on single-line administration which aims to keep close co-operation amongst various developmental departments with the district administration and thus, to work together for the speedy development of the area. The district has four Sub-Divisions and a total of 12 circles as shown in Table 2.1 below. The
Deputy Commissioner is the overall in-charge of the district administration maintains law and order with the help of administrative officers and police forces.
Moreover, the villagers have their own customary administrative systems in the form of
traditional village councils consisting of the Gaon Buras and members.
Transport
Trans-Arunachal highway connects northern parts of the district with Namsai district in the north. Changlang headquarters is connected to Assam by Changlang-Margherita road and to Tirap district by Trans-Arunachal Highway.
This gives it a ranking of 598th in India (out of a total of 640 districts). The district has a population density of 32 inhabitants per square kilometre (83/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 17.96%. Changlang has a sex ratio of 914 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 61.9%. Scheduled Tribes made up 36.3% of the district's population.[13]
The largest group in the state are the Chakma and Hajong who were settled in the region after their home in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was flooded by the Kaptai Dam. They make up around a one-third of the district's population.[15] Another third is made up of tribal groups, namely Tangsa, Tutsa, Nocte, Chakma, Singpho, Gorkha and the Yobin. Sizeable communities of the Tibetans,[16] and Bodo are also there.
The Tibetan people are clustered at Choephelling Tibetan settlement in Miao, which was set up in 1976 hosts a population of 2200.[17]
Languages
At the time of the 2011 census, 27.14% of the population spoke Chakma, 20.08% Tangsa, 7.09% Nepali, 3.97% Sadri, 3.50% Assamese, 3.26% Hindi, 3.22% Bengali, 2.22% Monpa, 2.04% Bhojpuri, 1.79% Hajong, 1.65% Nocte and 1.13% Chungli Ao as their first language. Other significant languages in the district not recorded in the census are Singpho, spoken by c. 3900 people.[18]
Buddhism, followed predominantly by the Chakmas and the Singphos and Khamti, is the largest religion in the district and is practiced by around a third of the population. Other non-tribal communities, such as the Hajong, Nepalis, Bhojpuris, Assamese and others are Hindus, who make up around 32% of the population. Around half the tribals, including most of the Tangsa, Nocte, and other Naga groups, have converted to Christianity, but a large minority among these groups still practice their traditional animistic faith. Some have attempted to formalize this faith into a new spiritual movement called Rangfrah. Christianity is also practiced among some members of the tea garden tribes like Munda and Kurukh.
Tourism
Places to visit are World War II cemetery in Jairampur, Indo-Myanmar border town Nampong and Pangsau Pass. Another place of interest is Bordumsa where the rich culture of the Tais and Singpho exist. Namdapha National park has many tourist homes & picturesque areas.
Flora and fauna
The Namdapha Tiger reserve is located in Miao town of this district.
Health services
District Hospital is located in Changlang headquarters. Subdivisions and major Administrative circles have Community health Center or Primary health Center to take care of basic health needs.
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