Eastern Bengal and Assam

Coordinates: 23°42′00″N 90°21′00″E / 23.7000°N 90.3500°E / 23.7000; 90.3500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eastern Bengal and Assam
Province of British India
1905–1912
Flag of Eastern Bengal and Assam
Flag
Coat of arms of Eastern Bengal and Assam
Coat of arms
Sir Charles Stuart Bayley
First Partition of Bengal
16 October 1905
21 March 1912
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Bengal Presidency
Assam Province
Bengal Presidency
Assam Province
Today part ofBangladesh
India

Eastern Bengal and Assam was a

Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal
.

History

British East India Company
annexed Bengal in 1765, and Assam in 1838

As early as 1868, the government saw the need for an independent administration in the eastern portion of the

Calcutta, the capital of British India, was already overburdened. By 1903, it dawned on the government on the necessity of partitioning Bengal and creating prospects for Assam's commercial expansion. It was promised to increase investment in education and jobs in the new province called Eastern Bengal and Assam.[1]

All India Muslim League
in Dacca, 1906

Sir Charles Stuart Bayley
(1911-1912).

The partition stoked controversy among Indian nationalists, who described it as an attempt to "

communal
forces. Eastern Bengal was reunited with western Bengali districts, and Assam was made a chief commissioner's province.

Geography

Eastern Bengal and Assam had a total area of 111,569 sq m and was situated between 20° 45' and 28° 17' N., and between 87° 48' and 97° 5' E. It was bounded by

.

Administration

An example of European-Mughal architecture introduced in Dacca after the First Partition of Bengal

The

Lieutenant Governor
was the chief administrator. Dacca was the provincial capital, with the Legislative Council and the High Court. Five commissioners acted under the Lieutenant Governor.

The Eastern Bengal and Assam Legislative Council was composed of 40 members. Elected councillors included representatives of municipalities, district boards, Muslim electorates, the landowning gentry, the tea industry, the jute industry and the Port of Chittagong. Nominated members included government officials, educationists and commercial leaders.[3]

The

High Court of Dacca was subordinate to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
in London.

Shillong was the summer capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam.[4]

There were 4 administrative divisions in the province, including the Assam Valley Division, Chittagong Division, Dacca Division, Rajshahi Division and the Surma Valley Division. There were a total of 30 districts, including

Darrang, Nowgong, Sibsagar and Lakhimpur in Assam Valley Division.[1]

Kingdom of Bhutan
.

Demographics

The population of Eastern Bengal and Assam was 30,961,459 in 1901.

animists
.

With reference to the census in 1911, the population of Dhaka was 21% higher than that of 1906, when it was made the capital of the newly formed state.[2]

Economy

An illustration of tea cultivation in Eastern Bengal and Assam

Eastern Bengal and Assam possessed one of the most fertile lands in the

crude oil production in Assam. The Port of Chittagong began to flourish in international trade, and was connected to its hinterland by the Assam Bengal Railway. Shipbuilding was a major activity in coastal Bengal, and catered to the British naval and merchant fleets. Dyeing industries were set up in several districts, particularly in Pabna
and Dhaka.

Transportation

A 19th century train preserved at the Chittagong Central Railway Building
Ferries were an important mode of provincial transport. Seen here is the arrival of the British Viceroy in Dacca by a fleet of steamers in 1908

The two main rail lines in Eastern Bengal and Assam were the Eastern Bengal Railway and the Assam Bengal Railway. The port city of Chittagong was the main rail terminus, as routes connected the interior hinterland with the main regional maritime gateway. Railways were vital for the export of tea, jute and petroleum.

A number of new ferry services were introduced connecting Chittagong, Dhaka, Bogra, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jalpaiguri, Maldah and Rajshahi. This improved communication network created a positive impact on overall economy, boosting trade and commerce. Newly built highways connected the inaccessible areas of Assam and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. All district capitals were connected by an inter-district road network.[2]

Military

The

Gurkha regiments
and the Bengal Military Police patrolled northern borders.

Education

Within its short lifespan, the Provincial Education Department promoted a significant expansion and improvement of higher education. Persian, Sanskrit, mathematics, history and algebra were among different disciplines introduced in the college level curriculum. Female colleges were established in each district. School enrollment increased by 20%.

University of Dacca
, which was established later in 1921, and came to be known as the Oxford of the East.

Legacy

The

second partition of Bengal. Bengal was partitioned again in 1947, making Muslim-majority districts a part of Pakistan. Later renamed East Pakistan, the region gained independence as the country of Bangladesh in 1971.[citation needed
]

The Assam Province became a part of the Union of India, and was eventually divided into several states for the States Reorganisation Act, 1956; these states include Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, current-day Assam, Tripura and Manipur.

In modern times, Bangladesh and India have sought to revive British-era transport links. The

BCIM) grouping also seeks to stimulate economic growth in this Asian sub-region.[citation needed
]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Eastern Bengal and Assam - Encyclopedia". Theodora.com. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eastern Bengal and Assam - Banglapedia". En.banglapedia.org. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  3. ^ Ilbert, Sir Courtenay Peregrine (1907). "Appendix II: Constitution of the Legislative Councils under the Regulations of November 1909", in The Government of India. Clarendon Press. pp. 432-5.
  4. ^ "Searching for Shillong - Wall Street International". Wsimag.com. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.

Further reading

23°42′00″N 90°21′00″E / 23.7000°N 90.3500°E / 23.7000; 90.3500