Hailakandi District at a Glance :

Declared as the 24th district of Assam in 1989 by a Government of Assam Notification No. AAA.98/89/Pt/I dt. 29/09/1989, Hailakandi is one of the fastest forward marching districts in the Barak Valley Region of Assam. Several myths are associated with the name ‘Hailakandi’. In Barak Valley dyke is constructed for protection of people and land from flood. This dyke is colloquially pronounced as ‘Ail’ or ‘Hail’. In the Bodokachari language ‘Kandi’ means temporary paddy land and this is how the district came to be known as ‘Hailkandi’ and then as ‘Hailakandi’. According to some historians the district got its name from the ‘Kuki’ word ‘Halam’ means a small state and the word ‘Kundia’ meaning a plot of land for temporary ploughing. Another myth associated with the name of the district is Sali Paddy is grown abundantly as a staple food crop and from ‘Sailkandi’ the district came to be known as Hailakandi.

Journey to the History:

Perched in the heart of Barak Valley, Hailakandi was one of the oldest Sub-Divisions of Assam constituted on 1st June, 1869. At the time of partition i.e. during 1946-47, Shri U.C. Roy, ACS was the Sub-Divisional Officer of Hailakandi. Prior to its emergence as a full-fledged district, Hailakandi was a Civil Sub-Division under Cachar district and when it became a district, Shri J.N. Sharma, IAS, DC Cachar was holding the charge of Hailakandi till 13th October 1989. Shri A.K. Mailk, ACS took over the charge of Deputy Commissioner of Hailakandi on October 14, 1989.Despite Hailakandi’s wearing a modern look, the district is rich in cultural heritage and tradition. It is in fact a melting pot of cultures and a converging ground of diverse caste, creed and religion. The district has glorious records of having participated in the Freedom Movement of India. Hailakandi’s role in India’s freedom struggle started right from the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 when leaders from this part of the region had a valiant fight with the British soldiers at a place called ‘Ron Tila’ at Mohanpur in Hailakandi where some of the Indian leaders laid down their lives for the cause of Motherland. Several youths of the district also took part in Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement. Prominent among them are Sanat Das Gupta, Upendra Dhar, Abdul Matlib Mazumdar, Sunil Chakraborty and others. Much of the historical antecedents of Hailakandi can be traced back to the British Raj in India. Till the invasion of the British administrators water way was the only means of connectivity in the district. During early British period changes in Transport and Communication system had taken place. The British rulers established many tea gardens and for transportation of raw and finished products, Hailakandi was linked with railway line. Gradually with the passage of time road communication developed in the district. Some scattered publications and public opinion highlighted the names of some managers of Tea Gardens viz. Mr. James Marshall Winchister, Mr. Mac Farlene Chalmers and M.R. Hoiates. The present Chalmers Higher Secondary School in Katlicherra was set up after the name of Mr. Mac Farlene Chalmers. The Graham M.V. School of Hailakandi was named after Mr. Grahame, the Sub-Divisional Officer of Hailakandi Sub-Division. The present Hertbertganj Bazar was named after Mr. Hertbert, the then SDO of Hailakandi. Besides the contributions of the Britishers, the land donated by some renowned families of Hailakandi for construction of schools still are the flag-bearers of the rich history of the district. Many National leaders includinng Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru visited the district in the pre-independence period.

Administrative Division

The district Hailakandi consists of only one sub division namely Hailakandi with four revenue circles- Hailakandi, Algapur, Katlicherra and Lala, and five development blocks namely Hailakandi Dev Block Lala Dev Block, Katlicherra Dev Block, Algapur Dev Block and South Hailakandi Dev Block. There are three towns viz. Hailakandi (M.B.) and Lala (T.C.) and H.P.C. Township (C.T.) in the district. The total number of villages in the district is 331 of which 327 are inhabited as per 2001 Census. There are 62 Gaon Panchayats and 5 Anchalik Panchayats in the district.