Considered as the ‘gateway’ to Nagaland, Dimapur district is bounded by Kohima in the East, Wokha in the North East, Peren in South, Karbi Anglong district of Assam in the West and Golaghat district of Assam in the North. It is located between longitude 93° 30’ E and 94° E and latitude of 25° 40’ N and 26° N with at an altitude of 140-600 mt. (Above Sea Level) with a geographic area of 927 sq. km (92700 ha).
The climate in Dimapur district is hot and humid in the plains during summer reaching a maximum of 36 °C, with humidity up to 93% while the winter is cool and pleasant (Census of India 2011). The average annual rainfall is 1504.7mm. Dimapur is the most populous district of Nagaland and a large area of the district is in the plains with an average elevation of 260m above sea level except Medziphema sub-division and a few villages of Niuland sub-division, which are located in the foothills.
The district holds the distinction of being the only district in Nagaland to be connected by both airways and railways and considered the commercial capital of Nagaland.
History and people: The district has a heterogeneous population with majority comprising of Naga tribes from all over the Nagaland. According to the Dimapur District Human Development Report (DDHDR, 2013), along with the earlier settlers like the Kacharis and the Garos, the district has a very unique feature of having hamlets and settlements of almost all the other tribes of Nagaland. Besides the dominant Naga tribe who comprises about 50% of the city’s population, other prominent groups include Bengalis, Assamese, Nepalese, Biharis, Marwaris, Punjabis and also Tamils and Keralites. In the last two decades, Tibetan traders have also settled in the city, according to 2011 census. As a commercial hub, it attracts number of migrants from different places adding to its cosmopolitan feature. Due to its diverse mix of people from all over India, it is also known as “mini India”.
According to DDHDR (2013), Dimapur is derived from the Dimasa Kachari dialect - ‘Dima’ meaning Great River, and ‘PUR’ means city. Dimapur was the ancient capital of the erstwhile Kachari Kingdom.
Till the second half of 1990s, Dimapur was a sub-Division under Kohima District but it became the 8th district of the State through a Government of Nagaland, Home Department notification on December 2, 1997. The district was created by carving out Niuland, Nihokhu, Dimapur Sadar, Chumukedima, Dhansiripar and Medziphema circles out of the district of Kohima. Census 2001 was therefore the first census in Dimapur as a separate district.
Vital Statistics: With an area of 927 sq. km, the districts represents 5.59 % of the total area of the state of Nagaland, it occupies the tenth place among the eleven districts of the state in terms of area.
In terms of population, however it was placed 1st at 3, 78,811 persons with density of population at 409 persons per sq. km. (Census 2011).
Dimapur enjoys a high literacy rate of 84.79 percent which is higher than the state average of 79.55 percent and the national average of 74.04 percent as of 2011 and over the years, it has become a coveted educational destination.
There are 427 schools from primary to secondary level and 119 private schools up to secondary level and 23 Colleges, a Law College, 3 Colleges offering teachers education, according to DDHDR (2013). Dimapur Government College, the only college run by the government, is the oldest college in the district founded in 1966.
Except for Patkai Christian College (the first Autonomous College in Nagaland), the rest are all affiliated to Nagaland University. There were also 13 theological seminaries/colleges in Dimapur. Many more institutions have been opened since then.
Besides, the National Institute of Technology, NIT opened its permanent campus in Chumukedima in 2012. Nagaland University’s school of Agricultural Research and Rural Development (SASARD) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are also located in the district. There are also many private technical and training institutes including the Central Hindi Training Institute; Women’s Industrial Training Institutes; sETAm (school of Engineering, Technology and management) Nagaland University; Global Open University; and ICFAI University.
In health sector, Dimapur district had 47 sub-centres, 9 Primary health Centres, 2 Community health Centres, 1 Dispensary, 1 Urban malaria Centre and 1 District hospital. The district has also 6 multi-specialty hospitals, 10 Nursing homes and 29 Clinics which has increased since then.
Flora and Fauna: As a highly populated district, the forest cover of Dimapur district is 55 percent of the total area with no dense forest but only moderate open forest. It is mostly Northern Tropical semi Evergreen Forest.
The pattern of land ownership is unique which is why forests are concentrated in the hands of private, community or village and only 25.02 sq.km (approx) is government purchased forest according DDHDR (2013). Dimapur Forest division covers the whole of Dimapur district administrative jurisdiction and Thekrejuma village of Kohima district for administrative conveniences. The total area under legal forest is 75.0838 sq.Km.
Dimapur also boasts of the only Zoological Park in Nagaland with an area of 176 hectares inaugurated August 28, 2008. The Park has been bifurcated into two major areas, one for the variety of different animals to be housed in enclosures and another for Deer safari as an open area to harbour herbivores like spotted deer, Blackbuck, etc.
The district has 4 major rivers namely - Dhansiri, Diphu, Chathe, and Zubza.
Administration
The district is looked after by a Deputy Commissioner under whom there are 8 administrative revenue circles each headed by either an Addl. Deputy Commissioner / Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) or an Extra Assistant Commissioner.
The present names of the administrative circles are Niuland, Aquqhnaqua, Kuhoboto, Nihokhu, Dimapur Sadar, Chumukedima, Dhansiripar and Medziphema.
The district has four rural development blocks (R.D. Block) namely - Dhansiripar, Medziphema, Kuhoboto and Niuland.
The district headquarter, namely, Dimapur is situated in Dimapur town under Dimapur Sadar.
The district has 222 villages in 2011 out of which 219 villages were inhabited and 3 villages uninhabited.
The district has three statutory towns, namely, Dimapur MC, Chumukedima TC and Medziphema TC and four Census Town.
Village having highest population Chekiye Village at 7250 persons under Chumukedima Circle while lowest population populated village was Aghunaqa at 46 persons under Aquqhnaqua Circle.
Dimapur District Executive Force
According to Nagaland Police Directory, Police establishment in Dimapur came into being on April 4, 1961 with the setting up of a Police station functioning under the establishment of Superintendent of Police, Kohima. The post of Sub-Divisional Police Officer was created in 1967. It was later upgraded to the post of Addl. Superintendent of Police, Dimapur in 1973. The full-fledged post of Superintendent of Police was created in the year 1983.
However, in April 15, 2015, the erstwhile office of the Superintendent of Police was taken over by the Police Commissionerate with the Commissioner of Police as the head of the district police, holding the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police
The Police Commissionerate of Dimapur was divided into two Zones – each headed by a DCP in the rank of an SP.
Each Zone is further divided into one division supervised by an ACP in the Rank of Dy. SP. Each division is formed by clubbing one or more Police Stations. In addition to the Zonal DCPs, there are functional DCPs, ADCPs and ACPs for Traffic, Crime Branch, Headquarters and Special Branch.
There are 8 police station in Dimapur namely – East PS. Dimapur; West PS. Dimapur; Sub-Urban PS; Medziphema PS; Govt. Railway PS (GPRS); Diphupar PS.; Niuland PS.; and Women PS. There are 2 Police Outposts at Dhansiripar and Kuhuboto.
The district also has the offices of - Dy. Inspector General of Police (Range) Dimapur; Dy. Inspector General of Police (NAP) Dimapur; Nagaland Armed Police Training Centre (NAPTC) at Chumukedima; Nagaland Police Training School (NPTS) at Chumukedima; Nagaland Police Central Store at Chumukedima; Nagaland Police Central Workshop at Chumukedima; Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Dimapur and Police Referral Hospital at Chumukedima.
There also some Battalion Headquarters in the district including 1st NAP Battalion, 11th NAP (IR) Battalion, 13th NAP (IR) Battalion and 15th NAP (IR) Mahila Battalion at Chumukedima and 14th NAP (IR) Battalion at Razhuphema.
Did you Know?
• The Chumukedima area of Dimapur was formerly known as Samaguting and was the first outpost of the British administration in Nagaland. • In January 2017, a pair of Royal Bengal Tigers from Kerala – Karthika and Manikandan were given in exchange for two bears christened ‘Kohima and Dimapur’ from Nagaland.
Source: District Census Handbook – Dimapur (2011); District Human Development Report – Dimapur (2013), http://nagapol.gov.in/directory.html and https://www.dimapurpolice.in/
