mining Industry in Assam with special reference to coal and petroleum
Introduction
Among the natural resources available in Assam, coal and mineral oil are particularly prominent. And the search and exploitation of this coal and mineral oil started mainly after the acquisition of Assam by the British. Because the tea industry developed in Assam only after the acquisition of Assam by the British. And on the one hand, the question of communication, transportation or construction of railways got importance centered on the tea industry, on the other hand, huge forest resources, coal, petroleum etc. were found while searching for plantation land. But all these natural resources contributed mainly to the financial prosperity of the British Empire rather than the financial prosperity of the people of Assam.
Coal
Coal was first discovered in Assam in 1834 at Cherrapunji in present day Meghalaya. But coal mining in Assam really started in 1840. This year the Assam Tea Company (ATC) and the Assam Railway and Trading Company (ARTC) began extensive coal mining in the Jaipur region, about 40 km long between Dibrugarh and Shivshagar. Later coal mines were discovered at Makum or Ledo in Tinsukia district, Saraipunj, Tarajan area, Kolia Gaan of Karbi Anglong, Shilvetta area, Ghota-Arda in North Kachar Hills, Umrangshu, Garmapani, Khasi Pahar and Shingrimari area of Dhubri district and from all these coal mines Coal mining started.
Initially, the Kolkata-based Coal Committee showed interest in extracting coal from the coal mines of Assam but did not take a leading role. As a result, Malcolm and Browne Wood sought to extract coal by contracting with the chieftains of Pahar. But the ATC and ARTC backed down. As a result, the Ledo Colliery at Tinsukia was started in 1882 under the initiative of ARTC and the Makum coal mining area was able to occupy a very important place in the whole of Assam. As a result, 3,158 coal workers got the opportunity to work in the coal mines of Assam in 1921.
Organizations like ARTC lost importance after the independence of the country. Coal mines across the country were nationalized in 1973 and Coal India Limited was formed in 1975. As a part of Coal India Limited, North Eastern Coal fields head office was established at Margarita.
Mineral Oil (Petroleum)
The first mineral oil discovery in Assam was at Digboy. However, there are different opinions about how this mineral oil was first discovered. Various army officers serving in Upper Assam like Lr.R. Wilcox, Major A. White, Francis Jenkins, Capt. P.S. Hanney et al in their diary mentions the prospect of mineral oil in Assam. Similarly, Assam tea growers C.A. Bruce and H.B.Medicott, head of the Geological Survey of India, mentioned in their diaries the mineral oil hidden in Assam. Finally, in 1882, when elephants were bringing sleeper timber from the Digboy region for the construction of the Dibrugarh-Margharita railway, engineers of the Assam Railwas and Trading Company smelled oil on the feet of the elephants. Excavation started immediately in the Digboy area. It is said that the workers were encouraged to shout: 'Dig boy, dig'. As a result, the place was named Digboy. Thus began the extraction of mineral oil in Assam.
The first attempt to produce mineral oil in the world began in 1859 in Pennsylvania, USA. And the second initiative was started in Digboy, Assam. However, there is debate as to who was the first to start drilling for oil production from Digboy. According to many, Mr. Goodenough of McKillop Stewart Co, Calcutta started the first drilling for oil in 1886 in the Nahorpunj area, 48 km from Digboy. According to some, ARTC's Canadian engineer W.L. Lake started the first excavations at Digboy. Controversy notwithstanding, the Assam Oil Company was formed in 1889 by Nathaka, an oil extraction expert group of the ARTC. The company started oil production and refining operations at Digboy. During World War II, up to 7,000 barrels of oil were extracted from Digboy a day.
In 1981, Assam Oil Company was incorporated into Indian Oil Corporation as per the Act of Indian Parliament. For more than a hundred years, Digboy has been producing substantial amounts of oil. Assam currently has oil refineries at Digboy Nunmati, Dhaligaon and Numaligarh to refine millions of tonnes of various petroleum products including petrol, diesel, kerosene. This shows how huge the mineral oil reserves are in Assam. And for this reason Digboy is called "a technical marvel of the past and present".
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