Mekhliganj is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Mekhliganj subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Mekhliganj is located at .
Topographically Cooch Behar district is generally plain land which is low and marshy at some places. “Considering the nature of general surface configuration, relief and drainage pattern, distribution of different types of soil, climatic condition, the formation of geology and forest tracts, the district Koch Bihar falls under Barind Tract. The physiology of this area consists of alluvial soil, generally blackish brown in colour and composed of sand, clay and silt. The soils are loose and sandy throughout the district.” The Himalayan formations in the north end beyond the boundaries of this district. There are no hills/ mountains here. It has a large network of rivers flowing from north-west to south and south-east. The Teesta flows through Mekhliganj CD block before entering Bangladesh. The Jaldhaka and its connected river-streams form a large catchment area in the district. It virtually divides the district into two unequal parts and meets the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. The Himalayan rivers flowing through Cooch Behar district change courses from time to time. In 1876, W.W. Hunter mentioned the Dharla and the Torsha as the same stream with two names. However, since the advent of the 20th century, these are two different streams meeting the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.
The hill-streams of Cooch Behar carry debris and silt from the Himalayas and are shallow. During the monsoons the speed of flow of the rivers almost doubles and the rivers overflow the banks causing floods and devastation. The Jaldhaka and Teesta are the major rivers causing floods in the Mekhliganj CD block.
The Mekhliganj CD block is bounded by the Maynaguri CD block in Jalpaiguri district on the north, the Mathabhanga I CD block on the east, the Dimla Upazila and Domar Upazila in Nilphamari District and Hatibandha Upazila of Lalmonirhat District of Bangladesh on the south and the Haldibari CD block on the west.
The Mekhliganj CD block has an area of 302.07 km2. It has 1 panchayat samity, 8 gram panchayats, 112 gram sansads (village councils), 187 mouzas, 137 inhabited villages and 1 census town. Mekhliganj and Kuchlibari police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Changrabandha.
Gram panchayats of Mekhliganj block/ panchayat samiti are: Bagdokra Fulkadabri, Bhotbari, Changrabandha, Jamaldaha, Kuchlibari, Niztaraf, Ranirhat and Uchalpukuri.
Demographics
Population
According to the 2011 Census of India, the Mekhliganj CD block had a total population of 155,250, of which 150,767 were rural and 4,483 were urban. There were 80,052 (52%) males and 75,198 (48%) females. There were 21,412 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The Scheduled Castes numbered 110,595 (71.24%) and the Scheduled Tribes numbered 1.918 (1.24%).
According to the 2001 census, Mekhliganj block had a total population of 132,859, out of which 68,866 were males and 63,993 were females. Mekhliganj block registered a population growth of 19.67 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade.
Census towns in the Mekhliganj CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets). Nagar Changrabandha (4,483).
Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in the Mekhliganj CD block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Soulmari (5,418), Purba Dhulia Baidiahati (6,024), Uchal Pukhari (12,858) and Uttar Bhotbari (9,664).
Other villages in the Mekhliganj CD block include (2011 census figures in brackets): Kuchlibari (610), Bagdokara (1,453), Fulkardabri Kaiabari (2,041), Jamaldahat (2,304), Jamaldaha (2,242) and Nijtaraf (1,618).
Literacy
According to the 2011 census, the total number of literate persons in the Mekhliganj CD block was 92,803 (69.34% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 52,956 (76.79% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 39,847 (61.42% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 15.37%.
See also – List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate
Language and religion
In the 2011 Census of India, Hindus numbered 124,829 and formed 80.41% of the population of Mekhliganj CD block. Muslims numbered 29,896 and formed 19.26% of the population. Christians numbered 117 and formed 0.08% of the population. Others numbered 408 and formed 0.26% of the population.