Ramban district

Ramban District Center of Jammu and Srinagar
District
Banihal railway station is a major station on Kashmir Railway.
Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India
Coordinates: 33°14′24″N 75°14′24″E / 33.24000°N 75.24000°ECoordinates: 33°14′24″N 75°14′24″E / 33.24000°N 75.24000°E
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
Headquarters	Ramban
Area
• Total	1,329 km^2 (513 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	283,713
• Density	210/km^2 (550/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration	JK19
Website	http://ramban.gov.in

Ramban (Urdu: ضلع رام بن) is one of the 22 districts in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ramban is located in the lap of Pir Panjal range of the mighty Himalayas. It was carved-out out of erstwhile Doda District keeping in view the backwardness, remoteness and aspiration of people of the area. District Ramban started functioning as independent unit on April 1, 2007.^[2] Ramban town is the district headquarters. The town is located midway between Jammu and Srinagar along the Chenab river, on National Highway-44, (originally National Highway 1A (India)) approximately 150 km from Jammu and Srinagar.^[3]

Administration

Presently District Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir is divided into two tehsils:

• Ramban Tehsil
• Banihal Tehsil

Each tehsil has its Tehsildar, who is the administrative head. The district is further divided into four blocks: Ramban, Banihal, Gool and Ramsu. The administrative head of each block is the Block Development Officer (BDO). Each block consists of a number of panchayats. The district consisted of 116 census villages and 127 revenue villages in 2001. The total number of panchayat Halqas in the district is 124.

Geography^[4]

Ramban district is 1,156 metres (3,792 feet) above sea level. The boundary lines of Ramban district encompass hill station Patnitop as its southernmost point, Assar on its eastern edge, Gool to the west, and Banihal to the north. TerrinTerrain of district Ramban is tough and hilly. District Ramban shares its boundary with Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Anantnag and Kulgam.^[5]

Climate

The climate of the District varies according to altitude. The temperature rises as high as 42 °C in the low lying areas like Ramban town located in between steep Mountains on the banks of river Chenab and drops to sub zero in the high altitude areas like Dhagantop. Asthanmarg. Lalagundi, Budhan. The working season in most of the district is about eight months because of typical weather conditions in the district.

Politics

Ramban district has two assembly constituencies: Banihal and Ramban.^[6]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Ramban district has a population of 283,313.^[7] roughly equal to the nation of Barbados.^[8] This gives it a ranking of 573rd in India (out of a total of 640).^[7] The district has a population density of 213 inhabitants per square kilometre (550/sq mi) .^[7] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 31.81%.^[7] Ramban has a sex ratio of 901 females for every 1000 males,^[7] and a literacy rate of 56.9%.^[7]

Kashmiri is the most widely spoken language in the district. The other languages spoken here are Urdu, Punjabi, Dogri, Poguli, Sirazi and Gojri. Ramban has a Muslim majority, with Muslims constituting about 70% and Hindus constituting about 28% of the population.

Major Projects

Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel

Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel is India's Longest Railway Tunnel. It is 11.2 km long and will connect Banihal with Qazigund in Kashmir Valley. This tunnel is a part of Kashmir Railway.^[9]

Baglihar Dam

A major hydroelectric project, Baglihar Dam is being constructed by JP Industries at Chanderkote, about 8 km from Ramban. The potential of this project is 900 mW, and it will be completed in two phases of 450 mW each.

See also

• 2013 Ramban firing
• Doda District
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Pir Panjal Range
• Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel
• Baglihar Dam

References

1. Census of India 2011
2. - About Ramban
3. Statement showing the number of blocks in respect of 22 Districts of Jammu and Kashmir State including newly Created Districts dated 2008-03-13, accessed 2008-08-30
4. - Geography of Ramban
5. - About Ramban
6. "ERO's and AERO's". Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
7. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
8. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. Barbados 286,705 July 2011 est. line feed character in |quote= at position 9 (help)
9. - Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel

External links

• List of places in Ramban