Digboi is a town in the Tinsukia district of the north eastern state of India, Assam. It is located at an altitude of 165 meters (541 feet) above mean sea level. Digboi is known as the Digboi Oil Town because the first oil well in Asia was drilled here. The Assam Oil Company now known as the Indian Oil Company runs its oil refinery in Digboi. The town is mainly inhabited by the people of Assamese, Bengali, Bihari, Marwari and Nepali communities. Agriculture and tea production are the prime occupations of the people of this region. It is also home of some tribal people like tea-tribes, Bodos, Mishings etc.
Demography of Digboi
According to the 2001 census report, Digboi had a population of 20,405 inhabitants. Males constitute 54% of the population and females constitute 46% of the population. In Digboi, 10% of the population is less than six years of age. This oil town has an average literacy rate of 81% which is much higher than the national average literacy rate of 59.5%. The male literacy rate is 85% and the female literacy rate is 77%.
Digboi as an Oil Town
Digboi is the oldest oilfield in the world which is continuously producing oil. It is now a part of the Indian Oil Corporation which has a capacity of about 0.65 MMTPA according to the 2003 records. Digboi is the headquarters of the Assam Oil Division of the Indian Oil Corporation. The Assam Oil Company was formed in 1899 to look after the functioning of the refinery plant which was established in 1901. The Digboi Refinery modernization Project was taken up in order to revamp the technology of the old refinery. ISO-14001 and OHSMC certificates have been awarded to the Digboi refinery.
Tourism in Digboi
Digboi town has some tourist spots as well which are Digboi Oil Centenary Museum, Digboi War Cemetery, Digboi 18 hole Golf Course, Digboi Oil Field, Digboi Centenary Park etc.
Visiting Information to Digboi
Nearest airport to Digboi is Mohanbari Airport at Dibrugarh, from where direct flights are available to Kolkata and Delhi. Nearest railhead is Tinsukia Junction Railway Station, from where Rajdhani Express is available. There are proper roadways which link the Digboi Oil town to Duliajan, Makum towns etc. It is located 510 km north east of Guwahati.
