Located on the banks of the Barak river, Silchar is the second largest city in Assam in terms of municipal area. It is also heavily populated and is a very important center for the processing and trading of tea and rice. Silchar is home to the headquarters of the Cachar District in Assam. The Silchar Airport is considered to be the fourth busiest airport in the northeast and the second busiest airport in Assam. There has been a lot of development in terms of technological, educational andmedical facilities in Silchar and there is also a regular inflow of people in this city from other states of India.
Silchar is a primary center for micro small-scale units, manufacturing of HDPE products, industrial gas, biscuit factories, lime factories etc.The Assam Industrial Development Corporation Complex that helps in setting up many small-scale businesses is located in Silchar.
Silchar is also very famous for its tea estates. The climate and soil in Silchar is very suitable for tea production and there are approximately around 100 tea estates that surround Silchar. The most popular tea estates in this city are Chandighat, Koomber, Doloo and Dewan. The Cachar Paper Mill is a very important paper production mill in Sichar. It is owned by Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited and is located in Panchgram, which is 26 kms from Silchar. This mill is known for the production of very high quality paper from bamboo. This industry provides livelihood to a lot of people in this city. The Oil and Natural Gas Commission of India has its base in Silchar. It is known as the Cachar Forward Base. It is located in Srikorna and has ongoing operations in the Barak Valley, Mizoram and Tripura. The famous Bisleri Bottling Plant is also located in Silchar. These economic activities contribute a lot to the growth, development and livelihood of the inhabitants of Silchar. There are also a lot of good educational institutions and medical colleges in Silchar.
People from different communities live in Silchar. Bengali is the official language and around 90% of the inhabitants of Silchar are Bengalis. They speak the local dialect known as Sylheti. Other communities include Marwaris, Manipuris, Assamese, Nagas, Dimasa and Kacharis. Rice and fish are the staple food. The local delicacies are shutki, chungar peetha and shidal chutney. Some of the major tourists attractions are Bhuban Temple, Isckon Temple, Kancha Kanti Kali Temple, Khaspur, Maniharan Tunnel and Gandhibag.
Silchar is very well connected by rail, road and air. The nearest railway station is the Silchar Railway Station in Tarapur, Silchar. There are regular bus and taxi services through National Highways 37 and 53 to Silchar from Guwahati, Imphal, Agartala, Shillong and Aizawl. The nearest airport is Silchar Airport and there are regular flights from Kolkata, Guwahati and Tezpur. Accommodation can be found in a lot hotels and lodges in Silchar.
