Diglipur North Andaman Islands

Diglipur sometimes spelled Diglipore is the largest town of North Andaman Island, in the Andaman Archipelago, India.The city is located on the southern side of Aerial Bay, at 43 metres above sea level, 290 km north of Port Blair. It is crossed by the Kalpong River, the only river of the Andaman islands. Saddle Peak, the highest point in the archipelago, lies about 10 km to the south. Diglipur is also a county (tehsil) of the North and Middle Andaman District of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory. Its area is 884 km2, and its population was 42,877 people as of 2001 Its postal (PIN) code is 744202.

As of 2010, Diglipur's chief agricultural products were rice (about 6500 ha), coconuts (3600 ha), rabi pulses (2900 ha), area nuts (1300 ha) and bananas (650 ha) The city also profits from tourism to nearby attractions in North Andaman, which include the Ross and Smith islands, the Saddle Peak National Park, the beaches at Ram Nagar, Kalipur and Lamiya bay, and mud volcanoes. Ram Nagar beach (15 km away from Kalighat) is famous for sea turtle nesting from December to February. The first hydroelectric power station of the islands (5.25 MW) is setup in the Kalpong River. The Chalis Ek Caves (about 20 km due south of Diglipur, near the village of ​H​athi Level) and the Alfred Caves are a major nesting ground for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are exported to China for bird's nest soup.

Mud Volcano at Diglipur
The mud volcanoes at North Andaman are described by locals as better than that found in Baratang Islands. The mud volcanoes at North Andaman are located at a place locally known as "Jal Tikry' near 'Hathi level' around 25 kilometers from Diglipur Bazaar (direction towards Laxmipur). Till now local administration has made no efforts of accessibility of tourists to this place.

Ross Island
(Note: The Ross Island near Port Blair is different) offers a virgin beach bordered by tropical forest. Ross Island is a 20 minute boat ride from Aerial Bay jetty is an ideal spot for beach tourism, adventure (trekking through tropical forest), research / education (like scuba diving, snorkeling, turtle nesting). The sand bar joining this island with the adjoining Smith Island is an added attraction.

Smith Island
Offers a similar experience like Ross island. This island also houses a small village of about 60 families. Eco rest houses are available for overnight stay. Smith Island beach is notified for turtle nesting during seasons

Kalipur Beach
At a distance of 18 km from Diglipur, offers a combination of sand and rock shores with fishing village nearby. Lamiya Bay is quite near the Kalipur beach. Kalipur Adventure Sports Complex, near Kalipur Beach offers water adventure sports such as speed boats, water scooters etc. The complex however suffers administrative apathy and requires facelift. Lamiya Bay Beach (or locally Lemiyar Bay) borders the Saddle Peak National Park | National Parks |. This beautiful beach has a stretch of shore covered with shells. At the end of this walk is a refreshing fresh water stream 'Thambu Nali' in the foothills of National Park.

Saddle Peak National Park
Is a dense tropical forest housing a rich bank of exquisite trees, (including sandal), rare flora and wild fruits and offering trekking opportunities including climbing up natural steps formed by the roofs of old trees. Tourists need to take permission from Forest Department to trek through this Park. A 740 feet climb leads to Saddle Peak, the highest point in A&N islands which offers an aerial view of A&N, the second peak "ice degree peak" is the coldest point while the third peak provides a fantastic view spanning Diglipur to Mayabunder.

Tourists
The tourist season in North Andaman [Diglipur] is between the months of November and March in a year. The present tourist inflow in a season is an estimated 1000 only of which ~90% are domestic tourists and the rest foreign nationals. This translates to a low average of 6 tourists per day in season. The average stay period of a foreign tourist is put at 10 days to a fortnight and the same drops to 1-3 days in case of a domestic tourist.The average stay period of a foreign tourist is put at 10 days to a fortnight and the same drops to 1-3 days in case of a domestic tourist.

Power supply
Power supply to this island is from the 5.5 MW hydro electric project of NHPC. The present power supply situation is satisfactory with occasional power cuts due to stabilization problems in the plant. The present capacity is said to be sufficient to meet the power requirements of Diglipur, Mayabunder and Rangat islands. The Kalpong River project has a 34- meter high concrete dam on the left fork of the river Kalpong which is seen in this photograph here, a 25-metre high rock-fill dam on the right fork, 257-metre-long in-take approach channel, and a 133-metre long in-take tunnel.The Kalpong river traverses in the northward direction for a length of about 35 kilometers before it joins the Aerial Bay Creek on the east coast near Diglipur

Water supply
Water supply is from the perennial Kalpong river, the only river in the whole of A&N islands. The water supply situation is satisfactory till date. However, construction of dam for hydro electric project has raised concerns on sustainability of maintaining the present water supply levels.

Healthcare
Almost all the healthcar e delivery is done by Government centers : Community Health Centre : 1 (at Diglipur) Primary Health Centres (PHC) : 3 (Kalighat, KishoriNagar and Radhanagar | One PHC is proposed in Kalipur) Health Sub Centre : 14 Dispensary 1

Local Travel in North Andaman
For local travel STS buses (Govt.) and private buses are available. The public transport services are available between 04:30 hrs. and 19:30 hours. There are also about 45 autos and few jeeps/Omni Vans as an alternative of public transport on the island. Fishermen doongis (locally called donghy, dinghy/machine donghy) are available for inter-island travel. Charges for these doongis have to be negotiated. Doongis may not be to everyone's liking as they are uncomfortable and makes a loud monotonous noise. They are usually open-top and without any life rafts or jackets and therefore unsafe for sea travel as well.The Inter island boat visit to Aerial bay jetty thrice in a week Monday, Wednesday & Saturday from Port Blair Dep 07.00Hrs & Arr 15.15Hrs. Return Tuesday 07.00Hrs, Wed & Sat 21.00Hrs