Dinhata I

Dinhata I is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Dinhata subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Petla, one of the constituent panchayats of the block, is located at 26°08′30″N 89°26′03″E / 26.1417237°N 89.4340324°E / 26.1417237; 89.4340324.

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 Singimari, Dharla and Baniadaha are the major rivers causing floods in the Dinhata I and II CD blocks.

The Dinhata I CD block is bounded by the Tufanganj I and Cooch Behar I CD blocks on the north, the Dinhata II CD block on the east, the Phulbari Upazila in Kurigram District and Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila in Lalmonirhat District of Bangladesh on the south and Sitai CD block on the west.

The Dinhata I CD block has an area of 279.67 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 16 gram panchayats, 220 gram sansads (village councils), 130 mouzas, 128 inhabited villages and 1 census towns. Dinhata police station serves this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Dinhata.

Gram panchayats of Dinhata I block/ panchayat samiti are: Bara Atiabari I, Bara Atiabari II, Bara Soulmari, Bhetaguri I, Bhetaguri II, Dinhata Village I, Dinhata Village II, Gitaldaha I, Gitaldaha II, Gosainmari I, Gasainmari II, Matalhat, Okrabari, Petla, Putimari I and Putimari II.

According to the 2011 Census of India, the Dinhata I CD block had a population of 286,269, of which 281,810 were rural and 4,739 were urban. There were 147,602 (52%) males and 138,667 (48%) females. There were 35,376 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The Scheduled Castes numbered 125,873 (43.97%) and the Scheduled Tribes numbered 1,171 (0.41%).