Quetta Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Quetta Town
(Kwatah, locally known as Shal or Shalkot). Capital of the Baluchistan Agency and head-quarters of Quetta- Pishm District, situated in 30 10' N. and 67 i' E., at the northern end of the tahsil of the same name. It is now one of the most desirable stations in Northern India. Quetta is connected with India by the North-Western Railway, being 727 miles from Lahore and 536 from Karachi. It was occupied by the British during the first Afghan War from 1839 to 1842. In 1840 an assault was made on it by the Kakars, and it was unsuccessfully invested by the Brahuis. The present occupation dates from 1876. The place consists of the cantonment on the north, covering about 15 square miles, and the civil town on the south, separated by the Habib Nullah. Population has risen from 18,802 in 1891 to 24,584 in 1901. It includes 3,678 Christians, mainly the European garrison, 10,399 Muhammadans, and 8,678 Hindus. The majority of the remainder are Sikhs. The ordinary garrison comprises three mountain batteries, two companies of garrison artillery, two British and three Native infantry regiments, one regiment of Native cavalry, one company of sappers and miners, and two com- panies of volunteers. The police force employed in the cantonment and town numbers 180.
Municipal taxes have been levied since 1878, but the present muni- cipal system dates from 1896. The income in 1903-4 was 2-2 lakhs, chiefly derived from octroi; and the expenditure was 2-1 lakhs. The committee has obtained loans from Government for carrying out drainage and water-works, of which the unpaid balance on March 31, 1904, amounted to Rs. 31,100. Half of the net octroi receipts is paid over to the cantonment fund. The receipts of this fund, from which the maintenance of the cantonment is piovided, were i-r lakhs in 1903-4, and the expenditure was 1*3 lakhs. Much attention has been paid to sanitation and the prevention of enteric fever, which was at one time common. A piped supply of water for the cantonment, civil station, and railway was completed in 1891 at a cost of about 7^ lakhs, and an additional supply has since been provided for the cantonment at a cost of more than 3^ lakhs. The civil station and town lie some- what low, and nearly ij lakhs has been expended in providing a system of street drainage. The principal buildings are the Residency, the Sandeman Memorial Hall, St. Mary's Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. The civil hospital is well equipped, and the town also possesses a female dispensary, two mission hospitals, a high school, a girls' school, and a European school. A mill for grinding flour and pressing wool and chopped straw has existed since 1887. The Indian Staff College has recently been completed and opened. A feature of the station is the gymkhana ground, with its fine turfed polo and cricket grounds. The trade of Quetta is continually expanding. Imports by rail have increased from 39,200 tons in 1893 to 56,224 tons in 1903, and exports from 5,120 to 13,829 tons.
