Semiliguda (also known as Similiguda) is a small

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in the

Koraput district Koraput is a district of India in southern Odisha, with headquarters at Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse types of mineral deposits and its tribal culture and traditions. Th ...

of the state

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, India. It is a suburb of Sunabeda Municipality. The

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

mainly comprises migrants from other parts of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

though there is a large presence of native Koraputiyas as well.

History

Semiliguda was a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in dense

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, inhabited by the native population of tribals. With the development of the two townships nearby: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in 1968 and

National Aluminium Company National Aluminium Company Limited (abbreviated as NALCO; incorporated in 1981) is a government company having integrated and diversified operations in mining, metal and power under the ownership of the Ministry of Mines and Government of India ...

in 1981, the area witnessed rapid development and commercialization attracting a large number of people to come and set up their businesses here. The early migrants to Semiliguda were relatives of the people who used to work in the nearby townships. However, it soon emerged as an attractive commercial prospect for people as a market for both the townships as well as several small tribal villages in the adjoining area.

The boom of the illegal gemstones business

One of the events that resulted in a drastic economic and population boom of Semiliguda was the boom of the illegal business of gemstones trading in the mid-1990s. The local businessmen collaborated with tribal working in the nearby mines and quarries that yielded catseye. Several local businessmen especially those from the Marwari community who had settled in Semiliguda entered this trade and made a fortune. This trade resulted in a sudden economic boom of the overall area and soon the lifestyle standards as well as the population of the region spiked up.

Present day

Semiliguda has emerged as one of the prominent towns in South

with rapid commercial growth and an increase of migrants from other districts of the state and other neighboring states. While the majority of the population are

Odias The Odia (), formerly spelled Oriya, is an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations in neighboring An ...

, the demography of the region comprises a number of people from various states and ethnicity. A number of colleges including Semiliguda college, Jeevan Jyoti Convent School - an ICSE school and V.S.Vidyalaya - an CBSE SChool along with Samanta Chandrasekhar Institute of Technology and Management - an engineering college have been established to provide higher education to the people. With several amenities and huge business opportunities, Semiliguda is a potential hub for South Odisha and its tribal population. The area has already seen growth of modern amenities like multiplex screens and shopping malls.

Naxalism

Semiliguda has been a

victim Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to: People * Crime victim * Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis Films and television * ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by t ...

of the Naxalism, with several incidents of business men being killed, or threatened for

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

, by the Naxals. Such

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

has resulted in a slowing of development in Semiliguda. The situation in Semiliguda went worse by the mid 2000s, however, it got much better with the central government's crackdown on Naxalites. The town returned to normalcy by early 2010s and has seen a huge increase in economic activity, business and land prices since then.

Places around Semiliguda

Places around Semiliguda like Dudhari, Pakjhola,

Deomali Deomali is a census town in Tirap district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The small sub-divisional town has scenic beauty and is surrounded by hills, tea gardens, forests and rivers. Geography Deomali is located at 27.15857'N 95. ...

and Machkund are known for their natural environment and beauty. It is in the main NH linking from Raipur in

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

in Andhra.

Famous people of Semiliguda

Jayaram Pangi Jayaram Pangi (born 16 August 1955) is an Indian politician of Biju Janata Dal. He was a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the Koraput (Lok Sabha constituency). On 9 May 2017 he left BJD and joined hands with Bharatiya Janta Party. ...

– Shri Jayaram Pangi has been one of the eminent politicians staying in the Kundli block of Semiliguda and has held several ministries in Government Of Odisha. He has held several portfolios including Minister of State for Agriculture, Minister of State for Cooperation and Minister of State, Excise (Ind. charge). * Pitam Padhi – Belonging to the Pakjhola block of Semiliguda, Pitam Padhi serves as the current representative in the

Odisha Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises 147 Members of Legislative Ass ...

. * Krushna Singh – An eminent leader of the Sarvodaya leader, Krushna Singh played a key role in establishing the Samanta Chandrasekhar Institute of Technology and Management. * Bishnu N Singh – Born and brought in Semiliguda, Bishnu Narayan Singh is the first person from Semiliguda to hold a professional mass communication degree. He was a gold medalist at the Amity University. He is one of the renowned motorbikers of India known for accomplishing several motorcycle rides in the Himalayan terrain. * Anupriya Lakra – Belonging to the nearby

Malkangiri Malkangiri historically known as 'Malikamardhangiri' is a town and a Municipality in Malkangiri district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Malkangiri district. Malkangiri is the new home of the East Pakistani refugee ...

district, Anupriya Lakra received her education and spent her childhood in Semiliguda. She became the first woman pilot from Odisha's tribal region.

References

{{Koraput district Cities and towns in Koraput district