Jaigaon is a census town in Alipurduar subdivision of Alipurduar district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located on the country’s border with Bhutan. The main overland entrance to Bhutan is through Jaigaon and Bhutan Gate separates the two countries. Phuentsholing is the Bhutan’s nearest city to Jaigaon. Bhutan does not have domestic roads linking to all its towns, so Bhutan uses Indian roads passing through Jaigaon to reach such destinations as Samtse, Gomtu, Nganglam and Samdrup Jongkhar.

Jaigaon is located at 26.83°N 89.38°E.

Jaigaon has a hilly and slopey terrain. The town is situated at the India-Bhutan border with Phuentsholing. There are several streams coming from the uphills and joining the river Toorsa at the downtown. Bagdogra Airport (Siliguri) is the nearest airport, and Kolkata its nearest port, where goods to Bhutan are brought from. Hasimara is the nearest railway station. National Highway 317A in India connects Jaigaon to Hasimara. India offers a free flow of goods from Kolkata port to Bhutan. It lies on the banks of the Torsa River.

Area overview

Alipurduar district is covered by two maps. It is an extensive area in the eastern end of the Dooars in West Bengal. It is undulating country, largely forested, with numerous rivers flowing down from the outer ranges of the Himalayas in Bhutan. It is a predominantly rural area with 79.38% of the population living in the rural areas. The district has 1 municipal town and 20 census towns and that means that 20.62% of the population lives in the urban areas. The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, taken together, form more than half the population in all the six community development blocks in the district. There is a high concentration of tribal people (scheduled tribes) in the three northern blocks of the district.

Jaigaon is in a small valley located near the low-lying hills of the Himalayan mountains. Jaigaon receives an abundant amount of rainfall throughout the year. The outskirts of the city are demarcated by tea gardens. The Torsa River flows at the lower end of the town. High levels of in-migration to Jaigaon from elsewhere in India has caused the environmental conditions of the city to deteriorate. To solve the problem of non-potable drinking water, various bore wells and pump stations operate around the town, adding to the problem of the decreasing water table below the town.