Kendua Upazila

Kendua Upazila (netrokona district) area 303.59 sq km, located in between 24°34' and 24°48' north latitudes and in between 90°41' and 90°54' east longitudes. It is bounded by netrokona sadar and atpara upazilas on the north, nandail and tarail upazilas on the south, madan upazila on the east, Nandail, ishwarganj and gauripur upazilas on the west.

Population Total 304729; male 150057, female 154672; Muslim 293014, Hindu 11332, Buddhist 1 and Christian 10, others 372.

Water bodies Main rivers: Baruni, Patkura, Sata; Bainpur, Kila and Chikni' beels are notable.

Administration Kendua Thana was formed 1890 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	13	217	289	22363	282366	1004	53.4	36.3

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
10.64	9	32	22363	2102	53.4

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Asujia 11	5669	9275	9414	38.3
Kandiura 47	4281	7746	7919	34.6
Garadoba 33	6257	11697	12062	38.4
Ganda 40	4325	10394	10804	40.5
Chirang 20	5195	10742	10920	36.4
Dalpa 27	5459	10025	10316	41.2
Noapara 74	5311	9340	9529	32.3
Paikura 81	6251	11801	12233	35.0
Balaishimul 13	7154	11371	11542	39.7
Roailbari 88	5911	12443	13026	34.2
Mashka 61	5093	10545	11283	35.6
Muzaffarpur 67	6399	12265	12559	29.3
Sandikona 94	5101	11210	11905	36.7

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Roailbari Jalal Mosque, Ancient Fort (Roailbari union), Kali Mandir and Dighi at Danachapuri, Jafarpur Khoaj Mosque.

War of Liberation In August 1971 the freedom fighters raided the Kendua Police Station and captured a huge amount of arms and ammunitions. On 13 November the freedom fighters captured 12 rifles and arrested 8 razakars from Boser Bazar area of Kendua. On 20 November the freedom fighter attacked the Pak military camp located on the Patkura Bridge and killed a number of razakars; in this incident one freedom fighter was also killed.

For details: see কেন্দুয়া উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ২।

Religious institutions Mosque 390, temple 12, sacred place 2.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 37.6%; male 39.1%, female 36.1%. Noted educational institutions: Kendua Degree College (1969), Kendua Joyhori Pilot High School (1832), Asujia JNC High School (1916), Noapara High School (1918), Sandikona Higher Secondary School (1922), Bekhurati Narendakanta High School (1922), Rowshan Ijdani Academy (1965), Janata High School (1965), Ganda Bilateral High School (1968), Gagda High School (1969), Majlishpur High School (1963).

Newspapers and periodicals Desher Dak, Nabanur (defunct).

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 20, women's organisation 1, playground 12.

Main sources of income Agriculture 74.19%, non-agricultural labourer 3.12%, industry 0.54%, commerce 8.66%, transport and communication 2.36%, service 3.79%, construction 0.89%, religious service 0.26%, rent and remittance 0.16% and others 6.03%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 62.21%, landless 37.79%.

Main crops Paddy, potato, wheat, mustard, tobacco, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, sesame, sweet potato, kalai, green peas, arahar.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, jackfruit, litchi, banana, palm, olive, papaya.

Communication facilities Pucca road 82 km, semi-pucca road 1 km, mud road 536 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Flour mill, ice factory, bakery, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, embroidery, bamboo work, wood work, bidi factory.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 25, fairs 5, most noted of which are Roail Bari Bazar, Chirang Bazar, Rayer Bazar, Basur Bazar, Bakurhati Bazar, Sathie Mela, Boirati Mela, Austami Snan Lokoj Mela and' Kendua Mela.

Main exports Mustard, banana, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 27.9% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 92.9%, tap 0.4% and others 6.7%. The presence of tolerable level of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 37.3% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 40.4% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 22.3% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health centre 2, satellite clinic 3, health and family welfare centre 13.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, caritas. [Md Abul Hasem Khan]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Kendua Upazila 2007.