Rampal Upazila

Rampal Upazila (bagerhat district) area 335.45 sq km, located in between 22°30' and 22°41' north latitudes and in between 89°32' and 89°48' east longitudes. It is bounded by bagerhat sadar and fakirhat upazilas on the north, mongla and morrelganj upazilas on the south, Morrelganj and Bagerhat Sadar upazilas on the east, batiaghata and dacope upazilas on the west.

Population Total 154965; male 77504, female 77461; Muslim 123250, Hindu 31253, Christian 448, Buddhist 10 and others 4.

Water bodies Main rivers: Daudkhali, Ghasiakhali, pasur, Mongla, Paylahar.

Administration Rampal Thana was formed in 1892 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
-	10	118	134	1720	153245	462	75.9	57.8

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
1.2	1	1720	1433	75.9

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Ujalkur 94	7744	13908	13512	56.4
Gaurambha 41	8250	9414	9380	49.5
Perikhali 71	5225	7063	7452	53.9
Baintala 05	8506	10235	10404	57.5
Banshtali 11	5475	6889	7034	68.7
Bhojpatia 17	5695	4051	4027	64.5
Malliker Ber 53	6671	5120	5228	61.4
Rajnagar 77	5960	5440	5249	57.9
Rampal 83	8895	12166	12110	57.0
Hurka 47	4363	3218	3065	66.8

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation The most memorable and brutal event in Rampal in the history of the War of Liberation is the mass killing by the Pak army at village Dakra of Perikhali union. On 21 May many people of the Hindu community assembled at Dakra Kali Mandir before leaving the area to take shelter in India and save themselves from the tortures by the local razakars and Al Badrs. On this day the razakars, under Rajjab Ali Fakir, conducted a concerted attack from two sides coming by two country boats and taking positions near the Kumarkhali and Madartali Canals of Kaliganj Bazar and killed many people; they also set many houses of on fire. There was a mass killing site at a place on the river bank near the old Dakbanglow. During the War of Liberation razakars used to bring the people captured by them from different areas to this place for beheading them and then dumping their bodies in the river. There was also mass killing at village Doania Belai of Ramphal upazila. Freedom fighters carried out operations at Kalekharber and some other places of the upazila. There are two mass killing sites (one at a place on the river bank near the old Dakbanglow and the other at village Doania Belai) and a mass grave in the upazila; a memorial monument has been built.

For details: see রামপাল উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৯।

Religious institutions Mosque 245, temple 102, church 5. Noted religious institutions: Rampal Jami Mosque, Chaksree Jami Mosque, Gilatala Bazar Jami Mosque, Malliker Ber Jami Mosque, Dakra Kali Mandir, Rampal Durga Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 58.0%; male 59.6%, female 56.4%. Educational institutions: college 3, secondary school 48, primary school 67, kindergarten 6, community school 3, madrasa 45. Noted educational institutions: Rampal Degree College (1968), Gilatala Multilateral High School (1929), Dakra Multilateral High School (1940), Falahat Kamaluddin Secondary School (1937), Perikhali Union Secondary School (1939), Falahat Senior Madrasa (1937), Islamabad Senior Madrasa (1939).

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 26, shilpakala academy 1, auditorium 4.

Main sources of income Agriculture 52.41%, non-agricultural labourer 7.71%, industry 0.79%, commerce 20.71%, transport and communication 3.64%, service 5.26%, construction 1.33%, religious service 0.24%, rent and remittance 0.16% and others 7.75%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 55.59%, landless 44.41%; agricultural landowner: urban 64.13% and rural 55.49%.'

Main crops Paddy, sweet potato, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sugarcane, betel nut.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, papaya, banana, palm, green coconut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 920, dairy 6, poultry 75. Cattle breeding centre 1, shrimp farming 4200.

Communication facilities Pucca road 6442 km, semi-pucca road 96.62 km, mud road 3.77 km; waterway 12 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.

Noted manufactories Auto rice mill, saw mill, oil mill, flour mill, ice factory.

Cottage industries Potteries, jute industry, wood work, cane work, nakshi kantha.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 8, fairs 4, most noted of which are Gilatala Hat, Falahat, Bhaga Hat, Chaksree Hat, Dakra Hat, Kaliganj Hat, Porakhali Hat, Khan Jahan Ali Bazar, Basunti Mela of Thakuran Dighi at Kalekhar Ber, Rash Mela at Jhanjhania, Pagal Chader Mela at Gajikhali and Baruni Mela at Hurka.

Main exports Shrimp, crab.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 31.4% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources The Geological Survey of Bangladesh has initially detected the reserve of natural gas at Joynagar and Kadirkhola.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 78.6%, tap 0.3% and others 21.1%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 73.9% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 22.1% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 4.0% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 1, family planning centre 10.

Natural disasters Many people were victims of the devastating cyclones of 1960, 1970 and 1988. These cyclones also caused heavy damages to settlements, forestry and other properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, caritas. [Moshfequr Rahman]

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