Muksudpur Upazila

Muksudpur Upazila (gopalganj district) area 308.36 sq km, located in between 23°10' and 23°22' north latitudes and in between 89°48' and 90°08' east longitudes. It is bounded by saltha, nagarkanda and bhanga upazilas on the north, gopalganj sadar and kashiani upazilas on the south, Bhanga and rajoir upazilas on the east, Kashiani and boalmari upazilas on the west.

Population Total 289406; male 140956, female 148450; Muslim 209508, Hindu 74557, Christians 5251, Buddhist 48 and others 42.

Water bodies Main rivers: kumar, Dignar; Atadanga Beel, Madhumati Beel Route, Basranter Canal, Batikumar Canal are notable.

Administration Muksudpur Thana, now an upazila, was formed in 1961.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	16	195	255	19711	269695	939	61.8	51.9

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
16.79	9	15	19711	1174	61.8

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Ujani 94	7059	7073	7160	48.4
Kasalia 50	4345	5607	5992	51.6
Khandarpar 55	3404	4870	5172	57.2
Gobindapur 33	6853	11538	12021	60.1
Gohala 39	3929	10332	10948	45.7
Jalirpar 44	3755	10387	10525	62.3
Dignagar 27	6562	12597	13750	44.0
Nanikshir 72	3966	7415	7726	54.5
Pasargati 78	3761	5860	6146	47.8
Bahugram 11	4016	6079	6423	66.1
Banshbaria 16	3237	5554	5900	48.9
Batikamari 22	4084	9083	10069	48.8
Bhabrasur 10	3736	6202	6570	55.0
Maharajpur 61	5086	10912	11377	48.8
Mochna 67	3973	8131	8823	49.4
Raghdi 83	4287	9494	9959	47.0

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Historical events On 24 February 1952 a mourning procession and public meeting were held in Muksudpur upazila in protest of police firing on the student and general public on 21 February 1952 demanding Bengali as the State Language. In 1966 police fired on the anti Ayub procession in which school student Mahananda was killed.

War of Liberation On 22 April 1971 two Pakistani fighter planes fired on Baniarchar killing five local residents and a motor launch was capsized. On 9 August the freedom fighters and the local people jointly launched an attack on Muksudpur Police Station in which 84 members of police and razakars were killed. On 12 October an encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak soldiers and razakars in which 22 Pak soldiers and razakars were killed. Besides, between 12 and 15 December 30 Pak soldiers and 10 razakars were killed in encounters with the freedom fighters near the Dignagar Bridge. Three freedom fighters were martyred in the encounter. Two mass graves have been discovered in Dignagar and Bagati villages of the upazila.

For details: See মুকসুদপুর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৮।

Religious institutions Mosque 400, temple 180, church 15.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 52.5%; male 54.8%, female 50.5%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 43, primary school 200, kindergarten 8, madrasa 18. Noted educational institutions: Muksudpur Degree College (1972), Bangaratna Degree College, Kalinagar High School (1907), Batikamari High School (1921), Saber Mian Jasimuddin Model High School (1928), SJ High School (1935), JKMB Mallick High School (1938), Pilot High School (1939), Khandarpar Union Induhati Haladar High School (1945), Bahugram PC High School (1966), Batikamari Government Primary School (1919), Bangram Islamia Dakhil Madrasa (1925), Dignagar Fazil Madrasa.

Newspapers and periodicals Muksudpur Sangbad (fortnightly).

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 69, cinema hall 2, theatre group 4, cultural' organisation 7, women's organisation 8.

Main sources of income Agriculture 63%, non-agricultural labourer 2.14%, industry 0.53%, commerce 13.05%, transport and communication 1.21%, service 8.90%, construction 2.40%, religious service 0.22%, rent and remittance 0.70% and others 7.85%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 68.27%, landless 31.73%; agricultural landowner: urban 56.71% and rural 69.06%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, mustard, pulse, sugarcane, wheat, betel leaf, onion, sweet potato, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, china, linseed, sesame, motor, gram.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, papaya, coconut, palm, guava, lemon, litchi.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 6, dairy 45, poultry 97, shrimp gher 20 (enclosures for shrimp cultivation), hatchery 2, nursery 11.

Communication facilities Pucca road 103 km, semi-pucca 53 km, mud road 375 km; waterway 20 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.

Noted manufactories Jute mill, flour mill, saw mill, rice mill, oil mill, cotton mill, ice factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith 66, blacksmith 248, potteries 102, embroidery 825, bamboo work 275, wood work 907.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 38, fairs 7, most noted of which are Tengrakhola Hat, Khandarpar Hat, Bangram Hat, Takerhat (Uttarpar), Batikamari Hat, Gohalar Hat, Tengrakhola Mela and Kamlapur Mela.

Main exports Jute, onion, palm molasses, wheat, sweet potato.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 43.0% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources Pit coal has been discovered in the Chandar Beel area of the upazila.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.3%, tap 0.3% and others 3.4%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in 80% shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 83.8% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 13.9% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 2.3% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 13, satellite clinic 6, clinic 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, caritas, asa, World Vision. [Paritosh Haldar]

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