Morrelganj Upazila

Morrelganj Upazila (bagerhat district) area 460.91 sq km, located in between 22°20' and 22°37' north latitudes and in between 89°42' and 89°54' east longitudes. It is bounded by kachua (bagerhat) and bagerhat sadar upazilas on the north, sarankhola and mathbaria upazilas on the south, pirojpur sadar and zianagar upazilas on the east, rampal and mongla upazilas on the west.

Population Total '349551; male 178676, female 170875; Muslim 309650, Hindu 39811, Buddhist 28 and others 62.

Water bodies Main rivers: Baleshwari, Ghasiakhali, Panguchhi, Bhola, Balbunia.

Administration Morrelganj Thana was formed in 1909 and it was turned into an upazila in 1985.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	16	121	181	27352	322199	758	68.9	61.8

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
6.00	9	12	21718	3620	71.3

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
7.23	1	5634	779	59.6

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Khuolia 59	10374	16431	15922	57.13
Chingrakhali 29	5497	9599	9565	68.98
Jiudhara 53	12418	13336	12372	62.81
Teligati 95	4901	6836	6720	68.68
Daibagnyahati 35	5160	9868	9635	60.49
Nishanbaria 71	12002	14819	14775	57.76
Panchakaran 77	6949	10945	10530	62.69
Putikhali 83	5521	9857	9574	64.87
Banagram 17	4335	6632	6225	58.64
Balaibunia 11	4050	9205	8394	65.23
Baharbunia 10	7708	11071	10721	63.11
Baraikhali 23	7228	12658	12195	69.64
Morrelganj 65	4720	7096	6662	53.93
Ramchandrapur 89	6102	10507	9344	61.35
Hogla Pasha 47	4414	6986	6271	59.95
Hoglabunia 41	7252	11387	11695	54.44

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Morrelganj Kuthi Bari (1849), Lakshmikhali Asrama, Rajbari at Banagram.'

Historical events During the British rule in India Henry Morrel established a Neelkuthi in this upazila and conducted heavy torture on the indigo planters. In protest, peasant movements began under peasant leader Rahimullah of Baraikhali. As the consequence Rahimullah was killed on 25 November 1861. Atthe end of May of 1971 the Pak army conducted mass killing at Morrelganj Bazar. On this day the Pak army and local razakars arriving from Bagerhat by motor launch surrounded the whole bazar and killed a lot of people by firing. Besides, during the war of liberation the Pak army set many houses of the upazila on fire and burnt many people to death.

Marks of the War of Liberation Martyrs' Memorial monument 1.

Religious institutions Mosque 618, temple 65. Noted religious institutions: Town Jami Mosque, Badshah Hat Jami Mosque, Sardarpara Jami Mosque, Hawladar Danga Jami Mosque, Shree Shree Kali Mandir, Thakur Kachari Temple, Daibagnyahati Shitala Temple.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 62.3%; male 63.8%, female 60.8%. Educational institutions: college 8, secondary school 63, primary school 302, madrasa 63. Noted educational institutions: SM College (1968), Salimabad College (1990), Banagram Century Institution (1901), Daibagnyahati Bisheshor Multilateral Secondary School (1915), Chingrakhali Secondary School (1920), AC Laha Pilot High School (1924), Kachuabunia Rahmatia Secondary School (1927).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Royal Bengal (defunct), Panguchhi (irregular), Mouchak, fortnightly: Morrelganj Barta, periodical: Mojlum, Morrelganj Porikroma, Prokash, Basundhara, Projapati (Shishu-Kishore Patrika).

Cultural organisations Library 8, press club 1, theatre 2, jatra party 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 56.77%, non-agricultural labourer 5.81%, industry 0.91%, commerce 15.32%, transport and communication 2.13%, service 8.10%, construction 1.22%, religious service 0.28%, rent and remittance 0.49% and others 8.97%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 57.45%, landless 42.55%; agricultural landowner: urban 39.78% and rural 58.89%.'

Main crops Paddy, potato, sugarcane, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sweet potato.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, jackfruit, guava, palm, coconut, banana.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 960, dairy 8, poultry 13, hatchery 1.

Communication facilities Pucca road 25 km, semi-pucca road 110 km, mud road 722 km; waterway 19.44 nautical miles.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.

Noted manufactories Ice factory, saw mill, rice mill, welding factory, brick-field.

Cottage industries Embroidery, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 31, fairs 4, most noted of which are Morrelganj Hat, Daibagnyahati Hat, Polerhat Hat, Dewatala Hat, Lakshmikhali Hat, Kalachand Aulia Mela, Lakshmikhali Gopal Sadhu Mela, Sanki Bhanga Baishakhi Mela and Polerhat Ahmed Chad Mela.

Main exports Prawn, coconut, banana.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 13.85% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 31.12%, tap 2.71%, pond 64.11% and others 2.06%.

Sanitation 29.48% (rural 30.57% and urban 16.02%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 64.60% (rural 63.35% and urban 79.94%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 5.92% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 1, union health and family planning centre 16, clinic 6, veterinary hospital 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa, Uddipan. [Md. Shibbir Ahmed]

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