Jamalganj Upazila

Jamalganj Upazila (sunamganj district) area 309.38 sq km, located in between 24°50' and 25°04' north latitudes and in between 91°05' and 91°19' east longitudes. It is bounded by tahirpur and bishwambarpur upazilas on the north, khaliajuri and derai upazilas on the south, sunamganj sadar upazila on the east, mohanganj and dharmapasha upazilas on the west.

Population Total 167260; male 84612, female 82648; Muslim 138819, Hindu 28419, Buddhist 5, Christian 4 and others 17.

Water bodies Main rivers: Nawa Gang, Baulai and Dhanu; Chhatidhara Beel, Aila Beel, Pangna Beel, Khankiajuri Beel are notable.

Administration Jamalganj Thana was formed in 1940 and it was turned into an upazila in 1984.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	5	102	192	10133	157127	541	50.0	31.3

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
5.81	2	10133	1744	50.0

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Jamalganj 67	12449	26141	25463	32.5
Fenarbak 54	26848	19261	18179	26.2
Beheli 13	19790	9681	9639	32.2
Vimkhali 27	9895	16307	16540	34.4
Sachna Bazar 81	7470	13222	12827	38.9

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011,Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Historical events Peasant conference was held in this upazila under the leadership of Karunasindhu Roy in 1937.

War of Liberation On 29 July 1971 Sirajul Islam was killed in an encounter between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Sachna Bazar. The Pak army killed 8 persons at village Telia on 12 August. Jamalganj was liberated on 7 December.

For details: see জামালগঞ্জ উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৪।

Religious institutions Mosque 233, temple 17.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 32.5%; male 34.6%, female 30.2%. Noted educational institutions: Jamalganj Degree College (1985), Jamalganj High School (1948), Vimkhali High School (1958), Alauddin Memorial High School (1967), Nabinchandra High School (1969), Jamalganj Girls' High School (1982), Naogram Austagram Islamia Madrasa (1975).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Vati Bangla, Jamalganjer Dak, Jamalganj Parikrama; periodical: Surma; quarterly: Sphulingo;' literary periodical: Kaler Korotal (1977), Jamalganj Samachar (1985), Bhalobasi Swadesh (1987), Nobojatak (1987), Provat (1990), Oparajito Tarunno (1991), Uttar Projanmo (1992), Dishari (1993), Protidhi (1993), Unmachan (1994), Shahose Jege Otha (1997), Khudrapat Rudrapran (1998), Sreetir Olinde (1998), Purbasha (1998), Roktojhora Fagune (1998), Prerona (1999), Ovipray (2001), Nibedan (2006).

Cultural organisations Library 3, theatre group 1, theatre stage 1, women's organisation 9, samgit parishad 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 73.92%, non-agricultural labourer 5.12%, industry 0.31%, commerce 8.13%, transport and communication 0.45%, service 2.81%, construction 0.44%, religious service 0.24%, rent and remittance 0.84% and others 7.74%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 54.21%, landless 45.79%; agricultural landowner: urban 55.41% and rural 54%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, maize, onion, garlic, chilli, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Tobacco, mustard, jute.

Main fruits Jackfruit, mango, blackberry, banana, papaya.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries This upazila has a number of fisheries, dairies and poultries.

Communication facilities Pucca road 65 km, semi-pucca road 30 km, mud road 150 km; waterway 70 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Flour mill, ice factory.

Cottage industries Bamboo and cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 13, most noted of which are Sachna, Vimkhali, Naogaon, Selimganj and Beheli bazars.

Main exports Fish.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 26.9% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources Sand stone, coal.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.3%, tap 0.3% and others 3.4%.

Sanitation 28.5% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 61.6% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 9.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health centre 1, family planning centre 2, union health centre 1, regional health training centre 1, maternity health care centre 1, satellite clinic 1.

Natural disasters One person died and 30 were wounded in a' tornado in 1987. It also caused heavy damages to settlements and properties of Jamalganj Bazar.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are CARE, BAOPA, Vision 2000. [Golam Mortuza]

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