Khaliajuri Upazila

Khaliajuri Upazila (netrokona district) area 297.63 sq km, located in between 24°36' and 24°50' north latitudes and in between 90°00' and 90°16' east longitudes. It is bounded by mohanganj and jamalganj upazilas on the north, itna upazila on the south, sulla and derai upazilas on the east, madan upazila on the west.

Population Total 97450; male 49795, female 47655; Muslim 64733, Hindu 32683, Christian 16 and others 18.

Water bodies Main rivers: Dhanu, Piyain, Surma, Chinai; Ruksi, Rahul, Pagla, Keuria and Dharaj beels are notable.

Administration Khaliajuri Thana was formed in 1906 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
-	6	68	75	6193	91257	327	29.0	30.5

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
18.21	1	6193	340	29.0

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Krishnapur 54	7053	7391	7057	30.4
Khaliajuri 40	11621	7755	7084	28.5
Chakua 13	11965	6115	5718	23.7
Gazipur 27	18988	11635	11097	33.2
Nagar 81	9618	4697	4731	36.9
Mendipur 67	14301	12202	11968	29.6

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation Freedom fighters did not have any encounter with Pak army in the upazila but the Pak army was not able to establish any camp in the area. Four freedom fighters of the upazila were killed in the fight against Paki army in other areas outside the upazila.

For details: see Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation, Bangla Version, Vol. 3), Khaliajuri upazila.

Religious institutions Mosque 40, temple 17, tomb 5.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 30.4%; male 32.2%, female 28.5%. Noted educational institutions: Saldigha GG High School (1954), Khaliajuri High School (1967), Kutubpur High School (1964).

Newspapers and periodicals Literary periodical 'Dhanu' (defunct).

Cultural organisations Club 12, library 1, women organisation 92, playground 5.

Main sources of income Agriculture 80.59%, non-agricultural labourer 3.79%, industry 0.19%, commerce 6.16%, transport and communication 0.13%, service 2.18%, construction 0.35%, religious service 0.20%, rent and remittance 0.09% and others 6.32%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 58.55%, landless 41.45%; agricultural landowner: urban 51.41% and rural 59.19%.

Main crops Paddy.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, linseed, mustard, kaun.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, coconut, banana, papaya.

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

Communication facilities Pucca road 24.59 km, semi-pucca road 119.02 km, mud road 187.07 km; waterway 60 km.

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

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, embroidery, bamboo and wood work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 7, most noted of which are Lepsia, Khaliajuri, Krishnapur and Trimohoni bazars; Chaitra Samkranti Mela at Barantar village.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 35.6% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 81.3% and others 18.7%. The presence of intolerable level of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 23.4% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 59.6% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 17.0% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, palli satellite clinic 1, family welfare centre 1, dispensary 1, hospital 1.

Natural disasters The floods of 1988 and 1996 caused heavy damages to livestock and other properties of the upazila.'

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are proshika, Concern Bangladesh, Khaliajuri Palli Unnayan Federation. [Jiban Kumar Chanda]

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