Singair Upazila

Singair Upazila (manikganj district) area 217.55 sq km, located in between 23°42' and 23°52' north latitudes and in between 90°03' and 90°16' east longitudes. It is bounded by dhamrai and manikganj sadar upazilas on the north, nawabganj (dhaka) upazila on the south, savar and keraniganj upazilas on the east, Manikganj Sadar upazila on the west.

Population Total 287451; male 140834, female 146617; Muslim 270028, Hindu 17380, Christian 35 and others 8.

Water bodies Main rivers: dhaleshwari, Ghazikhali, Kaliganga.

Administration Singair Thana was formed in 1919 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
1	11	138	241	26885	260566	1321	55.8	45.2

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
16.56	9	14	26885	1623	55.8

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Chandhar 25	6782	16206	17538	48.2
Charigram 34	2880	7370	8052	43.7
Joy Mantap 51	4412	13058	13193	42.2
Jamsha 69	5440	9419	10689	48.3
Jamirta 60	4138	11608	12155	44.1
Talibpur 94	4150	6868	7374	45.4
Dhalla 43	5542	18506	17697	42.1
Baldhara 17	6720	14207	14878	48.4
Boyra 08	3679	12027	12326	48.4
Saista 77	5117	13447	13741	39.0
Singair 86	2717	5157	5050	52.2

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Fort at Fordnagar, Neel Kuthi at Boyra, residence of the Datta-Guptas, Ananda Kuthi and Mandir at Baldhara, Sen-bari and Durga-mandap at Baldhara, Imampara Jami Mosque at Baldhara in Paril, Tomb of Ibrahim Shah at Baldhara in Paril, Kalisundari Charitable Dispensary (1895).

War of Liberation On 28 October 1971 a group of more than three hundred Pak-soldiers of Singair Camp proceeded to raid the camp of the freedom fighters at Golaidanga High School on boats. However, getting the information, the freedom fighters left the camp and took position in three groups on the Nurani-Ganga Canal. Having failed to raid the camp the Pak army conducted heavy plundering and burning of the area; they also set on fire about 200 houses of four nearby villages. The Pak army had sacked the villages for about four hours and later headed back towards their camp at Singail. But they were attacked by the freedom fighters on the turn of the Nurani-Ganga Canal in which more than one hundred Pakistani soldiers including a Pak Major were killed. Another encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Boyra while the Pak army proceeded towards Singair from Manjkganj on boat with supplies and came under the ambush of the freedom fighter from both sides of the Dhaleshwari. In this encounter 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed and so was one freedom fighter. A battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the receding Pakistani soldiers on 15 December at village Gajinda of Singair upazila in which the freedom fighters Mohammad Aminur Rahman, Chhakkeluddin, Shariful Islam and Rahijuddin were killed.

For details: see সিঙ্গাইর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ১০।

Religious institutions Mosque 420, temple 35, tomb 10, sacred place 1. Noted religious institutions: Imampara Jami Mosque, Upazila Parisad Jami Mosque, Irta Jami Mosque, Joy Mantap Jami Mosque, Bhum-dakshin Jami Mosque at Dhalla, Shaorail Mandir, Maniknagar Basudev Mandir, Saista Kali Mandir, Boyra Kali Mandir, Saista Hindu Sacred Place, tomb of Ghazi Mulk Ekramul Ibrahim Shah at Paril, tomb of Rajab Shah at Paril, tomb of Zahir Bayati at Kaliakair, tomb of Piyar Pagla at Boyra.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.2%; male 48.3%, female 44.2%. Educational institutions: college 2, secondary school 22, primary school 93, madrasa 16. Noted educational institutions: Singair College (1970), Joy Mantap High School (1929), Jamirta SG Multilateral High School (1921), Singair Pilot High School (1940), Boyra Multilateral High School (1943), Nabagram Multilateral High School (1921), Charigram High School (1948), Shahrail High School (1964), Golaidanga High School (1967), Char Jamalpur Madrasa (1960).

Newspapers and periodicals Dishari, Aloklata, Sheuli, Durbachal, Dawal, Ghazikhali, Chhayapalli, Paril Bartabaha.

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 50, women organisation 1, theatre group 5, theatre stage 1, cinema hall 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 56.84%, non-agricultural labourer 2.55%, industry 0.98%, commerce 14.15%, transport and communication 2.17%, service 8.39%, construction 0.96%, religious service 0.19%, rent and remittance 5.20% and others 8.57%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 52.75%, landless 47.25%; agricultural landowner: urban 45.62% and rural 53.17%.'

Main crops Paddy, wheat, jute, sugarcane, potato, pulse, oil seed, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Nut, arahar, china, dabri, barley, kaun, pea, sesame, tobacco.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, papaya, guava.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 180, dairy 145, poultry 200, hatchery 5.

Communication facilities Pucca road 135 km, semi-pucca road 8 km, mud road 412 km; waterway 45 km.

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

Noted manufactories Bidi factory, candle and agarbati factory, welding factory, brick field, packaging mill, book binding industry.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, weaving, brass and bell metal work, conch work, silk work, wood work, bamboo work, tailoring.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 31, fairs 12, most noted of which are Sirajpur Hat, Boyra Hat, Singair Hat, Charigram Hat, Jamsha Hat, Shaorail Bazar, Natun Bazar, Baldhara Bazar, Maniknagar Bazar, Joy Mantap Bazar, Bairagir Akhra Mela at Singair, Sadhu Ashrama Mela at Jamsha, Chaitra Sankranti and Baisakhi Mela at Shaorail, Siddhabari Mela at Shaorail, Paus Sankranti Mela at Baldhara and Joy Mantap and Pankui Bhitar Mela at Gazikhali.

Main exports Paddy, potato, pulse, oil seed, vegetables, sugarcane molasses, brass and bell metal products, cattle, poultry, milk, papaya, guava, brick.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 57.0% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.2%, tap 1.0% and others 2.8%.

Sanitation 82.1% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 16.0% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, mother and child welfare centre, satellite clinic 1, community clinic 11, family planning centre 10, clinic 1.

Natural disasters Many people of the upazila were victims of the famine of 1943.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa, ITCL. [MA Ramzan]

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