Kalkini Upazila
Kalkini Upazila (madaripur district) area 279.98 sq km, located in between 23°00' and 23°10' north latitudes and in between 90°06' and 90°21' east longitudes. It is bounded by madaripur sadar and shariatpur sadar upazilas on the north, gaurnadi upazilas on the south, gosairhat, muladi and damudya upazilas on the east, kotalipara and Gaurnadi upazilas on the west.
Population Total 271796; male 137558, female 134238; Muslim 236625, Hindu 34443, Buddhist 683 and others 45.
Water bodies Main rivers: arial khan, Ghagar and Tarki.
Administration Kalkini Thana was formed in 1909 and it was turned into an upazila on 1 February 1984.
| Upazila | ||||||||
| Municipality | Union | Mouza | Village | Population | Density (per sq km) | Literacy rate (%) | ||
| Urban | Rural | Urban | Rural | |||||
|
1 |
14 |
160 |
163 |
38494 |
233298 |
971 |
48.6 |
44.6 |
| Municipality | ||||||||
|
Area (sq km) |
Ward |
Mahalla |
Population |
Density (per sq km) |
Literacy rate (%) | |||
|
27.79 |
9 |
38 |
38498 |
1385 |
48.55 | |||
| Union | ||||
| Name of union and GO code | Area (acre) | Population | Literacy rate (%) | |
| Male | Female | |||
|
Alinagar 11 |
5520 |
7598 |
7535 |
38.22 |
|
Enayetnagar 37 |
6163 |
12824 |
12654 |
41.95 |
|
Kayaria 56 |
5183 |
8306 |
8363 |
49.62 |
|
Kazibakai 63 |
2581 |
5774 |
5523 |
44.17 |
|
Gopalpur 44 |
2200 |
4205 |
3885 |
46.32 |
|
Char Daulatkhan 25 |
2924 |
6531 |
6348 |
45.93 |
|
Dasar 31 |
3968 |
7351 |
7387 |
50.21 |
|
Nabagram 75 |
4801 |
7359 |
6456 |
62.95 |
|
Banshgari 18 |
6434 |
10637 |
10270 |
41.68 |
|
Baligram 12 |
5754 |
12154 |
11370 |
37.64 |
|
Ramjanpur 82 |
4818 |
9702 |
9540 |
53.34 |
|
Lakshmipur 69 |
4926 |
10070 |
9773 |
32.10 |
|
Shikarmangal 94 |
3757 |
5572 |
5736 |
39.79 |
|
Sahebrampur 88 |
5668 |
9985 |
10390 |
47.75 |
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Archaeological heritage and relics Three domed Mosque of Miabari at Gopalpur (1869); Godadhardi Shiva Mandir at Alinagar, Durga Mandir, Pancha-Ratna Mandir at Char Fatehpur (1924), Senapati Dighi (Mughal period).
History of the War of Liberation During the war of liberation in 1971 Freedom Fighter Anil Chandra Mallick was killed in an encounter with the Pak army. Besides, the Pak army conducted heavy plundering and genocide in different villages of the upazila. They also set many houses of the upazila on fire.
Religious institutions Mosque 831, temple 7.
Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 45.24%; male 49.58%, female 40.88%. Noted educational institutions: Sahebrampur Kabi Nazrul Islam College (1972), Kalkini Sayed Abul Hossain College (1972), Shashikar Shahid Smriti College (1973), Sheikh Hasina Academy and Womens College (1995), Kalinagar High School (1904), Mahishmari Girls' High School (1918), Bir Mohan High School (1919), Nabagram High School (1943), Shashikar High School (1943), Kalkini Pilot High School (1946), Sahebrampur Multilateral High School (1946), Khaser Hat High School (1960), Samitir Hat' High School (1964), Gopalpur High School (1970), Snanghata High School (1970), Darsana High School (1973), Shashikar Girls' High School (1982).
Newspapers and periodicals Defunct: Balaranjika (1863).
Cultural organisations Library 6, club 60,' sport club 4, women organisation 3, cinema hall 3.
Main sources of income Agriculture 70.23%, non-agricultural labourer 2.78%, industry 0.48%, commerce 9.80%, transport and communication 1.49%, service 7.12%, construction 1.50%, religious service 0.27%, rent and remittance 1% and others 5.33%.
Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 75.11%, landless 24.89%; agricultural landowner: urban 63.32% and rural 77.10%.
Main crops Paddy, jute, sugarcane, mustard, pulse, wheat, sweet potato.
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Betel leaf, water-melon, bangi.
Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, papaya, coconut, banana, date.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries This upazila has a number of fisheries, dairies and poultries.
Communication facilities Pucca road 31 km, semi-pucca road 41 km, mud road 342 km.
Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage.
Cottage industries Blacksmith, potteries, mat works, wood works, embroidery, cane works, date molasses workshop.
Hats, bazars and fairs Kalkini Hat, Maidan Hat, Sahebrampur Hat, Khaser Hat, Phasiatala Hat, Lakshmipur Hat, Jurgaon Hat, Mia Hat, Shashikar Hat, Dasar Bazar, Shashikar Mela (Chhiabhangar Dashohara Mela) and Baishakhi Mela are notable.
Main exports Jute, jute goods, date and sugarcane molasses.
Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 33.96% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.
Sources of drinking water Tube-well 89.95%, tap 0.20%, pond 4.07% and others 5.78%. The presence of intolerable level of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila. Sanitation 20.73% (urban 16.15% and rural 21.50%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 67.65% (urban 77.44% and rural 66%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 11.62% of households do not have latrine facilities.
Health centres Hospital 1, union family planning centre 10, clinic 2.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, Swanirvar Bangladesh. [Rashimul Haq]
References Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Field report of Kalkini Upazila 2007.
