Fenchuganj Upazila

Fenchuganj Upazila (sylhet district) area 114.09 sq km, located in between 24°38' and 24°45' north latitudes and in between 91°53' and 91°02' east longitudes. It is bounded by sylhet sadar upazila on the north, rajnagar and kulaura upazilas on the south, golapganj upazila on the east, balaganj upazila on the west.

Population Total 104741; male 51077, female 53664; Muslim 93431, Hindu 11296, Christian 6 and others 8.

Water bodies Main rivers: kushiyara; hakaluki Haor, Dhuburia Haor, Baraiya Beel and Tengra Beel are notable.

Administration Fenchuganj Thana was formed in 1907 and it was turned into an upazila in 1980.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	3	29	89	21841	82900	918	45.7	51.7

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
9.92	3	21841	2202	45.7

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Gilachhara 47	10648	15440	16699	44.8
Fenchuganj 23	2612	20843	22018	44.7
Maijgaon 71	4250	14794	14947	64.4

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Ferry ghat of the east india company.

War of Liberation In May 1971, the Pak army shot two gardeners dead on the first gate of the Fenchuganj Fertilizer Factory premises in the upazila. They also shot two laborers dead of the Monipuri Tea Garden. During the War of Liberation Fenchuganj was under Sector 4 under the command of Major CR Dutta and the freedom fighters of the upazila took part in many operations and resistance fights against the Pak army. There is a mass killing site at Kaiyer Warehouse of the upazila; a memorial monument has been built at Gilachhara.

For details: see ফেঞ্চুগঞ্জ উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৬।

Religious institutions Mosque 131, temple 8. Noted religious institutions: Delwar Hossain Jami Mosque.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 50.5%; male 51.2%, female 49.8%. Educational institutions: college 3, secondary school 11, primary school 39, community school 5, kindergarten 9, madrasa 24. Noted educational institutions: Kashim Ali High School (1915), Farida Khatun Girls' School (1962), Hatuvanga Daruls Sunnah Dakhil Madrasa (1962).

Newspapers and periodicals Fenchuganj Samachar (defunct), Fenchuganj Barta.

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 8, shilpakala academy 1, playground 6.

Tourist spots Fenchuganj Fertilizer Factory, Hakaluki Haor,' tea gardens.

Main sources of income Agriculture 34.95%, non-agricultural labourer 9.19%, industry 0.55%, commerce 13.54%, transport and communication 2.37%, service 11.34%, construction 1.24%, religious service 0.35%, rent and remittance 9.13% and others 17.34%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 35.07%, landless 64.93%; agricultural landowner: urban 25.97% and rural 37.37%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, sugarcane, peanut, mustard, lentil, potato.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Tobacco, jute, black gram.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, coconut, litchi, pineapple.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 12, dairy 18, poultry 28.

Communication facilities Pucca road 51 km, mud road 106 km; railway 14 km. Culvert 136, bridge 4.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Fertilizer factory (Fenchuganj Fertilizer Factory), tea factory, power station (Barkatullah Electro Dynamic Limited).'

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, Shital Pati.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 16, fairs 3, most noted of which are Fenchuganj Bazar and Maijgaon Bazar.

Main exports Natural gas, tea, fertilizer, Shital Pati.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 68.8% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Natural resources Natural gas.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 81.0%, tap 12.6%, and others 6.4%.

Sanitation 73.0% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 24.7% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 2.3% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health and family welfare centre 1, satellite clinic 1, family planning centre 3, clinic 7, veterinary hospital 1.

NGO activities brac, asa, VARD. [Jayanta Singh Roy]

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