Nabinagar Upazila

Nabinagar Upazila (brahmanbaria district) area 350.32 sq km, located in between 23°45' and 24°00' north latitudes and in between 90°50' and 91°51' east longitudes. It is bounded by brahmanbaria sadar, ashuganj and raipura upazilas on the north, muradnagar upazila on the south, kasba and Brahmanbaria Sadar upazilas on the east, banchharampur and Raipura upazilas on the west.

Population Total 493518; male 230227, female 263291; Muslim 456666, Hindu 36789, Christian 16, Buddhist 11 and others 36.

Water bodies Main rivers: meghna, Pagla, Buri.

Administration Nabinagar Thana was turned into an upazila on 24 March 1983.

Upazila
Municipality Union Mouza Village Population Density (per sq km) Literacy rate (%)
Urban Rural Urban Rural
1 21 155 200 53157 440361 1409 51.2 42.7
Municipality
Area (sq km) Ward Mahalla Population Density (per sq km) Literacy rate (%)
14.14 9 18 53157 3759 51.2
Union
Name of union and GO code Area (acre) Population Literacy rate (%)
Male Female
Ibrahimpur 27 3172 6357 7240 51.7
Krishnanagar 45 5063 14640 16436 31.5
Kaitala Dakshin 40 2645 4976 5897 51.6
Kaitala Uttar 42 2211 7491 9026 40.3
Junedpur 36 3364 9641 11298 48.2
Natghar 58 6476 12415 13675 38.0
Paschim Nabinagar 60 2577 8819 9555 31.3
Purba Nabinagar 62 3252 5935 6402 35.9
Barail 81 2548 9436 10604 39.8
Barikandi 12 3263 8786 9965 43.6
Bitghar (Tiara) 22 3890 12277 14884 46.1
Biddyakut 13 6003 13930 15436 33.4
Birgaon 18 2825 8045 9387 35.3
Ratanpur 72 6292 12159 14544 44.4
Rasullabad 67 3891 8350 10136 56.4
Laur Fatehpur 47 3838 9667 11104 54.2
Shibpur 86 6228 15661 17890 42.8
Shyamgram 88 5659 12926 14506 45.4
Sreerampur 90 3654 8798 10371 45.4
Satmura 83 3512 6958 8274 48.1
Salimganj 75 2298 7617 8847 43.9

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Shahpur Mosque (1876), Munsef Adalat (1884), Dakshin Para Mosque (Ahammadpur), Satidaha memorial Mandir at Biddyakot, Nabinagar Math, abandoned Zamindar Bari, Kameni Bala Debi Ananda Asrama, Natghar Shiva Statue (seventeenth century), Kosti Pathar Bishnu Statue (seventeenth century, Baghaura), Kosti Pathar Bishnu Statue (seventeenth century, Satmura).

War of Liberation Nabinagar was under Sector 2 during the war of liberation. In 1971 about 2400 freedom fighters joined in the War of Liberation and 33 of them were killed. The most notable battlefields of the upazila were Nabinagar Sadar and Yogidhara Bridge of Ibrahimpur. There are mass graves at 3 places (Kharghar, adjacent to North-West corner of the Nabinagar Pilot High School field, South side of Thana Compound at Nabinagar) of the upazila.

For details: see নবীনগর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৫।

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Titaser Khober (2004).

Religious institutions Mosque 547, temple 26. Noted religious institutions: Dakshin Para Mosque (Ahammadpur), Sahapur Mosuqe, Satidaha memorial Mandir at Biddyakut, Hazrat Karim Shah Mazar, Hazrat Wali Shah Mazar, Hazrat Khalek Shah Chishti Mazar, Hazrat Adu Shah Mazar.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 43.6%; male 42.8%, female 44.3%. Educational institutions: college 5, technical education institute 2, secondary school 43, primary school 299, madrasa 588. Noted educational institutions: Nabinagar Government College (1969), Nabinagar Pilot High School (1896), Shyamgram Mohini Kishore High School (1900), Biddyakut Amar High Schoool (1913), Kaitala Jajneswar High School (1918).

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 22, press club 1, shilpakala academy 1, cinema hall 4, playground 25, children organisation 2,' Shilpigosthi 2.

Main sources of income Agriculture 53.51%, non-agricultural labourer 2.41%, industry 0.96, commerce 16.85%, transport and communication 1.56%, service 7.54%, construction 1.40%, religious service 0.33, rent and remittance 8.94% and others 6.50%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 58.95%, landless 41.05%; agricultural landowner: urban 47.38% and rural 60.21%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard, coriander, masur, black gram, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, sesame, linseed, arahar.

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

Communication facilities Pucca road 85 km, semi-pucca road 32 km, mud road 500 km; waterway 104.54 km.

Noted manufactories Saw mill, ice factory.

Cottage industries Blacksmith, potteries, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 51, fairs 10, most noted of which are Nabinagar Bazar, Bungra Bazar, Baishmouza Bazar, Shyamgram Bazar, Shibpur Bazar, Bholachang Bazar, Nabinagar Mela, Bholachang Baishakhi Mela, Baishakhi Mela at Radhanagar, Kali Mela at Shreeghar and Natghar Mela.

Main exports Paddy, jute, coriander, banana, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 66.4% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 95.8%, tap 0.5% and others 3.7%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 78.2% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 19.3% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 2.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 2, upazila health complex 8, health and family welfare centre 14, union family planning centre 5, clinic 20, red cross maternity 1, veterinary hospital 1.

Natural disasters The floods of 1988 and 2004 caused heavy damages to crops and livestock of the upazila. About 2500 people were victims when two passenger motor launches were sunk in the Meghna due to devastating tornado of 1 May 2001.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa. [Md. Abu Baten] ]]

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