Khetlal Upazila

Khetlal Upazila (joypurhat district) area 142.61 sq km, located in between 24°56' and 25°08' north latitudes and in between 89°02' and 89°12' east longitudes. It is bounded by joypurhat sadar upazila on the north, akkelpur and dhupchanchia upazilas on the south, kalai and shibganj upazilas on the east, Joypurhat Sadar and Akkelpur upazilas on the west.

Population Total 108326; male 54214, female 54112; Muslim 98748, Hindu 9370, Buddhist 1, Christian 68 and others 139. Indigenous communities such as santal and oraon belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: Tulsiganga, Harabati.

Administration Khetlal Thana was formed in 1847 and it was turned into an upazila on 3 July 1983. Khetlal Municipality was declared on 9 December 2010.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	5	88	155	11711	96615	760	59.4	52.8

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
9.43	1	11711	1242	59.4

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Alampur 15	7336	10504	10695	50.1
Khetlal Sadar 47	3505	11064	10812	56.0
Baratara 19	7643	13074	13169	51.6
Barail 28	4628	8999	9195	57.1
Mamudpur 57	7709	10573	10241	53.4

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation In the month of November 1971 a battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at village Baruil in which a number of Pak soldiers were killed or wounded. Another encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at a place behind Shahi Jami Mosque of Hinda Kasba in which a number of Pak soldiers were killed or wounded. Besides, during the war of liberation the Pak army brutally killed three innocent persons of the upazila.

For details: see ক্ষেতলাল উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ২।

Religious institutions Mosque 276, temple 6, sacred place 1. Noted religious institutions: Hinda Kasba Shahi Jami Mosque (Barail).

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 53.5%; male 57.7%, female 49.2%. Educational institutions: college 2, secondary school 20, technical institute 2, primary school 41, kindergarten 2, madrasa 14. Noted Educational institutions: Khetlal Pilot High School (1942).

Cultural organisations Library 2, club 21, cinema hall 1.

Tourists spot Achhranga Beel (Khetlal).

Main sources of income Agriculture 77.60%, non-agricultural labourer 1.31%, commerce 8.28%, transport and communication 4.68%, service 3.07%, construction 0.79%, religious service 0.16%, rent and remittance 0.21% and others 3.90%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 64.85%, landless 35.15%; agricultural landowner: urban 57.69% and rural 65.67%.'

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, mustard.

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

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 75, poultry 79.

Communication facilities Pucca road 80 km, semi-pucca road 25 km, mud road 264 km.

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

Noted manufactories Ice factory, cold storage.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, wood work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 11, fairs 2, most noted of which are Itakhola Hat, Hop Hat, Khetlal Hat, Battali Hat, Poamari, Fuldighi Hat, Madhupukur Hat and Pathanpara Hat and Sannayastali Mela.

Main exports Potato, paddy.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 59.8% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.6%, tap 0.4% and others 3.0%.

Sanitation 32.1% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 37.1% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 30.8% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health and family welfare centre 3, growth centre 4, community clinic 18.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, CARE. [Shahnaz Parveen]

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