Palashbari Upazila

Palashbari Upazila (gaibandha district) area of 185.24 sq km, located in between 25°11' and 25°19' north latitudes and in between 89°16' and 89°32' east longitudes. It is bounded by pirganj (rangpur), sadullapur and gaibandha sadar upazilas on the north, gobindaganj upazila on the south, Gaibandha Sadar and saghatta upazilas on the east, ghoraghat upazila on the west.

Population Total 244792; male 120007, female 124785; Muslim 229030, Hindu 15640, Buddhist 4, Christian 53 and others 65.

Water bodies Main rivers: karatoya, Moricha, Nalua.

Administration Palashbari Thana was formed on 15 March 1937 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
-	9	160	160	22659	222133	1321	54.90 (2001)	37.4 (2001)

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
6.63	8	22659	3418	54.90 (2001)

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%) (2001)
		Male	Female
Kishoregari 47	8445	17424	17390	33.95
Pabnapur 76	4145	9914	10751	36.40
Palashbari 85	3734	17918	18113	48.98
Barisal 13	5206	13539	13983	33.16
Betkapa 19	5029	13599	14589	43.32
Manoharpur 66	5045	11771	12867	38.86
Mohadipur 57	5034	15919	16733	42.57
Harinathpur 28	3225	8370	8733	32.35
Hossainpur 38	5911	11553	11626	34.53

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation The local people of Palashbari upazila barricaded the Rangpur-Bogra road consequent upon hearing the historic seventh march address of Bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman at the Ramna Race Course. In retaliation, the Pak army opened fire in Palashbari Hat in which one person was killed. The Pak army had later set many houses of nearby villages on fire. During the war of liberation the Pak army established camp in the Divisional Office of the Roads and Highways department, abducted many people to the camp and tortured them to death. Freedom fighters of the upazila had an encounter with Pak army at Palashbari on 29 March 1971 and 21 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the encounter, 4 freedom fighters were martyred. 11 freedom fighters were martyred in another such encounter on 17 April. Palashbari upazila was liberated on 10 December. There are mass graves at two places (Kashiabari and Boiri Harinmari) and a mass killing site (beside to the Divisional Office of Roads and Highways department) in the upazila; one memorial plate was built at Jafar-Munglishpur.

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

Religious institutions Mosque 298, temple 13. Noted religious institutions: Palashbari Jami Mosque, Kalibari Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 47.6%; male 51.4%, female 44.0%. Educational institutions: college 9, technical college 2, secondary school 40, primary school 178, community primary school 33, madrasa 69. Noted educational institutions: Palashbari Government College (1964), Palashbari SM Pilot High School (1911), Basudebpur Chandra Kishore School and College (1917), Roushanbag High School (1926).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Palash; weekly: Anar;' monthly: Anirban.

Amusement centres' Dreamland Picnic Spot.

Main sources of income Agriculture 64.30%, non-agricultural labourer 1.95%, industry 1.15%, commerce 12.87%, transport and communication 6.24%, service 5.96%, construction 1.38%, religious service 0.17%, rent and remittance 0.15% and others 5.83%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 57.82%, landless 42.18%; agricultural landowner: urban 52.33% and rural 58.30%.'

Main crops Potato, maize, sugarcane, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Aus paddy, kaun, sweet potato, arahar.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, jackfruit, banana, papaya, watermelon.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 57, poultry 44.

Communication facilities Pucca road 105.07 km, semi-pucca road 3.01 km, mud road 531.63 km; waterway 10 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Ice factory, brick-field, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, bidi factory, wood work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 14, fairs 9, most noted of which are Mather Hat, Kalibari Hat, Amlagachhi Hat, Kalibari Puja Mela, Rishighat Snan Mela, Palashbari Chaitra Samkaranti Mela and Sakoa Baruni Mela.

Main exports Leather, banana, vegetables.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 30.7% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.2%, tap 0.6% and others 3.2%.

Sanitation 28.0% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 43.2% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 28.8% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 5, family planning centre 9, cattle breeding sub centre 2.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, proshika, HEED Bangladesh, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha, Nijera Kari. [Asma Parveen]

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