| Badarganj Upazila (rangpur
district) with an area of 301.29 sq km is bounded by taraganj,
rangpur sadar
and saidpur
upazilas on the north, nawabganj
upazila on the south, Rangpur sadar and mithapukur
upazilas on the east, parbatipur
upazila on the west. Main rivers are Jamuneshwari, Chirnai, Katgara and
Chikli; main depressions are Bhelakoba, Nandair, Chaprar, Haribhanga beels.
Badarganj (Town) a municipal town, consists of 9 wards
and 12 mahallas. The area of the town is 21.88 sq km. The town has a population
of 24356; male 51.88%, female 48.12%. Literacy rate among the town people
is 31.1%. The town is well known for rice and paddy trade.
Administration Badarganj thana was established in 1905
and was turned into an upazila in 1983. The upazila consists of one municipality,
9 wards, 12 Mahallas, 10 union parishads, 64 mouzas, 119 villages.
Archaeological heritage and relics Nine-domed Mosque
at Lal Dighir Par of Radhanagar union, tomb of Kutub Shah at Kutubpur
union, Bakhtyar Danga, Vhim Garh at Mansinghapur, Madai Khamar, Zamindar
Bari at Dilalpur.
Historical events Tradition goes that Badarganj is named
after the mystic-saint Hazrat Badaruddin Shah (R). His tomb is located
at the centre of the town. Having conquered Bengal, Turk Commander Ikhtyr
Uddin Muhammad Bin Bakhtyr Khilji stopped over at Bakhtyr Danga during
his invasion of Tibet in 1203 AD to fed his horses. Bakhtyr Danga is named
after this.
Marks of the War of Liberation Mass killing site 2 (Jharuar
Beel and Padmapukur).
Religious institutions Mosque 315, temple 32, church
6, sacred place 1.
Population 213431; male 51.28%, female 48.72%; Muslim
86.98%, Hindu 11.96% and others 1.06%; ethnic nationals: considerable
number of Oraon and Santal population.
Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy
23.9%; male 31.1%, female 16.2%. Educational institutions: college 8,
high school 33, madrasa 22, government primary school 82, non-government
primary school 9.
Cultural organisations Library 1, cinema hall 2, theatre
group 6, theatre stage 1, literary society 2, women's organisation 3.
Main occupations Agriculture 43.49%, agricultural labourer
32.42%, wage labourer 2.16%, commerce 10.02%, service 3.76%, others 8.15%.
Land use Total cultivable land 23238 hectares; fallow
land 72 hectares, single crop 10.66%, double crop 60.09%, treble crop
29.25%; land under irrigation 60%.
Land control Among the peasants 30% are landless, 30%
small, 25% intermediate, 15% rich.
Value of land The market value of the land of the first
grade is approximately Tk 6200 per 0.01 hectare.
Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, onion, garlic,
brinjal, patal.
Extinct or nearly extinct crops Linseed, sesame, tobacco,
pulses, kaun.
Main fruits Mango, black berry, ata (custard-apple),
jamrul, banana.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 30, poultry
23, hatchery 5.
Communication facilities Roads: pucca 13 km, semi pucca
21 km and mud road 866 km; waterways: 16 nautical mile; Railways 16.6
km.
Traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock
cart. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.
Manufactories Sugar mill 1, distilleries 1, rice mill
139, ice cream factory 1, welding and steel works 15.
Cottage industries Badarganj is famous for the production
of shataranchi (a kind of tapestry). Other cottage industries of the upazila
include bamboo work 159, weaving 15, goldsmith 8, blacksmith 12, potteries
20, wood work 40, tailoring 30, bidi 70.
Hats, bazars and fairs Total number of hats and bazars
are 16, most noted of which are Badarganj, Laldighi, Kutubpur, Bagmara,
Faridpur, Bakshmiganj, Bagarganj, Mominpur hat; noted fairs are Bakshmiganj
and Badarganj.
Main exports Jute, paddy, wheat, onion, garlic, mango,
patal sugar, spirit.
NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac,
asa,
grameen bank,
RDRS, Seba, Grambikash.
Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health
and family welfare centre 10, health centre 1. [Md Abdus Sattar] |
