Polash Upazila HQ

 industrial area, township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division

Palash Upazila (Narsingdi district) with an area of 94.43 sq km, is bounded by Shibpur and Kaliganj (Gazipur) on the north, Rupganj and Narsingdi sadar upazilas on the south, Shibpur and Narsingdi Sadar upazilas on the east and Kaliganj upazila (Gazipur) and Kapasia on the west. Main river is Shitalakshya.

The geographic coordinates of Palash town are 23.9736792N 90.6379396E degree. Palash (Town) consists of 9 wards and 7 mahallas. Its area is 10.19 sq km. The town has a population of 59998; male 53.87%, female 46.13%; population density is 5888 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 47.2%.

Palash thana, now an upazila, was established in 1977. The upazila consists of 5 union parishads, 64 mouzas and 98 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics Parulia Mosque (1716), tomb of Dewan Sharif, Mian-bari Mosque at Ghorashal and Kathunath Temple at Danga (c seventeenth century).

As of 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 174040; male 53.40%, female 46.60%; Muslim 87%, Hindu 12.55%, Christian 0.08%, Buddhist 0.07% and others 0.30%.

Religious institutions Mosque 218, temple 14, tomb 2.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 44.9%; male 56.4% and female 30.3%. Educational institutions: college 6, high school 25, madrasa 151, government primary school 47, non-government primary school 12. Noted institutions: Charsindur High School (1919), Ghorashal High School (1945), Parulia High School (1933), Danga High School, Gayeshpur PL High School.

Main occupations Agriculture 27.48%, agricultural labourer 10.67%, wage labourer 3.14%, commerce 13.57%, service 29.28%, handloom 2.31%, transport 1.97% and others 9.8%.

Land use Cultivable land 6581 hectares; fallow land 1432 hectares; single crop 13%, double crop 72% and treble crop land 15%; cultivable land under irrigation 45%.

Land control Among the peasants 22% are landless, 30% are marginal, 32% small, 13% intermediate and 3% rich; cultivable land per head 0.04 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Fishery 5, poultry 57, dairy 35, nursery 1.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 40 km, semi pucca 8 km and mud road 152 km; waterways 8 nautical mile; railways 7 km.

Manufactories Sugar mill 1, fertiliser factory 2, jute mill 5, food processing mill 1, paper mill 1 and power station 1.

Cottage industries Loom 1127, blacksmith 26, potteries 19, bamboo and cane work 273, oil grinding 36, jute and cotton work 465, brass work 5 and others 316.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Islamic Trade and Commerce Ltd., Gram Bikash, Usha, Popy and MDS.

Health centres non-government hospital 2, upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic and family planning centre 2, charitable dispensary 1, maternity clinic 1.