Akkelpur Upazila HQ

 township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Akkelpur Upazila (joypurhat district) with an area of 139.47 sq km is bounded by joypurhat sadar and khetlal upazilas on the north, dupchanchia upazila on the east, adamdighi upazila on the south and badalgachhi and naogaon sadar upazila on the west. Main river is Tulsiganga.

The location of Akkelpur town is 24.9656307N 89.02708E. Akkelpur Town is now a municipality with an area of 1.07 sq km and population 22012; male 51.18%, female 48.82%. It has 9 wards and 13 mahallas. The literacy rate among the town people is 57.7%. The town has one dakbungalow.

Akkelpur thana, now an upazila, was established in 1972. It consists of 5 unions, 117 mouzas and 159 villages.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 126046; male 52.9%, female 47.1%. Muslim 91.46%, Hindu 8%, ethnic nationals and others 0.54%.

Religious institutions Mosques 331, temple 16, shrine 2.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 34%; male 41% and female 25.9%. Educational institutions: college 5, secondary school 18, government primary school 53, non-government primary school 19, madrasa 15. Noted educational institutions: Sonamukhi Bilateral High School (1916), Akkelpur F U Pilot High School (1948), Jamalganj Multilateral High School (1944).

Main occupations Agriculture 51.02%, agricultural labourer 20.5%, commerce 13.16%, non-agricultural labourer 1.42%, service 4.26%, others 9.64%.

Land use Cultivable land 11089 hectares, Follow land 2870 hectares; single crop 8%, double crops 64% and treble crops 28%.

Land control Among the peasants 30% are landless, 38% small, 22% intermediate and 10% rich; land per head 0.09 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Fisheries 321, dairy farm 18, poultry farm 52 and hatchery 3.

Communication facilities Roads pucca road 30 km, semi-pucca road 10 km, mud road 141 km; waterways 32 km, Railway 21 km.

Cottage industries Weaving 600, bamboo works 57, goldsmiths 48, woodworks 52, sewing 275, blacksmiths 20, potteries 40.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Ashraya (local), thengamara mahila sabuj sangha, Srijani Sangha.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning clinic 5 and union health centre 2.