Gabindaganj Upazila HQ

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

Gobindaganj Upazila (Gaibandha district) with an area of 481.66 sq km, is bounded by Ghoraghat and Palashbari upazilas on the north, Sonatala and Shibganj upazilas on the south, Sughatta and Palashbari upazilas on the east and Panchbibi and Kalia upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Karatoya, Bangali.

The location of Gobindaganj town is 25.1351381N 89.385149E. Gobindaganj (Town) consists of 9 wards and 22 mahallas. The municipality was established in 1999. The area of the town is 5.68 sq km. It has a population of 26721; male 51.13%, female 48.87%; population density per sq km 4704. Literacy rate among the town people is 46%. It has one dakbungalow.

Gobindaganj thana was established in 1965 and was turned into an upazila in 1982. The upazila consists of 1 municipality, 9 wards, 17 union parishads, 339 mouzas and 387 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics Remnants of the old Zamindar Bari, Basudeva Mandir, Dud Sagar, Rakta Sagar, Birat city at Kamdia, remnants of the main palace of Raja Birat and Masta Mosque at Phasitala.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 414591; male 50.89%, female 49.11%; Muslim 91.68%, Hindu 6.65% and others 1.67%; ethnic nationals: Santal population 4165 in 861 families.

Religious institutions Mosque 717, temple 150, church 1, tomb 10 and sacred place 5.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 23.1%; male 30.4% and female 15.4%. Educational institutions: college 7, technical college 1, teacher's training college 1, higher secondary school 50, secondary school 14, madrasa 149, government primary school 153, non-government primary school 86. Noted educational institutions: Gobindaganj Multilataral High School (1912), Mahimaganj Kamil Madrasa (1937), Gobindaganj Degree College (1965).

Main occupations Agriculture 46.43%, agricultural labourer 27.41%, wage labourer 2.34%, commerce 8.99%, service 4.14% and others 10.69%.

Land use Total cultivable land 34135.98 hectares, fallow land 10067.58 hectares; single crop 24%, double crop 62% and treble crop 14%; land under irrigation 73%.

Land control Among the peasants 18% are landless, 40% small, 37% intermediate and 5% rich; cultivable land per head 0.11 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Poultry 41, diary 68 and fishery 1.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 95 km, semi pucca 37 km and mud road 737 km; railways 8 km.

Manufactories Sugar mill, flour mill, ice factory, hosiery mill and printing press.

Cottage industries Weaving, goldsmith, blacksmith, bamboo work, potteries, wood work, tailoring.

NGOs Operationally important NGOs are brac, grameen bank, asa, Swanirvar, thengamara mahila sabuj sangha, Ankur, Source and Bridge.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 17, satellite clinic 5, eye hospital 1