Balaganj Upazila HQ (Balaganj) | township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

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

Balaganj Upazila (Sylhet district) with an area of 389.51 sq km, is bounded by Sylhet sadar upazila on the north, Rajnagar upazila on the south, Fenchuganj upazila on the east, Bishwanath and Jagannathpur upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Kushiyara, Barak; notable beels: Haila, Chepti, Kery, Karcha, Majail, Dhalai, Dhuburia, Beraghati.

The location of Balaganj town is 24.658345N 91.8263544E. Balaganj (Town) consists of two mouzas. The town has an area of 4.41 sq km. It has a population of 4919; male 54.42%, female 45.58%; density of population is 1115 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 49.7%.

Balaganj thana was established in 1882 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 14 union parishads, 241 mouzas and 467 villages.

Noted religious institutions: Osmanpur Jami Mosque, Baitul Moazzem Jami Mosque (Goalabazar), tombs of Shershah Tazuddin (R), Fakir Kanai Shah, Katali Shah (Sherpur), Sayed Usman Bogdadi (R) and Narain Shah.

As of rhe 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 230865; male 50.67%, female 49.33%; Muslim 90.04%, Hindu 9.89%, Buddhist, Christian and others 0.07%.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 36.7%; male 36%, female 37.4%. Educational institutions: college 5, secondary school 22, primary school 178, madrasa 20.

Main occupations Agriculture 36.04%, fishing 4.29%, agricultural labourer 21.31%, wage labourer 7.25%, commerce 8.22%, transport 1.97%, service 4.51%, others 16.41%.

Land use Total cultivable land 27444.35 hectares, fallow land 2839.34 hectares; single crop 73.18%, double crop 26.24% and triple crop 0.58%.

Cottage industries Bamboo and cane works, nakshi pati (one kind of handmade mat prepared from special type of cane).

NGO activities brac, grameen bank, CARE.

Health centres Upazila health centre 1, health and family welfare centre 14.