Mollahat Upazila HQ

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

Mollahat Upazila (Bagerhat district) with an area of 187.44 sq km, is bounded by Kalia upazila on the north, Fakirhat and Chitalmari upazilas on the south, Chitalmari, Tungipara and Gopalganj sadar upazilas on the east, Terokhada and Rupsa upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Madhumati, Atharbanki, Chitra; noted depressions: Kenduar Beel and Kodaliar Beel.

The location of Mollahat town is 22.923351N 89.8044035E. Mollahat (Town) consists of 8 mouzas with an area of 8.79 sq km. It has a population of 10708; male 51.83%, female 48.17%. The density of population is 1218 per sq km. The literacy rate among the town people is 36%. The town has one dakbungalow.

Mollahat thana was established in 1967 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 7 union parishads, 58 mouzas and 102 villages.

Archaeological heritage: Single domed mosque at Kulia union.

Religious institutions: Mosque 267, temple 72 and church 2, most noted of which are Single Dome Mosque and Matiargati temple.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census: Population 116729; male 51.52%, female 49.48%; Muslim 75.01%, Hindu 24.87% and others 0.12%.

Literacy and educational institutions: Average literacy 31.6%; male 36.8% and female 26.2%. Educational institutions: college 3, high school 13, government primary school 58, non-government primary school 19 and madrasa 8, noted of which are Angra Government Primary School (1918) and Madartali Model Government Primary School (1928).

Cultural organisations: Rural club 8, playground 20.

Main occupations: Agriculture 53.61%, fishing 1.71%, agricultural labourer 22.15%, wage labourer 2.02%, industries 1.6%, commerce 5.93%, transport 1.21%, service 6.2%, others 5.57%.

Land use: Cultivable land 14602.53 hectares, fallow land 2287.05 hectares; single crop 35%, double crop 47% and treble crop land 18%.

Land control: Among the peasants, 10% are landless, 27% small, 25% marginal, 30% intermediary and 8% rich.

Main crops Paddy, jute, sugarcane, wheat, til, pulse, kumra and sweet potato.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery (shrimp cultivation) 10000, poultry 159.

Communication facilities- Roads: pucca 34.41 km, semi pucca 12 km and mud road 269 km.

Traditional transport Palanquin and horse carriage, bullock curt. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.

Manufactories: Ice factory 2

Cottage industries: Bamboo work 235, goldsmith 50, blacksmith 35, potteries 15, wood work 150, tailoring 225 and bidi 2.

NGO's activities: brac, CARE, asa, Gonoshahajjo Sangstha, Proderpon, Ganasahijya Sangstha and Srijanee.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1 and union health family planning centre 6.