Bera Upazila HQ

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

Bera Upazila (Pabna district) with an area of 248.60 sq km is bounded by Shahjadpur and Chauhali upazilas on the north, Goalandaghat, Rajbari sadar upazilas and the Ganges on the south, Chauhali, Daulatpur, Shivalaya upazilas and the Jamuna on the east, Sujanagar and Santhia upazilas on the west. Main rivers: Jamuna and Ichamati.

The location of Bera town is 24.0770737N 89.6159449E. Bera (Town) a municipal town, consists of 9 wards and 24 mahallas. The area of the town is 18.28 sq km. The town has a population of 44270; male 52.02%, female 47.98%. Literacy rate among the town people is 32.9%. The town has one dakbungalow and one rest house.

Mathura thana was established in 1828 and was transferred to Bera in 1927 after it got submerged by river erosion. Bera thana was turned into an upazila in 1983. The upazila consists of one municipality, three wards, 10 union parishads, 188 mouzas and 157 villages.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census: Population 208897; male 52.11%, female 47.89%; Muslim 93.73%, Hindu 6.26% and others 0.01%.

Religious institutions: Mosque 155, temple 43.

Literacy and educational institutions: Average literacy 24.1%; male 30.6%, female 16.9%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 18, madrasa 18, government primary school 65, non-government primary school 49, satellite school 11, NGO operated school 2, kindergarten 2. Noted educational institutions are Bharenga Academy (1835), Bera BB High School (1899), Bera High School (1906), Dhobakhola Coronation High School Natiabari (1906).

Cultural organisations: Rural club 26, theatre group 1, cinema hall 2, cooperative society 343, auditorium 1.

Main occupations: Agriculture 23.87%, agricultural labourer 13.56%, wage labourer 6.07%, weaving 5.16%, commerce 23.66%, service 5.02%, fishing 2.24%, transport 2.55%, hawker 2.36%, others 15.51%.

Land use: Total cultivable land 24870 hectares, fallow land 9599 hectares; single crop 42.78%, double crop 48.65% and treble crop 8.57%; cultivable land under irrigation 3050 hectares.

Land control: Among the peasants 60.70% are landless, 15.49% small, 18.11% intermediate and 5.70% rich.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Dairy 196, poultry 104.

Communication facilities- Roads: pucca 60 km, mud road 203 km; waterways 11 nautical mile.

Manufactories: Flour mill, welding, ice factory.

Cottage industries Weaving, blacksmith, goldsmith, bamboo works, wood works.

NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, grameen bank, Jamuna, Samata, BCVD, BOSS.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1, family welfare centre 5, charitable dispensary 1.