A REPORT ON PLACE OF POSTING

MUNSHIGANJ DISTRICT PREPARED BY- ASHIF ANAM SIDDIQUE
ID NO.-16995
ROLL NO.-25
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, MUNSHIGANJ
89th LAW & ADMINISTRATION COURSE

SUBMITTED TO-
Mrs. Tahmina Akhter
COURSE DIRECTOR
89th LAW & ADMINISTRATION COURSE

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 24 FEBRUARY, 2014.

CONTENT OF THE REPORT:

* Munshiganj District at a glance Page No.-01 * Map of Munshiganj Page No.-02 * History of Munshiganj Page No.-03 * Places of Archaeological interest Page No.-04 * Geographical features & climate Page No.-04 * Transport & Communication Page No.-05 * Cultural heritage Page No.-05 * Notable Personalities Page No.-05 * Economic Activities Page No.-06-07 * Problems Page No.-07 * Prospects Page No.-07 * Ongoing Development activities Page No.-07-09 * Conclusion Page No.-09 * Bibliography Page No.-10

MUNSHIGANJ DISTRICT AT A GLANCE: Munshiganj is a district of history, tradition and eminent personalities. It is situated in Dhaka division. It was established as a district on 26 February, 1984. It was previously known as Bikrampur which was the political and cultural centre of ancient Bengal.
Area & Population: Total land area of Munshiganj is 1004.29 square kilometer out of which 560 square kilometer is cultivable. It has 14 rivers of 155 km passing through. Total population of this district is about 14,45,660 out of which male is 7,21,552 and female is 7,24,108.
Administration: Munshiganj consists of 6 upazillas, 67 union parishads, 564 mauzas, 919 villages, 18 paura wards, 73 paura mahallas and 2 municipalities. The upazillas are Gazaria, Tongibari, Serajdikhan, Lohajang, Sreenagar and Munshiganj Sadar.

Photo: Office of the Deputy Commissioner. Photo: Circuit House, Munshiganj.
Per capita Income: The people of Munshiganj are business-oriented and most of the people of sadar area live outside the country. As a result the per capita income of this district is very high compare to the overall per capita of the country. The per capita income of Munshiganj district is around $1050.
Location, Accessibility & Availability of Accommodation: Munshiganj is adjacent to Dhaka and Narayanganj district. It is only 26 kilometers away from the capital city Dhaka. The district is surrounded by rivers. So, communication through water route with other district is very much available here. Mukterpur bridge of Munshiganj is one the finest bridges connecting Dhaka with Munshiganj. There is a circuit house in the centre place of the district. There are also some hotels to reside in.

Literacy Rate: The average literacy rate of this district is about 56.1%.The literacy rate of male is 56.4% whereas the literacy rate of female is 55.7%. The scenario of the schools and colleges are given below:

COLLEGE | 13 | HIGH SCHOOL | 88 | JUNIOR SCHOOL | 11 | PRIMARY TRAINING INSTITUTE | 1 | TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTRE | 3 | MADRASA | 29 | GOVT. PRIMARY SCHOOL | 504 | NON-GOVT. PRIMARY SCHOOL | 34 | KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL | 5 | MASS-EDUCATION CENTRE | 688 |

Among the colleges Haragonga College is one of the most famous and historic colleges of Bangladesh which has been imparting education throughout the ages.

MUNSHIGANJ DISTRICT

HISTORY OF MUNSHIGANJ: Munshiganj was the political and cultural centre of ancient Bengal. It was known as Bikrampur which was the capital of several ancient kingdoms of south-eastern Bengal.It was the capital city of the Chandra,Varman and Sena dynasties from the beginning of the 10th century AD to the beginning of the 13th century AD. The name of Bikrampur survived in the name of a pargana in the Mughal period. Today the name does not exist officially but the inhabitants of a vast tract of land in the Munshigonj district still feel pride in saying that they belong to Bikrampur which contains their past glory. The renowned Kombal Merchant which is a sacred site for Tibetan Buddhists is located in Munshiganj Historical Events: The area comprising the zilas of Munshiganj stretching on the west of the Meghna and Dhaleshwari had been included in the kingdom of VIKRAMAPURA in the ancient period. During the Sena rule Vikramapura in East Bengal had been the second capital of the Senas in addition to their capital at Nadia. After the fall of Nadia in the hands of BAKHTIYAR KHALJI (1204) the Sena King LAKSHMANASENA fled to Vikramapura and began to rule East Bengal. After the death of Lakshmanasena (1206) his descendants Visvarupasena and Kesavasena ruled in Vikramapura till at least 1223 AD. Some historians postulate that the sons of Lakshamanasena ruled in Vikramapura up to 1243-45 AD. Raja Dasarathadeva Danujmadhava (Danuj Rai), the Deva king of Chandradvipa, ousted the Senas from Vikramapura in the third quarter of the thirteenth century and ruled the south-eastern Bengal till the end of the thirteenth century.
During the Mughal rule the present Munshiganj town including the outlying areas was known as Idrakpur which was named after the then Mughal faujdar Idrak. A village on the outskirts of Munshiganj town is still known as Idrakpur. During the British rule Idrakpur was renamed as Munshiganj after the name of Munshi Enayet Ali, the local ZAMINDAR and the inhabitant of the village Kazi Kasba in Rampal.
During the WAR OF LIBERATION of 1971 the Pak army raided Munshiganj and Kewar on 9 and 14 May respectively and killed some youths there. They launched an attack on the innocent villagers at Gazaria upazila on 5 May and killed about four hundred villagers by gun-shot. The people of Narayanganj in alliance with youths of Munshiganj resisted an attack of the Pak army on Narayanganj on 31 March. Hundreds of youths were recruited as freedom fighters and were given military training at Dhalgaon area in the month of July and they took part in various operations against the Pak army. The freedom fighters raided Sreenagar police station on August 11, Lauhajang police station within a few days and the Tongibari police station at the end of September, procured huge arms and ammunitions and Lohajang police station was set on fire. The freedom fighters attacked the motor-launches of the Pak-army on 24 September at Galimpur and Goalimandra and killed more than one hundred Pak soldiers. On the night of Shab-e-Qadr the freedom fighters numbering only 115 launched a combined attack on the Pak army stationed at Munshiganj and captured the town.
PLACES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST Munshiganj is a land of Archaeological Heritages though many of the heritages are lost into oblivion.Some of the archaeological heritages of Munshiganj are described in brief here-
Munshigonj town: Munshiganj town is full of archeological heritages namely Idrakpur Fort (1660), Panditer vita (birth place of Atisha Dipankar), Baba Adam's Mosque, Dighi of Raja Haris chandra, homestead of Raja Ballal Sen, homestead of Raja Sreenath, Rampal Dighi, Kodal Dhoar Dighi,marble statue of Ashutosh Ganguly inside the library room of Haraganga College.

Photo: Idrakpur Fort, Munshiganj Photo: Baba Adam’s Mosque
Sreenagar: The archeological heritages of Sreenagar are Shyamsiddhi Math, Hasara Dargah, Sholaghar Math, Bhagyakul Rajbari, residence of Jagadis Chandra Basu at Radhikhal, Jora Math at Sonarang,

Tongibari: The archeological heritages of Tongibari are Kalibari,Taltala Pancha-shikhara Mahadeva Temple, Talukdarbari Mosque at Kusumpur, Tajpur Mosque, Patharghata Mosque, Kazishal Mosque, Pulghata Bridge, Panch Pir Dargah.

Sirajdikhan: Talukdar-bari Mosque of Mughal period (a single domed mosque at Kusumpur) , Tajpur Mosque,Baytul Mam'ur jamea mosque, Patharghata Mosque, Qazishal Mosque,Pulghata Bridge, Panchasikhar Mahadeva Mandir (temple) at Taltala. A large shiva-linga (phallus of god Shiva) is placed inside this temple.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES & CLIMATE:

Munshiganj lies between 23°23′ and 23°38′ north latitudes and between 90°10′ and 90°43′ east longitudes. This district is positioned having Madaripur and Sharaiatpur districts in the north, Comilla and Chadpur districts in the east, Dhaka and Faridpur districts in the west. This district is also surrounded by five rivers namely the Padma, Dhaleswari, Meghna, Ichamati and Shitalakhaya. The land of Munshiganj is not plain but there is no hilly or high land area. There is no natural forest but village forest is available. A big portion of land is under the sea-level. As a result it is a home of flood and natural calamities.

CLIMATE: The climate of Munshiganj is average. The maximum temperature is 36°C and minimum is 12.7°C. The average rainfall is 2376 mm.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION: The distance of Munshiganj from the capital city is only 26 kilometers. There are some private transports which travel through Dhaka –Munshiganj route in daily basis. Dhaka transport limited,Dighirpar transport are two of those. It takes near about two hours to go Munshiganj from Dhaka due to the bad condition of the road .The road is very narrow and in pitiable condition. On the other hand, this road comes through the commercial area. This is why the road remains very busy in every moment. There are several water- routes to go different cities from Munshiganj.
CULTURAL HERITAGE:
Historically, Munshganj has earned the reputation of being the home of many cultures. The ruins of magnificent cities and monuments left behind in many parts of the district of many dynasties still bear the testimony of the richness of its cultural heritage. Munshganj has always been known as a land full of nature’s bounties as evident from the vast expanses of its lush crop fields and innumerable rivers and their tributaries. Ancient chroniclers have described it as “a land of emerald and silver”, “a garden fit for kings”. It is no wonder then that this district has always attracted settlers, traders, and conquerors who turned the land into a vast melting pot of diverse races and cultures. Despite destruction caused by natural calamities, ever-changing courses of turbulent rivers, heavy highhumidity, fast growing vegetation and expanding population, scattered throughout the district are countless ancient monuments and antiquities.
NOTABLE PERSONALITIES
Sreegan Atish Dipankar ,Jagadish Chandra Basu, Chittaranjan Das, Sarajini Naidu, Brojen Das, Satten Sen, Manik Bondhopaddai Buddha Dev Basu, Samresh Basu etc.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITES: Bikrampur or Munshiganj district is famous for business activities.As several rivers runs over Munshiganj geographically it has become a suitable place for business function. The occupation of the people is agriculture, fishing, business and service. OCCUPATION | Percentage | Agriculture | 34.63% | Fishing | 2.34% | Business | 39.20% | Private service | 14.51% | Govt Service | 9.32% | Total | 100.00% |

Munshiganj is also famous for producting huge amount of potato. 65% potato of total potato comes from Munshiganj. It is also famous for banana though it has lost the glory of producing sweet banana. Livestock, fishery and poultry contributes to a large extent to the economy of the country. Munshiganj or ancient Bikrampur is also famous for ‘Bikrampur Sweet”.

Many small and large industries have got their way in course of time. Due to the connectivity through water route with different parts of the country it has become a alluring place for businessmen. The snapshot of the industries is given below:

Large Industry | 6 | Medium Industry | 20 | Ice mill and cold storage | 60 | Rice mill | 19 | Saw mill | 27 | Cement factory | 8 |

Main Crops: Potato, jute, rice, betel leaf, wheat, mustard, sesame, gram, lentil, pea, chili, coriander, ground nut, maize, patal, karalla tomato, sweet pumpkin, vegetables. Extinct and nearly extinct crops Indigo, kaun, linseed, arahar (pulse), kalai (pulse).

Main Fruits: Banana, mango, papaya, jackfruit, litchi, melon, watermelon, black berry, pomegranate, guava, wood apple, shaddock, plum, palm, coconut, elephant apple.

Photo: Banana Photo: Potato

Main Export Items: Potato, banana, paddy, pathal, jute, betel leaf, sweet pumpkin, vegetables, milk, milk food, sack, cotton yarn, copper utensil, bamboo and cane materials.

PROBLEMS

Munshiganj is very near to Dhaka district. But there is no direct highway between Dhaka to Munshiganj. There is no well established transport infrastructure to go to any other city. It takes above two hours to go to Dhaka city while the distance is only 26 kilometers. The literacy rate of this district is low in comparison with other districts. To turn the country into a middle income country within 2021 the literacy rate need to be touched with the magic figure of 100%. So the literacy rate of the district should be increases tremendously. But it is a matter of hope that the primary education has got an impetus during recent times. The southern and eastern parts of the zilla often fall victim to erosion caused by the mighty Padma and the Meghna respectively.

PROSPECT Munshiganj is situated at very suitable position geographically. It is closed to capital city and surrounded by the main rivers of the country. As a result, many big project like multipurpose Padma bridge, Bnagabandhu International Airport, API park and others project will be established in this district. So the people of this district have to grave this opportunity to explore the advantage and make this district into a business and culture city of the country.

ONGOING DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITES OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS:

Munshiganj is going be one of the most important economic zone of our country. Several projects are going to be implemented in Munshiganj. Among those multipurpose Padma bridge, Bangabandhu International Airport, API park, Marine technology, Power Station are main development activities. Multipurpose Padma Bridge: Multipurpose Padma Bridge will

connect the southern part of Bangladesh with the capital city. This bridge will play an important role in our economy. It is expected that the bridge will make 1.2% contribution in our GDP(Gross Domestic Product) by creating a smooth communication which will pave the way of business,services etc directly. Already Bangladesh govt. has acquired related land for the bridge.The Padma Bridge of 6.15 km long will be the longest bridge of Bangladesh. The bridge’s two-level superstructure will carry four lanes of traffic on the upper level, with a rail line and gas transmission line below. The project also includes 13.8 km of approach roads. Bangladesh predicts the bridge will spur development in southwestern part and provide better links to the port of Mongla. The bridge is expected to cost $ 3.00 billion. Funding sources include the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Bangladesh bridge Authority will play the role of executive agency for Multipurpose Padma Bridge. There are some problems arising for fund collection. The world bank is not interested to provide fund due to some unexpected corruption issues though this issue is not yet proved. If They refuse to provide fund then Bangladesh Govt. will try to make this by their own fund or search for the alternatives.

API PARK: API Park means Active Pharmaceutical Park. It will be established at Gazaria thana. The purpose of establishing this park is to flourish our pharmaceutical industry and to retain the current market. There is a market of around $4 billion dollar of our pharmaceutical industry at home and abroad. Bangladesh exports pharmaceutical goods in seventy countries and earns foreign currency a lot. Pharmaceutical industry is an emerging industry of our country. Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies are enjoying the wave facilities of trademark because of being a least-developing country. But the facilities will be abolished after 2015. As a result, we have to build a strong research area to retain our market. For this reason, this API park will be a home of research activities and a area of advanced pharmaceutical companies. The park will be established in the area of 200 acres. The construction work of the park has already begun.

Marine Technology: A Marine technology is going to be established at Gazaria thana. This will be a institution of vocational training for the marine technology. The area of this institution will be around 20 acresThe acquisition of land has already been completed.

New Power Station: A power station will be built at Munshiganj sadar. The capacity of this station will be 50 megawatt. Munshiganj is an emerging economic place. So the demand of electricity is increasing day by day. For this reason this new power station is expected to ease the demand of the power crisis of this district. The land of this project has already been acquired.

CONCLUSION:
Inspite of having several problems Munshiganj is going to be one of the most important economic zones of the country. The flourishing business of this district is a testimony to this which is ushering a new era for Munshiganj and Bangladesh as well.The Padma bridge is going to be a tool to increase GDP of the country.Munshiganj bears the ancient reminiscences of our past history,cultures and heritages.It is a home of many great personalities for whom we are proud of. There is a light of ray in education sector. In 2011 Munshiganj district obtained the best district award among the 64 districts on the basis of PSC(Primary Termination Examination) result.The rate of pass was 99.89% in this district on 2011.For this brilliant success Munshiganj district was awarded by Honorable Prime Minister.This is a positive symbol for Munshiganj.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.munshiganj.gov.bd www.bangapedia.com www.wikipedia.com
“Economic Review-2012-13”
www.bbs.gov.bd