Pirganj | subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

 subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Pirganj Upazila (Rangpur district) with an area of 409.37 sq km, is bounded by mithapukur upazila on the north, palashbari, ghoraghat and nawabganj (Dinajpur) upazilas on the south, sadullapur upazila on the east and Mithapukur, Nawabganj (Dinajpur) and Ghoraghat upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Karatoya, Jamuneshwari, Akhira. Pirganj is called the upazila of beels most noted of which are Angrar Beel, Dariar Beel, and Chaitrakol Beel. Forest area 5.88 sq km.

Pirganj (Town) consists of three mouzas. It has an area of 3.21 sq km. The town has a population of 6260; male 52.54%, female 47.46%. The density of population is 1950 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 42.2%.

Administration: Pirganj thana, now an upazila, was established in 1910. The upazila consists of 15 union parishads, 308 mouzas and 331 villages.

Archaeological heritage and relics: Roypur Zamindar Bari, tomb of Shah Ismail Ghazi.

Population 303384; male 50.72%, female 49.28%; Muslim 91.49%, Hindu 6.75% and others 1.76%; ethnic nationals: Santal (1448 families).

Religious institutions: Mosque 520, temple 130, church 6, tomb 8, most noted of which are Khalashpur Jami Mosque, Hatibandha Mosque, Roypur Zamindar Bari Mandir.

Literacy and educational institutions: Average literacy 26.5%; male 33.4% and female 19.4%. Educational institutions: college 7, high school 49, madrasa 81, government primary school 113, non-government primary school 112. Noted educational institutions: Kadirabad High School (1916), Chawk Karim Primary School (1926) and Roypur High School (1931).

Cultural organisations: Rural club70, public library 1, cinema hall 3, theatre group 2, branch office of Biswa Sahitya Kendra 1.

Main occupations Agriculture 50.15%, agricultural labourer 28.73%, wage labourer 2.17%, commerce 6.29%, service 2.66%, transport 1.43% and others 8.57%.

Land use: Total cultivable land 28794.82 hectares, fallow land 8407.2 hectares; single crop land 18%, double crop 73% and treble crop land 9%; land under irrigation 58%.

Land control: Among the peasants 25% are landless, 47% small, 23% intermediate and 5% rich; cultivable land per head 0.12 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Poultry 25, dairy 18, fishery (nursery) 5.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 140 km and mud road 440 km.

Manufactories: Husking mill 30, saw mill 21, oil mill 1 and welding 17.

NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, grameen bank, Grameen Krishi Foundation and HEED Bangladesh.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 12, union health centre 15 and charitable dispensary 7.