Noakhali Sadar Upazila

Noakhali Sadar (Bengali: নোয়াখালি সদর) is an upazila of Noakhali District. Noakhali Thana was established in 1861 and was converted into an upazila in 1984.[3] The upazila takes its name from the district and the Bengali word sadar (headquarters). It is the subdistrict where the district headquarters, Noakhali town, is located. The town is situated on the western bank of the Noakhali Canal, from which it takes its name.[4] The Noakhali Canal was dug in 1660 to control flooding of the river Dakatia. The name Noakhali means "New canal", derived from the Bengali words noa (new) and khal (canal).[5]

Noakhali Sadar নোয়াখালি সদর
Upazila
Noakhali Sadar Location in Bangladesh
Coordinates: 22°50′N 91°6′E
Country	Bangladesh
District	Noakhali District
Area [1]
• Total	336.06 km^2 (129.75 sq mi)
Population  (2011 census)[2]
• Total	525,934
• Density	1,600/km^2 (4,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Postal code	3800-3812
Website	sadar.noakhali.gov.bd(in Bengali)

Geography

Noakhali Sadar Upazila has a total area of 336.06 square kilometres (129.75 sq mi).[1] It borders Begumganj Upazila to the north, Kabirhat Upazila to the east, Suborno Char Upazila to the south, and Komolnagar and Lakshmipur Sadar upazilas of Lakshmipur District to the west. The Noakhali Canal flows north through the upazila.[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop. (000)	±%
1981	483	—
1991	651	+34.8%
2001	767	+17.8%
2011	526	−31.4%
2011 population declined because upazila boundaries were redrawn to create Suborno Char and Kabirhat upazilas Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics[1]

According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Noakhali Sadar Upazila had 100,219 households and a population of 525,934, 24.9% of whom lived in urban areas.[2] 12.3% of the population was under the age of 5.[6] The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 51.7%, compared to the national average of 51.8%.[7][8]

The boundaries of the upazila were redrawn in 2005 to create a new upazila, Suborno Char,[9] and again in 2006 to create Kabirhat Upazila.[10] The combined population of the three in 2011 was 1,012,392, a 32% increase from 2001.

Sports

The most popular sports in the upazila are football and cricket.[11] Shaheed Bulu Stadium is used for both, as well as for large community gatherings such as Victory Day celebrations.[12][13][14]

Administration

Noakhali Sadar Upazila is divided into Noakhali Municipality and 13 union parishads: Anderchar, Ashwadia, Binodpur, Char Matua, Dadpur, Dharmapur, Ewazbalia, Kadir Hanif, Kaladaraf, Niazpur, Noakhali, Noannai, and Purba Char Matua. The union parishads are subdivided into 166 mauzas and 173 villages.

Noakhali Municipality was established in 1876.[3] It is subdivided into 9 wards and 36 mahallas.[1]

Transport

Rail stations Maijdi, Maijdi Court, Harinarayanpur, and Noakhali are the last four on the branch line connecting Laksam and Noakhali. In May 2015, they were served by one intercity and four mail trains a day.[15]

The town of Noakhali is the southern terminus of national highway N104, which connects to Feni, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) away.[16]

Education

See also: Education in Bangladesh

Noakhali Science and Technology University, founded in 2006,[17] is the only university.[18] and Noakhali Medical College, founded in 2008,is the only medical college. There are nine colleges in the upazila. They include Noakhali Government College, founded in 1963,[3] and Noakhali Government Women's College is the only masters level one.

According to Banglapedia, Noakhali Zilla School, founded in 1853, Brother Andre High School (1857), Ahmadia Model High School (1906), Arun Chandra High School (1914), Noakhali Government Girls' High School (1934), and Paura Kalyan High School (1940) are notable secondary schools.[3]

The madrasa education system includes two fazil and two kamil madrasas.[19]

Notable residents

• Muzaffar Ahmed, one of the founders of the Communist Party of India, was educated at Noakhali Zilla School.[20]
• Zahurul Haq, whose arrest in the Agartala Conspiracy Case and 1969 death in custody led to mass protests, graduated from Noakhali Zilla School.[21]
• Saadat Husain, former cabinet secretary and former chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission, grew up in Noakhali town.[22][23][24]
• A B M Musa, awarded the Ekushey Padak for journalism in 1999, attended Noakhali Zilla School.[25]
• Abdul Malek Ukil, a drafter of the Constitution of Bangladesh, member of parliament and cabinet minister, was born in Rajapur village.[26]

See also

• Upazilas of Bangladesh
• Districts of Bangladesh
• Divisions of Bangladesh

References

1. "District Statistics 2011: Noakhali" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
2. "Population Census 2011: Noakhali Table C-01" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
3. Bhuiyan, Muhammad Masudur Rahman (2012). "Noakhali Sadar Upazila". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
4. Webster, John Edward (1911). Noakhali. Eastern Bengal and Assam District Gazetteers. Allahabad, India: Pioneer Press. p. 1. hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t1td9z39b.
5. "LGED Noakhali, About Noakhali". Local Government Engineering Department. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
6. "Population Census 2011: Noakhali Table C-04" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
7. "Population Census 2011: Noakhali Table C-06" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
8. "Population and Housing Census 2011: Bangladesh at a Glance" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
9. Rita, Tahera Begum (2012). "Subarnachar Upazila". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
10. Islam, AM Saiful (2012). "Kabirhat Upazila". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
11. "খেলাধুলা ও বিনোদন" [Sports and Recreation]. Bangladesh National Portal (in Bengali). Retrieved May 7, 2015.
12. "Divisional football tournament inaugurated in Noakhali". englishnewsbd.com. 23 November 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
13. "Shahid Bulu Stadium, Noakhali". Cricket Archive. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
14. "People celebrate Victory Day, pay tribute to Liberation War martyrs". The Independent. Dhaka. 17 December 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
15. "Noakhali Schedule". Bangladesh Railways. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
16. "RHD Road Network, Comilla Zone" (PDF). Roads and Highways Department. May 2005. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
17. "Noakhali Science and Technology University - Home". Noakhali Science and Technology University. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
18. "Noakhali Science & Technology University". University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
19. "List of Institutions". Ministry of Education. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
20. Roy, Ranjit (2012). "Ahmed, Comrade Muzaffar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
21. Mahmood, ABM (2012). "Haq, Zahurul". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
22. "List of Cabinet Secretaries". Cabinet Division, Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
23. Husain, Saadat (22 November 2007). "Cyclones past and present". The Daily Star. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
24. Husain, Saadat (18 March 2014). "Upazila: The unit for effective administration at field level". Financial Express. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
25. "সাংবাদিক এবিএম মূসার সংক্ষিপ্ত জীবনী" [A Brief Biography of Journalist ABM Musa]. bdtoday24 (in Bengali). Dhaka. 1 April 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
26. Rahman, Siddiqur (2012). "Ukil, Abdul Malek". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.