Location

Sreemangal Pourashava is located in the south-eastern corner of Moulvibazar district, the largest urban area in the Sreemangal Upazila. Sreemangal Pourashava is situated at 24⁰18′ N latitude and 91⁰43′30″ E longitudes. The location of the Pourashava within Moulvibazar District is shown in following Map. It is situated at the heart of Balishira Valley, full of tea gardens. Sreemangal is surrounded by Ashidron Union on the south and south-western side, Sathgaon Union on the west, Kalighat union on the east and by Sreemangal Union on the north.

History of the Pourashava

Sreemangal is one of the old Pourashava in the region; it came into existence as a Thana in 1922. It was established as a Pourashava on 01^st October, 1935. It became “B” class Pourashava on 1^st July, 1994 and became an “A” class Pourashava on 4^th February on 2002. Nothing is known about origin of the name of the Pourashava. It is learnt that there lived a man named Sree Manal Das. He was very influential and co-ordinal to all. It is generally believed that the area name might have derived from the name of that man. It is an important business center on the Akhaura-Shaistagonj-Kulaura railway line. The head office of Bangladesh Tea Research Institute is located about 3 km. from it. The total annual rainfall is 98.57˝. It is very famous as for its location within tea gardens. It is also noted for both wholesale and retail business. The main trading items are tea, bettle leaf, lemon, pine apple and jack fruit. Umbrella handles are manufactured at Sreemangal. As Sreemangal is an important trade and tea export center it has good road and railway connection with other areas of the region and beyond.

The National and Regional Context of the Pourashava

Every urban area is surrounded by suburbs that play a reciprocal role in economic development of the urban centers and their hinterlands. So, it is advocated to prepare a plan for the whole region. The term regional planning is generally used to include proposals in a region for the distribution of population, industry, transport and communication facilities and other essential services. To reduce regional disparity and to ensure a balance development, regional planning should be emphasized as an effective planning procedure. With a view to promote balanced regional development, emphasis was on the development of 'growth centers' that would entail the construction of market places, roads and culverts. In 1982, under decentralization of administrative program, the government started up gradation of sub-divisions into the districts and the thanas (Re-named as Upazila or sub-district) into Upazilas. The Upazila became the basic unit of administration. Improvement of communication between Upazila and Zila was expected to expand trade and commerce and contribute to local economic growth. Immediate productivity gains from projects were to be another important consideration. This idea resulted in development of the Upazila centers to serve as regional growth centers. So, funds were allocated for the development of Upazila as a whole and the Upazila centers in the fields of agriculture/industry, infrastructure, socio-economic sectors, sports and culture and other miscellaneous development.

The Greater Sylhet region within Bangladesh is a distinctive region in many respects. From the remote past Sylhet was the center of trade and commerce especially of import and export business of its entire hinterland. After the construction of few roads in the 1890s, the Region had been linked with other parts of the country. The region has economic linkage to the whole nation and beyond because of good road transport network, well connected rail linkage from British period. The opening up of a branch of Assam Bengal Railway Sylhet was connected with other parts of the Province in the early part of this century (in 1912-1915). Now there are high speed express trains running between Sylhet towns to Dhaka connecting Sreemangal also. The railways of Sylhet region pass near many of tea gardens and carry considerable portion of tea crop of the region. Establishment of the Osmani International Airport at Sylhet city, inland land port at Tamabil, and strong economic base mainly because of the influx of remittances by the expatriate population working in different countries of the world and as well as has great tourism potentialities. All these factors make the economic base strong and also opened up an economic opportunity for the people of this region.

Sreemangal is the business nucleus of the district of Moulvibazar. It is larger than many district head quarters of the country in respect of economic importance. Her panoramic beauty has made it one of the nation’s most attractive tourist spots. Located midway between Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habigonj it has emerged as the communication junction for a lot of places. As an important trade and tea export center it has good road and railway connection with other areas of the region and beyond. The tea gardens are mainly responsible for the development of these roads. The tea gardens are connected by a network of roads with each other and with the surrounding marketing centers and railway stations. All the tea gardens are connected with Sreemangal either by railway and road or by both. A number of major roads connect the town with different urban centers including district headquarters. Major roads start from the northern part of the town, from the CBD of the Pourashava, at Moulvibazar Road Choumohuna. Railway also connects it to the port city, Chittagong. The District head Quarter Moulvibazar is only 20 Km. from here. The nearest Pourashava of Sreemangal is Komolgonj which is only 14 Km. north of it.