Rajshahi

by Rasaf Ibrahim on Sep 11, 2021

Rajshahi is a metropolitan city, and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of eponymous division and district. Located on the north bank of the Padma River, near the Bangladesh-India border, the city has a population of over 763,952 residents. The city is surrounded by the satellite towns of Nowhata and Katakhali, which together build an urban agglomeration of about 1 million population. Rajshahi is often considering the most clean and green among the cities of Bangladesh.

Modern Rajshahi lies in the ancient region of Pundravardhana. The foundation of the city dates to 1634, according to epigraphic records at the mausoleum of Sufi saint Shah Makhdum. The area hosted a Dutch settlement in the 18th century. The Rajshahi municipality was constituted during the British Raj in 1876. It was a divisional capital of the Bengal Presidency.

Rajshahi is an important administrative, educational, cultural and business centre in Bangladesh today. It is a historic center of silk production. Varendra Research Museum, the oldest of its kind in Bangladesh, is located in the city. The city is home to many renowned educational institutions of Bangladesh. The head office of Rajshahi Agricultural Development Bank and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) is situated in the city. Rajshahi is served by the Shah Makhdum Airport.

Economy

Apart from the usual agricultural products of Bangladesh, such as rice, wheat, potatoes and lentils, Rajshahi and its neighbouring regions are specially suited from various crops such as mangoes, lichis, sugarcane, tomatoes and watermelons. In spite of being an important city and located on a riverbank, industrial development in Rajshahi has not taken place to any great extent. There is an industrial park in Rajshahi, which is now mainly home to industries producing products of the famous Rajshahi silk. The head office of regulatory board for sericulture, Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board, is based in the city. Rajshahi is also home to a number of jute, textile and sugar mills, pharmaceutical and mango based industries. Two 50 MW power plants have been built at Katakhali to meet the growing electricity demand of the city.

Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh, has a regional office in the city. Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, a nationalised bank with its head office at Rajshahi, is working in a mission to help to develop the agriculture sector of Rajshahi and Rangpur division. Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), a government organization for the integrated development of Rajshahi and Rangpur division, has its head office in the city. The head office of the Western Zone of Bangladesh Railway is located in this city.

An estimated 14,000 new jobs are expected to be created with the construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park in Rajshahi, one of the 28 software technology parks the government is building countrywide as part of its Digital Bangladesh programme.

Transportation

Rajshahi is connected to most other parts of the country via the N6 national highway. There are two intercity bus terminal in the city. It takes about 5 to 6 hours by road to reach the capital city Dhaka. A number of bus services, including air-conditioned and non-air conditioned buses, are available to and from Dhaka. Bus services to other major cities and districts headquarter are also available from Rajshahi.

Four inter-city train services are operated by Bangladesh Railway, named Silk City Express, Padma Express and Dhumketu Express, and Bonolota Express between Dhaka and Rajshahi railway station regularly. There are other inter-city, mail and local trains operated from Rajshahi to Khulna and other regions of the country

The city is served by Shah Makhdum Airport, named after the Islamic preacher Shah Makhdum Rupos, situated at Nowhata, a commuter town of the city. Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Novoair, and US-Bangla Airlines operate domestic flights to and from Dhaka.