ফেঞ্চুগঞ্জ, সিলেট

Many people believe that the name Fenchuganj came from Penchu or Fechui Shah, a guardian of the Shah Malum shrine or dargah. Then, he opened a shop in the Kushariya River’s ghat area, which later extended and became Fenchu-ganj (a market area). This Fenchuganj upazila is located in Sylhet District and covers around 114.48 square kilometers of land area. The population of the upazila is 1,38,881.

The Fenchuganj area guide shows that it was established as a thana area in 1907 and as an upazila in 1980. The upazila is located 26 kilometers from the Zilla Sadar, and there are 117 villages, 5 unions, and 30 mouzas in the upazila. It has South Surma and Gopalganj Upazilas in the north, Rajnagar and Kulaura Upazilas in the south, Kulaura and Juri Upazilas in the east, and South Surma and Balaganj Upazilas in the west.

While it is a land of opportunity for trade and business, Fenchuganj Upazila is also popular for its tourist destinations and spots. The Hakaluki Haor, which is the largest haor in Bangladesh and South Asia, is located in this upazila. It also has the Kushiyara River. Another popular tourist destination in the area is the Monipuri Tea Estate. The area also has 131 mosques, 8 temples, 36 government primary schools, 2 non-government primary schools, 11 high schools, 6 madrasas, and 3 colleges.

With over 18,000 families living in Fenchuganj, the area and its lifestyles are getting increasingly diverse. Moreover, with the upazila being accessible by roads, trains, and water transport, it is becoming one of the areas sought after by industrial and urban developers. The upazila already has such industries, and some of them are the Shahjalal Fertilizer Company Ltd.(SFCL) and Kushiara Power Company Limited. It also has brick kilns, jetties, rubber dams, and more.

Though it all seems promising, Fenchuganj also has some drawbacks. During the rainy seasons, the area is highly prone to heavy rainfall and extreme flooding, which damages roads and households and causes deaths. And as the area’s economy depends on agriculture, such natural disasters take a heavy toll on the national economy as well.