Tongi

Tongi is a township in Bangladesh with a population of 350,000 that hosts the Biswa Ijtema, features a BSCIC industrial area, which produces BDT 1500 crore of industrial products annuallycite web| last = | first = | title = Gazipur| work = Banglapedia| publisher = Asiatic Society of Bangladesh| url = http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/G_0066.htm | format = HTML| accessdate = 2007-04-22] [cite news| title =Tongi Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), produces Tk 1500 cr industrial goods annually| work =Daily News Monitoring Service| language =English| publisher =BSS| date =2005-01-20| url =http://bangladesh-web.com/news/view.php?hidDate=2005-01-20&hidType=BAE&hidRecord=0000000000000000032947 | accessdate = 2007-04-24] , and marks the northern border of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, since 1786.cite web| last = | first = | title = Dhaka| work = Banglapedia| publisher = Asiatic Society of Bangladesh| url = http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/D_0145.htm | format = HTML| accessdate = 2007-04-22] Tongi Shahid Memorial School compound is mass burial site of the genocide in Liberation War of Bangladesh.

Geography and administration

Tongi, a "thana" (police station) within the Gazipur Sadar Upazila along with Joydebpur since 1983, is located immediately north of Dhaka. It lies within the jurisdiction Gazipur District, which is a part of the Dhaka Division.

Geologically, the Tongi area comprises the southern extension of the Madhupur Tract, a long narrow tract of tectonically elevated area of older sediments only a few metres above the surrounding rivers the Turag. Locally, the Tract is subdivided into the Bhawal Garh terrace which is a part of an inlier, an elevated area surrounded by lowlands by very young riverine sediments occupying the surrounding valleys. The older sediment sequence consists of sandstone of the Dupi Tila Formation overlain by Madhupur Clay, which in turn is overlain by alluvium. The elevation of the Tract varies from 2 to 14 m above mean sea level and it has shallow bedrock which forms a firm substrate for supporting large structures. [Citation| first =MK| last =Alam| author-link = | first2 =MM| last2 =Aurangzeb| author2-link = | editor-last = | editor-first = | editor2-last = | editor2-first = | contribution = | contribution-url = | title =Geological environment for Greater Dhaka City, Proceedings of 3rd Annual Conference| year =1975| pages =34-37| place =Dhaka| publisher =Bangladesh Geological Society| url = | doi = | id = ]

Demography

Many of the people who live in Tongi commute to Dhaka each day, mainly by bus. Many people are also employed at factories in Export Processing Zones (EPZ), areas given special tax and tariff exemptions by the government in order to stimulate industry. [cite web| last = | first = | title = Bangladesh| work = Global Connectivity and Exchange Project| publisher = Department of State, USA| url = http://www.connect-bangladesh.org/content/view/84/80/ | format = HTML| accessdate = 2007-04-22] Tongi is located near Turag River.

History

Mir Jumla (1660-1663) built a fort to protect the northern entry of Dhaka during his reign as a Mughal "subadar" (1660–1663). [cite news| last = Alam| first = Helemul| title = DCC demolishes Dhaka gate at Banani| work = New Age| language = English| publisher = New Age| date = 2006-03-21| url = http://www.newagebd.com/2006/mar/21/met.html | accessdate = 2007-04-23] The subadar also built a bridge over the river Turag. Mir Jumla constructed a road, now a part of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, that connected Tongi with "Bag-e-Badshahi". It served as an axis of urban growth in the 19th and 20th centuries as sites for establishment of new urban settlements - Gulshan (formed in 1961), Banani (in 1964), Baridhara (in 1972) and Uttara (in 1965) - were picked off the highlands along that axis road.

In 1786, Tongi-Jamalpur was designated as the northern boundary of Dhaka by the East India Company, reaffirmed by John Taylor, the first English Commercial Resident of Dhaka in 1800.

Transport

The newly constructed Tongi Diversion Road forms another important artery of the road network leading to Dhaka.

The Narayanganj-Dhaka-Mymensingh State railway, laid almost parallel to the Mughal road from Tongi through Tejgaon and Kawranbazar to Shahbagh, was opened in 1885-86.

Tongi is a break of gauge junction station on the Bangladesh Railway where the new cross country line across the Jamuna bridge from the western section joins the eastern section.

References

External links

* [http://www.dcgazipur.gov.bd/Default.aspx Gazipur District Commissioner's Official Website]
* [http://www.unescap.org/esd/water/publications/augs/vol14/PART_THREE.PDF UNESCAP Publication on the Geographical Enginnering possibilities of the Dhaka-Tongi area]
* [http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/fias.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/Osmani_BSCIC.ppt/$FILE/Osmani_BSCIC.pdf International Finance Corporation report on enhancing economic zones including the Tongi BSCIC zone]