Habiganj

Habiganj is a town located approximately 120 miles North-East of the capital Dhaka bordering Assam, within the relatively wealthy district of Sylhet. Villages within the Habiganj sub-district border include Mirpur, Togli, Paniunda, Shataiyaal, Bahubal and Khandigau.

The people speak a Bengali dialect similar to 'Sylheti' (also similar to language used in west Assam) with some words often unique to individual villages. The majority of the poorer residents survive on subsistence agriculture or manual labour. The wealthier people tend work the land for a profit or in some cases lease the land to farmers in return for some of their produce.

Areas around the recently completed Bisho Road ('Bisho'- Bengali word meaning world)or dual-carriage way which cuts through parts of Habiganj and is linked to Assam (India) and China have experienced significant growth. The wider use and availability of telecommunications in the area have also comtibuted to this growth. However the town itself has stagnated recently, perhaps because the 'Bisho Road' has been built fairly far from the town.

Though not as commercialised as the city of Sylhet, Habiganj nevertheless remains a centre of business, government, education, healthcare and shopping for the millions of people living in the surrounding areas.