Kutubdia Island
Type: Island
Contributed By: Nayeem ,SM Shawon,Shaulhoq
Brief
Kutubdia Island is famous for The Light-House and all other mysterious creation and divine beauty. It is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal. Though it is very small in size, it has the ability to lead all the huge land by its Natural Beauty. The Sea Beach is very attractive and is not less qualified than Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach. The scenery of Sun-set and Sun-rise are obviously eye-catching for all the human beings. The way of producing salt is unimaginable. Kutubdia Sea Beach only has the lacking of advertisement and media coverage. Otherwise, it would be another attractive place for the Nature Lovers.
Administration Kutubdia Thana was established in 1917 and was turned into an Upazila in 1983. It consists of 6 union parishads, 9 mouzas and 29 villages. Archaeological heritage Marks of War of Liberation Memorial monument 1 (ghatkul). Population approximately 1,14,000; male 51.66%, female 48.34%; Muslim 91.27%, Hindu 8.65%, others 0.08%. Religious institutions Yusef Ali Miaji Masjid, Kalarma Masjid, Ek Hatia Fakirer Masjid, Maharaja Kazir Masjid, Tomb of Qutb Awliya. Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 23.85%; male 31.5%, female 16.2%. Educational institutions: college 1, government high school 1, non-government high school 7, madrasa 15, government primary school 32, non-government primary school 39. Old institutions: Kutubdia High School (1938), Durung High School (1948).
Cultural organizations: Public library 1, press club 1, sporting club 1, co-operative society 1.
Main occupations: Agriculture 32.13%, fishing 4.67%, agricultural laborers 23.99%, wage laborers 5.76%, commerce 11.88%, service 3.94%, industries 2.2%, others 15.43%.
Land use: Cultivable land 8903.28 hectares, land for cultivation of salt 1416 hectares, fallow land 242.82 hectares. The market value of the first grade land is Tk 9500 per 0.01 hectare.
Main crops: Paddy, potato, watermelon, ginger, tomato, bean, betel nut. Extinct and nearly extinct crop Kaun. Main fruits are Mango, banana, papaya, plum, coconut.
Farming: Shrimp cultivation in 115 hectares.
Communication facilities: Roads: pucca 147 km, mud road 44 km. Traditional transports are Horse carriage, bullock cart, palanquin. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.
Manufactures: Rice mill 2, salt mill 1, ice mill 1, and saw mill 4.
Cottage industries: Welding 15, bamboo work 300, goldsmith 18, blacksmith 20, tailoring 200.
Mineral resources: Natural gas, sulphur. Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars 12. Notable bazars are Bara Ghop Bazar, Dhurung Bazar. Main exports Fish, salt.
NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are brac, Gana Swasthya Kendra, Prism Bangladesh, and IFAD Unnayan Sahajogi Team.
Health centers: Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 4, family planning centre 6.
Most Attractive: Sea Beach and Light House.
Windmill: Kutubdia has the only Windmill in Bangladesh named as “Hybrid Power Plant”
How to go
The easiest way to go to Kutubdia Island is to go by Mognama ghat (Mognama jetty). There is direct bus service from Chittagong to Mognama, also you can go to Mognama by CNG taxi from Chokoria. One can go to Chokoria from Chittagong or Cox’s Bazar, or from Dhaka by direct bus. It is also possible to go by Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar bus and drop at Chokoria Bazar.
From Mognama, there is boat and speedboat to cross the channel. Speedboat takes only 10/15 minutes and cost 60 Taka per person. From Kutubdia jetty, you can take a rickshaw to go to the far/sea side of the island where there is a rest house.
How To Reach: Cox’s Bazar District
Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar are linked by road. You can take a bus from Dhaka to reach Cox’s Bazar. Some of the bus services are listed below for your assistance:
1. Green Line
Contact: 0341-62533
2. Hanif Enterprise
Contact: 0341-64170
3. Shamoli Paribahan
Contact: 0443449934
4. Shohag Paribahan
Contact: 0341-64361
5. S Alam Paribahan
Contact: 0341-62902
6. Shah Bahadur
Contact: 01678064880
7. Saint Martins
Contact: 01726520095
Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar are linked by air. Some of the airline services from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar are listed below for your help.
1. United Bangladesh Airways
Contact: Phone: 09606445566, Ext: 542-48
Plane ticket fare starts from BDT 5925
2. Novo Air
Contact: 09666722224, 029871891-2
Plane Ticket fare starts from BDT 6600
3. Regent Airways
Plane ticket fare starts from BDT 5800
Contact: 028953003 or 16238
Where to Stay
The accommodation facilities in Cox’s Bazar are remarkable. There are several great hotels in the region. Some of the hotels/motels in Rangamati are listed below for your assistance.
1. Hotel Seagull
Hotel Motel Zone
Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach,Cox’s Bazar
Tel: +88 0341 62480 – 90
Cell: +88 01766666530, +88 0176666653
2. Hotel Sea Palace
Kalatoli Road, Cox’s Bazar
Phone: 880-341-63692, 63792, 63794, 63826, and 63853
Mobile: 01714652227-8, 01979405051-2
3. Saint Martin Resort
Plot # ten, Block- a, Kalatoli Road, Cox’s Bazar
Phone: +88-0341-62862, 64275
4. Hotel Sayeman
Hotel Sayeman Road, Cox’s Bazar
Cell: +88-01711-022088
Phone: +88-0341-63900 -4, 63703 -7
5. Hotel Sea Crown
Marin Drive, Kola Toil New Beach
Telephone: 0341-64795, 0341-64474
Mobile: 01817 089420
Things to do
You can visit the whole island, enjoy the sea beach and natural beauty, take photos etc. One of the main attraction of Kutubdia is, it’s many ancient mosques and tombs, like Yusef Ali Miaji Masjid, Kalarma Masjid, Ek Hatia Fakirer Masjid, Maharaja Kazir Masjid, and Tomb of Qutb Awliya and many more.
Eating Facilities
You need to look for restaurants nearby. The beach is empty and almost there will be no good facility for foods. So, packed foods and dry foods will be suggested. There are many local bazaars in Kutubdia, so water and sanitation will not be a problem.
