The government has decided to transform Bogura town into a city corporation and the deputy commissioner of the district, Hosna Afroza, issued a public notice in this regard on Sunday, April 27.

The decision stems from a letter dated April 10, signed by Deputy Secretary Md Firoz Mahmud of the Local Government Division, City Corporation-2 Branch, on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

The letter, sent to the Deputy Commissioner and copied to relevant stakeholders, including the municipality administrator, instructed the issuance of a public notice after finalising boundaries.

Deputy Commissioner Hosna Afroza confirmed that Bogura meets the legal criteria for being a city corporation, requiring a minimum municipal population of four lakh and a population density of 3,000 per square kilometre.

Bogura Municipality has a permanent population of approximately 4.5 lakh and a density of 5,843 people per square kilometre. Covering 21 wards and spanning 69.56 square kilometres – well above the required 25 square kilometres – the municipality’s total population exceeds 1 million, surpassing many existing city corporations in size.

Bogura Municipality, established in 1876, gained ‘A’ class status in 1981. Its area expanded from 14.76 square kilometres in 2000 to 69.56 square kilometres in 2004.

“Bogura City Corporation is now just a matter of time,” Afroza said, noting that boundaries were finalised on a mouza basis. She added that the upgrade will accelerate development in Bogura.

Former mayor Advocate Mahbubur Rahman welcomed the move, saying, “Bogura is a growing city. This should have happened earlier. I urge swift implementation.”

Afroza outlined the next steps: a 10-day window following the public notice allows for objections from locals, which will be addressed before a final report is submitted to the ministry for gazetting.

“We’ll consult civil society, resolve concerns, and follow proper procedures,” she said, highlighting ongoing development projects in Bogura that will benefit from the city corporation status.