C T Online Desk: Even a decade ago, Dwip Union Matarbari of Maheshkhali Upazila did not have much of a reputation. Due to the tidal wave, river erosion and underdeveloped communication system created from the Bay of Bengal, even outsiders did not have much access to the island.
Most of the residents of Cox’s Bazar district used to travel to this union for various purposes. The residents of the union were mostly engaged in shrimp farming, salt fields and agricultural work. But the overall picture of the island has changed in the last half century. The government’s unimaginable development work is going on in this small island. A huge work is going on in Matarbari Union around the construction of several coal power plants, deep seaports and economic zones.
If these projects worth Tk 80,000 crore are implemented with domestic and foreign funding, the country’s economy will change. Locals say that in the ongoing work of the government project, Matarbari will become the second Singapore in the future. Geographical location of Matarbari Union is in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar district. It is bounded on the east by Kohelia and on the north by Ujantia river, on the south by Dhalghata union and on the west by Bay of Bengal. With an area of 10.20 square miles, the population of this union is about 60 thousand and the literacy rate is about 63 percent.
