Rampur-Boalia Municipality, later renamed as Rajshahi Municipality, was established during the last leg of nineteenth century (in 1876) with eight wards covering a population of 57,885. Then the Municipality building was housed at a tin shed room.
Later, in 1921 it was housed at a concrete building near Sona dighi of Shaheb Bazar. Rajshahi Municipality is the oldest of all municipalities established in the then Bengal.
Afterwards, Maharani Hemanta Kumari, one of the Jaminders of Natore contributed to establish Maharani Hemanta Kumari Water Works in Rajshahi on August-14, 1937.
In Hatemkhan areas of Rajshahi city, an exquisitely designed water reservoir was set up in which water was pumped and refined and then supplied to various places of Rajshahi town through pipelines.
There were over 100 hydrants named ‘Dhop-kol’ where water was kept reserved and people could use those round the clock. Most of these Dhop-kols have now been destroyed with the extension of the city. Now, only scores of those are still bearing the legacy of those glorious past.
Rajshahi City Corporation(RCC) Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman also contributed to be part of history by taking step to preserve a Dhop Kol in Rajshahi Museum. In photo, a Dhokp Kol is being removed from a city area to preserve it as a relic at Barendra Research Museum in Rajshahi
