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The authorities are yet to approve of tourists’ visit to the Sundarbans, one of the world’s largest mangrove forests in Bangladesh.
The disapproval nipped an exploratory visit by a group of university students in the bud as they were planning to do so.
“As soon as we contacted some local tour operators, they categorically informed us of the restrictions imposed on the tourists as well as the fishermen in the Sundarbans till August 31,” said Sared Fardous Anon, a group member.
The home of the mighty and the prideful Royal Bengal tigers, Sundarbans, is also well known for its wide range of fauna, including deer, 260 bird species and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
Although the government has reopened various tourist spots, amusement parks and other entertainment spots from August 19, the tourists, keenly waiting to pay a visit to the world heritage site the Sundarbans, will have to wait over a week.
On August 12, the Cabinet Division had announced that tourist spots and amusement parks would be allowed to reopen on August 19 on the condition of maintaining strict health guidelines set by the government.
In reply to a question to The Business Post, conservator of Forest (Khulna Circle) Mihir Kumar Deo said, “We are going to open the Sundarbans for tourists and fishermen from September.”
“As the Cabinet Division has put a ban on all kinds of activities in the forest till June, July and August for the conservation of biodiversity, wildlife and other fishery resources, we still keep the Sundarbans closed for all kinds of tourism,” he added.
The Sundarbans is a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal which is one of the natural wonders of the world. It is located in the delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins and this unique forest area extends across Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Barguna districts.
Being the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“Because of the non-entry by tourists and fishing men for quite a long time, the wildlife has been able to grow further naturally and the footprints of tigers and even tiger cubs can also be seen in different places inside the Sundarbans.” Said Dr. Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, the divisional forest officer (Sundarbans West Division) while talking to The Business Post.
He continued as saying, “There are a lot of small canels where the crocodiles could not be even seen very often before but now the crocodiles can now be seen easily into those canals. The number of deer and other animals have also increased.”
Apart from the much-visited Katka, Karamjal, Kachikhali and Dublar Char in the Sundarbans, there are nice more touristic spots such as Nilkamal and Kolagachhi in its area, he further said.
Naser said, “We are contemplating launching two more spots Kolabogi and Shekhertek where a temple is located. This spot is expected to attract not only the local tourists but also the foreigners as well.”
