- 2021-08-30 01:30:46
- LAST MODIFIED: 2024-12-21 21:26:18
Sundarbans set to reopen for tourists on Sep 1
Rules and conditions to be imposed following cabinet's policy
Photo Collected:
Khulna Correspondent:
Dhaka, Aug-30,
After nearly five
months of closure due to the Covid restrictions, the Forest Department is
reopening the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a Unesco
World Heritage Site, on September 1 (Wednesday).
The decision was taken
at a meeting between leaders of the Forest Department and the Tour Operators
Association of Sundarbans, Khulna, on Sunday.
M Nazmul Azam
David, the general secretary of the Tour
Operators Association, confirmed the information to the media.
However, it won’t be
business as usual as the Forest Department has given some rules and conditions
before reopening the forest for tourists.
Forest Conservator,
Khulna Region Mihir Kumar Do said the Sundarbans will be opened to tourists
from September 1 following the 'Sundarbans Travel' policy approved by the
cabinet.
“Each launch cannot
carry more than 75 passengers. Social distance and hygiene must be maintained.
Appropriate sanitizer should be provided,“ he said, referring to some of the
new rules and conditions to be followed.
“The Forest Department
will take legal action against any tour operator carrying more tourists or
disturbing the environment by violating the said policy,” he added.
The government
restricted tourist gatherings in the Sundarbans on March 26 last year amid the
first Covid restrictions in the country.
However, tourism did
resume for a period from November 1, 2020 when the situation improved. However
the government had to reimpose the ban again on April 3 due to the
deteriorating Covid situation, fuelled by the Delta variant that was first
identified in India..
End/Dct/Corr/Sma/