Kuakata eco-park yet to be renovated
Kuakata Jatiya Udyan (eco-park), which has been lying in a dilapidated state for long, is yet to be renovated.
However, two proposals were sent to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to repair the eco-park of the district in 2018, said Patuakhali Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Md Aminul Islam.
Tourists from home and abroad are losing interest in visiting the Kuakata eco-park, one of the best tourist spots in the country, as its walkways, link road, wooden bridge and tamarisk garden are badly damaged.
The structures have been damaged badly due to erosion in recent years, said locals.
In 2005-2006 fiscal year, Patuakhali Coastal Forest Department set up the eco-park in Kuakata sea beach on 13,984 hectares of land, including Gangamati, Khajura, Latachaplee and Fatrar Char areas, at a cost of Tk 2.76 crore.
Five picnic sheds, wooden bridge, culverts, internal walkways, office building and ticket counter were built about two-and-a-half kilometres east of zero-point of Kuakata under the eco-park land development project.
There are mangrove trees and 42,000 plants of different species in the eco-park, creating a safe nesting place for birds. A tamarisk garden was also made outside the park to protect it from tidal surges from the Bay.
The forest department changed its name as Jatiya Udyan on October 24 in 2010.
During a recent visit to the park, this correspondent found that the wooden bridge over the lake had been broken totally. Culverts, picnic sheds and benches were also broken.
Hundreds of trees in the tamarisk garden had been uprooted by the tide.
Md Matiur Rahman, a tourist from Khulna, said he visited the eco-park in early 2007 and it was an eye-catching spot.
But now the spot has lost its beauty as its walkways, picnic sheds, wooden bridge and culverts have been badly damaged, said Matiur.
Another tourist from Rajshahi Md Nazrul Islam said "I'm very disappointed to see that the internal walkways, culverts and toilets in the park are badly damaged."
The authorities concerned should take immediate steps to save the wonderful place from the Bay, considering the tourists' interest, he added.
The office building, walkways, electrification system and lake were badly damaged by super cyclone Sidr in November 2007 and Aila in 2009.
Kuakata municipality Mayor Abdul Bareq Mollah said the eco-park is one of the attractive spots here and it should be renovated immediately.
"I raised the matter in the upazila and district level meetings several times, but no steps have been taken yet," said the mayor.
DFO Aminul Islam said most of the infrastructures are damaged as heavy tidal surge from the Bay hits the area every year.
In 2018, they have sent two proposals to the ministry concerned to renovated the park at a cost of Tk 5.56 crore and work will start after approval, said the DFO.
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