Tourists lose interest in Kuakata eco-park

Tourists from home and abroad are losing interest in visiting the Kuakata eco-park, though it was one of the best tourist spots in the country, as its walkways, link road, wooden bridge and tamarisk garden are badly damaged.

Patuakhali Coastal Forest Department set up the eco-park on Kuakata sea beach on 13,984 hectares of land, including Gangamoti, Khajura, Latachaplee and Fatrar Char areas, at a cost of Tk 2.76 crore in 2005-2006 fiscal year.

Two watchtowers, five picnic sheds, wooden bridge, culverts, internal walkways, office building and ticket counter were built about 2.50 km east of zero-point of Kuakata under the eco-park land development project.

There are mangrove trees and 42,000 plants of different varieties in the park, creating a safe nesting place for birds. A tamarisk garden was also made outside the park to protect it from tidal surges of the Bay.

During a recent visit to the eco-park, this correspondent saw that the wooden bridge over the lake had become unusable as many sleepers had been stolen and many were broken. The wooden pillars were also broken.

Md Nazrul Islam from Dhaka said, “I am frustrated to see that internal walkways, culverts and toilets in the eco-park are badly damaged.”

Trees in the tamarisk garden built on the southern side of the park to protect the park from tidal surges from the Bay have been uprooted.

Most infrastructures, including office building, walkway, electrification system, and lake, were damaged by super cyclone Sidr on November 15 in 2007.

Mayor of Kuakata municipality Abdul Bareq Mollah said the eco-park should be renovated immediately to attract tourists.

“I have heard that a new project will be taken up in Kuakata instead of eco-park, and it will be more attractive,” he added.

Divisional Forest Office in Patuakhali Ajit Kumer Rudro said a mega project is being taken up in Kuakata to make it of international level with modern facilities.

A seven-member central team led by Director of the Wildlife Centre of the Forest Department Dr Sunil Kumer Kundo visited Kuakata eco-park in August this year, he said.

The team will prepare a plan and a budget, and work will start  after approval, he added.