Bangladesh's Department of Environment has served final notices to close 18 unapproved resorts built on the edge of the Sundarbans, the World Heritage mangrove forest. Ten of them have been told to remove all their structures within 30 days and eight within 15 days, Banglanews24 reports.
Sardar Shariful Islam, deputy director of the department's Khulna divisional office, confirmed the move to the paper on the morning of Tuesday, 6 October. He said the resorts had already been ordered to close twice before.
The written final notices were handed to the owners on Sunday, 4 October, by Md Harun-or-Rashid, assistant director of the department's Khulna district office. The letters say that if the resorts do not comply, mobile courts will be run, their electricity cut off and regular cases filed under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (amended 2010) and its rules.
The resorts named are Sundari, Irabati, Aranyachhaya, Aranyabari, Keorabon, Mayabon, Gahon, The Forest Retreat, Nikunja Valley, La Silva Cottage, Bonbibi, Bonmali, Golokanon, Piyali, Mangrove, Jangalbari, Bonobas and Bonolata Eco Cottage.
The Sundarbans is one of the country's most important natural resources. This is the third order against tourist buildings put up without approval at the forest's edge, and this notice sets deadlines for removing them.
The report is by a senior correspondent of Banglanews24.
Photo: Shohelrana1979 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Banglanews24
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