Bangladesh – Unplanned urbanization threatens world’s longest natural sea beach and displacement of locals

Location: Cox’s Bazar & Dhaka

Language: Bengali

Sound: Natural

Duration: 00:05:33

Source: A24 Agency

Restrictions: A24 Subscribers

Dateline: 25.04.2022

Storyline

The tourist attraction of the Cox’s Bazar in Dhaka is being tampered with and threatened by unplanned urbanization and a continued disregard by the authorities of its pristine nature warned experts. For tourists, Cox’s Bazar is a holiday destination with pristine coconut palm-lined sandy beaches, sunshine and tropical weather. The 120 km unbroken beach attracts tourists everyday round of the year. The district town is also the home of around 200,000 people, plus nearly 1,000 local and foreign aid officials working at the Rohingya refugee camps. M Nazrul Islam, President Reporters’ Unity Cox’s Bazar and Executive Member of South Asian Youth Forum, said that despite regulations protecting the place, the beach of the district is not being protected, calling for action to protect the beach and warning in case this continues the bio-diversity and beauty of Cox’s Bazar “ will be destroyed.” However, Dr. Santou Kumar Deb, Chairman & Associate Professor, Tourism & Hospitality Management, University of Dhaka, said that to attract tourists, the local communities must be removed and there must be more construction works, including the establishment of an airport. 

Shotlist:

-(Soundbite) H. M Nazrul Islam, President Reporters’ Unity Cox’s Bazar and Executive Member of South Asian Youth Forum:

“The ECA (Ecological Critical Area) Act passed in 1999 by the High Court and Honorable President circulated gadget on the Act. The act prohibited construction work on 120 KM long of the beach. The High Court also ordered within this 120 KM, no land can be leased. But what we have seen, after 1999, who were responsible to protect Cox’s Bazar according to High Court and Honorable President’s, they broke the law from the beginning. Recently we called an assembly to implement the ECA Act because if we cannot implement the ECA Act, bio-diversity and beauty of Cox’s Bazar, all will be destroyed.”

-(Soundbite) Dr. Santou Kumar Deb, Chairman & Associate Professor, Tourism & Hospitality Management, University of Dhaka:

“To attract tourists, Cox’s Bazar is one of the most important places in Bangladesh. Govt. has a mega-plan for Cox’s Bazar. As part of it, on the edge of the beach, an airport is under construction like Bali. It was a longtime dream for Bangladesh for the beach-edge airport through which we will attract foreign tourists. But a dangerous obstacle has already been raised in Cox’s Bazar due to the Rohinga. I think to attract the foreign tourists, as well as local tourists, Rohingyas must have to shift to other places from Cox’s Bazar beach are where they have been sheltered in the palm-lined sandy beaches, to the other place if we want to make a plan for the tourism development in a tourist city like Cox’s Bazar.”

-(Soundbite) Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, President of the Bangladesh Poribash Andulan (BAPA):

“All our possessions are being stripped away. Still, building construction is going and the law is broken by the Govt. People themselves. We want our natural sea beach returned. Here red crabs will roam around on the beach, a turtle will give eggs Dolphins will dance and deer will plan as we saw during the Corona period. Give back our sea beach as it was.”

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