The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has canceled the ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Moulvibazar (Phase 1)’ project in the Lathitila forest of Moulvibazar.
Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud after the meeting while briefing the reports said the ECNEC has canceled the project as the Lathitila Forest is a hotspot of biodiversity and constructing a safari park in this area would put negative impacts on the forest ecosystem.
He said the decision was taken at a meeting of the ECNEC with its Chairperson and Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus in the chair held at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of Dhaka .
Besides, Ecnec has approved ten projects involving Tk 1,974.30 crore. Of this, Tk 1,642.98 crore will come from government fund and Tk 331.32 crore from organisations’ own fund.
Earlier, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended canceling the approval of a safari park project in the Lathitila reserved forest in Moulvibazar.
It is to be noted that ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Moulvibazar (Phase 1)’ project has been approved on conditions in an ECNEC meeting on November 9, 2023.
Following the decision, a four-member committee was formed on August 21, 2024 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to assess the project's impacts on biodiversity and provide recommendations.
After considering the potential effects of the proposed safari park on the forest’s biodiversity and taken the opinion of local stakeholders into account, the committee recommended that the safari park should not be established in this natural forest in the Lathitila reserved forest in Moulvibazar.
Meanwhile, the approved 10 projects are ‘Construction of River Ports in Chilmari Area (Ramna, Jorgach, Rajibpur, Roumari, Nayarhat) (1st Revised)’, ‘Ashuganj-Palash Sabuj’ project, ‘Expansion of Sustainable Agricultural Technology in Comilla Region’ project, “Cutting of Economically Lost Rubber Trees, Re-Gardening and Modernization of Rubber Processing” project, “Procurement and Installation of 60 MMSCFD Capacity Process Plant for Bhola North Gas Field”, “Drilling of Rashidpur-11 Well (Exploration Well)” Project, “2D Seismic Survey over Exploration Block 7 and 9” Project; “Establishment of 60 Day Care Centers of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs” Project “Rehabilitation and Quality Improvement of Level Crossing Gates of Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway (4th Revised)” Project and “Rehabilitation and Quality Improvement of Level Crossing Gates of Western Zone of Bangladesh Railway (3rd Revised)” Project.
NY
