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Bangabandhu Jamuna Eco Park may be attractive tourist spot

Published : Sunday, 2 July, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 744
Ashok Benarjee
SIRAJGANJ, July 1: If necessary measures are taken, the Bangabandhu Jamuna Eco Park beside the Jamuna River near the Bangabandhu Bridge in Sirajganj may be
an attractive tourist spot.
But, due to lack of any proper management and infrastructure and steps to improve the facilities, the park is losing attraction day by day. As a result, the government is losing a huge revenue from the sector.
On the occasion of this year's Eid-ul-Fitr, hundreds of visitors are coming to the park daily. But, there are not adequate toilets, water and lighting facilities at the park. Inside this huge park, there is not standard communication facility.  
According to field sources, the Bangabandhu Jamuna Eco Park was set up on 600 acres of land beside the Jamuna River and on the west side of the Bangabandhu Bridge in 1998.
Under Pabna Forest Division, around 5,000 medicinal plants, 4,640 decoration plants, and 5,10,000 plants of 87 varieties of trees were planted from 1998 till 2004 at the park.
In 2008, the park was formally inaugurated. At that time, some wild animals including deer and monkeys were released at the park. For sitting arrangement of the visitors, small houses were also built.
The aims of setting up the park were to protect the guide dam of the Bangabandhu Bridge, creating orchards of rare trees and habitat for wild animals, and ensuring research facilities on the park, but in reality none of the aims were fulfilled. The facilities which were meant to be ensured during the inauguration were not provided.
Now, there are around 50 deer at the park. The park authority said, the number of the deer has increased through voluntary breeding. Besides, there are nine monkeys and one hedgehog in cages.
Despite myriad problems, revenue worth lakhs of taka is being earned from the park every year. But, there is no step to increase the number of wild animals and no allocation for the park's development.
After the park was set up, people from all over the country used to visit the park in a great number. At that time, several thousand people used to visit the park daily, and the annual income from the park was Tk 20 to 25 lakh. But, now the rush of visitors has come down and so the annual income from the park has now stood at Tk 10 to 15 lakh.
Visitors said, they fall into trouble after coming to visit the park. There is not watch tower to visit the huge park. There is no road inside it. There is only one toilet which is shabby. Besides, there are no proper facility of water, and no recreational facilities for children.
Still hundreds of people come to visit the park daily but they alleged about the lack of necessary facilities. So, the revenue income from the park has fallen in the last five years.
A college student Rumana said, "Due to lack of toilet facilities and water, the female visitors have to suffer much. If necessary facilities could be provided at the park, it would become a source of huge revenue for the government."
Abdus Sobhan of Shahjadpur upazila under the district said, "I have come here along with my family members, but there are no recreation facilities for the children. Besides, there is no picnic facility."
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bangabandhu Jamuna Eco Park Md Ripon Mia admitted the visitors' hazard and said, "This park is a progressive sector. If picnic spot and other recreation facilities can be ensured, huge revenue would be earned from this park."
He further said, "There is no government allocation for the park's development and even maintenance. We have to spend from our daily income behind the park. Earlier, we earned Tk 20 to 25 lakh annually but in the last five years the income has come down to half."






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