Local authorities and cruise owners have decided to suspend the operation of all vessels on the Teknaf-St Martin's route from April 2 due to rough weather and a shortage of tourists.
Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh (Scooab) ,confirmed the matter on Monday.
He said that the permission for vessel movement on the St Martin route would expire on June 30. “But as the number of tourists has gone down with rough weather prevailing in the Bay, the vessel owners have decided to halt services from April 2.”
Tofail Ahmed, president of Scooab, said that the body did not have an exact idea regarding the total number of tourists currently staying there amid inclement weather in the region.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Parvez, acknowledging the problem, said that the regular ban on ship movement usually came into effect from March 30.
“But this year, the deadline will be extended as there are some tourists on the island,” he added.
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According to St Martin's Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman, previously 90% of the islanders used to depend on fishing. Many of them have changed their professions in recent years and now depend on tourism.
He said that over 30 hotels and resorts of the island had already suspended operations ahead of the official ban on vessel movement.
“This suspension of vessel movement will negatively impact the islanders,” the UP chairman added.
Scooab leader Hossain Islam Bahadur said that vessels returning from St Martin’s on April 2 would carry wastes from the island and dump them in Teknaf.
The authorities would bury the wastes in different areas of Teknaf while plastic wastes would be sold to traders, Bahadur said.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists have expressed concern on learning that the Cox’s Bazar authorities were carrying out a drive to relocate dogs away from the island.
People for Animal Welfare Foundation Chairman Rakibul Haque Emil said that he had contacted the local authorities and asked them to follow the law and take scientific measures to control the dog population on the island rather than just relocating them to another place.