Tengragiri Eco-park needs renovation

Tengragiri Eco-park, the natural habitat of wild animals, is a place where one will be mesmerized by the natural beauty of a forest and at the same time, by the mysterious call of the sea. Here one can lose oneself in the vegetation and tweets of birds as well as in the sunrise and sunset in sea. That is why hundreds of tourists visited the park, especially in winter, contributing to the government’s revenue fund. But, recently, the number of visitors has decreased, as the infrastructures of the park have almost been damaged due to lack of its maintenance. The eco-park was built on Sakhina beat of Tengragiri reserve forest at Taltoli of Barguna, encompassing an area of 13,634 acres, in 2011, aiming to promote eco-tourism. It took Tk2,63,96,600 to set up the park, which includes four deep tube-wells, four toilets, four rest houses, a picnic spot, two ticket counters, 16 wooden bridges over small canals from the entrance to the end of the park and, most importantly, a three-kilometre road leading to the sea. Most of the aforementioned facilities for tourists are no longer offering any comfort to them due to the poor condition of the infrastructures. Three tube-well out of four have not been working, while doors, windows and basins of three toilets have been stolen, reports our correspondent after visiting the park recently. The condition of the rest houses is also very poor. Plasters fall from the walls and ceilings. Twelve out of 16 bridges have almost been damaged. The bridge over Sakhina canal at the entrance of the park, which connects the park to the main forest, is on the verge of collapse. Besides, the road leading to the sea is also in poor condition, causing sufferings to the sea-lovers. College student Sabrina Yesmin told the Dhaka Tribune that the condition of the bridges made it difficult for her to see the whole park. Another visitor Sumun Shikdar said lack of maintenance and renovation had turned the park into a ruin. Md Abu Jafar, another tourist, said the number of the tourists would increase if the authorities concerned could ensure security of the visitors as well as other facilities. “The tourists feel unsafe while returning to the main land of the park, after enjoying the sunset in sea,” said Jafar. Shajib Kumar Majumdar, forest officer of Sakina beat and also the in-charge of the park, said: “Earlier, hundreds of visitors thronged the park every day. Now, it has been decreased, as no renovation has been done in recent years.” Muha Bashirul, deputy commissioner of Barguna, said the higher authorities had been informed of the matter. “We have talked to the forest department as well as Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) executive engineer for renovation of the park as soon as possible,” added Muha.