Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad on Tuesday requested the deputy commissioner of Sylhet to stop collecting entry fees from tourists at the tourist spot Jaflong in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet.
In a letter to the DC, the Sylhet 4 lawmaker also wanted to know the legal procedure of fixing entry fees as well as their collection and uses, introduced by the district tourism committee.
Acknowledging the letter, DC Mujibur Rahman said: “I have received the letter from the minister. We have already taken the decision not to collect entry fees from tourists until the next meeting of the district tourism committee."
He, however, did not disclose the date of the next meeting.
Legal experts have described the ticketing system at the tourist hub as illegal and outside the jurisdiction of the tourism committee.
File photo of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad UNBAlso Read - Entry fee at Jaflong: Gowainghat admin earns 40L in 7 months
Emad Ullah Shahiddul Islam, former president of the district bar council, said: “The district tourism committee cannot collect entry fees from tourists violating directives of the gazette notification. They (tourism committee) have to work following their jurisdiction given by the ministry.”
Gowainghat Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Tahmilur Rahman said: “The decision to collect entry fees was taken by the district administration at a meeting of the district tourism committee on November 8, 2021, following the gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.”
Also Read - Five sent to jail for assaulting tourists in Jaflong
According to sources, the Gowainghat upazila administration has earned Tk40 lakh in seven months from taking entry fees at Jaflong.
This issue gained public attention on May 5 after an attack on some tourists by volunteers who worked for the authorities.
The volunteers, appointed by the Gowainghat administration, allegedly assaulted a group of tourists, including women and children, at Jaflong.
They attacked the tourists with sticks following an altercation over buying tickets from the toll counter at Jaflong.
The video of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows some men in blue uniform assaulting a group of tourists with sticks.
Five people, including two volunteers, were arrested in this connection.
