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Kuakata: a tourist spot uncared for

Morshed Ali Khan with Sohrab Hossain in Patuakhali
KUAKATA was declared a municipality, and this is the only development the highly potential tourist spot has witnessed over the last 20 years. During this long period, not a single road was built in this southern seaside town, 270 kilometres from the capital.
The successive governments only promised to develop the pristine town into a modern tourist spot, but so far none of its actual problems was addressed.
Road communication remains the biggest problem over a distance of 22 kilometres between Kalapara and Kuakata where three bridges are now under construction. Work on the under-construction Alipur bridge has recently come to a halt due to a shortage of funds for acquiring lands for its approach road.
If anyone wants to go to Kuakata from Dhaka by road, he or she will have to cross five rivers by ferries. Moreover, construction work on the last 22 kilometres of road between Kalapara and Kuakata has now stopped due to the monsoon.
The government could solve half of Kuakata's problems and attract more tourists only by removing the hassles of road communication, said Md Hemayet Uddin Talukder, a former chairman ofBangladesh Parjatan Corporation, the national tourism body.
Kuakata is also facing the wrath of the nature. Erosion is taking its toll on the coconut garden, tamarisk garden and the age-old mangrove forest.
The eco-park that was damaged by cyclones Sidr and Aila still awaits restoration.
Kuakata's internal roads become off-limits to all types of vehicles during the rainy season when ankle-deep mud makes the roads unusable.
While the successive governments have ignored the town's wellbeing, private inves-
tors flocked to Kuakata, buying up lands everywhere. Big real estate companies have moved in to buy all agricultural lands and unveiled plans for housing complexes, hotels and condominiums.
In June, the district administration imposed a ban on buying and selling of lands in Kuakata without the permission of the authority, as new investors were using up the land resources, including natural canals and forest areas.
The ban, which was imposed on areas such as Char Chaplee, Gongamati, Kowar Char and Latachaplee will remain valid till a gazette notification is issued after the completion of the "Kuakata master plan".
A consultancy firm, Sheltech Consultant Private Ltd, was given the job of preparing the master plan, said an official of the district administration.
Director of the firm Afsana Kamal, who is also a town planner, said they have completed the master plan and submitted it to the Local Government Engineering Department for their vetting.
“Hopefully the procedure for issuing the gazette notification will start in 15 days."
Kuakata sea beach is unique in its nature. Its geographic position enables tourists to enjoy both sunrise and sunset from the beach. Hundreds of local tourists visit Kuakata every year but proper facilities
remain scarce.
Kuakata sea beach faces another threat with local people looking for age-old trees buried under piles of sand. The digging of the beach areas is so indiscriminate that experts have appealed to the authorities to stop the practice to save the beach.
On the western side of the beach, some local people have dug the beach so intensely that it has become inundated and unusable.
Recently the government unveiled a plan to construct a 175-foot-high watchtower for the tourists at Huchanpara, about 2.5 km east from the centre of the town.
The beach needs immediate refurbish-
ment, said Motaleb Sharif, secretary for Kuakata Hotel Owners' Association. "Lights should be installed over an area of at least two kilometres."
“The authorities should build an amusement park, a community centre and a mini cinema hall to ensure recreational facilities," he said.
The lack of road network is acute, said Abdul Bareq Mollah, chairman of the local union parishad.
"At least 50 kilometres of new road network is needed immediately to attract tourists.” He demanded immediate renovation of the eco-park to make the town more attractive to tourists.