The forest department withdrew the ban on the people’s access to forest resources in Chandpai and Swarankhola ranges in Sundarbans on Saturday, nearly two months after its issuance in face of frequent fire incidents in the forest areas. People, who depend on forest resources, will enter the Sundarbans receiving pass permits from the Forest Department, Md Jahir Uddin, conservator of forests (Khulna circle) told UNB. The decision was taken considering the livelihoods of huge fishermen and honey collectors as the condition of the Sundarbands has become normal, he said. On 29 April, the fourth fire incident in barely four weeks’ time at Chandpai Range in Sharankhola upazila of the Sundarbans prompted the Forest Department to put in place a number of special security measures there. The measures included a temporary ban on issuance of all types of pass permits’ for forest resource collection and on entry to the forest by fishermen, mowal and bhawali. The repeated fire incidents in the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO world heritage site have irked the environment activists as they say such incidents may cast a far-reaching adverse impact on its ecosystem.
Prothom Alo 1998 – 2016