The government has formulated an integrated plan based on environment and tourism with seven upazilas of Patuakhali and Barguna. Under this, the overall development work of these areas will be carried out. For this reason, there are clear instructions regarding infrastructure planning and maintaining the environment and surroundings.
According to the plan, a tourism hub will be created in this area in the next few decades. For this reason, the Department of Urban Development of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works of the Government has taken up a project called 'Environment-Tourism Based Integrated Planning of Payra Port City and Kuakata Coastal Region'.
Development projects in these southern districts of the country include Payra Thermal Power Plant, Payra Sea Port, Submarine Cable Landing Station, Banauja Sher-e-Bangla Naval Base, Alipur Mahipur Fish Landing Station along with developed tourist centers like Kuakata. And neighboring district Barguna also has several tourist centers and mega projects of the government. For this reason, this integrated development plan based on eco-tourism is taking Kalapara, Galachipa, Rangabali of Patuakhali district and Barguna Sadar, Taltali, Amtali and Patharghata upazilas of Barguna district.
Recently, a day-long workshop was held with representatives of seven upazilas of Patuakhali project area. Geology and hydrology of the project area, disaster management, transport, agriculture-forestry-environmental report of the project area and upazila-based structure plan and urban area draft plan were prepared and presented.
Regional planner of this project and the former professor of urban and regional planning department of BUET Sarwar Jahan highlighted the overall progress of the project and briefed the delegates present on the project. The project stakeholders said in an open discussion that everything will be determined through this plan. Which place will be good for tourism, where to ensure housing facilities, where to have fish market, where to create afforestation to protect ecological balance. Where will the waste be managed? Apart from this, there will be detailed information about where heavy industries, medium industries will be built and they will be fruitful. Apart from this, there are instructions in this plan about the communication system of this area.
Meanwhile, the people of the beneficiary areas of the project believe that if it is implemented properly, it will create a world-class tourism and trade area in the entire southern region.
Rumman Imtiaz Tushar, President of Kuakata Tour Operators Association, said that the tourists coming to Kuakata now do not get a chance to go anywhere after one or two days. However, in the plan of this project, tourists can travel from Sonarchar in the east to Haringhata in the west. As a result, this area will be appreciated by tourists as a rich tourist area.
In the workshop organized on this project, the Divisional Commissioner of Barisal Division. Amin Ul Ahsan said that the chaos that has been created due to the unplanned development of other tourist spots in the country, if these development works are carried out according to the plan made through this project, a new horizon will begin in tourism and business in the entire southern area. As a result, people's livelihood including the environment here will be fine. No sector will suffer due to any sector. It has been identified in the GIS database with data analysis of the projects implemented by 40 organizations of the government in the formulation of this plan.
Deputy Commissioner of Patuakhali Mohammad Kamal Hossain said that due to the Padma bridge, Kuakata has been established with the rest of the country including Dhaka. As a result, the presence of tourists in Kuakata is increasing more than before. However, as a result of the project that is being implemented with seven upazilas, tourism and trade will be planned here. By doing this, domestic and foreign businessmen will also be interested in investing here.
