PMO’s plan of actions for safeguarding Sundarbans

Rezaul Karim | Published: January 10, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has issued a plan of actions aiming to safeguard of the Sundarbans, officials said.
Under the move, the office has sent 14-point suggestions for urgent execution of the plan and directed the ministries, departments and agencies concerned to inform the status of progress after their implementation.
The suggestions have already been approved by the higher authority of government, a PMO source said.
The suggestions came following the visit of the director general (DG, admin) of PMO to the Sundarbans as per the directive of the Prime Minister.
In the meantime, the PMO has sent the suggestions to the ministries of finance, public administration, environment and forests, fisheries and livestock, home affairs, shipping and health and family welfare, local government division, posts and telecommunications division and department of public health engineering (DPHE).
In the suggestions stress has been laid on conducting study and research on the living standard of forest department employees and people of the forest areas. Besides, it has also been emphasised to complete different proposed projects on the Sundarbans soon. Â
Talking to the FE, a high official of PMO said actually, there has not been any long-term, planned and comprehensive research/study on animals, trees, resources and biodiversity of the Sundarbans till date. The studies/researches conducted so far are either incomplete or contradictory to each other. So, it is necessary to prepare an integrated study and comprehensive plan on the Sundarbans to protect the world heritage site.
A number of ministries, departments and agencies have been taking initiatives in this connection, he said adding that there is an acute scarcity of pure drinking water in the area. For this, emphasis has been laid on the issue. Â
A comprehensive and fully developed policy has to be formulated on the mangrove forest, according to the suggestions. Â
Drives should be taken jointly by the forest department, coast guard and rapid action battalion (RAB) for stopping fishing by using poison.
The Ghashiakhali channel should be introduced as an alternative route soon by completing its dredging work.
A separate desk may be formed at the ministry of environment and forest for operation and supervision of various activities on the Sundarbans properly. Necessary manpower should be appointed for encountering criminals' groups of desolate areas of the forest.
The proposed projects of GPS-based Monitoring System for Boat/Mechanised Boat of the Sundarbans Reserved Forest for Protection from Pirates and Natural Calamities and Protection of Sundarbans Reserve Forest have to be implemented soon.
Suggestions have also been made for development of different pure water sources of the area, implementation of proposed ration and risk allowance for the employees of the forest department, preparation of data base for trawlers and boats, GPS tracking and training and credit facility for fishermen and honey collectors ect.
A high official of the ministry of finance said: "We are relentlessly working on issues relating to the forest like manpower, projects and credit."
Meanwhile, ministry of environment and forests officials said they are planning to establish a separate desk at their office for monitoring different issues of the Sundarbans according to directive of the PMO.
On December 9, 2014, a tanker sank and dumped hundreds of litres of furnace oil into the country's protected delta after a collision with another vessel.
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