Ban on unguided Sundarbans tour on way

The government has drafted a set of guidelines banning travel to the Sundarbans without trained guides to protect its biodiversity and ensure safety of the tourists. The environment and forests ministry’s Deputy Secretary Syed Mehdi Hassan told the journalists about ‘the Sundarbans Travel Guidelines’ draft finalisation. He said the move aimed to ‘ensure that biodiversity in the Sundarbans is not threatened and security of the travellers is ensured’. Hassan said the guidelines contained directions to ensure employment of the people near the world’s largest mangrove forest. ‘The people living near the region will be trained as Sundarbans tour guides. Nobody can enter the Sundarbans without guide once the guidelines are enforced,’ he added. The official said a meeting had been convened for July 2 at the ministry to finalise the guidelines, according to bdnews24.com.