Downsides of tourism

The best time for sight-seeing in Bangladesh is undoubtedly the months of November, December and January. For family outing, though, November is ruled out for the simple reason that children have to sit for their annual examinations. Even such exams are scheduled for the second or third week of December. So the peak family excursion begins in the third week of December and lasts till the early January depending on the opening of schools, colleges and universities.
From the point of favourable weather too, the time is highly propitious. Winter just starts setting without still becoming very hostile and if it concerns a visit to the Cox's Bazar or the other scenic attractions in the hilly districts such as Kaptai, Khagrachhari or Bandarban, the weather becomes simply salubrious. Transport operators and hoteliers make the most of the hefty business almost every year. The year 2013 though was an exception when political turmoil led to a sluggish business.
Now during the peak tourism, some of the transport owners take the wrong route in grabbing the extra bucks available on demand. When bus tickets are short in supply, they would produce vacant seats out of their hats. Passengers are little aware that they are going to be cheated in more ways than one. That transport operators realise unapproved fares is one thing but when they hire low quality buses with no route permit, they take recourse -as did one company after the name of an island resort in the Bay of Bengal - to a whole lot of mischievous tactics. This is against the spirit of helping tourism to flourish.
In one particular case, the company obtained permission for running the bus between Cox's Bazar and Dhaka from the police commissioner at Dhaka. The purpose was to serve a pharmaceutical company which arranged for its annual general meeting at Cox's Bazar. Corporate offices and pharmaceutical companies nowadays have almost made it a custom to arrange such get-together in the beach town. They want to kill two birds at a single shot. Nothing wrong with it. Because this is proof enough that local industries are flourishing with more money at their disposal for a holiday-cum-official ritual.
Now taking undue advantage of that permission, the bus company operates the bus as one of its fleet. But fortunately the bus owners' association keeps watch over such irregularities and the bus is stopped at Lohagara. It would not allow it to go unless a fine of Tk 3,000 is paid. But the supervisor of the bus is unwilling to pay the fine. In the process more than an hour passes and it is morning when everyone is eager to be in the wash room of a hotel. Already the bus had started an hour and a half late from Kalabagan, Dhaka. Now more than an hour has gone wasted. Add to this, the driver's attempt to avoid notice so that the bus also took some tortuous routes in Comilla with the result that the ride was bumpy and time-consuming.
Such irregularities in transport operation can be dangerous on more counts than usual. But who cares? Like bus operators, the speed boat operators at Fisheries ghat of Cox's Bazar also create a situation where an all-round chaos reigns. When there is a rush, the operators would play deaf and dumb to calls from visitors willing to go to Maheshkhali. Condescendingly they would then take notice of the appeal and ask for many times more the fixed fare. Those who do not want to waste time or do not mind spending a few extra bucks agree to the irrational rate of fare in order to avoid accident. There is a wooden bridge without railing and the rush is so heavy that accident can happen any time. So dirty is the place with nauseating smell that one hardly has a stomach to linger long at the place.
In such an unsettling condition, no foreigner will be willing to step on the bridge and then on board a speed boat. But Maheshkhali is a popular tourist destination and a journey there is worth taking. If the facilities can be improved and civilised, people will really love to cruise to the island with many attractions. Development of tourism will be an impossible proposition here if all such drawbacks are not taken care of. The Sonadia Island too is not far from Maheshkhali and both can be developed as twin attractions.