A total of 653 vacationers travelled to Saint Martin’s Island this present day (1 December) after securing shuttle passes from the authorities.
MV Bara Auliya, a cruise ship carrying the vacationers, left the BIWTA Ghat at Nuniyarchara in Cox’s Bazar town at 10am.
The ship is supposed to reach the island by midday, confirmed ship supervisor Hosainul islam Bahadur.
Earlier on Thursday (28 November), the Cox’s Bazar district administration gave approval to characteristic ships on the Cox’s Bazar-Saint Martin route.
Even supposing cruise ship Keyari Sindabad used to be supposed to ferry vacationers to the island on that day, the ship authority cancelled the day shuttle later attributable to passenger shortage.
“Regardless of having a notion to characteristic three ships on Sunday, handiest one ship has left Cox’s Bazar. Even supposing the ship has a capability to take 850 vacationers, it’s a long way carrying handiest 653 passengers,” Bahadur acknowledged.
Moreover Keyari Sindabad and MV Bara Auliya, another ship named Karnaphuli Particular has additionally bought permission to characteristic on the route.
The two ships excluding Bara Auliya are yet to start operation attributable to a passenger shortage, confirmed Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury, who’s additionally a member of the ministerial committee formed to preserve an eye fixed on unchecked tourism and judge suggestions of departure for tourist ships within the metropolis.
“A total of 2,000 vacationers shall be in a local to chat over with Saint Martin’s unless January following directives from the Surroundings, Wooded space and Native weather Switch ministry,” Nilufa acknowledged.
Obaidur Rahman, a resident of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur who used to be going to the island with his paunchy household, acknowledged, “I even have made preparations to total on the island for 2 days. Many vacationers like us are additionally doing the same.”
Visiting Nuniyarchara Ghat, this correspondent noticed ambiance department officials monitoring if somebody used to be taking polythene bags and single-use plastic with them.
Contacted, Deputy Director of Cox’s Bazar Surroundings Division Jomir Uddin acknowledged they are taking steps so that no person can use polythene and plastic on the island.
“The vacationers have been given jute bags as a replace of polythene bags. The ambiance department shall be strict so that no person can use polythene and plastic on the ship,” he acknowledged.
Within the period in-between, Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Mohammad Salahuddin visited Nuniyarchara Ghat within the morning, all over which he acknowledged the departure level had been yelp following directives from the ambiance ministry.
“The ministerial committee formed on this regard will work laborious to follow the directives of the ministry,” he acknowledged.
On 19 November, the ambiance ministry formed a joint committee thru a ministry uncover signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Sabrina Rahman to search out out the departure suggestions of tourist ships and check unregulated tourism on Saint Martin’s Island.
The uncover made it foremost for vacationers to register and follow strict regulations for visiting the island, while it additionally made the committee accountable to oversee the matter.
UNOs of Cox’s Bazar Sadar and Teknaf had been made conveners of the committee, while deputy secretary of Cox’s Bazar’s Surroundings Division used to be made member-secretary.
In January 2023, vacationers had been transported to the island the use of the naval jetty at Inani Sea Beach as tourist ships stopped to characteristic from Teknaf attributable to unrest in Myanmar’s Rakhine province.
Vacationer transportation the use of the naval jetty at Inani is currently discontinued attributable to the jetty getting damaged all over cyclone Dana.
