Khulna: Extreme disaster has occurred in the tourism sector in the Sundarbans in Corona. More than 160 tour operators and about 3,000 workers of thousands of vessels including launches, tourboats and trawlers are on the verge of closure. In all, 30,000 people are directly or indirectly involved in this sector in Khulna and Mongla. The government is losing about 250 crore rupees in revenue.

The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world, full of natural beauty. In addition to the world-famous Royal Bengal Tiger, there are various species of mammals including deer, monkeys, crocodiles, guisaps and reptiles. There are all kinds of birds and various species of trees including Sundari, Garan and Gewa. Sundarbans is a green land full of boundless beauty.

Millions of domestic and foreign tourists used to gather in the Sundarbans to observe this natural beauty of nature. Nature lovers flock to this variety to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy a little. Karamjal, Katka, Kachikhali, Harbaria, Hiran Point, Dublar Char, Alor Kol, Nil Kamal and other small rivers and canals of the coastal forests are visited by launchers, tourboats, trawlers and other types of vessels throughout the year. And in this Sundarbans, around the tourism sector, employment of thousands of people has been created in the surrounding areas including Khulna-Mongla. But with the government's ban on coronary heart disease, everything came to a sudden halt. The number of tourists has been stopped since March 19. So now there is a quiet silence in the sights of the Sundarbans.

Many tour operators have been formed depending on the domestic and foreign tourists who come to the world heritage Sundarbans. After being closed for almost six months, the companies are struggling financially, leaving about two thousand workers unemployed. Thousands of ships, including launches, jetboats, tourboats and trawlers involved in the tourism business, are idle, leaving thousands more unemployed. Traders are also trying to get in the way as all kinds of vessels are getting damaged. Due to the lack of tourists in the places of interest in the forest, platoons, wooden pools and other structures are being destroyed and many places have collapsed. Meanwhile, the surveillance of the concerned officials of the forest department has also decreased.

About 400 staff and one thousand workers of 60 companies are directly involved in Khulna under the Sundarbans Tour Operators Association. There are more than a hundred Sundarbans tour operators in Khulna-Mongla. Tour operators have lost about Tk 20 crore due to the six-month shutdown and the government has lost about Tk 250 crore in revenue from this sector.

Moinul Islam Jamaddar, president of the Tour Operators Association of the Sundarbans, and Nazmul Alam David, general secretary, said that although all the tourist centers in the country have been opened, the Sundarbans has not yet been opened to tourists for unknown reasons. In the midst of an extreme financial crisis, we are struggling to pay the salaries of nearly 2,000 staff and workers in 70 tour companies. Institutions are closing down. The traders have incurred a loss of around Tk 20 crore in the last six months.

Khulna region forest conservator said. Mueen Uddin Khan said that due to the corona virus, the movement of ships including tourists in the Sundarbans has been banned since March 19. The ban will remain in place in the eastern and western Sundarbans until further notice. There are no guidelines yet for tourists to enter the Sundarbans. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change will take a decision in this regard.

Deputy Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Begum Habibun Nahar said the Sundarbans is not being opened for tourists all of a sudden to protect nature and the environment. The meeting of the standing committee on the ministry banned entry to all protected forest areas, not just the Sundarbans. Now the issue of lifting the ban is in the hands of the chairman of the standing committee, MP Saber Hossain Chowdhury.

Meanwhile, the Tour Operators Association of the Sundarbans has been holding various programs demanding the release of the Sundarbans for tourists. Moinul Islam Jamaddar, president of the association, and Nazmul Alam David, general secretary of the association, said a memorandum would be issued at press conferences in Khulna and Dhaka and to the concerned minister if the tourism industry in the Sundarbans is not opened soon.

Sundarbans Khulna region forest conservator at the end of the human chain. A memorandum was given to Mueen Uddin Khan. He assured to take up the demand of the association with the concerned ministry.