Sylhet tourist places in bad condition
Some days ago, I visited Jaflong, one of the most beautiful tourist places in Sylhet, to collect data for an assignment.
Tourists coming from home and abroad visit Jaflong especially near Tamabil border at Piain River to spend their vacations and to take refreshment but they become upset seeing the present condition.
I think it is very difficult for me to express the present condition of Jaflong in words. It is very difficult to find out the main flow of the Piain River in the dry seasons and someone can think the place is a lake in monsoon. This condition formed for stone excavation from river bed and banks using locally made excavation machine named “Boma” machine.
Sand was dammed at the middle portion of river and so water is following into numerous channels in Piain River at the place. Soil was dug at the both banks and made huge holes.
Around five hundred stone crushing machines are seen around two square kilometers in and around Mamar Bazar area in Jaflong which produce a huge amount of dusts, smoke and sound creating unhealthy environment for everyone. The trees at the area are losing their leaves and decreasing their numbers.
It was beginning of 2011, when I visited Jaflong for first time and saw a natural beauty at the place. The whole area was green and green water was flowing in a single channel in Piain River.
Later, from 2013 excavation of stone using “Boma” machines was started by some greedy traders. At one stage, they started to dig the banks of Piain River and its adjacent areas creating a big threat for beauty and environment.
Authorities of Jaflong Tea Garden filed a general diary on September 12, 2015 with Gowainghat Police Station, mentioning that around 300 acres of the tea estate had already been devoured by the river due to stone extraction. It is an example of their works but they destroy the whole area and its environment and beauty.
Same conditions are seen at the others tourist places in Sylhet region that includes Ratargul, Lalakhal and Bisnakandhi.
Some environmental organizations including Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association, Bangladesh Poribesh Abdolon and Waterkeeper have been trying to save the beauty of tourist spots in Sylhet improving awareness among the general people through rallies, human chains, and seminars. But they become sometimes unable to save the environment for their limitations. So we should stand to save our tourist’s spots and environment. Otherwise we may lose our green country’s beauty day by day.
Authority should come forward to save the natural beauty and environment at the tourist’s spots including Jaflong, Ratargul, Lalakhal and Bisnakandhi.
Writer: General Secretary of Shahjalal University Press Club
