Staying at night in St Martin to be banned from March 1

Tourists will be barred from staying at nights in Saint Martin from March 1 next. They will be permitted to visit the island from morning to evening.

The inter-ministerial committee on Saint Martin Island came up with the decisions in a meeting on September 23 last.

Besides, the committee recommended not to allow tourists to visit Sera-Deep and Galachipa area of the island.

The committee has taken the decisions on the basis of a report on the biodiversity of Saint Martin Island.

Earlier, on September 9, depicting biodiversity situation of the Island, department of environment placed the report in a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee.

In the report, it is said that around 10-20,000 tourists visit the island and stay in the night that destructing the biodiversity of Saint Martin island. 

The committee recommended not to allow the movement of motor-cycle, car and speed-boat in the island. 

Besides, they urged not to put light on in the night as lights disrupt the reproduction cycle of turtle.

The 8 square km-long St Martin’s Island located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, is one of the attractive and picturesque tourist spots in Bangladesh.