Govt cancels Bangabandhu Safari Park project

The government on Monday cancelled the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park project in Moulvibazar (Phase 1), considering it a politically motivated, unprofitable, and unimportant project.

This decision was made during the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting held at the NEC conference room in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of Dhaka.

Education and Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud briefed the media after the meeting held with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in the chair.

Wahiduddin said Bangabandhu Safari Park planned to be built in the Lathitila Reserved Forest, covering 5,631 acres of land, was environmentally harmful.

He further said every country should have forest areas that are ecologically sensitive and designated as protected.

He questioned why the safari park project was proposed in an already established forest area.

The project, proposed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was approved by the ECNEC last November during the regime of Sheikh Hasina.

After the fall of the Awami League government amid the student-people uprising, the ministry recommended the cancellation of the project due to its potential threat to biodiversity.

Acting on the recommendation, the Planning Commission decided to cancel the project, and this was approved during the ECNEC meeting on Monday.

ECNEC okays 10 projects

In today’s meeting, the ECNEC approved 10 projects involving Tk1,974.30 crore.

Of this, Tk1,642.98 crore will come from the government fund and Tk331.32 crore from organisations’ own funds.

The approved projects include Construction of River Ports in Chilmari Area (Ramna, Jorgach, Rajibpur, Roumari, Nayarhat) (1st Revised), Ashuganj-Palash Green project, Expansion of Sustainable Agricultural Technology in the Comilla Region, Cutting of Economically Lost Rubber Trees, Re-Gardening and Modernisation of Rubber Processing project, Procurement and Installation of 60 MMSCFD Capacity Process Plant for Bhola North Gas Field, Rashidpur-11 Exploration Well Drilling, 2D Seismic Survey and Exploration in Block 7 and 9, Establishment of 60 Day Care Centers of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Rehabilitation and Quality Improvement of Level Crossing Gates of Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway (4th Revised), and Rehabilitation and Quality Improvement of Level Crossing Gates of Western Zone of Bangladesh Railway (3rd Revised).

Additionally, six projects approved by the planning adviser were presented to ECNEC members.