Our Correspondent :
The watchtower overlooking the Ratargul Swamp Forest in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet was closed to tourists from today, after it was declared to be “risky”.
“It was risky for a long time. We earlier put up a signboard instructing that only 4-5 persons can climb up the watchtower at a time. Nearly 40-50 tourists climb up regularly, which poses serious threats,” said Saad Uddin Ahmed, forester of Sylhet Forest Division.
“We’ve closed the watchtower for tourists from today until further notice,” our Sylhet correspondent reports quoting the forest officer.
The Forest Department constructed the watchtower in 2014.
But after only six years, the watchtower is considered ‘risky’ and the Forest Department completely restricted climbing up to the tower for tourists visiting the country’s most popular freshwater swamp forest.
Ratargul Swamp Forest is an area of 504.50 acres and was declared as a ‘Reserve Forest’ in 1973.
After a few media reports published in 2012, the forest department drew the attention of tourists to the area, and hundreds of people started visiting the forest to see the unique biodiversity.
Spending Tk 90.62 lakh, the department constructed the watchtower and several other structures in the forest to promote tourism.
The watchtower overlooking the Ratargul Swamp Forest in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet was closed to tourists from today, after it was declared to be “risky”.
“It was risky for a long time. We earlier put up a signboard instructing that only 4-5 persons can climb up the watchtower at a time. Nearly 40-50 tourists climb up regularly, which poses serious threats,” said Saad Uddin Ahmed, forester of Sylhet Forest Division.
“We’ve closed the watchtower for tourists from today until further notice,” our Sylhet correspondent reports quoting the forest officer.
The Forest Department constructed the watchtower in 2014.
But after only six years, the watchtower is considered ‘risky’ and the Forest Department completely restricted climbing up to the tower for tourists visiting the country’s most popular freshwater swamp forest.
Ratargul Swamp Forest is an area of 504.50 acres and was declared as a ‘Reserve Forest’ in 1973.
After a few media reports published in 2012, the forest department drew the attention of tourists to the area, and hundreds of people started visiting the forest to see the unique biodiversity.
Spending Tk 90.62 lakh, the department constructed the watchtower and several other structures in the forest to promote tourism.
