Such a vast forest. Yet so few tourists? Union Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav posed this question during his first visit to the Sundarbans. However, he didn't just ask the question – he tactfully provided the probable answer like a test paper suggestion. Bhupendra, who is responsible for BJP's electoral crossing in the upcoming Bengal assembly elections, claims that the Sundarbans, untouched by development, needs 'efficient' people in Bengal's political power to save it. Only then will the Sundarbans truly become a 'beautiful forest'.
On Sunday, the steering committee meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Elephant was held in the Sundarbans for the first time. Bhupendra was present there as the committee chairman along with the country's top forest officials. After the meeting ended that day, during the question-answer session, the Sundarbans ecosystem came up for discussion. The Union Forest Minister commented, 'There is a joint scheme worth ₹112 crores for the Sundarbans. The Centre is providing ₹67 crores of that. But after touring the Sundarbans for the past two days, I feel the state government could have developed this area much more.'
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What kind of development? And where are the shortcomings? Bhupendra's direct allegation: 'The world's only mangrove forest where tigers live – whatever needed to be done for the development of such a World Heritage Site, the government here hasn't done it. I see there are problems of encroachment, problems of infiltrators here. On top of that, local people control everything from boating to various other activities. This should be a 'tourist-friendly' area. Yet in such a promising place, no more than 9 to 9.5 lakh tourists can visit annually.'
In whose hands is power being monopolised? The Union Forest Minister didn't explain. However, citing the example of Ranthambore in Rajasthan, he tried to show how far behind the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is in terms of tourism development or tourism-centric economy. According to Bhupendra, 'The tiger forest in the Sundarbans spreads across 2,585 square kilometers. The accounts of the past four years show that on average, even 10 lakh tourists don't visit.
Yet Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, occupying one-twentieth of that area, attracts 19-20 lakh tourists annually! The Sundarbans' natural beauty, resources, and mangrove ecosystem are unique. It's not just tigers – there are 260 species of birds here. Yet the area isn't being developed! If it were, tourists would increase too. We want to stop that mismanagement.'
How will development happen? In response to that question, the Union Forest Minister gave a tactical answer: 'Efficient logo ko political satta mein aana chahiye. Imandari se niche kaam karna chahiye.' Not just that, while preaching about 'honest politics', he raised allegations in the familiar tune of financial irregularities in five other central projects. He claimed that in the past few years, the Centre has allocated ₹392 crores for Bengal combining Project Campa and Tiger Reserve. However, since 2015-16, proper utilization certificates haven't been submitted by the state, so the entire allocated amount couldn't be disbursed.
Bengal's ruling party Trinamool, however, is dismissing all allegations by the Union Forest Minister. State Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda rather wants to remind the Union Minister that the money due to Bengal's people in various central projects that remains blocked should be released first. According to Birbaha, 'When the Forest Minister is so concerned about Sundarbans development, he needs to be reminded that Sundarbans doesn't mean just a forest-centric ecosystem. Thousands of people in the Sundarbans haven't received money for their labor under the hundred-day work scheme. If he arranges to release that money, Sundarbans development will also happen.'
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Every year, the Sundarbans gets damaged by some cyclone or another. Reminding the Union Minister of this, Birbaha's taunt: 'In an area where houses repeatedly get destroyed, housing scheme money is blocked. Does the central government even provide compensation after cyclones? Without doing that work, suddenly raising questions about Sundarbans development doesn't suit them.'
