Don't build unplanned establishments in Cox's Bazar: PM Hasina

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday urged all not to build indiscriminate establishments in Cox's Bazar, saying her government is implementing projects to ensure its overall development maintaining natural beauty to make it a major global tourist destination.

"It is solely needed to build Cox's Bazar as a global tourist city. So, I request all particularly the inhabitants of Cox's Bazar not to construct establishments in an unplanned way," she said.

She said this while inaugurating a newly constructed eco-friendly multi-storey office building of the Cox's Bazar Development Authority, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka.

The Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Cox's Bazar Development Authority jointly organised the function at Beer Muktijoddha Playground in Cox's Bazar.

The prime minister said she had already instructed to prepare a master plan to ensure planned development surrounding the Cox's Bazar following the international standard to attract both foreign and local tourists.

Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities concerned to focus on maintaining natural beauty, environment and biodiversity in taking development programmes for Cox's Bazar beach.

"We will have to take development programmes for Cox's Bazar beach, not only with bricks and woods, but rather to integrate nature, environment and biodiversity," she said.

Reminding the 1991 cyclone, the premier stressed creating deep tamarisk tree forest along the longest and beautiful beach in the world to protect it from cyclones and tidal surges, saying, "We have to keep in mind the 1991 cyclone."

"If this can be done in a planned way, it will not be tough to create a forest on the 80 miles or 120 kilometres long beach. We must have to protect our environment," she said.

She also emphasised preserving nature to protect people from the natural calamities.

State minister of the ministry of housing and public works Sharif Ahmed and its secretary Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker, spoke on the occasion while chairman of Cox's Bazar Development Authority Lt Col (retd) Forkan Ahmed, gave the welcome address.

A video presentation on the measures to make a modern and greener Cox's Bazar was screened at the function.