With cyclones battering the Sunderbans region and the pandemic further affecting the livelihood of its inhabitants, the state government is planning a slew of income-generating development projects that include construction of a ‘tourist road’ connecting Kumirmari Island with the Bakkhali sea-beach, setting up a research centre at Patharpratima, and construction of a bridge connecting Gadkhali with Gosaba.

Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its flora and fauna and is home to the Royal Bengal tigers. However, despite the international recognition, life isn’t easy for the human inhabitants of these islands for whom each day is a survival test where they need to tide over cyclones, wildlife attacks, and ravaging rivers that inundate islands during a swell.

Most men in the Sunderban islands are either honey collectors or fishermen who venture deep into the forest, hoping to survive a tiger attack. The wildlife too is jostling for space as the forest land continues to shrink in this fragile ecosystem where islands disappear and reappear every day as the sea level keeps rising.

The Sunderban affairs minister, Bankim Chandra Hazra told The Statesman that the state government is planning to pave the way for a new tourism project model which will generate employment for the population in the Sunderbans belt.

“The Sunderban Affairs department and the state Tourism department has discussed plans to construct a tourist road that would connect the island of Kumirmari with the sea beach at Bakkhali, in the South 24 Paraganas district. This will enable visitors, especially from Kolkata, to plan a complete tour that would start from the forest island and end on a sea beach.

This will be a revenue-generating model and will create employment opportunities for the inhabitants of this deltaic region” the minister said. To further alleviate connectivity woes, Mr Hazra confirmed that land has been finalised for the construction of a bridge connecting Gadkhali and Gosaba.

Talks are on regarding the relocation of a police station to pave the way for the construction work. The bridge will be similar to the Hatania Doania Bridge, constructed in 2019, that connects Namkhana.

Additionally, the minister highlighted, “For students doing research on Sunderbans, the state government has earmarked land in Gobardhanpur, in Patharpratima, to set up a research centre. The block development officer of Patharpratima was tasked with scouring the land, measuring about two acres. Now that it is finalized, the Public Works Department (PWD) will be soon executing the project.”

The minister said, Sunderbans being a World Heritage Site, ought to see more research on it. “All these projects are interconnected and aimed at developing the Sunderbans, for which connectivity is essential. With an increased accessibility, there will be a growth in employment generation”.