After the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, a new door has opened for tourism in the southern part of the country. However, the government departments have not thought anything for tourists in this region for so many years. Now the Tourism Corporation has taken action in this regard. They have started looking for land to build a motel across the Padma River.

A delegation of the Tourism Corporation visited the broken intersection area of ​​Faridpur last August to look for land beyond the Padma Bridge. Later in October, another delegation led by Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Secretary Mokammel Hossain and Tourism Corporation Chairman Ali Kadar visited the broken area.

The main objective of these delegations is to find land for providing various services including residential facilities to tourists. Officials have initially chosen two sites for building motels to provide residential facilities. One of these is in Hasamdia Mauza in Faridpur Municipality area. The other is in observatory area about 20 km from Faridpur city.

However, despite various efforts, doubts have arisen regarding the availability of land. Because, the price of land in Banga Intersection area of ​​Faridpur has now increased at an abnormal rate. Experts believe that land acquisition will be difficult for the tourism corporation in such a situation.

People related to tourism say that the land acquisition work should have been completed before the tourism corporation. But they lack foresight. At that time, if the land was acquired, the work would have been much further ahead.

When asked about this, Tourism Corporation Chairman Ali Kadar told Prothom Alo that after the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, the number of tourists has increased in the southern region. Several initiatives have been taken keeping them in mind. Land in this area had to be purchased earlier. Corona epidemic is responsible for this delay.

Ali Kadar wrote a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Faridpur on November 6 to identify land for the construction of a motel in the Padma Bridge area. It is said in the letter that there is no good quality hotel, restaurant, toilet facility on the other side of Padma Bridge. There are no facilities for tourists and common people traveling in Antjela. It is necessary to create such facilities for tourists.

In the letter written to the Deputy Commissioner, it is also said that the government has plans to increase tourism facilities in the Padma Bridge area. The Tourism Corporation wants to provide residential facilities in a pleasant environment to increase tourism facilities across the bridge. Two delegations from Dhaka visited the broken area of ​​Faridpur. There are two areas they like.

A letter is requested to the District Commissioner to identify the land in the preferred Hasamdia area and observatory area. It is said to send the necessary documents of Mauza including the detailed information of the land, especially the land schedule, amount, price.
According to Tourism Corporation, apart from building a motel in Bhanga Intersection area of ​​Faridpur, a modern hotel has been planned in Mongla. Apart from this, the project of increasing the facilities of the government motel located in Tungipara of Gopalganj has been undertaken. After the launch of Padma Bridge, a one-day Padma Bridge tour package has been launched from Dhaka to Banga Intersection in Faridpur.

Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarkar told Prothom Alo that he has received a letter from the Tourism Corporation regarding land demarcation. Land is being sought in other areas including Hasamdia and observatory areas. The search for suitable land is in progress to ensure all kinds of facilities including tourist travel, accommodation and restaurants.

Shiblul Azam Qureshi, president of the tourism industry organization Tour Operators Association Bangladesh (TOAB), told Prothom Alo that the tourism corporation needed to acquire land on the other side of the Padma Bridge. The cost of land has increased due to the bridge. If you want to buy land now, you have to buy it at a higher price.