By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
New Delhi : The development of the Sundarbans will soon be fast tracked with the West Bengal government hoping to tap the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank for financial assistance.
Well-placed sources in the Planning Commission said that the state government headed by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was already in touch with the officials in the ADB and the World Bank.
Bhattacharjee, who Wednesday met Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia to discuss the plan outlay for 2008-09, finally fixed at Rs.116 billion ($2.9 billion), said all round development of the vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp was a priority.
“I have asked for a separate master plan for the region from the Planning Commission. The development of Sundarbans is one of our priorities,” Bhattacharjee told reporters, without elaborating.
The central government has given Rs.1.5 billion as special assistance to the government to be specifically spent on projects of special importance for the state.
Sources said the state government wanted the ADB to take care of upgrading basic infrastructure in the Sundarbans while the World Bank would develop the area from the tourism point of view.
“The total investment would certainly run into several billions, but the details are being worked out. The centre would also chip in with considerable financial assistance,” an official added.
The Sundarbans covers an area of around 10,000 sq km, out of which 4,262 sq km is in India and the rest in Bangladesh. Of the 60 varieties of mangroves and mangrove associates that are found in India, the Sundarbans accounts for 50, many of which are rare.
The region is also one of the last preserves of the Bengal tiger and the site of a tiger preservation project.
The Sunderbans Tiger Project was started in 1974 and has an area of 2,585 sq km. The core area is 1,330 sq km, and is a national forest and UNESCO world heritage site.