Dhaka, March 17 -- The government has taken the initiative to transfer 9,467 acres of land to the Forest Department in Sonadia that was allocated to BEZA during the Hasina rule for the establishment of an eco-tourism park.

Shahin Akter Sumi, Director of BEZA, requested the Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar to take necessary steps in this regard. This initiative has been undertaken by the environment ministry, according to the ministry on Monday.

Earlier, the High Court last year stayed the previous government's decision to allocate the ecologically critical area at Sonadia Island in Cox's Bazar to the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).

Illegal activities such as tree cutting and shrimp farming on the allocated land have cause...