The state minister made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting with officials of the Local Government Division after visiting a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya.
Mir Shahe Alam said the government was working to develop Cox’s Bazar as an international-standard tourist destination and was also taking steps to upgrade the municipality into a city corporation.
He said a road project planned from Laboni Point along the beach toward Kolatoli and in front of Hotel Ramada was taken up by his ministry at a cost of about Tk128 crore. The tender process had already been completed, he said, but construction was halted after a legal challenge was filed before the High Court.
The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, or BELA, had challenged road construction along the beach, citing environmental concerns and the protection of sand dunes in an Ecologically Critical Area.
On September 2, the High Court ordered an eight-week halt to road construction on the sand dunes and issued a rule over the legality of the project. The court order followed a writ petition filed by BELA.
On September 14, the Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s order barring further construction of the 1.6-kilometre road in the ECA, no-development zone and protected tourism area. The Supreme Court also directed that the related rule be disposed of by the High Court after its vacation.
BELA has argued that construction in the area could damage sand dunes and coastal biodiversity. According to reports, the organisation also questioned whether the required environmental clearance had been obtained before construction began.
Mir Shahe Alam, however, said repeated legal restrictions were making it difficult to implement infrastructure and tourism development projects in Cox’s Bazar.
He also referred to restrictions imposed by the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority, including rules concerning construction near the beach, and said better coordination among government agencies was needed to develop tourism infrastructure.
The state minister said Cox’s Bazar receives a large number of tourists during peak seasons but lacks sufficient accommodation and infrastructure to meet demand.
Earlier on Saturday, Mir Shahe Alam visited a waste-to-energy project at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya. He said the government was considering greater involvement of local government institutions in waste management, renewable energy and electricity generation.
He also said installing rooftop solar systems at local government buildings could help institutions meet their own electricity needs and potentially supply surplus power to the national grid.
Cox’s Bazar-3 MP Lutfur Rahman Kajal, Chattogram-14 MP Jasim Uddin Ahmed and relevant government officials were present during the visit and meeting.
