Cox's Bazar Development Report

Cox’s Bazar is the main sea-beach town of Bangladesh and it is considered as the longest sea-beach of the world. Moreover, it is now becoming famous as one of the Natural Seven Wonders of the world. UDD has formulated this project to establish Cox’s Bazar as an International Standard Tourist Centre. This project is being implemented as a nationally important project to control the overall development activities for the next 20 years to develop tourism in Cox’s Bazar town, Sea-beach from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf, Moheshkhali Upazila town and Saint Martin Island. It will ensure planned Landuse of around 79,657 acre land area of the project area within a period of 20 years i.e. from 2010 to 2030 A.D. (see Figure-3). The estimated cost of the project is Tk. 358.121 Lakh which will be borne from the Revenue Budget of the government. The major activities of the project are as follows;

1) To Prepare Structure Plan and Action Area Plan for Cox’s Bazar Town;
2) To prepare Structure Plan and Action Area Plan for Eco-tourism areas from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf;
3) To prepare guidelines for controlling and ensuring maximum use of land in Cox’s Bazar town, Sea-beach from Cox’s bazar up to Teknaf, Moheshkhali Upazila town and Saint Martin Island;
4) To identify appropriate site for beach tourism, cultural tourism, recreational tourism, city based tourism and eco-tourism in the project area;
5) To identify cultural pattern and coastal characteristics for development planning in the project area;
6) To prepare necessary guidelines and strategic plan, institutional development plan and environmental management plan in order to develop sustainable beach tourism, cultural tourism, recreational tourism, city based tourism and eco-tourism in the project area;
7) To formulate Standard Design for different govt./semi-government and autonomous organizations engaged in overall development activities of the project area in the field of financial growth, employment generation, housing, open space, education, health and recreation;
8) To control the development activities in the project area.

The cumulative expenditure of the project up to February 2011 was Tk. 130.91 lakh. The allocation in the ADP 2010-2011 was Tk. 193.00 lakh and the expenditure up to February 20111 was Tk 20.75 lakh. At present, the overall financial progress is 36.55% and the physical progress is 73% in which consultancy service from consulting firm is 57% and other is 16%. ADP progress of the project: Physical 40% and financial 10.75%.

In the last project’s DPC meeting dated 06-12-2010, the proposal to increase the project area from 27,604 acre to 79,657 acre (included Cox’s Bazar town and sea-beach from Cox’s Bazar up to Teknaf, St. Martin Island and Maheshkhali Upazila Town) has been approved by the Ministry. As per the decision made, revised project document has been sent to the ministry for further advancement.