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Kulick Bird Sanctuary in Raiganj, which is famous for the arrival of migratory birds, recently lost its glory because of the alleged apathy of Raiganj Social Forestry officials and North Dinajpur administration.
This year 80,000 migratory birds from Southeast Asia turned up at the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia, but it failed to attract the attention of tourists.
The sanctuary has become polluted after monsoon rain waterlogged different places. A watch tower had been functional for the last several years for visitors to use. But this facility was withdrawn last year. Streetlights have not been provided at the sanctuary's entrance, adding safety concerns in the dark evenings. Thefts and snatching happen quite often.
Around 20 years earlier, Raiganj Social Forestry Division had planned to set up a deer park here so they dug up a cannel inside the sanctuary where boating was introduced for the entertainment of visitors. But this deer park is a distant dream and boating facility was withdrawn years ago. The region is only regarded as a polluted place to the visitors.
The divisional forest officer of Raiganj Social Forestry Division, Mr Ashis Sen said the bird sanctuary experiences flooding because it is located at the bank of the Kulick river. When water in the Kulick river rises during monsoon it enters the sanctuary and pollutes some places. In order to save the sanctuary from waterlogging, a master drain is required which needs a huge amount of funds. He said the forestry division does not have the money. The use of the old watch tower was stopped because it had a crack but a new watch tower is under construction. He said they will prepare a list of requirements for the sanctuary's development and it will be sent to higher authorities.
The sabhadhipati of North Dinajpur zilla parishad, Mr Moqtar Ali Sardar acknowledged the lack of tourists in the bird sanctuary and said: "We will convene a meeting soon asking the officials of Raignaj Social Forestry Division to make plans to develop the infrastructure of Kulick Bird Sanctuary."

Courtesy: The Statesman