Bichanakandi

Bangladesh is a land of natural beauty and culture and is bestowed with magnificent and astonishing tourist spots. Sylhet is one of the most important districts of Bangladesh, rich with spiritual, cultural and natural beauty: with over half a million population. Sylhet is considered to be the best tourist area in Bangladesh because it has many extraordinary tourist sites where many tourists come from different regions of Bangladesh, and on top of that, many foreigners visit Sylhet from different countries in the world. It is noteworthy to mention that, Bichanakandi is considered as one of the most beautiful and popular tourist spots in Sylhet. It is situated at the Bangladesh-India border in Sylhet. Bichanakandi is a village located at Rustampur union of Gowainghat upazila of sylhet district, where many layers of Khasi Mountain meet at a single point from both sides. Mountains emerging from the Khasi Hills made a lake in Bichanakandi connected to the Piyain River. Like Sylhet’s other famous stone quarries, Bichanakandi is also a stone quarry: there are scattered stones and rocks everywhere in Bichanakandi. Transparent fresh water flows over the cool rocks into the Piyain River. One can see the stone bed under the clear water. The landscape, mountain, crystal clear water, stones and rocks make this destination a beauty that can, surely, mesmerize any tourists.

Because of its natural beauty, Bichanakandi has become a popular tourist spot in Sylhet. As mentioned, people visit here at a large number, which is increasing every year, but unfortunately, the basic facilities for tourists have not increased compared to that. Tourists face a problem on their way to Bichanakandi because the entire road leading to the spot is in poor condition which makes the journey not pleasing at all. Tourists face the on-spot issues caused by the lack of toilets, restrooms, changing rooms, the high price of boats, overcrowding, lack of waste management system etc. Even though there are few temporary facilities, they are also in poor shape. Just like Jaflong, which is also a place where the river is full of stone and uncontrolled collection of stone from there is generating a significant threat to the environment and the river, so it is a matter of concern for the respective authority to protect Bichanakandi. 

Tourist spots like Bichanakandi are a treasure for this country not only for its beauty but also flow of the revenue generation. The government, local authorities, and private sectors must work together to ensure the sustainability of this tourist spot. According to UNWTO, Sustainable tourism development (STD) is, “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. 

In the case of Bichanakandi, to make it sustainable, the following steps can be taken:

• Utilize the environment as effectively as possible to support the growth of the tourism industry while preserving vital ecological progress and protecting natural resources and biodiversity.

• Ensuring sustainable economic stability, equitable distribution of socio-economic resources among all stakeholders, creating job facilities and income prospects, social services for host communities and trying to reduce the curse of unemployment in that area. 
• Creating eco-friendly business, where people from the local communities and others can do anything for their business but harm the natural resources and environment: by using natural resources in a best and limited way to achieve maximum profit. 

• Increasing and ensuring the basic facilities for the tourists as soon as possible like, toilets, restrooms, and changing rooms, are the most basic needs in any tourist place. Improving the standards of support services like transportation, accommodation, and restaurants will also benefit the local communities. 

• Encouraging investors to invest in the development of Bichanakandi to show them that once developed, this place has the possibilities and benefits that will generate revenue. Government should allocate the annual budget for the development of Bichanakandi.

• For the reconstruction of roads and bridge, government has to pay more attention.

• Encouraging the local communities to take part in this journey. If they start participating in this, their culture, traditions, local products, businesses and life will change in a good way. 

• Involving the locals in such developmental works will also increase their job opportunities. Organize basic training for the locals so they can participate in the development process. Learn more about tourism, hospitality, eco-tourism, and waste management system. 

• Creating responsible and accountable authorities to maintain the overall process. Promoting the local culture, foods, tradition etc. 

• Encouraging private sectors to invest or to get involved in the development of Bichanakandi. Have to educate tourists about ‘what to do and not to do’. If they have a clear idea of eco-tourism, the dreadful impact of tourists on the destination will surely decrease. 

• Have to develop and maintain strict law which both the locals and tourists have to maintain to keep the present activities alive and secure the future of this place.

After all, it is safe to say that development will not be possible without the involvement of the government, the private sector, or the locals. Each of them has to hold hands and work together to develop Bichanakandi. It will help this place to maintain & contribute to the national economy. 

Shada-Pathor

Sylhet is called the Land of Fairies, and the name is quite expected when you see the beauty of Sylhet. Shada-Pathor is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Sylhet, and nowadays, this tourist spot is frequently visited by thousands of visitors daily. It is located at Bholaganj in Companiganigonj Upazila of Sylhet, on the northern border of Bangladesh. Thousands of tourists who visit Shada-Pathor are fascinated by the landscape of hills, clouds and the raw natural view. Apart from the vast span of white rocks, Bholaganj attracts a large number of tourists daily with its breath-taking views of the river and the green mountains of Meghalaya; in Monsoon, this view looks more impressive than any other seasons of the year.

Shada-Pathor is similar to other destinations like Jaflong, Bisnakandi and UtmaChora. These spots are the source of separate rivers filled with many stone quarries. However, there are a few lackings that need to be taken care of by the authorities to encourage more tourists to visit and to provide them a smooth & pleasant experience.

According to a recent newspaper, some tourists from Habiganj said, “The beauty of Shada-Pathor is really an enjoyable experience. If there were more facilities for tourists at this spot, it could become one of the most attractive tourist attractions spots in the country”. Although the road to Shada-Pathor from Sylhet was reconstructed a few years ago, the overall experience can be enhanced by taking few more necessary steps. Some of the difficulties faced by the visitors are mentioned below:

• There is a minimum arrangement for visitors to have refreshments or accommodation; even though tourists are willing to stay overnight, it is hard for them to find a standard place to stay. Encouraging locals for homestay and local entrepreneurs to take initiatives for developing eco resorts may solve this problem.

• The visitors face another problem which is the lacking of public washroom, changing room, and restrooms during their stay. It can be solved through the participation of local business enterprises for its development and management.

• In the weakened, there are a large number of visitors who come here to visit the spot. Carrying capacity is not maintained at that time. Authority can limit the number of boats and their rotation to limit the number of visits.

• There is a workforce shortage in Shada-Pathor, especially of skilled tourist guides, so if this is solved it will significantly help to provide services to the visitors effectively & efficiently. There should be a management body for ensuring tourist facilities and services.

• Tourists often face scams, including the issues of overpriced products sold by some shops and photographers; these need strict observation, and there can be a standard price list for all the services.

• Besides, there are still many weaknesses in the transportation system, and the number of quality public buses should be increased in this route for foreign tourists. 

These are the few major problems that have been mentioned on top of that there are countless prospects the authorities can work on. Sylhet is famous for tourism. Every tourist is not capable of staying at a high-end luxurious hotel; establishing budget hotels will play a significant role in encouraging tourists to spend more time. Furthermore, clinics or hospitals can be set up nearby these tourist spots in case of any visitor’s emergency. 

With proper development plan execution, the glory of Bichanakandi and Shada-Pathor’s beauty will cross the borders and attract more foreigners. The more tourists visit, the more revenue will generate, and it will benefit this region, country and the people related to this place.