Bagerhat: Local people here yesterday urged the government to observe Sundarbans Day nationally aiming to make people aware of the world’s largest mangrove forest, reports UNB. They came up with the call at a discussion held at the local press club marking the Sundarbans Day. Several environmental organisations took various programmes to observe the day here to raise awareness among people about the importance of the mangrove forest. Local MP Mir Shawkat Ali Badsha, additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Mamun-Ul Hasan, divisional forest officer M Saidul Islam, local press club president Shah Alam Tuku and general secretary M Kamruzzaman and Prof M Mozaffar Hossain, among others, spoke at the discussion.
Sundarbans Day is unofficially observed on February 14 since 2002 with various programmes. At the Jatiya Sundarbans Conference in 2001, it was decided to observe February 14 as Sundarbans Day alongside Valentine’s Day.  Though the green activists have been demanding to observe it nationally, it remained unheeded for the last 15 years. The Sundarbans is the country’s lone natural tiger habitat.
Later, the Forest Department compensated the families of the victims who were killed or injured in attacks by wildlife, including tigers.  Shawkat Ali handed over cheques to them.
Honey collector Abdul Hasem Mollah who survived a tiger attack in the Sundarbans last year has received Tk 50,000 from the forest department.
The wife of fisherman Rafiqul Islam who was killed in a crocodile attack in the Sundarbans also received Tk 1 lakh at the programme.
Locals said a tiger swooped on Hasem Mollah of Uttar Southkhali village in Sharankhila upazila of the district while he was collecting honey along with others near Kokilmuni station under Sharankhola range of the world’s largest mangrove forest on April 28 last year.
However, the honey collector fought bravely with the tiger and at one stage, it fled into the deep forest.
Later, fellow honey collectors rescued Hasem with multiple injuries and took him to Sharankhola upazila health complex.