The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism made the proposal to hand over to the BPC the tiny Sonadia and Cheradia islands but the inter-ministerial meet turned it down to protect the bio-diversity and reserve forests of the two areas, meeting placed sources said.

Sonadia, an island of 2,965.37 acres of land located in Kutubjhum under Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, has already been officially declared an ecologically critical area.

Some 2,122 acres of the total land have been given to Forest Department for developing reserve forest. The island already has natural forest on 1200 acres and another 400 acres have been brought under afforestation.

Cheradia comprising 18.70 acres of land is part of Saint Martin's Island. It is a coral sanctuary having 89 species of fish and no human habitation on it.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan attended the meeting as chief guest while State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin chaired it.

State Minister for Environment and Forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury, State Minister for Land Ukil Abdus Sattar and high officials of the ministries of LGRD and Cooperatives, communications, home, land, finance, environment, energy, shipping and cultural affairs and the BPC attended the meeting.

The two state ministers had a debate over the proposal for building tourism centres, the sources said.

The state minister for environment opposed the proposal and said his ministry has declared 965.37 acres of land in Sonadia island an ecologically critical area and the process is on to declare it as a reserve forest.

He mentioned the environment ministry with financial assistance from Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been implementing since 2002 an eight-year-project to protect the forests and bio-diversity of entire Saint Martin's Island, Sonadia, Cox's Bazar and Teknaf beaches and Hakaluki Haor.

Jafrul said Sonadia island is rich in mangrove forest and is a sanctuary of guest birds and sea tortoise. The environment ministry has taken steps to conserve its eco-system, forest and overall environment.

Moreover, the ministry is implementing a project with eco-tourism component, he said, adding there is no need to build a tourism centre there.

But Nasiruddin argued the island has bright prospect for tourism development and Bangladesh can earn huge foreign currency if it is given to the BPC for building an exclusive tourist centre.

On Cheradia Island, Jafrul said it is the 'only live coral area' in Saint Martin's Island having numerous species of fish and rich bio-diversity.

The environment ministry has taken up a project to develop it for eco-tourists while the fisheries ministry has taken up another project to build it as "safe sanctuary" for sea fish breeding.

But Nasiruddin stressed building an environment-friendly tourism centre to attract foreign tourists.

The meeting then rejected the proposal for tourism centres. It emphasised conserving the forests and bio-diversity of the two islands and asked the environment ministry to expedite implementation of its projects

However, the meeting okayed the proposal to build tourism centres at Patenga sea beach and Parki sea beach under Anwara upazila in Chittagong. It asked the BPC to conserve the environment, forest and bio-diversity of the two areas.

Sources said the meeting also stressed protection of bio-diversity of Nijhum Dip.