As the number of tourists has grown in Cox’s Bazar’s Inani and Marine Drive areas, hotels, resorts, cottages and villas have mushroomed. According to local resort owners, more than 50 such establishments are operating in the area. Yet most of them lack Fire Service permission and environmental clearance from the Department of Environment. The administration itself does not even have a clear count of how many resorts exist in Inani.
On Saturday morning (17 October), a fire broke out at the wooden TupTup Resort and Restaurant on Patuartek beach in Ukhiya’s Inani, claiming the lives of 10 people. The tragedy has raised serious questions about fire safety, environmental clearances and government approvals of the resorts in this tourist hub.
According to related sources, the fire-damaged TupTup Resort did not have a Fire Service license. The Fire Service had issued a warning to the establishment in June. Officials say that warning was simply ignored.
With rising tourist traffic along the Marine Drive route from Cox’s Bazar toward Inani and Teknaf, various types of accommodation have sprung up. Tourists and local residents have expressed deep concern that there has been no proper supervision of the approvals and safety measures of these structures.
Severe Shortcomings in Approvals and Safety
Locals allege that most eco-resorts and cottages in Inani are not even on any proper government list. Many establishments are operating without fire licenses, environmental clearances or approval from the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (CDA).
Conversations with several resort owners revealed that more than 50 hotels, cottages and resorts are running in the Inani area. Many of them are built with wood, bamboo and other highly flammable materials, making the risk of fire spreading extremely high.
According to the Fire Service and local administration, most of the more than 50 resorts that have grown up in the Patuartek and Inani beach areas do not have fire licenses or environmental clearances from the Department of Environment. Sources say the owners of these establishments have not even applied for the necessary permissions.
Under the rules of the Department of Environment, tourism facilities of a certain category require environmental clearance both to be built and to operate, and that clearance must be renewed. Local residents allege that the majority of hotels and resorts along the Inani–Marine Drive road have neither environmental clearance nor the required fire-fighting systems.
TupTup Resort Never Even Applied for Clearance
Officials of the Cox’s Bazar district office of the Department of Environment have confirmed that the hotels and resorts that have developed in Inani’s Patuartek area have no environmental clearances. No applications were made for them either.
Deputy Director of the office Khandaker Mahmud Pasha said: “No clearance was given by the Department of Environment to any establishment named TupTup Resort and Restaurant in Inani’s Patuartek area. No establishment by that name even applied to us for clearance. No clearance was issued to any risky establishment built there.”
In other words, the resort destroyed by the fire also lacked environmental clearance.
Operations Continued Despite Warning
Cox’s Bazar Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain said the TupTup Resort had been warned in June. On 11 June a formal notice was issued describing the resort as risky and dangerous. The authorities, however, disregarded the directive and continued business.
Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain said: “In the strong sea breeze, fire spreads rapidly in a wooden resort. Such establishments need portable fire extinguishers, fire alarms, hose pipes and a fire safety plan. But the resort had none of these. It also had no fire license.”
He added that the resort was built only seven to eight months ago. There was also a dispute over ownership of the land. Food was cooked on the ground floor of TupTup Resort. He further stated that most of the resorts built in Inani lack approvals, saying: “We did not approve these.”
Fire Service Director General Brigadier General Sultanul Afarin Junaid has also stated that wooden resorts are being operated without the necessary approvals not only in Inani but in various tourist areas across the country including Cox’s Bazar. He said steps will be taken against these establishments in phases and coordination will be made with the concerned agencies to ensure safety.
Administration Does Not Know the Exact Number of Resorts
Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Panna Akter said: “There is no accurate statistics on exactly how many resorts there are in Inani. The construction and operation of hotels, motels and resorts involve coordination between the district administration’s commerce section, the Department of Environment, the Fire Service and the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority. After Saturday’s fire, the upazila administration will take the initiative to maintain a proper list of the resorts.”
Allegations of District Administration’s Indifference
Abu Morshed Chowdhury Khoka, president of Cox’s Bazar Civil Society, said the absence of environmental clearances for hotels, motels and resorts is a reflection of the district administration’s indifference. He noted that the final approval for a hotel, motel or resort is given by the district administration through coordination among several agencies.
Abu Morshed Chowdhury said resort businessmen are getting away with it due to minor negligence. Action must be taken against these irregularities immediately. Otherwise, the loss of lives will continue to rise.
Environmental experts say that merely building new resorts is not enough for the sustainable development of tourism. Following environmental standards, ensuring fire safety, complying with building codes and regular monitoring are also essential. If these cannot be ensured, the risk of such horrific accidents will remain in the future.