‘Laal Shaplar Beel’ drawing huge crowd

A huge crowd is thronging every day to see thousands of blossomed bright red water lilies blanketing a swamp that spreads out in Ujirpur and Agailjhara upazilas.  

Located about sixty kilometres away from Barisal city, the thousand-acre swamp is popularly known as 'Laal Shaplar Beel'. Most part of the beel lies in Satla union of Ujirpur while the rest in Agailjhara. 

Locals said the red water lilies grow naturally the low-lying area when it is filled with water in the monsoon and the blossoming of the flower can been seen from August to October. Later on, when the swamp dries up, the land is used for cultivation of Boro rice. 

Kajal Ghosh, a manager at a pharmaceutical company, brought his wife and children from Barishal to 'Laal Shaplar Beel'. He said his mood was a bit dampened while traveling on dilapidated road on way to the site and due to absence of tourist facilities in the area.

However, he and his family forgot all that at the amazing sight of so many red water lilies, he said, adding that the place has the prospect to be a tourist hotspot for the whole country if suitable infrastructure and services for tourists are properly developed there.

Another visitor, Sharmin Haq, said she was awestruck to see the 'Laal Shaplar Beel' and its beauty could not be expressed in words.

Catering to the demand of an increased number of visitors, many locals found a seasonal source of income by providing boat rides in the beel.    

Boatman Moti said tourists have been pouring in since August, but most of them complained about poor road condition and lack of essential services and facilities for tourists at the site.   

Satla Union Parishad Chairman Shahin Hawladar said the beel was deserted for about two years due to the coronavirus situation. But thanks to thousands of visiting the place every day -- from Barishal and other parts of the country -- many locals are now making a living by operating tour boats.

Now at least two hundred tour boats are being operated from ten different points of the beel, but business in the area will flourish further when the road repair work and the restrooms are completed, he added.

Ujirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Praniti Biswas said the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation last year has undertaken a project to develop infrastructure and other facilities including restrooms for people visiting the 'Laal Shaplar Beel'.

As part of the project, construction work on a boat jetty, at a cost of Tk 40 lakh, will start by the end of this year.

Besides, six kilometres of road will be repaired in the area by Local Government Engineering Department, he also said.