Subscribe
Recently, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav criticised West Bengal for mismanaging development in the Sundarbans,
He called for a tourism boost in the area.
State ministers countered, blaming the central government for withholding necessary funds.
Experts emphasised the need for responsible tourism to protect the delicate ecosystem.
The climate change-battered Sundarbans finds itself amid a developmental debate as several frontline ministers of the West Bengal government countered a Union minister’s claim that the state government has mismanaged the development process in the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site.
Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, at the sidelines of a national meeting on tigers and elephants held at Sundarbans on December 21, 2025, criticised the state government for not being able to exploit the tourism potential of Sundarbans, the home of royal Bengal tigers, apart from faltering on the developmental path.
Experts, while accepting that there is definite scope of more development in the area, including tourism in the region, sought to remind that Sundarbans cannot be compared to other forests in the country as it has a unique landscape.
“While centre and state are fighting among themselves on developmental issues pertaining to Sundarbans, apparently with the ensuing election in mind later this year, nearly five million people stand traumatised with series of disasters in recent years, and waiting for the next one with bated breath,” complained a Sundarbans expert.
“Sundarbans should expand its tourism. On an average 900,000-950,000 tourists visit the Sundarbans every year, while the figure is almost 1.9 million in Ranathambore,” said Bhupender Yadav. “Mismanagement from the state government side is happening, which is slowing down the development …” said the union minister to this correspondent.
The minister also alleged that the state has, so far, underutilised the Rs 112 crore central funds approved for Sundarbans development. Yadav, the election in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, further gave a political spin to the debate stating that “politically honest efforts” are required to maintain a balance in the unique ecosystem area.
Responsible tourism is the key, pointed out experts. “Sundarbans cannot be compared to Ranathambore as its landscape, and challenges, is different. While tourism is key to local livelihood, we also need to think the scale and nature of tourism to be allowed in such a delicate ecological zone that already has five million population; we need responsible tourism in the zone,” observed Sundarbans expert Tuhin Ghosh, a professor with Jadavpur University. No carrying capacity assessment has done for the area so far, he added.
Biswajit Roy Choudhury, a member of the state wildlife board, pointed out that the challenging access to the Sundarbans forest and its predominantly river-based tourism, which reduces the chances of spotting wildlife, often makes it less appealing to tourists compared to places like Ranthambore or Kanha, where wildlife sightings are more frequent.
“Being the world’s only mangrove forest stretch with tigers, there is more tourism potential in Sundarbans compared to what is exploited now. We need to showcase its tourism potential more aggressively, particularly high-end tourism, while not compromising on protecting its delicate ecosystem,” said ecological economist Nilanjan Ghosh, head of the development studies in Observer Research Foundation (ORF), working globally.
“I just hope that the Union government is not planning to commercialise Sundarbans in the name of expanding tourism, like it is doing in Aravalli or Andamans,” said an activist. “We have to keep in mind that already a lot of illegal tourism is happening in Sundarbans defying coastal zone management norms and national green tribunal orders, and both the union and state government are responsible for that,” said Subhas Acharya, a retired state government official and Sundarbans expert.
The region which is already strained by encroachment, pollution and environmental degradation is facing the brunt of climate change, he added.
State ministers countered the Union minister’s allegation, placing the blame on the Centre. “Before throwing allegations at us, the Union minister should ask his own government to release the funds for Sundarbans, which has been lying with them for long despite being cleared by the World Bank. Just a nod from the Union ministry can initiate the progress which is so critical for the development of Sundarbans, ” stated irrigation and waterways minister Manas Bhunia.
The irrigation and waterways department led by Bhunia is responsible for executing the proposed Rs 4,100 lower delta project. This initiative, funded 70 per cent by the World Bank and 30 per cent by the state government, aims to enhance embankment development, provide livelihood support and conserve biodiversity in the Sundarbans over the coming years.
According to state government sources, although the state cabinet approved the proposal around 18 months ago and forwarded it to the Union government for approval, it is reportedly still pending in some central government departments, despite having been cleared in others.
Bankim Hazra, the Sundarbans Affairs Minister, expressed dissatisfaction with the Union government's lack of support for the region. He questioned why the Union government could not use the substantial coal cess fund to aid the climate-affected residents of the Sundarbans.
Before its removal in September 2025, the cess was part of the GST compensation framework and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) earlier flagged significant shortfalls in transferring various cess collections to their intended reserve funds over the years, with a total of Rs 3.69 lakh crore in untransferred cess funds reported as of the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year.
“Nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore were lost only in three cyclones: Amphan, Yaas and Bulbul. A major part of the rescue, rehabilitation and restoration cost was mainly borne by the state government as the union government hardly supported,” pointed out Javed Khan, state minister in charge of disaster management.
A senior forest department officer claimed that the recent union government cleared expansion of Sundarbans Forest into second biggest tiger reserves in the country, is testimony of its success in managing the forest area. “Despite this we have received much less funds compared to several states, be it in mangrove plantation or conservation of tigers”, said the official. “West Bengal has the largest share of mangrove cover in India, with its Sundarbans region accounting for over 42 per cent of the country's total mangrove area; but under the Union government’s signature programme in mangrove conservation, it is only third in terms of recipient amount,” added another senior official.
The Indian Sundarbans, part of the world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spans about 4,000 square kilometres in West Bengal, primarily in the South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. It is home to around 4.5 million people, many reliant on agriculture, fishing and forestry.
Climate Action Network South Asia research on non-economic loss and damage in the Sundarbans found severe climate impacts: 44 per cent islands studied lost over 10 sq km to erosion, while disaster-prone youth reported trauma, disrupted schooling, damaged homes, livelihoods, agriculture, and migration.
While tourism is coming up as a major alternate livelihood means at the face of the climate triggered crisis, it is still being dominated by low-end and significantly illegal modes.