Thousands of people are now flocking to ‘Middlechar’ in Ward No. 8 of Harian Union of Paba Upazila of Rajshahi, attracted by the blue waters of the river, vast greenery and fresh air. Known as ‘Mini Switzerland’ due to its beauty spread on social media, this char is visited by visitors from far and wide every day.

However, this uncontrolled tourism frenzy has brought disaster to the lives of local residents. The people of Char are living in extreme lack of security and environmental threats due to encroachment on housing and agricultural land, invasion of personal privacy by drone cameras, and dumping of waste.

This char can be reached in just 10-12 minutes by boat from the city’s Mirzapur Mizan intersection, Dagar Ghat. According to the leaseholders and locals, 1,800 to 2,000 people visit this char every Friday. Even on normal days, this number exceeds 500 to 800. But the comfort of local women and children is being disturbed due to the free movement of people.

It has been alleged that many visitors are entering the houses under the ominous pretext of drinking water or visiting. Along with this, there is the nuisance of drones. Flying drones over the houses is seriously violating the privacy of women while bathing, using roofless toilets, and doing household chores. The elders and ordinary residents of the char said that they are not against tourism, but it is very important to protect the safety and honor of their families and mothers and sisters.

The impact of tourism is not only endangering the safety of homes, but also the main livelihood of the char, agriculture and animal husbandry. Farmers complain that crops are being ruined by visitors stepping on the land of Maskalai. Due to the random dumping of plastic waste and chip wrappers, the grass-eating areas of animals are being polluted, which is extremely risky for the health of the livestock. When the matter came to their attention, Paba Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ibnul Abedin said that a mobile court will be run to stop the flying of drones without permission.

He also said that measures should be taken in coordination with local public representatives to ensure the safety of women.

Rajshahi District Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Sabina Yasmin and Naval Police Superintendent Mohammad Billal Hossain jointly assured that the police are vigilant about the personal safety of the locals. At the same time, strict surveillance is being maintained on the Malai-boat drivers, including mandatory wearing of life jackets for the safety of boat passengers in the Padma. The Department of Environment has also called for not throwing plastic waste.

Local residents demand that a well-organized tourism system be established by ensuring the environment of Midolchar and the personal safety of the locals through prompt written instructions, rather than limiting themselves to assurances.