Century-old traditional pleasure crafts of Sundarbans lost forever

“M.L. Banarani” and “M.L. Banakanya”, two century-old pleasure crafts of the Sundarbans that once majestically sailed through the saline waters of the mangrove forest, have been lost forever.

These two luxury water vessels were built to British designs and decorated with Burmese artistic teakwork. The late British Queen Elizabeth II, along with many heads of state and government and numerous VVIPs, visited the Sundarbans aboard these steam-powered vessels.

Instead of being opened to tourists at Karamjal tourist point, the vessels were left uncared for at an undisclosed location for more than a decade for reasons unknown. Despite their archaeological and historical value, they were recently sold at auction by the Sundarbans Forest Department, triggering strong resentment among people concerned in Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira districts.

Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Eastern Division, told The New Nation that the two century-old historic vessels were sold at auction in March this year following instructions from higher authorities.

M.L. Banarani was sold for Tk 26.95 lakh, while M.L. Banakanya was sold for Tk 20.27 lakh.
Imran Ahmed, Conservator of Forests (CF), Khulna Region, said the two vessels Banarani and Banakanya had significant historical value.

“To preserve the historical importance of these two luxury pleasure crafts for future generations, the Sundarbans Department has decided to make replicas of them, subject to approval from the higher authorities,” he said.

According to the Sundarbans Forest Department, M.L. Banakanya was built in 1902 at a cost of Tk 38,000 for the transportation of forest officials in the greater Sundarbans, while M.L. Banarani was built in 1908 at a cost of Tk 52,947.

In 1962, the steam engines of both vessels were replaced with diesel engines, and in 2004, the diesel engines were replaced with modern engines.

Of the two vessels, Banarani was last found operational in 2016. Due to a lack of proper maintenance and repair, both historic vessels eventually became completely unusable and were abandoned for years. As a result, they became worn out and decayed.

To restore and renovate the vessels, the Sundarbans Forest Department sought Tk 7 crore from the concerned ministry. However, there was no response. In 2018, Khulna Shipyard also sent a proposal to the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, but no action was taken by the ministry.