<i> Sundarbans needs 20cr more votes </i>
Bangladesh's vast mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, is still another whopping 20 crore votes away from being crowned as a new natural wonder of the world, according to campaigners.
They say problems arise, as overwhelming number of the country's 150 million people does not have access to the internet or telephones, the only vehicles to vote.
Because of high costs of long distance calls, a lot of people having mobile phones do not vote, said campaigner Abu Jubayer, also deputy director of Santo Mariom Foundation.
The foundation has been campaigning to collect votes for the Sundarbans and Cox's Bazar, two Bangladeshi sites nominated as natural wonders.
After Cox's Bazar was dropped from the list, the second phase of the campaign was launched on Wednesday with sole focus on the Sundarbans.
Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, cricketer Khaled Masud Pilot, Indian actress Manisha Koirela, and singer Momtaz Begum voted to launch the campaign's second phase.
The mangrove forest is now the only Asian forest to find place in the list of 28 finalists, said Abu Jubayer. “So, promoting the Sundarbans as a representative of Asia and Indian subcontinent is the priority of the campaign.”
If selected as a natural wonder, the Sundarbans is expected to improve the country's national image and attract more tourists with other lasting economic benefits.
But the world's largest mangrove forest has long to go, as it contests against the likes of Mount Kilimanjaro of Japan, the Grand Canyon of United States, and the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
The campaigners said most of these places are more widely known to the world and people of the areas outnumber us and have wider access to technologies.
So, non-residence Bangladeshis should come forward and campaign for the forest from their respective countries as well, they added.
The new seven wonders of nature will be declared on November 11 this year.
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