Entry fees for National Botanical Garden reduced on public demand

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has revised the entry fees for the National Botanical Garden in Mirpur following directives from the ministry's adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

The new rates will take effect immediately, according to a notification issued on Wednesday.

According to the revised structure, the entry fee for visitors above 12 years has been significantly reduced from Tk100 to Tk30. For children, the fee has been restructured as well: children aged 6 to 12 years will now be charged Tk15, whereas those aged 0 to 5 years can enter for free. Previously, the entry fee for all children under 12 years was Tk50.

The fee adjustments extend to group visits from educational institutions. For groups of up to 100 students, the entry fee has been set at Tk1,000. For larger groups comprising 101 to 200 students, the fee will be Tk 1,500. Meanwhile, foreign tourists will be required to pay an entry fee of Tk500 or the equivalent amount in US dollars.

In addition, the ministry has introduced an annual entry card for morning walkers, priced at Tk500 per person. Cardholders will be permitted to visit the garden from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM during the months of November to March, and from 6:00am to 9:00am from April to October. In case of a lost or expired card, a fee of Tk200 will be charged for a replacement.

The revisions come in response to public feedback on a previous notification issued on 21 April 2024, which had revised the entry fees for the botanical garden. The earlier fee adjustment had sparked public reactions, prompting the advisor to instruct the relevant authorities to reconsider the fees.

The ministry stated that the new fee structure aims to make the botanical garden more accessible to the public while balancing the operational costs of maintaining the facility. The notification emphasised that these changes have been made in the public interest and are effective immediately.