A detailed masterplan was being prepared to accord the global status to the Sundarbans, already identified as UNESCO's World Heritage Site, state Tourism Secretary Bijoy Chatterjee told PTI here.

The Sundarbans lies on the delta of rivers Hooghly, Brahmaputra and Meghna and known for the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, the estuarine crocodile, the Indian python, besides 260 bird species.

Chattrjee said that a study had been conducted by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) late last year on development of coastal tourism and a masterplan made for developing the Sundarbans delta.

The site has been identified as the key area in the state's new tourism policy, likely to be in place by the end of March this year.

Since the site was environmentally fragile, steps were being taken to prepare the detailed masterplan for developing the area without disturbing the wild life, Chatterjee said.

Both the Planning Commission and the Union Tourism Ministry had already cleared the proposal to conduct a detailed study with the support of the UNDP.

The projected UNDP aid, to the tune of Rs 2 crore, would come through the Union Finance Ministry and the ministry's nod for the project could be available by this month, Chatterjee added.