Staff Reporter :
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said at least 525 high-rise buildings were illegally constructed along the approach paths of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) and the old Tejgaon airport over the past 10 years.
CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq disclosed the information during a press briefing onThursday at CAAB headquarters in Kurmitola, Dhaka.
He said that CAAB does not have the legal authority to demolish the unapproved sections of these buildings.
“For the past decade, we have repeatedly written to the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) on the issue, as it is their responsibility to take action against such unauthorised structures,” said the CAAB Chairman.
The matter has gained renewed attention following the recent tragic crash of a Bangladesh Air Force jet fighter at Milestone School and College in the Diabari area, which resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people and injuries to many others.
The aircraft crashed into the school compound around 1:30pm on July 21.
At the briefing, CAAB officials clarified that there are no unauthorised high-rises directly surrounding the Milestone School premises.
Group Captain Md Noor-e-Alam, CAAB’s member for Air Traffic Management, explained that the permissible building height in that zone is up to 150 feet, and the tallest nearby structure stands at 135 feet.
In response to aviation experts’ concerns that military jet training should not be conducted over densely populated urban areas like Dhaka, the CAAB chairman clarified that the aircraft only use the HSIA runway for takeoff and landing.
“The training areas and routes are located elsewhere; these activities do not take place in the Dhaka sky,” he said.
Regarding the much-anticipated inauguration of Terminal 3 at HSIA, Air Vice Marshal Mostafa Mahmood did not mention a specific date.
He said efforts are ongoing to make the terminal fully operational as soon as possible.
Discussions with the Japanese consortium regarding the terminal’s operations are in progress, and a formal agreement will be signed once both parties reach a consensus.
