Abu Jakir :
The tragic military jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara on Monday has sparked urgent calls for reform, with urban planning experts warning that the school’s location directly within the airport’s designated approach zone presents an unacceptable risk to public safety.
The Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), in a preliminary report titled “The Jet Crash at Milestone School: The State’s Responsibility in Ensuring Public Safety and Urban Development Control”, presented on Friday, expressed deep concern over the institutional failure that led to this avoidable disaster.
The report argues that although the school may comply with certain technical height regulations, its position directly within the airport’s critical 13,000-foot approach corridor makes it dangerously vulnerable.
“No public institutions, especially those attracting large in this zone,” said Tamjidul Islam, BIP Joint General Secretary. He explained that while structures up to 150 feet in height may be permitted, there are no clear guidelines regarding the type or density of buildings, creating a significant gap in regulatory oversight.
crowds, should be located BIP President Adil Muhammad Khan criticised successive governments for allowing dense residential and institutional developments in zones that should have been preserved as low-density green spaces or farmlands. “International aviation safety norms have been consistently ignored,” he stated.
The crash, which killed at least 33 people and injured over 150, has been described by BIP as a predictable outcome of systemic negligence. Experts noted that the death toll might have been even higher were it not for the proximity of metro rail and elevated expressways, which enabled a faster emergency response.
In a particularly concerning revelation, BIP noted that the land on which Milestone School now stands was originally designated as a water retention area in the 1995 Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP), intended to serve as a buffer zone for airport operations. However, the land was filled and repurposed for construction, a move permitted by the Capital Development Authority, RAJUK.
RAJUK, which is responsible for urban planning approvals, has admitted it has yet to determine whether Milestone violated any building codes. “A RAJUK team is currently investigating,” said Ashraful Islam, RAJUK’s Chief Urban Planner. “Due to limited access to the site, we haven’t been able to conduct a full inspection, but we’re working to complete our assessment as quickly as possible.”
A 2018 document from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) confirms that the school falls within the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) – specifically the Inner Horizontal Surface and Inner Approach zone – which are areas meant to remain unobstructed for safe aircraft operation.
The document indicates that aircraft gain only 50 feet of altitude per kilometre after take-off in this direction, making the school’s location especially hazardous.
Retired Air Force Wing Commander Golam Imtiaz Mahbub warned that allowing construction along flight paths violates international standards. “If this school is directly in the flight path, it should never have received approval,” he said. “Maintaining the Obstacle Clearance Limit is not optional – it’s mandatory.”
BIP’s General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan called for the immediate formation of a high-level government committee to identify and relocate all crowd-gathering institutions currently located in the airport’s approach zone.
“Responsibility does not end with the builders. CAAB, RAJUK, the Education Ministry, the city corporation, and the district administration all share accountability for this failure,” he said.
Vice President of BIP, Syed Shahriar Amin, echoed these calls for urgent reform, warning that without proper enforcement of safety regulations, “we are simply awaiting the next disaster.”
The planners concluded their report with a strong recommendation: the state must not only enforce existing aviation safety laws but also hold those responsible for previous regulatory failures accountable – or risk repeating a tragedy that could have been prevented.
