The government is finding a fresh way to conduct the construction of Khan Jahan Ali Airport in Mongla as the Indian company is reluctant to step forward. The authority concerned is very much optimistic to start the main construction work of Khan Jahan Ali Airport at Bagerhat immediately, as they are about to reach a final decision by next week, sources of civil aviation ministry confirmed.
To this end, the concerned ministry is holding several meetings with the concerned persons, on what sort of planning they should step forward so that they can start the main construction work of the airport.
In an inter-ministry meeting at civil aviation and tourism ministry held recently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s economic advisor Mashiur Rahman wanted to know what time would be needed to complete the construction work of the Khan Jahan Ali Airport, either in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or GoB funded.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry secretary Mohibul Haque, when connected, told this correspondent, “Next week we are going to sit again for another meeting, where we will inform the high officials what time will be required if we conduct the construction work either PPP or GoB”. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Chairman, Air vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, told Bangladesh Post, “The airport was supposed to be constructed under PPP, but the foreign company did not find it viable. Now we are waiting for the government approval in which way the airport would be constructed”.
“In the meantime, we have completed the construction of boundary wall and land acquisition is almost completed”, he added. The government acquired 102 acres of land to build the airport on ‘short take-off landing’ system at Foyla near Rampal in 1996 following a demand of the people of southern region, according to official sources.
However, the construction of the airport remained stopped for a long time for reasons unknown. Returning to power in 2008, the Awami League government resumed its construction. In 2011, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured of constructing the airport as a full-fledged one named as ‘Khan Jahan Ali Airport’ following demand by the local businessmen and people of the area.
In 2015, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the airport project, at an estimated cost of about Tk 544 crore. Out of the amount, the government is providing about Tk 490 crore while the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) Tk 54 crore. At that time, the project was scheduled to be completed by June, 2018. However, the construction work on the airport is yet to be finished.
After the Ecnec’s approval, the district administration started work to acquire 529.85 acres of land afresh for the project. After acquiring the land in Bagerhat, the district administration handed it over to the CAA on August 17, 2018.
