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Opinion

Dhaka's dilemma!

S. K. Lala
METRO rail stops at air force red signal” has been the headline of a news item published in The Daily Star on September 13, 2011, followed by another news item published in the same daily on September 14,2011 headlined “Now Louis Kahn's JS masterpiece at stake”. To any conscious citizen, these news items are disturbing and arising out of reasons relatively insignificant. First one is a security concern and the second, environmental. But these can be overcome without disturbing the proposed metro.
The whole issue has arisen from the Air Force's insistence on flight safety from Tejgaon. No body will question the importance of ensuring maximum operational facility to an airport being used by the Air Force, at times of emergencies or in a situation of war. But what if such operations in their entirety tire shifted to a new location? There is an air strip in Comflla, which is not in use now. Why not the Air Force operations are transferred there? It is hardly 15/20 minutes air travel distance between the two locations. The newspaper report states the air chief to be quoting Hadith that even a mosque can be shifted for the welfare of the people. The same reasoning makes it more justifiable that alternative spot for Air Force operations may be chosen instead of jeopardising the metro link. And if metro link is allowed there, no question of desanctifying the Jatiya Sangshad environment arises.
It is imperative that as a sovereign nation, we must take decisions on national issues for our best interest without submitting to any external pressure, but at the same time we have to be extremely careful not to antagonise any genuine friendly agency for any insignificant reason as such are noticed globally and which may create a situation of isolation, for ourselves.
There are also other issues to seriously consider in this connection. An Air Force Base or Air Strip is perhaps one of the most vulnerable locations where any enemy will tend to strike first and continue to strike until one or the other is obliterated. Essentially such vulnerable establishments should be located in areas relatively less populated and away from important installations of any other kind. Needless to say from this consideration alone, the government should decide that Tejgaon Airport must cease to be an operational airport for Air Force.
Last but not the least, Tejgaon, if kept in recognition to be a functional airport (which it is not), has to comply with Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh's regulations that will restrict construction in a major part of this city within 150'-0” (height). This will mean many buildings already constructed higher than this will have to be demolished and future construction will be restricted to a maximum of 15 storeys or less. Ours is a small country but with a big population. Our viable way of survival and to prosper is to go for high-rise construction. Such a scenario can well be achievable if the functions of the Tejgaon Airport are diverted elsewhere.
Further for emergency operations, use of helicopters are more frequent, which can still be allowed from Tejgaon. For use of fixed wing aircraft in case of any untoward emergency there is an Army Aviation Airstrip at the Shahjalal International Airport that may be used. All operations of combat aircraft in a situation of war ought to be shifted to an alternative suitable place. This is logical and perhaps in the best interest to all quarters. One would expect our national objective to be a far sighted one to achieve our ultimate desire to have a developed country with a proper, environmentally charming, commercially vibrant, and as much possible riskfree, capital city.
The writer is Managing Director, Concord Group