Feasibility study under way for international airport in Mymensingh, Bogura airport to come first

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat has said a consulting firm is working to assess the feasibility of building an international airport in the Mymensingh region. However, he said the Bogura airport project will be implemented before an airport is built in Mymensingh.

He was speaking as chief guest at a discussion meeting in Trishal, Mymensingh, on Thursday morning, held with stakeholders on building an international airport and developing Trishal as a modern tourist city. The meeting, organised by the upazila administration at the Rashedul Islam conference hall in Trishal, was chaired by Dr Md Mahbubur Rahman, MP for Mymensingh-7 (Trishal).

The minister said a consultant has already been appointed and the survey work has begun on building an airport in the Mymensingh region. A detailed survey is under way on how many aircraft will be able to operate, from which direction aircraft will land, how far the landing path will extend, and what the airport's overall capacity will be.

He said it is a large and complex plan, and the government's internal work on the matter is also continuing.

The minister said work on the Bogura airport project has advanced a long way, so it will be implemented first. As Bogura is in the central region of Bangladesh, there is a possibility of developing a cargo transport hub there for the northern districts.

He said there is a plan to take forward the Mymensingh airport project one to two years after work begins in Bogura.

The minister believes that if an airport is built in Mymensingh, it will create new economic opportunities not only in greater Mymensingh but across a wide area of the northern region beyond Dhaka. In his words, building an airport involves huge activity, employment, communications and other infrastructure development.

He said that if he can implement this project in his lifetime or while in office, it will be a milestone in his life.

Speaking about international cooperation in aviation, the minister said cooperation in the aviation sector came up during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent visit to Turkey. If Turkey's cooperation is obtained, the country's aviation development work can move forward more quickly. He said there is also an initiative to discuss the matter with aviation experts.

Referring to efforts to attract international tourists centred on Cox's Bazar airport, the minister said air connectivity with Kathmandu, Malaysia and Kunming in China has been discussed. However, he said the plan is to develop Cox's Bazar airport as suitable for tourism-centred air connectivity, rather than as a large international airport.

The minister also spoke about his responsibility for the development of Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur and Jamalpur. He said there are plans to work on healthcare, communications and infrastructure development in various areas of greater Mymensingh. In particular, the shortage of doctors in these areas is being taken seriously, and necessary initiatives are being taken to address it.

Referring to preparations for large-scale rural infrastructure work for MPs, the minister said preparations have been made to carry out rural development work worth at least Tk 500 crore in each MP's area. He expressed hope that the amount of development work will increase further after December.

Highlighting Trishal's tourism potential, the minister said declaring a Nazrul Year is an important initiative for the country's cultural heritage and tourism development. There is an opportunity to advance tourism development centred on Trishal, associated with the memory of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. He assured full cooperation in the local MP's initiative to develop Trishal as a modern tourist city.

The minister called on the administration, public representatives and journalists to play a combined role in eradicating drugs. He said drugs harm society and the young generation, and everyone must play a responsible role in eradicating them to build an educated and developed society.

Calling on government officials and public representatives to work together, he said effective coordination between the administration and political leadership is needed to implement development activities. Everyone must work together, giving priority to the interests of the people, he said.