Thakurgaon airport lying abandoned for 39 years

THAKURGAON, Nov 29: Thakurgaon airport is lying abandoned for 39 years though it was used for four decades for carrying both passengers and officials.

Due to negligence of the authority concerned, runway and other important instrument are being ruined. Now, the people of the area are using the land for vegetables and paddy cultivation.

Locals demanded to resume the operation of the airport for smooth air communication with other parts of the county.

If the airport operation could be resumed, the people of the region would be benefitted in many ways.

It is learnt that the airport was established in1940 on 550 acres of land in the Shibganj-Madarganj area, about eight kilometres off the district town of Thakurgaon.

The runway, built at a cost of millions of money, is covered with weeds.

As a result, peasants are using it to dry crops in both Rabi and Kharip seasons. Rather, during the Pakistan period it was used for emergency purposes including transportation of relief goods.

An aged man Lokman Hossain said the airport was built for the purpose of applying special tactics in the Second World War. Its runway is three kilometers. There were 10 sub-runways at the west end of the runway, where there was a special advantage of hiding war planes.

According to Syedpur Airport sources, the port was operational for some time after its construction.

Early in the Pakistan period, the airport land was declared an army estate.

The airport had been used for communication with the capital Dhaka until 1967. So, the people of the area enjoyed the air transport opportunity. Regular flights on the Dhaka-Thakurgaon route had been ensured and the airport had been the only means of transportation between Dhaka and the northern remote areas.

As the authority concerned had to pay incentive to run the flights, they stopped the flights in 1970.

Following demand of the locals, an initiative was taken to resume flights in 1994 but could not be implemented.

To run regular flights renovation work including runway, terminal building and electrification work had been completed as six private companies, including Air Bangla and Borak, singed an agreement with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to launch flights on the Dhaka-Thakurgaon route.

Sumon Kumar Barmon, a renowned businessman said later, it was not implemented for unknown reasons though high officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism had visited the site several times.