CAAB yet to reclaim land from Biman

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is still to recover 0.88-acre land from the Biman Bangladesh Airlines even after a lapse of eight years into the expiry of its lease.
The CAAB has already issued five letters for the land, but the Biman authorities have not taken any initiative to date to this end, reads a March 04 letter.
The civil aviation body has also Tk 82.14 million in arrears from Biman against the lease, VAT and tax.
In the letter, Biman has been asked to pay the outstanding money and take immediate steps to hand over the land to the CAAB.
According to a letter issued by Ishrat Jahan Panna, CAAB director (estate management), Biman took the lease inside Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to set up an Ansar barracks and a storeroom, among others.
A total of 38,656 square feet or 0.88 acres of land was leased for 30 years, which expired in 2015.
The CAAB is repeatedly asking the national flag carrier for the land, but its appeal has gone unheeded. As a result, a CAB project on the site has remained stuck.
The letter says, "Construction work of the third terminal project is going on. The Central Engineering Maintenance and Store Unit (CEMSU) is an important office of the CAAB in this project."
After exhausting all formalities, a contractor has been given the construction job for the CEMSU office on the space that was leased to Biman Bangladesh.
However, the contractor cannot start the work there due to Biman's Ansar barracks and other establishments.
"The Biman authorities have not taken any initiative till now to hand over this land to the CAAB, although it has issued four letters in the meantime."
In the circumstances, the CAAB asked the Biman authorities to pay the arrears against the lease and take an initiative to hand over the land.
Shafiul Azim, managing director and CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, could not be reached over phone for comment on the issue.

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