Spending on mega projects pays dividend

Syed Ejaz AhsanInfrastructures are considered the foundation for development of any country. A good transport system and infrastructure increases physical mobility, productive and allocation efficiency of resources. If we analyse the economic development of any country, we find that the country had first of all developed its infrastructural facilities, such as roads, highways and especially, seaports and airports. After oil was discovered in the middle-east, the Arab countries first started developing infrastructures, and one of the mega structures built at that time was King Abdul Aziz International Airport at Jeddah, which is considered one the largest airport in the world. Interestingly, at that time there was no need for such a large airport, but in course of time it has turned into an air transport hub of the entire region and now it is one of busiest airports of the world. An efficient air transport system allows development of tourism, trade and helps attract foreign investments. We are also contemplating building an international airport. The government initiative in this regard is praiseworthy because within a very short time Bangladesh will feel the urgency of a new international airport to cater to the needs of the growing number of passengers and cargo movement. A large number of Bangladeshis are working in different parts of the world and contributing to the economic growth of the country. Geographically, Bangladesh occupies an attractive location which can be transformed into an air-transport hub of the South and South East Asia and by extension of the world. At present we have two airports in Dhaka one at Tejgaon and another in Kurmitola. The abandoned Tejgaon airport is being used by Bangladesh Airforce and Kurmitola airport for international air-traffic. Both the airports are deep inside densely populated areas posing threat to the surrounding localities and contributing to the ever rising noise pollution. Moreover, there is little scope for expansion of these airports, because the adjacent areas are also populated and scarcity of land has made it impossible to acquire more land for the purpose. Airports inside the city areas also restrict construction of buildings and halt other development activities. The Tejgaon airport has created obstruction to the much needed metro rail facilities to ease unbearable traffic congestion of Dhaka city. Regarding Kurmitola airport some experts suggested that the airport is under-utilised and there is no need to construct a new airport. When the Kurmitola airport project was taken human settlement around the project site was thin, but with the expansion of the city the airport is now surrounded by densely populated areas. High rise buildings constructed around the airport pose threat to air traffic movement. So it seems that the airport has to be shifted somewhere else in future. Once the Tejgaon airport served the purpose of international air-traffic movement, but now it is not even suitable for meeting the domestic air traffic needs. Naturally, it is expected that Kurmitola will face the same fate like Tejgaon airport in near future. Bangladesh has two other airports one in Sylhet and another in Chittagong. But these airports may meet the same fate soon. The government's first initiative to construct a new and modern international airport ended in a failure, because it took the decision to construct the airport at Arial Beel in Munshiganj without much ground work. But in the face of demonstrations which resulted in the death and injuries to many, the government was forced to withdraw the decision. Undertaking mega projects like airports need consideration of many aspects, such as economical, technical, ecological as well as political issues. Airports are built for long-term use, in most cases for 50 to 100 years. So for a project to be used for such a long time, needs analysis of all related aspects that will benefit the country. An international airport project will turn the area into a city and other type of development activities will also take place. In this connection availability of adequate land area is needed. We are facing ecological imbalance and at the same time severe shortage of cultivable land and scarcity of enough space to rehabilitate large number of people displaced for the purpose will result in increasing more land less people and more poverty or food shortages. So, choosing the right place should be the first priority. The area where agriculture is not important and less populated is more likely the suitable site for such projects. The connectivity with the rest of the country is also important. Expressways and other communication systems are needed to be developed. An international airport will turn a less developed area into a modern city, so it is expected that the government will take this opportunity to develop a less developed area through the construction of an international airport. For air transport development we need to develop our national flag carrier Biman first of all. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines is reportedly going to add new Boeing 777 300ED series aircraft to its existing fleet. No doubt this is going to increase the service quality of the national carrier especially at a time when the airline is facing severe image crisis. It is very disappointing, when travel agents suggest us to avoid Biman flights, because there is no certainty of flight schedules. Moreover, the Biman fleet is facing ageing problems with its limited number of aircraft. For a passenger especially, the wage earner, there is a serious threat of losing job if the flight schedule is not maintained. In case of ticket bookings, passengers often find that all tickets have been sold for next three months, but if some one can manage a ticket by using high connections heshe will find that most of the seats are empty. This mystery leads to huge loss of revenue in every single Biman flight. I think the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism is actively looking into the matter. Mere addition of new wide-bodied aircraft to the Biman fleet will not solve the problem. The need of the hour is to improve Biman's management. At the same time Biman can redesign its marketing and sales promotion activities, assess market situation to offer special fares for wage earners, and offer package tours to tourists on their way to other South and South East Asian countries with which Biman has good connectivity, and designing economy package tours with hotels and tourist resorts. Probably, the country's economy does not allow us to have expressways, mono rails, modern international airports and deep sea ports. But these mega structures lead to economic growth faster than any other measures. The writer is a faculty, Pen field School and College, and can be reached at email:seahsan@gmail.com