Urban planners for relocating crowd-gathering structures from flying approach zone

Urban planners on Friday called for gradual relocation of all the crowd-gathering structures, including the Milestone School campus, from the flying approach zone (FAZ) of the prime airport in the capital city.

Otherwise, similar mishaps like the Milestone tragedy might occur again, they also warned.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) came up with the call and warnings a press conference titled 'Milestone school plane crash: The state's responsibility and actions in controlling public safety and development', held at its office in the city's Bangla Motor area on the day.

The BIP President Dr. Adil Muhammed Khan chaired the event, which was moderated by its General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan.

The BIP Vice President Syed Shahriar Amin, Joint General Secretary Tamzidul Islam, and Treasurer Musleh Uddin Hasan were also present at the press conference.

Mr. Tamzidul presented findings from a rapid assessments conducted by the BIP after the Milestone tragedy.

According to the BIP, the Milestone School is located within the inner approach zone of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, posing risks to public safety and health.

Though the CAAB (Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh) regulates building height under Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS), there are no clear land use restrictions for sensitive structures within the flying zone.

Neither Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) nor Detailed Area Plan (DAP) provides specific guidelines for the use of lands in these high-risk areas.

Globally, facilities with large public gatherings--such as schools and hospitals--are discouraged in such zones while such practices are not followed in Bangladesh, according to BIP.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Adil Muhammed Khan said there was no justification for flying training aircraft over densely populated areas.

In urban planning, the flight trajectory of any aircraft must always be kept safe, which is flowed in developed countries, airports are usually located at a considerable distance from city centers, with buffer zones in between, he said.

"Although Dhaka Airport was originally built away from the city, rapidly expanding city has grown closer to over the time," he said.

Regarding the Milestone incident, he said it was essential to investigate whether all the buildings of the institution had proper approvals from RAJUK and CAAB.

For make the Dhaka city liveable, not only the individuals but also institutions and agencies involved in land grabbing, corruption, and legal violations must be held accountable, he said.

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