The runway of Saidpur Airport, one of the busiest domestic airport in Bangladesh, is completely unsecured, with people freely crossing the boundary wall.
There are 17 passenger flights operating daily on the Dhaka-Saidpur-Dhaka route. The number of passengers traveling on this route is increasing day by day. Currently, an average of 3,000 passengers travel between Saidpur and Dhaka daily. The runway at this busiest airport is in a completely unpreserved condition. In this area, ordinary people roam freely with their cattle. Many come here to cut grass for their livestock.
It seems like everyone has forgotten how important this preserved area is. As a result, there is always a fear of accidents occurring at Saidpur Airport's runway.
To maintain the safety of the runway at the airport, barbed wire fencing (a type of wire with sharp spikes) was installed on the perimeter fence of Saidpur Airport almost three years ago. The government spent 30 million Bangladeshi Taka for this five-kilometer long barbed wire fencing.
However, about half a kilometer of the barbed wire fencing has already been stolen. Despite appointing 186 security personnel by the government for the protection of the airport's assets, the situation is not improving.
There are allegations that a significant amount of money is allocated from the government treasury every year to cut the grass near the runway. This practice weakens the security arrangement of the runway area, making it easier for people from nearby villages to enter the runway and cut the grass for free. This leads to an unrestricted area around the runway.
Suplab Kumar Ghosh, the manager of the airport, discussed the theft of barbed wire fencing and the preservation of the runway with regard to Saidpur Airport.
He confirmed the truth about the theft of the barbed wire fencing and mentioned that since there is no peripheral road around the runway, security personnel cannot patrol the area. Therefore, theft incidents continue to happen. Additionally, there is no lighting system around the runway, which makes it vulnerable at night.
@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on September 4, 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan.
