PM asks all to obey airport security rules
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited BDT 21,300 crore construction work of ‘Third Terminal’ of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on December 28.
She opened the construction work of the third terminal by laying its foundation stone.
The Prime Minister asked all passengers to obey the security rules and regulations that are practiced internationally at the airports. She also asked VIPs of the country to follow the security rules at airports and warned that anyone flouting the regulations will face air travel restrictions in future.
"If anyone creates obstacles to following these security rules, then that person will be stopped [from flying]. At least I will do that, you all have to remember that," she said. “We have given special importance to the security of the airports,” she warned.
The Prime Minister also asked the authorities concerned to take special care of the expatriates who earn valuable foreign currencies for the country.
"We export manpower and earn huge amount of foreign currencies. We have to look after their (the expatriates') facilities. Make sure that they are not harassed at airports. Special attention has to be given to this matter," she said.
Presided over by M Mahbub Ali, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, Md Mohibul Haque, Secretary of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Naoki Ito, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, Hitoshi Hirata, Chief Representative of Bangladesh Office of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority and Bangladesh (CAAB) also spoke on the occasion.
The construction works of the Third Terminal, that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated, is expected to be modern, world-class and more befitting of the aspiring higher middle-income country that Bangladesh is today.
The terminal will cost BDT 21,399 crore and is expected to be complete in four years’ time if the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) can keep a tight grip on the proceedings.
Celebrated architect Rohani Baharin designed the terminal. Her other works include Changi International Airport’s Terminal 3, Wuhan Tianhe Terminal 2, Guanghzhou Baiyun New International Airport, Ahmedabad International Airport, New Islamabad International Airport, Can Tho and Phu Quoc International Airports.
The three-storeyed terminal building, which will be 2.30 lakh square metres, will be built by Mitsubishi and Fujita of Japan and Samsung of Korea. It will have 115 check-in counters, 64 departure and 64 arrival immigration desks, 27 baggage scanning machines, 40 scanning machines, 12 boarding bridges, 16 carousels and 11 body scanners.
There will also be new car parking facility for 1,230 vehicles, a new 63,000 square metre import and export cargo complex, a 5.42 lakh square metre apron for 37 aircrafts, among others.
Around two crore passengers will be able to use the HSIA following construction of the third terminal, 70 percent of the funding for which is coming from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
