The High Court on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why Thakurgaon airport, shut down for the last 44 years, should not be reopened in public interest and in the interest of economic development and tourism.
The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur directed the order at the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.
The bench also asked nine top government officials, including the civil aviation secretary and the CAAB chairman, to explain why their inaction in this regard would not be declared illegal.
Other respondents in this regard are鈥攃abinet secretary, secretaries of finance, planning and defence ministries, secretaries of law and justice division and legislative and parliamentary affairs division, and Thakurgaon deputy commissioner.
The court issued the rule after hearing a public interest litigation filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Kamruzzaman, a resident of Thakurgaon.
Kamruzzaman argued that the shutdown of the airport violated citizens鈥� fundamental right to movement and slowed down economic development.
He said that no steps were taken to assess the airport鈥檚 potential through feasibility studies or to explore its strategic and commercial value, particularly for trade and tourism with Nepal and Bhutan.
He also claimed that the failure to reopen the airport had left over 4.5 million people in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts in a disadvantageous situation, especially in terms of connectivity, development and national security.
The petitioner noted that the airport could serve both civilian and military purposes, especially given the strategic geographic position of the region. He warned that if the current government could not revive it, future governments would struggle to do so due to growing regional geopolitical challenges.
Kamruzzaman stressed that the inaction by the authorities, amounted to a denial of fundamental rights, was without lawful authority.
