Agartala Airport expanding into Bangladesh
India has proposed to upgrade and expand its Agartala Airport into Bangladeshi territory in Brahmanbaria. Although a detailed technical proposal is yet to be made, this should be dealt with, keeping in mind the political and security issues.
Although some European airports, like Geneva International Airport, operate over the boundaries of two or three countries and seem to function well, the situation is different for South Asian countries. The government should take this decision, given a proper proposal is made at all, with great care, weighing up the pros and cons of allowing India to use our land in such a way.
If it comes to pass, then many people may have to leave their homes near the boundary between the two countries, the repercussions of which may be hard to curtail. International relations experts have also warned how this may affect public sentiment.
Plus, the whole process of how it will be carried out should be formulated explicitly in order to avoid technical problems from both sides.
Fariha Maimuna, University of Dhaka
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