Decision to shift 136-yr-old mosque out of Kolkata airport kept on hold till Eid

Kolkata: The discussions regarding removal or relocation of the mosque situated deep in the operational area of Kolkata airport have been kept on hold till Eid-uz-Zuha. The issue figured prominently at the Airport Security Committee meeting on Friday, two days after the state administration and the mosque authorities met at the North 24 Parganas DM's office to discuss the matter. A team visited the mosque a day earlier.An official said safety and security challenges related to the Gouripur Jame Masjid, also known as Bankra mosque, were discussed in detail. While the mosque has been on the agenda at previous meetings in the past, it has gained significance following the formation of the BJP govt in the state. With the state now aligned with the Centre, there is a renewed push for the relocation of the mosque.Sources said the civil aviation ministry and the state govt pushed for an immediate relocation of the mosque, but it was vetoed by the airport authorities, and the drive should happen after Eid-uz-Zuha. The airport authorities have also reportedly told the state administration that while they can secure the airport's operational area and provide access to the mosque, they cannot take part in razing the structure even if the central and state forces are provided.Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who is also the president of the West Bengal branch of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the stakeholders of the 136-year-old mosque, said the matter will be discussed with the chief minister and senior govt officials before the mosque can be razed. He added that nothing will happen till Eid."Currently we are focussed on a smooth and peaceful Eid. The discussions are of paramount importance, and we need to speak to the state govt before coming to any conclusion. All the talks have been withheld till Bakrid is over. We will have more discussions with the state govt as well as with airport officials next week post Eid," said Chowdhury.Though members of the mosque committee have told the authorities that they cannot decide on the mosque's relocation, they have refrained from speaking against the proposal. "We do not want the airport to suffer. Airport officials had offered to build us a bigger mosque outside the airport. But we are not in a position to decide," mosque committee member Abul Kalam said.While the mosque predates the airport, its presence close to the secondary runway poses a safety challenge that has been raised time and again for over 30 years. In 1995, then CM Jyoti Basu marked ‘Not Approved' with green ink on the file proposal for relocation of the mosque outside the airport. In 2002, Shahnawaz Hussain, who was then the Union civil aviation minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet, attempted to convince then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya about the need to relocate it. The two had even thrashed out an alternative proposal of developing another runway by diverting a road in Kaikhali. But that did not materialise.