Having identified certain weaknesses in the educational system – both English and Bangla mediums – of Bangladesh, Colonel Nurun Nabi (retd) embarked on the journey to bring drastic changes.
The start was modest, just a kindergarten, renting out space in Gareeb-e-Newaz Avenue, Sector 11 of Uttara Model Town.
Then it expanded to a junior school and finally to a secondary school, according to the school's website.
Ambitions grew and 15 bighas of land was purchased in Diabari through the MNRS trust. This would be the location of the main campus boasting residential campuses, a playing field, an auditorium, car parking and much more, all befitting an institution of international standing.
Two years after the Milestone College had already been earning plaudits for getting 100% pass rates, the college under its name got approval on 18 May, 2022.
When disaster unfolded on the campus on Monday, Milestone College's location, mixed with other factors, became a recipe for disaster. The air crash which shocked the country, ended up taking at least 32 lives.
Two questions arose: Was the school campus's location in violation of rules and why was the flight path charted which placed the school right in the middle?
Indeed, the campus fell right in the middle of the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) – imaginary surfaces established around airports to ensure safe aircraft operations by defining airspace that must be kept clear of obstacles, according to a document of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
The OLS is divided into seven segments, each showing the flight trajectory and the height a plane would reach at each spot within its path.
In the document signed by Mohammad Nurul Islam, Director (ATS & Aerodromes), Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, back in 2018, it also showed the Milestone School just a bit to the north of the runway, in what is known as the Inner Approach.
Here, a building may elevate by around 50 feet for each kilometre distance, reaching a maximum of 150 feet.
The school campus with its 10-storey campus buildings -- around three kilometres from the runway as the crow flies, according to Google Maps -- could become an obstacle.
This OLS applied when the flight path meant the aircraft was either taking off from or landing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The fighter aircraft had taken off at 1:06pm from the airport for a routine training mission, but experienced a mechanical failure soon after, leading to a crash.
Speaking to Dhaka Stream, Wing Commander (retd) Golam Imtiaz Mahbub said the placement of the school shouldn't have been allowed if it fell squarely on the flight path.
"Obstacle Clearance Limit has to be maintained, but we don't follow it. It is an international regulation," he said.
Was the building a violation?
Shockingly, days after the tragedy, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) – the public agency responsible for coordinating urban development in Dhaka – is still at a loss for answers.
Speaking to Dhaka Stream, Rajuk's Chief Town Planner Ashraful Islam said, "A team from Rajuk is working on the issue. The team has been unable to enter the campus due to various restrictions. As a result, we do not know for sure whether the school has violated any rules regarding its height. We are trying to do the work quickly."
According to eye witnesses, the building into which the jet crashed was four storeys high. And the jet crashed into the ground floor. So, whether height restrictions could be a factor is also up in the air.
On Tuesday, a day after the disaster, Group Captain Md Ahsan Habib was withdrawn from his post as director of flight safety and regulation at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) – the body tasked with ensuring compliance of all flight-related rules, among others.
The government is yet to explain the move. It is to be noted that Habib had other allegations against him centring his conduct.
The school's location, however, still warranted some further investigation.
Where was Rajuk defied?
According to documents obtained by Dhaka Stream, in 2015 Rajuk took the initiative to formulate a new Detailed Area Plan (DAP).
The initial survey and data collection, alongside a draft plan, took place between 2017-2018.
The draft DAP was published in 2019 and then passed in 2022.
According to urban planners, the draft set out which type of infrastructure could be built in which area.
Google Satellite images show that the construction of the permanent campus of Milestone College fell outside the area marked Institutional Zone, which would allow for a school.
The same documents show that the school was placed in an area where there was supposed to be a water body.
Analysing Google Earth satellite images and the government's DAP map, it has been found that there was no structure as of 2006 where the permanent campus of Milestone College is currently located.
In 2008, images of land development were visible. Structures began to appear shortly after, ramping up in the 2018 image.
Full-fledged structural development started after 2021.
Between 2021 and 2024, multi-storey buildings suddenly became visible there, and a part of the water body proposed in DAP was also occupied.
It was learned from talking to former students of the institution that this area of Diabari was almost empty until 2012.
There were no concrete structures.
After 2019, the huge building was built step by step.
In January 2024, the CAAB issued a letter to Rajuk to ensure all buildings met the height regulations and to obtain necessary clearances.
The letter, a copy of which is with Dhaka Stream, said it was necessary to bring all relevant buildings under the law, urging that it was a matter of "utmost importance".
In April this year, RAJUK Chairman Md Riazul Islam said they had identified 3,382 under-construction buildings in Dhaka that were in violation of approved designs and planned to demolish their illegal portions.
He, however, didn't specify where the drives would be conducted.
Speaking to Dhaka Stream, urban planner and President of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners Professor Adil Muhammad Khan said Milestone College was responsible for hastily constructing the building on a proposed water reservoir.
Apart from this, the responsibility of whether the building was constructed bypassing proper rules also lies with the institution, he said,
The urban planner added it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and RAJUK to supervise all these issues.
"But instead of doing so, they have always protected the interests of the influential. This situation was supposed to change after the interim government came to power.
"This government was also supposed to bring amendments to the Dhaka Detailed Area Plan (DAP). But instead of that, more and more multi-storey buildings are being built. Rajuk is not stopping them but rather encouraging them," he said.
While the Milestone College did commit two violations – being outside the designated zone and encroaching the proposed water body – adhering to either of these would not have changed the consequences of the accident.
At this point, the attention again turns towards the air base and its training flights.
'No space to train'
Wing Commander (retd) Golam Imtiaz Mahbub pointed to the map of the development of the Uttara area.
"We don't have any space for emergencies. The only option left now is to crash into buildings when there is failure," he said.
"When we train, it is usually in open areas. There are certain patterns that need to be maintained and those depend on density. Right now, there is little clear space."
He said the school was being questioned because it was 10-storey, but a similar query would not rise if it was a two-storey building.
So given the lack of space, was a training space or even an airbase necessary in the capital?
Yes, he said.
"The 'defence in depth' measure is a military strategy that seeks to delay rather than prevent the advance of an attacker. It is decided based on when an enemy infiltrates the border, how long would it take to react and launch a counter."
He said the Kurmitola base in this case was strategically located.
"It is both outside artillery and air defence ranges, thus it necessitates having a fighter jet."
With the fighter jet in place, pilots need to know how to fly it from the location.
"If you place the airbase in, say, Rajshahi, then it is close to the border. We are a small country, surrounded by borders, making this the ideal location," he explained.
As for a space of less density, he believed an airspace would only draw more people to set up shops, businesses and homes.
His view is partially shared by Air Commodore Md Shafiqul Alam, who believes that while it is inappropriate to operate an active air base within a densely populated area, especially in the context of urban growth and public safety, it may be needed.
"Dhaka's traffic congestion puts extra mental and procedural pressure both on the operators, pilots and the facilitators. This may compel the users to compromise on regulations or policy aspects, thereby compromising safety," he said.
Highlighting the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules and regulations, which are formulated for the operation of civil aircraft, he pointed out that those are not applicable to state aircraft or military aircraft.
"The military has to formulate or devise its respective regulations within the framework of ICAO regulations. In doing so, there may be few exceptions which may not align with safety regulations. At times, during operations, the facilitators may have to adjust or prioritise the operational sequence or clearance, creating a situation where operators may overlook or miss out the safety aspects."
Concerning the safety of the general public, he stated that the ICAO (annex 14) lays out detailed procedures and limitations on constructing establishments around airfields, but it is rarely enforced in Bangladesh.
"This is done considering safety of aircraft operations and safety of public and installations. However, there is a tendency to breach these regulations around the airfield. This creates a hazardous situation both for operators and the general public."
Regardless of these issues, Alam believes that for the protection of key point installations, air defence weapons such as fighter aircraft, should be in close proximity to the capital.
Considering that, air defence aircraft can be positioned in urban areas and operational activities can be conducted.
"It is more appropriate to operate such activities from nearby airfields, if available. But no airfield capable of housing all these fighter aircraft is available in close proximity to Dhaka. So the BAF has no option other than keeping operational fighter squadrons in Dhaka and operating jointly with civil aviation."
He suggests shifting the operational squadron to a location close to the capital, from where it can provide air defence coverage to the capital.
"This requires establishing an airfield close to Dhaka, which is a state-level strategic decision and needs long-term planning."
On the question of the aircraft make, he explained, "Procure modern aircraft, at least fourth generation, to replace the existing old models. This also has to be decided by the Government of Bangladesh."
An air force source, requesting anonymity, told Dhaka Stream that the make of the plane – FT-7 BGI – was not the problem.
He said even if the plane was around 12 years old, it wasn't too old.
"We have planes which are 40 years old. We still get spare parts for those. We also have a built-in spare parts replacement agreement when procuring jets," he said.
Asked why not get better jets, the source said the problems were two-fold.
"There are budget constraints, but also others. For instance, when we wanted to buy the latest Russian jets, there was foreign interference from adversaries."
He said some countries did not want Bangladesh to have a strong air force, which complicated procurement matters.
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