Bid To Relocate 136-Year-Old Mosque From Kolkata Airport May Finally Take Off After Bengal Power Shift

Key Takeaways

• Bid To Relocate 136-Year-Old Mosque From Kolkata Airport May Finally Take Off After Bengal Power Shift Written By, Last Updated: May 23, 2026, 01:09 IST The presence of the mosque, which predates the construction of the modern aviation facility, poses structural and logistical challenges for Kolkata’s air traffic management While mosque committee representatives have expressed deep cooperation, noting they do not wish to hinder the airport's growth or international safety standards, they have requested that authorities formalise the relocation consensus by consulting major national Muslim umbrella organisations, including the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
• File image/X Long-stalled efforts to relocate the historic mosque situated deep inside the high-security operational area of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata have gained significant momentum, sources say.
• Following a recent change in the West Bengal state government, administrative and aviation authorities have launched a coordinated push to resolve the decades-old deadlock.
• A joint inspection of the 136-year-old Gouripur Jame Masjid—also locally known as the Bankra Mosque—was conducted by officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the North 24 Parganas district administration, as per reports.
• This on-site assessment was immediately followed by a high-level meeting at the District Magistrate’s office, where state officials and airport representatives formally presented the urgent operational necessity for relocation to the mosque committee members.