Plans to shift the capital’s four bus terminals from the main city to the suburbs have been in the works for a decade, but officials said it will take another two years to move the terminals out of the city.
Those concerned said that the government does not have the amount of land required to move the terminals to a new place. New land has to be acquired at the proposed sites of the four terminals. That work is now underway. A total of 160 acres of land has to be acquired separately at Savar, Keraniganj, Birulia and Kanchpur for the four terminals.
The Road Transport and Highways Department is working on an expenditure plan of around Tk 12,500 crore to move the terminals.
Places have been selected for the construction of four bus terminals at Birulia, Hemayetpur in Savar, Baghair in Keraniganj and Kanchpur for long-distance buses to restore order in Dhaka city's public transport.
The proliferation of private cars, inadequate public transport and parking chaos in the capital of about 20 million people has led to efforts to move bus terminals from the city center to the suburbs.
At present there are 22 acres of land at Gabtali Terminal, 9 acres at Mohakhali and 10 acres at Syedabad.
It is proposed to construct a new terminal by acquiring 33.63 acres of land at Baghair, adjacent to Keraniganj Central Jail. 45 acres in Hemayetpur of Savar, 26.7 acres in Bhatulia in Birulia, 26.7 acres in the south of Kanchpur should be acquired for the construction of the terminal.
Those concerned say that if inter-district bus terminal is built at four places in the suburbs, the traffic pressure from Dhaka city will be reduced and Syedabad, Gabtali and Mohakhali terminals will be used as city terminals.
This was discussed in detail in the 15th meeting of the 'Bus Route Rationalization' Committee on January 19, 2021. Dhaka South and North City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh and Atiqul Islam were present there.
After the meeting, the two mayors told reporters that if bus terminals are removed from four places, the pressure on Dhaka city will be reduced. We can use Syedabad, Gabtali and Mohakhali terminals as city terminals.
It should be noted that the Awami League government took the first initiative to relocate four bus terminals in the capital in 2010. After that, the transfer of the terminal has been repeatedly discussed. But the work has progressed little in the last era. On the contrary, passenger suffering has increased several times around the existing terminal of the capital.
A meeting was held at the Prime Minister's Office on July 28, 2010 to shift the Fulbaria Bus Terminal to Keraniganj, Mohakhali Terminal to Tongi, Syedabad Terminal to Kanchpur and Gabtali Terminal to Birulia to free the capital from severe traffic congestion.
Transport experts said that one of the reasons for traffic congestion in the capital is the four bus terminals in the middle of the city. In these areas numerous cars are parked on the road all the time. As a result there is always traffic jam. If these terminals are not taken to the outskirts of the capital, the traffic congestion of the metropolis will continue to increase. There will be no solution to the traffic congestion problem.
SM Salehuddin, transport expert and former executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board, told Bangladesh Pratidin, “We are working on moving four bus terminals from inside the capital. The reality is that the government does not have much land in the place we have selected. The rest of the land should be taken from the private sector.”
“Most of these lands are low lands. They must be filled. Allow time for the soil to settle. Hopefully, within two years at the most, we will be able to complete the terminal relocation,” he added.
@The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on November 24, 2022 and rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan
