After a long wait, three bus terminals that were located in the center-places of capital Dhaka, are going to be shifted to new locations. The bus terminals located in Sayedabad, Mahakhali and Gabtali will be relocated to Kanchpur, Gram Vatulia and Hemayetpur. The works of feasibility studies and land acquisition of this project has been completed. Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash, the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), will lay foundation of Kanchpur Terminal on Wednesday. Multimodal facilities will be available in the terminals. In addition, the terminals in Sayedabad, Mahakhali and Gabtali will be used as city terminals.

In this project of relocating bus terminals, five new terminals have been proposed around Dhaka. These terminals will be built in Hemayetpur, Kanchpur South, Vulta and Gram Vatulia, as well as five new bus depot will be constructed in Ati bazar, Kanchpur North, Kanchan, Bypail and Gazpir. The three terminals existing in Gabtali, Mahakhali and Sayedabad will be considered as city bus depot after the construction works of proposed us terminals are completed.

In this regard, the supervising engineer and project director of Dhaka South City Corporation, Kazi Md. Borhan Uddin told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The process of shifting the bus terminal has started. Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas will inaugurate the foundation stone of Kanchpur Terminal on Wednesday. These terminals will have multimodal-transport facilities. He also said that the renovation work of Syedabad Bus Terminal will be completed within this month. The Syedabad terminal will be used as the city terminal after the construction of the Kanchpur Inter-district Terminal is completed.”

 Meanwhile, according to sources in the DNCC, the acquisition of land for Gram Vatulia and Hemayetpur Inter-district bus terminals is in the final stage. After the completion of this task, the construction of the terminal will begin.

What will be in the terminals: The feasibility study proposes inclusion of multimodal-transport facilities in the terminals, where there will be enough space for city-buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and private car parking and various vehicles can easily enter and exit the terminals with passengers. There will also be sufficient space for safe parking of inter district buses at night and dormitory facilities for having rest and overnight stay for the bus crews. The new terminal will have workshops for bus washing and minor repairs. In addition, keeping the future in mind, it is also proposed to have electric vehicle charging at the state-of-the-art terminal. The main terminal buildings will be multi-storey; There will be bus parking facilities on the ground floor and private car and other vehicle parking facilities in the basement. Apart from this, there will be a large waiting lounge for passengers and visitors, a separate breastfeeding corner for mothers, adequate number of toilets, seating arrangements and separate prayer rooms for men and women.

Furthermore, it is also proposed to have special facilities for disabled and elderly people. Sculptures, paintings and other infrastructure will be built in the terminals keeping in mind the local and national heritage. There will be separate lounges for entry and exit of passengers and separate entry and exit points for boarding buses. Apart from this, there will be CCTV cameras throughout the terminal to ensure security, along with WiFi facility, digital display at entry and exit and e-ticketing facility.

Apart from sports facilities for children, the terminals will also have books, stationery shops, salons, ATM booths and restaurants. Apart from separate dormitory building for bus workers, separate cafeteria, kitchen and prayer space are proposed. There will also be office space for various transport associations and terminal officials, lockers for staff, monitoring and security rooms, adequate roads for movement, information signals and store rooms. The plan emphasizes on ensuring maximum use of solar power and daylight. Apart from this, the new terminal will also have important facilities like rain-water-harvesting or rainwater conservation, along with improved facilities for garbage and waste-water management. ETP facilities for bus-wash-waste disposal are planned along with run-off control and waste management systems. The terminal shall have adequate firefighting systems, first aid and emergency services, and at least one ambulance and one fire fighting vehicle parking space.

@The report was published in Bengali on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on August 5 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque