Mohakhali Bus Station, located in the middle of Dhaka, is considered to be one of the major reasons for traffic congestion in the city. With an increasing number of buses, the traffic congestion situation in the region is deteriorating day by day
With an increasing number of buses, the traffic congestion situation in Mohakhali Bus Station is getting worse day by day. Photo: Rajib Dhar
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With an increasing number of buses, the traffic congestion situation in Mohakhali Bus Station is getting worse day by day. Photo: Rajib Dhar
It was 12:36 p.m. on June 7. A Tangail bound bus named Dhaleshwari came from Mohakhali bus terminal and stopped on the road just in front of the terminal to pick up passengers. The bus stayed there for about 20 minutes before finally leaving for Tangail.
The road was already crowded, but the bus driver seemed nonchalant. When asked why he was taking passengers by stopping the bus on the main road, creating a traffic jam in the process. His answer seemed ready.
“Not just me, but all the bus drivers park their buses in front of the terminal after taking their buses out of the depot,” driver Manik Miah said.
And he was right. Other buses lined the road behind Dhaleshwari, all waiting for passengers. As they parked on the main road, the road narrowed, slowing down other vehicles. At one point it caused a traffic jam.
Mohakhali Bus Station, located in the center of the city, is considered to be one of the main reasons for the creation of traffic jams in the city. The municipality has long said that the bus station will be moved outside the city, but this has not happened yet. With an increasing number of buses, the traffic congestion situation in the region is deteriorating day by day.
Buses are not only parked on roads to transport passengers. A bus called Jalshiri has been parked on the road outside Mohakhali bus station for about 4 hours. Her driver Hafizul was sitting inside the bus.
When asked why he kept the bus on the road, he replied that since there was no space to park the buses inside the bus terminal, he had to keep the bus on the road. main road.
“I’m not keeping the bus here all day, we have the next trip in a few hours. Where am I going to keep the bus now?” Hafizul said.
The buses are parked on both sides of the roads as there is little space to park the buses inside the bus terminal. Photo: Rajib Dhar
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The buses are parked on both sides of the roads as there is little space to park the buses inside the bus terminal. Photo: Rajib Dhar
Not only Jalshiri, but community leaders of bus owners also keep their buses on the road in front of the terminal. This correspondent saw four Ena transport buses lined up along the road, narrowing the road space.
Khandakar Enayetullah, the managing director of Ena is also the general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association.
When asked why his buses are parked on the roads outside the bus station, Khandakar Enayetullah told The Business Standard that the municipal corporation took away where he used to keep his buses to build a loop U-shape, so he was forced to park his buses on the road.
“There is no space inside the terminal. I am looking for a place for my bus depot but I don’t get the place,” Enayetullah said.
The scenario of the Tejgaon Industrial Zone, especially the roads adjoining the terminal, completely changes at night. The streets and alleys of the neighborhood are flooded with buses that narrow the lanes. People have to be stuck in traffic jams for hours.
Abdul Malek, Secretary General of Mohakhali Bus Malik Samity said that space inside the bus terminal is insufficient, so they have to park the buses on the roads.
“In 1984, when the bus station was built, the capacity was 300 buses. After the construction of the building in the center of the terminal, the space was reduced,” Abdul Malek said.
He said now some 1,200 buses run daily between the capital and other neighborhoods using the terminal. As a result, they have to keep extra buses on the roads.
He said they had repeatedly asked the municipality as well as the transport ministry to allocate space for the additional buses. But they did not hear their plea. They have also written to various ministers but nothing has been resolved.
“The government levies a 300% tax on these buses, but when we need space to keep the bus, they don’t want to give it to us,” Abdul Malek said. He said the government should take this into consideration before granting route and registration permits.
Asked about the government’s initiative to move inter-district bus stops to the outskirts of the city, the head of the bus owner said they would move in this case.
“Bus owners do not voluntarily leave their vehicles on the road,” Abdul Malek said.
“Sometimes the police take our vehicles off the roads, after they leave, we shamelessly park the bus in the same place one more time. That’s how our days go by,” Abdul Malek admitted. “We are playing hide and seek (with the authorities) regarding bus parking.”
At night, the streets and alleys of the neighborhood are flooded with buses that narrow the lanes. People have to be stuck in traffic jams for hours. Photo: Rajib Dhar
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At night, the streets and alleys of the neighborhood are flooded with buses that narrow the lanes. People have to be stuck in traffic jams for hours. Photo: Rajib Dhar
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam said the municipality has decided to upgrade Mohakhali bus station into a modern bus station.
“No inter-district buses will be allowed to come to this bus station. We will move Mohakhali bus station to Abdullahpur area on the outskirts of the city,” Mayor Atiqul Islam said. “We have already worked out the plan; we will do it soon God willing.”
Members of law enforcement have their fair share of difficulties when it comes to keeping the roads of the Tejgaon Industrial Zone clear. Rabiul Islam, deputy commissioner at the DMP’s Gulshan traffic division, said the terminal does not have the capacity to keep all the buses.
“We are trying to allow the bus to park on the roads in a way that does not create obstacles on the road,” Rabiul Islam said.
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