Rajbari bus terminal not operational even after three decades

In Rajbari, Tk 1.74 crore was spent on constructing the town bus terminal. It was operational for a few days after its inauguration, but then it shut down again. Even after three decades, the Rajbari Central Bus Terminal remains closed. The structure now has broken doors and windows, peeling plaster, and unusable toilets. There are no chairs in the waiting room. A few rooms are being used for vehicle repairs, while buses stop on various city roads and highways. Yet, the municipality is regularly collecting rent from the terminal and its adjacent market, and the district council is owed Tk 1.61 crore.

The district council says the central bus terminal was built in the 1992-93 fiscal year on 4 acres and 14 decimals of land in the Shripur area of Rajbari town. Construction cost Tk 1.74 crore. On April 19, 1994, the then Deputy Minister for Culture, Jahanara Begum, inaugurated the terminal. It was handed over to Rajbari Municipality in 2000.

Although operations ran for a few days after the inauguration, the terminal was never fully operational. It ran for a while in 2007 but closed again in 2009. Since then, various initiatives have been taken to reopen it, but none have been sustainable. Due to being unused for a long time, the terminal's building and infrastructure have now fallen into disrepair.

Tk 1.61 crore still outstanding

The construction cost was supposed to be paid to the district council in installments. However, the municipality has paid only Tk 13 lakh so far. According to the district council, approximately Tk 1.61 crore remains outstanding. On the other hand, the municipality is regularly collecting rent from the terminal and its adjoining market. In other words, even though the facility is not functional as a bus terminal, its land and adjacent structures are generating income. But the very purpose for which the terminal was built using government funds has not been fulfilled.

Bus stops on the highway

Currently, buses are picking up and dropping off passengers on the highway in front of the city's chicken farm, Baro Pul (Big Bridge), and the office of the District Road Transport Owners' Group. For parking buses, the transport owners' group has leased land from the municipality in the chicken farm area. There, Tk 50 is charged as a parking fee from each bus.

Local resident Abdul Khaleq said, "Stopping buses on the highway to pick up and drop off passengers is risky. If the terminal is opened, traffic congestion and public suffering will decrease."

Bus driver Mojibur Rahman said, "Just opening the terminal won't be enough. All buses must be parked there, and passenger boarding must be arranged from there. Although buses are kept at the terminal at night, in the morning they go to various points in the city to pick up passengers."

Why is it not opening?

According to transport owners, the terminal is located far from the main part of the city, so they don't get passengers there. That's why bus owners are not interested in going there. They believe that before the terminal can be opened, necessary infrastructure including the access road must be repaired.

Sukumar Bhowmik, General Secretary of the Rajbari Road Transport Owners' Group, said, "Before opening the terminal, the access road and necessary infrastructure need repairs. The owners' side has held a meeting on this matter. Efforts are being made to take effective action soon."

Meanwhile, due to being unused for a long time, the terminal's infrastructure is deteriorating. Locals complain that after evening, drug users increasingly gather there. As a result, a public service facility built for passenger transport now lies practically abandoned.

New plans, old questions

Kolyan Chowdhury, Deputy Director of the Local Government Division who is in charge of Rajbari Municipality's administration, said that the outstanding dues to the district council are being paid in installments. Discussions have been held with stakeholders regarding reopening the terminal. A joint decision will be made soon.

However, alongside reopening the terminal, new plans for using its land are also being made. Abdus Salam Mia, Administrator of the District Council, said, "Since it hasn't been effectively used for a long time, the terminal is now being used as a bus garage. To ensure the best use of the land, there are plans to build a bus terminal on one part, and on the other part, a 1,000-seat district council auditorium and a district collectorate school." He also informed that Tk 1 crore has been allocated by the Local Government Division for constructing the auditorium.

The question arises: before constructing new facilities, will the full use of the old terminal be ensured? A public service facility built with crores of taka has remained non-functional for a long time, causing loss not just to the infrastructure, but also depriving passengers and city dwellers.