Taxpayer Money Stalled: Tk 6 crore bus terminal inoperative since 2020

A bus terminal was built at Boalmari with a cost of nearly Tk 6 crore to mitigate traffic congestion in the town and ease the suffering of long-distance bus passengers. However, six years after its inauguration, the terminal has still not become fully operational. With no regular bus services, the terminal now lies largely abandoned. Sand and construction materials have accumulated in some areas, while potholes have developed elsewhere. Rainwater remains stagnant at several spots. Locals also complain that drug users frequent the terminal after evening.

The terminal was built on 1.33 acres of land at Kazi Sirajul Islam Women’s College intersection at Boalmari municipal town of Faridpur. It was inaugurated on February 8, 2020. The total construction cost was Tk 5.75 crore. Of this, Tk 3.54 crore was spent on land acquisition and Tk 2.20 crore on infrastructure development.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Boalmari Municipality jointly constructed the terminal. Seven counters were accomodated there for different long-distance transport companies. After its inauguration, buses operated by several companies, including Golden Line, BRTC, Suryamukhi, Bikash, Saad, Zaker and Saudia, used the terminal. Gradually, however, the other transport companies stopped operating from the terminal. At present, no long-distance transport service other than Golden Line uses it regularly.

According to local residents, passengers are reluctant to go to the terminal because it is located somewhat far from the town. Moreover, transport owners and workers’ organisations have their own counters and management arrangements, lessening their interest in shifting buses to the terminal. As a result, passengers continue to board and get off buses at temporary counters near Chholna Madrasa in the town.

A visit to the terminal found piles of sand and construction materials lying at various places. Potholes have developed on the roads and in the internal areas. Water was stagnant in some places, while large patches of grass had grown in others. Various accessories apparently used for drug consumption were seen lying around the main building. Having remained unused for a long time, the entire facility showed clear signs of neglect.

Kabir Hossain, manager of Golden Line’s Boalmari counter, said the owners had been informed about moving to the terminal. Although they have not shifted there, they continue to pay regular rent and municipal taxes. “Passengers do not want to go there because the terminal is far away. If we open a counter there, we will incur losses,” he said.

Sheikh Azizul Haque, a former councillor of Boalmari Municipality, said the bus terminal had remained in a dilapidated condition for a long time. “If it becomes operational, the municipality’s revenue will increase and traffic congestion in the town will also decrease. Steps should be taken quickly to make the terminal operational,” he said.

Boalmari Municipality Administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) S M Rakibul Hasan said the buses operating in Boalmari were not using the terminal. For this reason, the authorities issued the transport operators a final written notice on September 3. “If they still do not move to the terminal, necessary steps will be taken to cancel their permits,” he said.

The failure to put the terminal into operation, despite spending nearly Tk 6 crore on its construction, is not only causing the infrastructure to deteriorate but also leaving the town’s traffic congestion and the long-standing problem of passenger boarding and disembarking unresolved. Locals hope that the transport operators will soon be brought to the terminal and that the facility will finally be put to effective use.