THAKURGAON, Bangladesh — Long-distance buses have begun operating from Thakurgaon’s central bus terminal after BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir urged transport owners and workers to comply, easing chronic congestion in the district town.
To address persistent traffic jams, road encroachment and irregular bus stops, the administration moved to bring all long-distance coaches, including those bound for Dhaka, under the central terminal. As part of that plan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, minister of local government, rural development and cooperatives and BNP secretary-general, formally inaugurated the central bus terminal on Feb. 28.
At the inauguration, the minister said that although former BNP local government minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan had opened the terminal building nearly two decades earlier, it had never actually been used. He said regular use of the terminal would reduce city congestion and bring tangible benefits to Thakurgaon residents. Buses and trucks entering the city center increase public hardship, he said, and urged owners and workers to keep their vehicles at the terminal.
In the days following the inauguration, however, transport owners and workers showed little response. Buses continued to pick up and drop off passengers on the main city road, and congestion worsened.
Administrative action later cleared the main road of encroachment and made it mandatory for all long-distance buses to load and unload passengers at the central terminal. Transport owners and workers eventually accepted the decision and began regular operations from the terminal.
Pedestrians said walking on the main road had previously been nearly impossible because of congestion, horns, dust and crowds. With buses now using the terminal, the streets are clearer and movement easier, they said, thanking Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for the initiative.
Mohammad Nazrul Islam, publicity secretary of the Thakurgaon District Workers’ Unity Council, said the move was taken to ease congestion and restore order in the transport sector. He said the decision on terminal use was finalized after meetings with transport owners and workers, reducing congestion and benefiting everyone.
Sultanul Ferdous Namra Chowdhury, president of the Thakurgaon District Motor Owners’ Association, said reducing congestion and ensuring convenience for pedestrians, passengers and workers was the main goal. He said the association fully supports using the central bus terminal and will coordinate with the administration and workers to ensure passenger service is convenient and city streets remain orderly.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report