Transport expert Dr. Md. Hadiuzzaman said the government has adopted short-, medium- and long-term plans to ease traffic congestion in the capital. As part of this, a decision has been taken to temporarily move the depot of the buses at the Mohakhali bus terminal to Purbachal.
He gave the details on Monday (June 15) at the Secretariat after the third meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on easing congestion and modernising traffic management.
Hadiuzzaman said discussions were also held on providing alternative employment for hawkers and on making footpaths usable for pedestrians to ease congestion.
He further said that extensive investment had long been made in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and that the public had suffered hardship over it. Declaring it abandoned now would set a negative example, he said. The prime minister discussed with experts how the project could be improved and used as a public transport corridor to ensure maximum public benefit.
Noting that an alternative proposal would be submitted within the next seven days, he said a temporary site had been designated in Purbachal for the depot of the Mohakhali terminal buses to reduce terminal-centred congestion in Dhaka. The buses would come to the terminal only when picking up passengers.
Temporary alternative sites have likewise been identified for the Sayedabad and Phulbaria bus terminals. Work on a permanent solution is also under way.
He said traffic signals would be activated in the Shahbag area next week.
Md. Abdus Salam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation, said the prime minister had directed that the Sayedabad bus terminal be brought under discipline. The prime minister also directed that the interdistrict bus terminal in Kanchpur be implemented quickly, and that steps be taken to relocate the terminal from Gulistan. The prime minister directed that an orderly system be brought about without evicting hawkers and without leaving the area in disorder again.
Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, said a decision had been taken in principle to set up a bus depot in Purbachal so that buses do not stand on the road in the Mohakhali area. The city corporation would provide the necessary support for this work.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report