S A Shofiee, Sylhet :
The common people are not getting the benefits of the magnificent Sylhet Central Bus Terminal built at a cost of hundreds of crores of taka. The terminal is mired in mismanagement even before its inauguration. Due to careless negligence, the valuable items inside the building are being damaged. The chairs in the huge waiting lounge have rusted. The electronic fittings inside are also hanging. Many of the terminal’s sophisticated items have become unusable.
According to Sylhet City Corporation sources, the ‘Sylhet Central Bus Terminal’ has been built on 8 acres of land in the Kadamtali area of Sylhet city at a cost of about 117 crore taka. Although the construction of this magnificent terminal was completed about two years ago, it has not yet been officially inaugurated due to various complications including construction defects and naming. However, the terminal was started on a trial basis a year and a half ago.
City Corporation officials say that there was no defect in the main structure, but problems arose due to design flaws in some areas of beautification. Work is underway to eliminate these inconsistencies. The terminal will be inaugurated only after these problems are resolved.
Meanwhile, before the inauguration, most of the chairs in the terminal’s waiting lounge have broken due to carelessness. Cracks have appeared in several parts of the building. The chairs in many rooms of the huge waiting lounge with about 1500 seats for passengers are rusted. In some places, the chair handles are there, but the seating part is missing. In addition, electronic fittings have been seen hanging in several places inside the building. Dust has accumulated on the ornate red brick walls. The brick-colored steel canopy has rusted.
It can be seen on the ground that one bus after another is entering the terminal from one side and exiting from another. Passengers are getting on and off. Many are waiting for the bus in the waiting room. Tickets are being sold at the ticket counter. On the other hand, it was seen that hundreds of cars were parked along the entire side of the huge road. Due to the random parking of cars across the road, the movement of vehicles is being disrupted. Passengers and pedestrians are suffering due to this.
It is known that about five hundred long-distance buses leave Sylhet Central Bus Terminal every day. Twice as many buses ply on inter-district routes. The buses on inter-district routes are kept in a row inside the terminal. However, some long-distance buses are parked on the road beyond their own counters. Due to the parking of buses, long traffic jams always occur on this road.
According to CCIC sources, the work of modernizing the Sylhet Central Bus Terminal under the Municipal Government Service Project-MGSP project started in February 2019. The cost of constructing this terminal on about 8 acres of land is estimated at 117 crore taka. Out of this, 56 crore taka is for the dumping ground and 61 crore taka is for the development of the terminal’s infrastructure.
The three-story complex with a six-story foundation is divided into three parts. The length of the first part, the ‘Departure Building’, is 300 feet. 48 buses can be accommodated in this part. In addition, there is a huge hall with 970 seats for passengers to sit. There is a 30-seat VIP room, 30 ticket counters and a separate room for prayers. There are six toilets suitable for men, women and those with special needs. If necessary, the toilet can be used with a wheelchair. There is a lift to go up and a restaurant and food court for meals. There are also separate beds and a breastfeeding zone for sick passengers.
In the second part, the ‘Arrival Building’ is about 300 feet long. It has bus bays, a seating area for 510 seats and a 30-seat VIP room, modern toilet facilities, breastfeeding zone, lift, restaurant and other facilities. Although the ‘Arrival Building’ and ‘Departure Building’ are separated, the entire establishment is connected through a corridor.
The terminal management and administration office is located in the round five-story tower building on the west-south corner of this building, along the road. It will house the security control and CCTV monitoring room of the entire terminal, the police room and the tourism office. A multipurpose welfare center has been built in the third part behind the terminal. There is a 24-bed rest room for the owner and driver association, a canteen, and a multipurpose auditorium for holding meetings. A workshop has been set up for regular maintenance of vehicles.
Sylhet District Bus Minibus Coach Microbus Road Transport Workers Union President Mainul Islam said that the building has become larger than the space for storing buses in the terminal. We have about 1,000 buses. But the terminal that has been built can only accommodate about 150 to 200 buses. The remaining buses will have to be kept on the road as before.
In this regard, Sylhet City Corporation Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman said that various anomalies were detected during the trial operation of the terminal. Work is underway to eliminate these anomalies. There are some problems and measures are being taken.
Regarding the inauguration of the bus terminal, he said, there are some other complications including the destruction of the terminal. We have sent a file in this regard to the concerned ministry. However, there has been no response so far. Currently, the bus terminal authorities are operating it on lease. He expressed hope that the terminal will be inaugurated once the identified problems are resolved and the ministry responds.
