Buses clog up major thoroughfare in town

Established on three acres of land in 1981, Tangail New Bus Terminal at Deola can no longer accommodate most buses operating from it.

The terminal could fit all the vehicles when the number of buses was initially 250. Almost four decades later, with introduction of many new routes, the number now stands at around 900.

Evidently, the massive fleets of buses now spill over onto adjacent Tangail-Mymensingh Road and create day-long traffic gridlocks in the area. Ticket counters built haphazardly all over the terminal premises also create manoeuvrability problems for the buses. 

During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent witnessed a large number of bus and minibus -- serving destinations such as Dhaka, Chattogram, Bhuapur and Mirzapur -- were causing obstruction to smooth movement of traffic as those were parked haphazardly on the road, near Tangail General Hospital. 

Abdul Halim, driver of a battery-run auto-rickshaw, said in a normal situation, it would not take more than two minutes to pass the terminal area. But lately, it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes to pass the area. 

Thousands of people pass through the road every day to reach different destinations in the north and various government offices, but they suffer immensely due to the unbearable congestion on the road in front of the bus terminal, said Milk Vita resident Mahbubul Islam Sajal. 

Mostak Ahmed Rana, a contractor of Power Development Board in Tangail, uses the road frequently. He said since the terminal cannot handle the increased number of buses anymore, it needs to be relocated to a larger space, away from the town.

Rafiqul Islam, traffic inspector (administration) in Tangail, said the issue of relocating the terminal was discussed at the last meeting of District Law and Order Committee.

The traffic congestion problem in the area would be solved once land for the new terminal, large enough to accommodate all vehicles, is allocated, he added. 

Speaking with this correspondent, Tangail Bus Minibus Owners’ Association Secretary General Golam Kibria said the small terminal can no longer house the growing number of vehicles and that is the primary reason for the traffic congestion in the area.

Their organisation on many occasions urged the authorities to move the terminal to a larger space, but they are yet to see any development to this effect, he also said. 

Contacted, Jamilur Rahman Miron, mayor of Tangail municipality, said a place near the town bypass has already been selected for the terminal’s relocation and it would be moved to the new location after the land allocation process is complete.