CDA plans huge bus terminal-cum-housing complex
Design of the CDA-proposed bus terminal-cum-housing complex at Faujderhat.
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has taken an initiative to set up a huge bus terminal-cum-housing complex at Faujderhat in the port city.
CDA will develop the complex with a view to easing traffic congestion at the city centre as well as providing housing facilities for the low-income people.
The complex will be set up on 47 acres of land on the north of East-West Connecting road, some 200 meters to the east of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, said the sources.
The truck terminal will cover an area of 16.77 of the 47 acres of land. CDA will acquire the land to set up the terminal-cum-housing complex involving Tk 110 crore from its own fund.
Two separate sheds - one for AC and the other for non-AC buses - will be set up at the terminal. The sheds will have parking facilities for 65 buses.
There would be rows of counters and waiting spaces for the passengers at the sheds with separate entry and exit points for buses of different inter-district and inter-city routes, including Dhaka-Chittagong.
Moreover, there will be workshops for servicing and parking the buses after their trips. The workshops will have space to accommodate another 230 buses, said the sources at CDA.
At present there is a bus terminal in the Bahodderhat area for buses running between Chittagong and south Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Bandarban. The buses of Chittagong-Rangamati and Chittagong-Khagrachhari routes leave the city from Oxygen intersection area.
There is no planned terminal in Chittagong for the buses plying between Chittagong and other southern districts, including Dhaka.
CDA submitted Development Project Proposal (DPP) for setting up a truck terminal on May 26.
Later, the authorities prepared a revised project proposal (PP) for developing a bus terminal-cum-housing complex with low-income housing facilities, residential plots and apartment blocks in it.
The revised DPP was supposed to be sent to the ministry concerned for housing on September 9, sources said.
The revised PP aims at developing housing facilities for the low-income people, who would be working in and around the bus terminal.
A green-zone will separate the housing blocks from the bus terminal.
Fifty-two nine-storey buildings will be constructed in 13 low-income housing blocks on over 6.77 acres of land.
With four flats in each floor the buildings will have accommodation facilities for 1872 low-income families, said Executive Engineer Shahabuddin Khaled. Khaled was involved in preparing the DPP.
Besides, some 200 residential plots of 3 kathas or 4 kathas will be developed on 8.4 acres of land and 8 apartment blocks on 6.7 acres under the project, he said.
Each of the apartment blocks will have space for constructing four to six high-rise buildings with posh apartments, said Assistant Engineer Rajib Das of DPP section of CDA.
The bus terminal will be set up at the earliest possible time while the project to be implemented within three years, they said.
“The low-income people will be offered the flats with opportunity to pay in easy instalments over a longer period of time,” said CDA Chairman Shah Muhammad Akhteruddin while talking to this correspondent.
“Residential plots and apartment blocks will be developed and sold out to well-off people and property developers to raise fund for developing the low-income housing, he said.
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