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No move to evict illegal bus terminal from Fulbaria Road

SYED TASHFIN CHOWDHURY
There is no move to evict the illegal bus terminal behind the Nagar Bhaban that causes sufferings to commuters and businessmen in Fulbaria area.
The entire Fulbaria Road, stretching from Bangabazar Hawkers' Market to Gulistan, is used for parking buses of various routes.
"Rickshaws and private cars cannot pass through this road due to the buses parked on both sides of the road," said a resident in the area.
"We cannot walk on the footpaths along the road. These are also occupied by makeshift shops of motor parts, mechanics and tea-stalls," said Alamgir, who works at a shopping centre at Fulbaria.
The terminal remains busy from 5:00 in the morning until 1:00 or 2:00am. Several hundred buses and minibuses operating on various routes within and outside the city take passengers from this terminal.
Commuters coming from different parts of the city to work at Gulistan or Motijheel face problem during the rush hours -8:00am to 10:00am and from 4:00pm to 5:30pm-- due to heavy traffic congestion.
"Rickshawpullers and CNG drivers usually decline to go to Fulbaria Road due to traffic jam. They charge Tk 10 to 15 in extra fare," said Mashiur Khalid, who uses the road to go to his workplace in Motijheel.
The businessmen of the three shopping centres in the area are also facing tremendous problems due to the illegal bus terminal.
"We often cannot transport our supplies through the road that always remains blocked," said a businessman, who owns a shoe shop at City Plaza, one of the three markets adjacent to Fulbaria Road.
Businessmen from two other markets expressed similar views and demanded eviction of the illegal bus terminal.
"The parked buses and the crowds of drivers, conductors and spare-parts dealers discourage customers to come to this market," said Zahir, a salesman working
at a shop in Zakir Plaza market.
The businesses said they are incurring huge losses over the last few years due to the terminal. Despite this, the traders feel insecure to complain to the authorities concerned against the transport companies.
"The bus owners have political influence. What can we hope to do when DCC (Dhaka City Corporation) itself fails to solve this problem persisting for long right in its backyard," said a businessman.
Some of the bus owners and transport staff, however, feel that they are not doing anything wrong by operating buses from Fulbaria.
"We have been using this road as a terminal for over five years and the authorities concerned never objected to our activities," said Mohammad Sentu, director, Kaliganj Express, a bus operator.
An official at the bus terminal depart-
ment of DCC pointed out that the terminal is illegal. "DCC has not been able to overcome this problem as the terminal has become quite prominent over the past few years."
He said the terminal has been operating for years due to the indifference of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to solve the problem.
But Ansar Uddin Khan Pathan, deputy commissioner Traffic (South), DMP, denied the allegation and said, "It is definitely the duty of DCC to look into the problems caused by illegal bus terminals."
"The mayor has assured that a plan has been made to evict a nearby slum on the land of Dhaka Wasa (Water and Sewerage Authority). This bus terminal will hopefully be shifted to that location," Pathan said.
He said the relocation of the terminal will hopefully take place by the end of this year.