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Three decades after its construction, the Rajbari Central Bus Terminal has yet to become fully operational, with the Tk 17.4 million facility now largely abandoned and falling into disrepair.
Instead of serving passengers, the terminal is currently being used as a parking area for buses and trucks and as a vehicle repair yard. Local residents also allege that it turns into a gathering place for drug users after dark.
Bus owners, transport workers and local residents said the terminal, located about three kilometres from Rajbari town, has failed to attract operators because of its distance from the urban centre and the lack of sufficient passenger traffic. Although authorities have attempted to reopen it several times, none of the initiatives has been sustained.
A recent visit to the terminal at Sripur on the Rajbari-Kushtia regional highway revealed a deteriorating facility. The main building and surrounding premises have been taken over by garages repairing buses, trucks and other vehicles. Passenger activity was virtually non-existent, while garbage, stagnant water and neglected infrastructure were visible throughout the compound.
The passenger waiting area has become unusable as most of the chairs are broken. Most rooms in the terminal building remain locked, while a few are being used to store vehicle repair equipment. Doors and windows have been damaged, plaster has peeled off the walls, cracks have appeared in several parts of the building, and the toilets remain unusable due to a lack of water and poor maintenance.
According to the Rajbari District Road Transport Owners’ Group, buses are currently parked at the Murghi Farm area in the town under an arrangement with the municipality, with operators paying Tk 50 per bus as parking fees. The owners’ group has leased the bus terminal from the municipality for Tk 2.736 million.
District Council officials said the terminal was built during the 1992-93 fiscal year on about 4.14 acres of land at a cost of Tk 17.4 million. It was inaugurated on April 19, 1994, by then State Minister for Cultural Affairs Jahanara Begum. Although it operated briefly after inauguration, it was later shut down.
Ownership of the terminal was transferred to the Rajbari Municipality in 2000. It was reopened during the caretaker government in 2007 but ceased operations again in 2009.
Under the transfer agreement, the municipality was supposed to repay the construction cost to the District Council in phases. However, officials said only Tk 1.3 million has been paid so far, leaving outstanding dues of Tk 16.1 million. Meanwhile, the municipality continues to collect revenue from leasing the terminal and renting out shops in the adjacent market.
As the terminal remains non-functional, buses now pick up and drop off passengers along the highway at Murghi Farm, Boro Pool and in front of the transport owners’ office. Local residents say this practice causes traffic congestion and increases the risk of road accidents.
Local resident Chhamad Gazi said the government had spent millions of taka on the project, but the investment had brought little benefit because the terminal was not in operation. He urged the authorities to make the terminal functional to improve passenger services and road safety.
Several transport workers, requesting anonymity, alleged that the abandoned premises become a den for drug users after sunset.
Bus driver Krishna Halder said operators also wanted the terminal to become functional, but passengers were unwilling to travel there because it was located far from the town. He suggested relocating the stands for auto-rickshaws, Mahindra vehicles and other local transport to the terminal to encourage passenger movement.
Bus supervisor Jamal Biswas echoed similar views, saying passengers preferred boarding buses from more convenient roadside locations. He stressed the need to renovate and clean the terminal before reopening it.
Rajbari Road Transport Owners’ Group General Secretary Sukumar Bhowmik said years of neglect had severely damaged the terminal’s infrastructure, including its boundary wall and two access roads. He said the owners’ group had discussed measures to revive the terminal and was willing to cooperate with the authorities.
Rajbari Municipality Administrator and Deputy Director of the Local Government Division Kalyan Chowdhury said the municipality was gradually repaying its dues to the District Council. He added that discussions had been held with stakeholders on reopening the terminal and that a decision would be taken soon.
Rajbari District Council Administrator Abdus Salam Mia said the municipality had failed to fulfil the terms of the transfer agreement for years, leaving the valuable public property largely unused. He said part of the land could continue to be used as a bus terminal, while the remaining portion has been proposed for the construction of a 1,000-seat District Council auditorium and a district collectorate school. He added that the Local Government Division has already allocated Tk 10 million for the auditorium project.