The inter-district bus terminal at Gabtoli would be shifted to a nearby suitable place for a temporary period to facilitate construction of two underground stations of Mass Rapid Transit Line 5 (MRT-5) there.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) are working together on the plan as the construction work of the MRT 5 North station is expected to start by the end of next year.
The MRT 5 North and South will have separate stations close to the Gabtoli terminal that are spread over seven acres of land. The first one will be constructed on the front side and another one on the other side of the terminal.
"We already had a meeting with the DNCC to find a suitable place for the temporary terminal," Project Director Mohammad Aftab Hossain Khan told the FE.
He said the temporary arrangement would be made to mitigate public sufferings as the planned permanent terminal at Hemayetpur will take time to develop.
The government has planned to relocate all the inter-district bus terminals outside the capital city.
The Gabtoli bus terminal is used for 46 inter-district bus routes of northern and southwestern parts of the country. Around 1,500 buses use the terminal and often occupy the roadsides on the busy Dhaka-Aricha highway due to a lack of adequate space inside the terminal.
Sources said a substantial portion of the existing terminal, including ticket counters, will have to be demolished to facilitate construction of the metro stations.
However, the terminal will have to be shifted finally from Gabtoli as the area will later be used as a multi-modal transportation hub (MMTH), including establishment of a transit-oriented development (ToD), they added. A Japanese team is conducting a study on the ToD and MMTH.
DMTCL Company Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf told the FE that the bus terminal rearrangement will also take time as financing modality for ToD or MMTH on the same location is yet to be finalised.
He said the DNCC has agreed with the DMTCL's plan for the metro stations and a memorandum of understanding would soon be signed between the two authorities.
According to the DMTCL, the MRT 5 North and South projects are working on the detailed design, but construction of the North part would start early as 75 per cent of its detailed design is completed.
The PD said the MRT 5 North construction will start next year, but construction on the part of the Gabtoli terminal would take more time to start.
The MRT 5 North will be developed connecting Hemayetpur and Bhatava via Gabtoli, Mirpur and Gulshan which will have 14 stations within its 20 km alignment.
The 17.3 km MRT 5 South having 15 stations will also start from Gabtoli and end at Dasherkandi via Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Panthopath, Kawranbazar, Hatirjheel and Aftabnagar.
Official sources said none of the stations of MRT 5 North and South will disturb the surface area as it will be constructed through open cut method and the work will progress 30-40 feet beneath the surface.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
