Benapole municipality bus terminal operation resumes after 2 years

Under the directive of the Jessore district administration, buses have finally started entering the Benapole municipal bus terminal nearly two years after its inauguration, bringing relief to the residents of Benapole. For the safety of passengers, Benapole Port police and the municipal authorities have increased their personnel.

Approximately 8,000 domestic and international passengers cross the Benapole international checkpoint, the country's largest land port, daily. Over 150 buses from various regions transport these passengers to and from Benapole. Previously, these long-distance buses would travel directly to the Benapole checkpoint. Drivers would often stop on both sides of the Dhaka-Kolkata highway, from the checkpoint to the market, blocking three to four lanes and letting passengers get on and off at random. Trucks carrying export goods and empty trucks arriving to collect imported goods would also park along the highway, causing severe traffic congestion and resulting in significant passenger inconvenience.

To alleviate this congestion, an advanced bus terminal was built in 2017 at a cost of Tk 16 crore, and it was inaugurated in 2022. However, there have been allegations that transport operators deliberately avoided using the terminal.

On Wednesday, November 6, Sharsha Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Kazi Najib Hasan issued a directive mandating that all buses and minibuses from different parts of the country must use the Benapole municipal bus terminal to reduce traffic congestion and public inconvenience in the municipal area. Except for three inter-country buses, no other buses would be allowed to enter the Benapole municipal area beyond the terminal. Legal action would be taken against those violating this order.

Following this directive, buses began arriving at the terminal early on Thursday, November 7, finally putting the bus terminal into full operation after two years.
UNO Najib Hasan said, “The directives have been issued based on the recommendations of the committee formed to reduce traffic congestion and the decisions from the Sharsha Upazila’s October law and order committee meeting. We are hopeful that if everyone follows these instructions sincerely and if buses arrange for passenger boarding and drop-off at the terminal, traffic congestion will decrease.”

Commending the administration for operationalizing the bus terminal, Matiar Rahman, Director of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, said, “Even though trucks loaded with goods in the morning, due to traffic congestion, it would be night before they could leave Benapole port. This caused significant losses for us businesspeople. I believe this new initiative will help make Benapole congestion-free.”