Buses in poor physical condition will not be allowed to operate in Dhaka even if they have fitness approval, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman said Tuesday.
“We will not allow vehicles in Dhaka that have fitness approval but are actually in very poor condition—what we commonly call ‘rickety’ vehicles,” he said.
He made the remarks after inspecting the Mohakhali Bus Terminal at around 12:30pm.
On plans to relocate the bus terminal to Purbachal, Anisur Rahman said operations had already partially started at a depot there, with 10 acres of land allocated for the facility.
“We have been able to develop one-third of the site so far. We expect it to accommodate around 150 buses initially. Once the entire facility is completed, it will be able to accommodate 600 buses,” he said.
He said buses that previously remained at the Mohakhali terminal for 10–12 hours, or even two to four days, would now be moved to Purbachal.
Various repair and maintenance activities, including replacing seats and repainting buses, were also carried out inside the terminal, he said.
“From now on, these activities will be carried out in Sector 3 of Purbachal,” Anisur Rahman said.
He said the government had taken the initiative to ensure minimum facilities for transport owners and workers at the new site.
“Now, we definitely want them to move to Purbachal. We will remain on the ground to ensure its implementation,” he said.
Asked when the Purbachal depot would become fully operational, Anisur Rahman said the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) was responsible for implementing the project and was cooperating with the police.
“I believe it will take at least three months to fully develop the facility to accommodate 600 buses,” he said.