Thousands of passengers suffer everyday as there are no facilities for them at the bustling Patgudam Bridge Bus Stand in Mymensingh.
“There are neither any passengers’ shed nor any public toilets, which cause huge suffering for passengers here,” says a bus passenger, Rafiqul Islam.
Another bus passenger, Selina Begum, says, “I have been waiting for a bus to go to Dhaka for about an hour here. I need to go to the toilet, but there isn’t one here.”
This bus stand was built in an unplanned manner in the early 1990s, after the bridge was erected over the Brahmaputra River, say locals.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those from six districts in the greater Mymensingh region, cross this bus stand every day, they add, stressing its importance.
But steps have yet to be taken to give it a planned look.
They added that they often hear of passengers falling victim to mugging and other varied kinds of harassment.
They also said the traffic jams, which result from unplanned bus parking, is unbearable, and demanded better planning of the bus stand.
There should be certain rules and regulations for the buses to park when picking up passengers, which may ease the traffic jam, they suggest.
Mymensingh Motor Sramik Union President Nazrul Islam also speaks of the mismanagement here, such as the bus parking, traffic jams and the passengers’ sufferings.
Recently, a truck collided into buses and CNG-run auto rickshaws that were randomly parked there. Six people died in the incident, he says.
Traffic Inspector Syed Mahbubur Rahman says, “There are no exit or entry points for buses here and so buses are parked randomly to pick up passengers.”
“That causes huge traffic jams and to ease that, police have to struggle every day,” he says, adding, “It is not possible to get rid of this jam unless it is better planned and constructed.”
Mymemsingh Municipality Mayor Ikramul Haq Tito blames the traffic police and motorised vehicles’ associations for the passengers’ sufferings.
“The passengers suffer as traffic police and motorised vehicles’ associations do not fulfil their duties properly.”
He, however, hopes that this bus stand will be given a modern twist to ease the passengers’ sufferings.
