Inter-district buses take control of the busiest road

Illegal parking of inter-district buses create traffic jam at Station Road in the city. PHOTO: STAR

Counters for inter-district bus services have been set up at Station Road and the buses and coaches are using the busy road as bus stand in violation of traffic rules.

Consequently, the road faces a continuous traffic jam everyday causing serious inconvenience to hundreds of other vehicles passing there, witnesses said.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner SM Sabbir Ali said, "We are aware of the problem. But we don't find any immediate solution as there is no designated terminal in the city for those inter-district buses and coaches."

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) should come forward to set up a terminal for the inter-district buses to solve the problem, he added.

Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of CMP Rafiqul Islam said, this is really creating regular traffic hazards at Station Road. "We are looking into the matter."

"We have already written to CCC to set up a terminal for those inter-district buses and coaches in to ease traffic jam," Rafiqul Islam said.

He said, "About one year back we launched an eviction drive against the illegal parking at the Station Road. Later in the face of demonstration by the bus owners we stopped it."

So it is now very difficult to remove those vehicles until and unless a terminal is set up for them, he said.

The CCC officials said there is no plan to set up any terminal immediately for the inter-district buses. They said traffic jam was created at Station Road due to negligence of traffic policemen.

However, witnesses said traffic policemen hardly try to tackle the traffic jam and haphazard parking of the inter-district buses and coaches at Station Road.

The buses and coaches take passengers without any control while some coaches stay at the road for hours together, witnesses added.

The situation at Station Road can not be tackled as the traffic police reportedly collect illegal tolls from the inter-district bus counters on monthly basis, sources said.

So the traffic police hardly care for controlling the illegal parking at Station Road, sources added.

The Station Road, located near the Chittagong Railway Station, Reazuddin Bazar, Nupur Market, fruit market and BRTC terminal, carries immense importance with a link-up to so many roads in the city that takes a load of thousands of transports.

Meanwhile, some Dhaka- bound coaches also illegally parked at KC Dey Road and GEC crossing.