The government has adopted short-, medium- and long-term plans to ease traffic congestion in Dhaka North and South City Corporations, with a focus on reorganising the capital’s major bus terminals and improving overall traffic management.
As part of the plan, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to bring Dhaka’s main bus terminals under a more disciplined system and gradually relocate inter-district bus operations outside the city.
Under the initial phase, inter-district bus services will be moved from four major terminals-Mohakhali, Sayedabad, Fulbaria and Gabtoli. Authorities have identified temporary alternative sites outside the city, including a depot in Purbachal for Mohakhali-bound buses and locations in Kanchpur for buses operating from Sayedabad and Fulbaria.
The decisions were taken at the third high-level meeting on traffic congestion mitigation and traffic management modernisation held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday, chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by officials and transport experts, along with administrators of Dhaka’s two city corporations.
Speaking after the meeting, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam said inter-district bus services would eventually be removed from the city, while city bus operations would continue. He added that new terminals outside Dhaka would be developed in phases to support long-distance transport.
He also said steps would be taken to reorganise the Gulistan terminal area and regulate street vending. Instead of indiscriminate eviction, the government is considering a structured system to manage hawkers while maintaining public order.
Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan said a temporary depot in Purbachal would help reduce congestion around the Mohakhali area, adding that both city corporations would support implementation of the plan.
Transport expert Dr Md Hadiuzzaman said discussions also covered alternative employment opportunities for hawkers and ensuring pedestrian-friendly footpaths.
He added that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, despite delays and significant public inconvenience, should not be abandoned. Instead, the government is exploring ways to upgrade it into an effective public transport corridor for commuters.
According to him, alternative proposals on bus terminal relocation will be submitted within seven days, after which implementation is expected to begin in phases.
As an immediate step, buses from Mohakhali will be stationed at the Purbachal depot and enter the terminal only for passenger pick-up. Similar arrangements are planned for Sayedabad and Fulbaria.
He also said traffic signals at Shahbagh are expected to become operational next week as part of wider efforts to improve traffic flow in the capital.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered officials to speed up the installation of AI cameras across Dhaka as part of a push to modernise the capital’s traffic management.
He also directed authorities to clear old and expired vehicles from the city’s roads.
The directives came at a meeting on Monday morning at the Cabinet Division’s Public Administration Conference Room in the Secretariat, where the prime minister sought an update on efforts to ease congestion and improve traffic systems, his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said.
The premier asked how much progress had been made, how many AI cameras had been installed on the roads, and when the rest would be put in place, he added.
“The prime minister has told those concerned to complete the work of installing AI cameras quickly, to modernise the capital’s traffic management,” Ruman said.
It was Tarique’s third meeting on traffic congestion and traffic management in the capital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Traffic Division has been running AI technology on a trial basis at traffic points since May 7.
The AI-enabled cameras are fitted with software that detects violations of the Road Transport Act 2018.
Police say AI-powered Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras were also fitted at signal points across 30 major crossings in the capital in the middle of last month, and are now in operation.
Under the software’s instructions, the cameras flag a vehicle the moment a violation is detected, and a digital case is then issued to its owner.�"bdnews24
