Construction of the terminal began in July 2017 and was completed in 2018. The facility includes a three-story glass building spanning 7,500 square feet, equipped with general and VIP restrooms, a restaurant, mosque, meeting rooms, tea stalls, toilets, and separate ticket counters for each route. Bus operations started on August 2, 2018, but ceased after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, leaving the terminal deserted.
On-site observations reveal that the terminal’s expensive furniture is deteriorating, and the premises have become a dumping ground for garbage. Ticket counters are covered in dust, and the surrounding area is littered with waste. Local resident Arif Howlader stated that the terminal has been closed for two months, creating a ghostly atmosphere. By evening, outsiders, particularly youths on motorcycles, gather at the site. Children and teenagers who venture near are often harassed or assaulted by drug addicts.
Another resident, Sohel, reported that dim lights flicker in the abandoned rooms at night, with the air heavy with the smell of burning tobacco. Gambling dens and drug hubs operate openly, but the culprits flee at the sight of police.
Mohammad Sabuj Mia, General Secretary of the Charfashon Regional Bus Owners’ Association, explained that increased fuel prices have raised bus fares. Traveling to the terminal requires passengers to spend an additional 50 taka on auto-rickshaws, and the distance has led to incidents of robbery. As a result, bus owners have returned to operating from their old stand in the town market, causing severe traffic congestion that affects local businesses and pedestrians.
Charfashon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Howlader acknowledged that the lack of bus activity has led to increased criminal activities at the terminal, prompting intensified police patrols at night. Upazila Executive Officer and Municipal Administrator Rasna Sharmin Mithi noted that the terminal is under a lease agreement, and discussions with the bus owners’ association are ongoing to resume bus operations at the facility.
