Kanchpur terminal readying, access remains a concern

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is racing to complete a new inter-district bus terminal at Kanchpur in Narayanganj, but questions remain over how passengers will reach the site, some 12 kilometres from the existing Sayedabad terminal, once it opens.
The city corporation is developing 12.5 acres of land at Kanchpur to serve Sylhet and Chattogram bound buses, with spending on the project already exceeding Tk35 crore. The move is meant to ease chronic traffic congestion in the capital by shifting long-haul bus operations to its outskirts.
According to procurement documents, DSCC awarded a Tk26.76 crore contract for platform improvement and development work inside the terminal to BBL-REL JV, a joint venture between Rowshan Elevators Ltd and Bigapple Builders Ltd. 
A separate Tk2 crore contract for street lighting and related electrical work went to Multitrade International, issued by electrical engineer Nur Mohammad.
DSCC Executive Engineer Lutfur Fakir said the corporation is also finalising a Tk6.88 crore contract with Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd to build sheds, ticket counters, toilets, office rooms and other ancillary facilities.
Once complete, the terminal will feature a 4,012-square-metre tiled concrete platform, a shed built from 15,573 kilograms of profile sheeting, 120 ticket counters, 32 toilets, office rooms and partitions, DSCC sources said.
Earlier phases of the project include a Tk25 crore land development contract awarded to Khokan Construction & Engineering Ltd in July 2020, and a Tk6.94 crore contract given to Aman City Builders Limited in February 2024 for the terminal’s boundary wall.
Following a directive from the prime minister, the Local Government Division has instructed DSCC to finish the remaining infrastructure work within a few months.  
During a site visit on 12 August, contractor Bigapple was seen moving workers and equipment to Kanchpur, with trucks unloading bricks.
“We are trying to complete the work as soon as possible,” Lutfur said, adding that while the platform contractor has mobilised, the contract for the main terminal structure is yet to be finalised.
Last-mile gap unresolved
At present, all city buses depart from Signboard, roughly 8.5 kilometres from Kanchpur, with only a limited number of buses running between Signboard and other parts of Dhaka. 
Around 1,100 passengers currently travel to the divisions daily from Gazipur, Abdullahpur, Mirpur and Sayedabad – a volume officials admit could face serious disruption once operations shift.
Asked about last-mile connectivity, Lutfur said, “Definitely, there is a plan for last-mile transport service for passengers, but DSCC has not been doing anything in this regard. It is DTCA that is planning for the last-mile service.”
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) Executive Director Dr Md Moshiur Rahman said preparations were under way. 
“We are getting 1,100 electric buses by December. Of them, BRTC is buying 500 buses, DTCA 400 buses, while 200 will go to the private sector. We will use the buses on the route so that passengers don’t suffer,” he said, adding that a three-storey electric bus depot is also being built at Purbachal.