The long-cherished dream of the residents of Sylhet city will be fulfilled this month as the authorities concerned are set to inaugurate a modern bus terminal in Kadamtoli of the city.

The central bus terminal in South Surma is becoming one of the most modern bus terminals in the country.

The authorities said the modern bus terminal located in Surma's Kadamtoli on eight acres of land will be opened soon, as 98% work on the terminal was completed, said Nur Azizur Rahman, chief engineer of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC).

The authorities concerned have started the construction work of the modern bus terminal, involving Tk 63 crore in 2018. Though it was originally scheduled to be inaugurated in 2020, but it was delayed due to Covid pandemic.

"We have to complete all pending works of the terminal by hook or by crook in June and a date will be fixed this month for opening," said Engineer Azizur.

All kinds of modern facilities will be attached to the bus terminal and the beautiful architectural style will also attract everyone, he said.

SCC took the initiative to inaugurate the project under the municipal government service project and Daly Construction got the contract to construct the three-storey complex of the terminal. It is being financed by the World Bank.

During a recent visit to the construction site of the terminal, this UNB correspondent learned that there is a waiting lounge of 1,500 seats.

Three teachers of the Department of Architecture of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), --Subrata Das, Robin Dey and Mohammd Jashim-designed the modern bus terminal following the historical Assam style house and Chandnighat historical clock.

The site once looked like a garbage station and people had to go to the terminal by crossing the muddy and patchy road. The haphazard placement of buses also irked the passengers.

But in the new modern terminal, the design focuses on minimising public suffering.

How is the modern bus terminal!

All the construction work has been divided into three parts---under the first part there is a 300 feet long exit way. At least 48 buses can be kept there. Besides, there is a 970-seat hall room for passengers with a 30 seat VIP room, 30 ticket counters, and a prayer room.

There will be six toilets for males, females and passengers, who need special care. People with wheelchairs can use the toilet here.

Besides, there is a lift, restaurant and food court, a breastfeeding corner and a bed for providing medical services to sick passengers.

Under the second portion, there is an entrance passage of 300 feet long, Bus Bay, 510-seat waiting room, 30 seat VIP room, modern toilet, breastfeeding zone, lift and restaurant.

The exit and entry points were attached to a corridor and managing and operating offices were set up at the five-story building tower. A security control, CCTV monitoring room, police room and tourism room will also be built there.

Under the third portion, a multipurpose welfare center was built behind the terminal where a 24-bed rest room was built for bus owners and drivers. A shower room, office, locker, canteen and meeting room will be available under the roof of the multipurpose center.

Helal Uddin, senior engineer of Daly Construction, said the steel for the project has been brought from Taiwan and the iron bar for the steel structure was brought from China. All the equipment was checked by a team of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

A huge passage has been constructed in the terminal which will be used as a waiting room, said Helal Uddin.

A green zone depicts the greenish area of the terminal to attract people, he said.

SCC Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said "Already, work is underway to form a guideline for operating the terminal and we'll form it after sitting with the bus workers and owners."

This will be the first beautiful and modern bus terminal across the country, he claimed.