Two terminals changing livelihoods of 10 districts

Jamalpur Correspondent:The Bahadurabad Ferry Terminal at Dewangnaj upazila in Jamalpur and Balasighat Bus Terminal in Gaibandha, built at a cost of Tk 145 crore, are waiting for the inauguration. The construction work of the two terminals started on 1 July 2017 has already been completed. With the opening of the two terminals, the transportation system and livelihood of the people of 10 districts in the northern part of the country will change.
Until now, people from 10 northern districts of the country, including Jamalpur, had to travel by boat to the eastern part of the country, including the capital, with crops and other goods at risk. The people of these districts have long demanded the construction of the Bahadurabad Ferry Terminal in Dewanganj and the Balasighat Bus Terminal in Gaibandha. But due to lack of connecting roads and navigability crisis, it was not possible to start ferry service on the Jamuna River.
After waiting for a long time, ferry terminal at Bahadurabad Ghat in Dewanganj and bus terminal at Balasighat in Gaibandha have been constructed for direct communication with the eastern part of the country such as Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon with the capital Dhaka.
According to project sources, BIWA started excavating the river on 1 July 2017 for ferry service at Bahadurabad Ghat-Balasighat. When the project is implemented, both the time and money of the passengers for crossing the river will be saved.
The contractor SS Rahman International completed the ferry ghat, ancillary installation and river dredging project at a cost of Tk 145 crore. The construction work of the bus terminal has already been completed.
Police barracks, fire service, Ansar barracks, pilot houses, wet bridge scale, mosques, restaurants, toilet complexes and waiting sheds, BIWTA office houses and toll booths have been constructed at the two terminals on the east and west banks of the Jamuna. At the same time, the river dredging from Bahadurabad Ghat to Balasighat has been completed and the experimental ferry service has been completed.
Enamul Haque of Gaibandha’s Sundarganj area said no vehicles could reach the terminal as there was no connecting road. Due to this, the locals of the area still have to travel by boat with double the fare as well as the risk. Once the ferry service starts, it will be possible to cross the river at a low rent.

Jamalpur District Roads and Highways Executive Engineer KBM Saddam Hossain said there is a 4.5 km road from the edge of the Dewanganj-Battali-Jamalpur road to the Bahadurabad bus terminal. However, the road is not suitable for heavy vehicles at present. LGED is in the process of widening the road. Construction will begin soon.