CHANDPUR, May 16: Chandpur railway staff quarters have been plagued with various problems for decades, causing immense sufferings for the residents.
The residents have alleged they face many problems, including the dilapidated condition of buildings, in the British-era railway quarters.
They, however, have demanded construction of high-rise buildings on the railway quarters premises.
Other problems include scarcity of pure drinking water, miserable condition of drainage system, dirty environment and sorry state of tin-roofed houses.
Many have narrated their sufferings during this correspondent's recent visit to the railway quarters in the district town.
The railway residential quarters have a vast area of about 187 acres of land, which is located in the heart of the district town.At least 1,000 families are living in the dilapidated railway quarters and semi-pucca houses built in the British era.
A sorry state of the railway quarters prevails during rainy days when dirty water remains stagnant in the old drains. The quarters' toilets are still not concreted, so bad smell emits from there.
"Due to the faulty drainage system, rainwater inundates the quarters' premises and the house floors, causing untold sufferings for us," many a resident said. The elderly people and children are the worst sufferers from the bad condition of the railway quarters, many allege.
According to the sources, many staff members are not getting residential facilities and they are forced to reside in rented houses at high rates.
Train ticket examiner Kamruzzaman Shohag has said new residential quarters are urgently needed to accommodate the increased staff members. The dilapidated railway quarters have not yet given facelift though the government has implemented different development projects, he adds.
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