Railway's level crossings are like death traps in Bangladesh. At least 35 people have reportedly been killed in accidents at level crossings so far this year with the latest accident leaving 11 people dead at Mirsharai of Chattogram just a few days ago. Despite the high number of accidents at railway tracks (mainly at level-crossings), the government never took any effective measures to prevent such accidents. Besides, the railway ministry has failed to remove illegal level crossings and has not been able to ensure even gatekeepers at the legal ones.
There are around 2,500 level crossings across the country. More than 2,000 of those spots are reportedly unprotected and over 1,000 of them are unauthorised. If we want to lessen level-crossing fatalities, we must automate this process entirely. Computerisation in maintaining level crossings can reduce scope for human errors. Crossings in remote areas could be run with battery power using small solar panel for recharging. A gatekeeper should still be employed, but he/she should be equipped with wireless alerts/bells.
To warn the vehicle drivers, the speed-breaker should be painted with a visible danger signal in red. Reducing the number of illegal level crossings and building overpasses or underpasses in future projects can reduce the number of accidents at risky railway crossings. We hope the authorities concerned will look into these options and act promptly.
Sirazi Shahjahan,
Malibagh, Dhaka,
mshaju001@gmail.com