It is always better late than never. The unfortunate and avoidable death of four persons under the wheels of two trains at the time of their crossing each other at Kawran Bazaar just in the heart of the capital the other day, appear to have awakened the railway authorities from slumber. But as usual they could have relapsed into their old ways once again had the media ignored such an incident and gave a low-key coverage. The Kawran Bazar deaths can solely be attributed to utter negligence of the railway authorities, alleged to be in the grip of 'black cats'. Such 'cats' refer to a section of powerful officials who mean only 'recruitment business' minting money without minding their duty-ranging from keeping the tracks free from all hazards to retrieving vast tracts of lands grabbed by the powerful.
It is not simply understandable how the railway authorities could allow make-shift markets to spring up and shanties to mushroom, along both sides of the railway lines. What does the security department of the Bangladesh Railways (BR) do really? Only after four were killed at Kawran Bazaar, the BR started demolishing markets and shops along the railway tracks but what's about the slums? Pictures carried in newspapers still show the slums remaining where they were with markets evicted. Are not the slum-dwellers human beings?
An official survey report has revealed the most alarming statistics. A total of 66 temporary big markets are still there along the rail lines across Bangladesh today. There are also thousands of small shops near the tracks. Of these, trains running on the Narayanganj-Tongi line alone have to negotiate as many as 17 markets.
The survey found influential local political leaders owning four big markets along rail tracks in the capital. Kitchen, fish and cattle markets have been set up along and near the tracks. Even small traders occupy the tracks for trading in vegetable and other goods before the trains arrive. After the trains have passed, the traders again sit there for selling their products.
According to the railway laws, the prohibitory 144 section always remain clamped within ten feet from the tracks to bar people from entering the danger zone. But then who cares? Even the railway authorities simply ignore such a violation. Is it in exchange for toll money that is collected from those who are behind the establishment of such markets?
Hundreds of unguarded level crossings pose great risks also. A recent report said approximately 150 of the 242 level crossings under the West Zone of Bangladesh Railway (BR) are running without gatemen. A majority of the gatemen are employed on a temporary basis by the railway. There are approximately 2,500 crossings in the country. It's not possible to keep a gateman or build a rail gate for each one of them, said a top official of the BR. "We aren't informed about a large number of roads built by the Roads and Highway Division (RHD). We have written several letters to them regarding rail gates and gatemen, but unfortunately there is a communication gap," he added.
Railway officials justify their helplessness in this regard. They say, the process of appointing a gateman at a new crossing is also cumbersome. After the RHD makes a road, it is their duty to come to the BR and pay it the required amount of money for building a rail gate and appointing an officer. However, that doesn't happen because nobody follows the law.
Also lack of cooperation between government agencies has created a large number of unmanned level crossings, thereby increasing the risk of accidents. One of the most prominent ones took place when a train-bus collision, at the 'Amtra rail crossing' in Akelpur, Joypurhat, killed 35 people and left many others injured.
Sources say, over 40 per cent of the land belonging to the BR has been encroached upon over the years, proper use of which could make the railway a very profitable sector. The railway sector has the potential to be developed as the country's cheapest and most convenient mass transport system. Out of a total 63,127 acres, 25,456 acres of land belonging to the railway authority has been encroached upon.
Sadly, negligence of the railway sector in the country is nothing new. It has been largely ignored and neglected since the independence of the country. Different organisations owe a total amount of Tk 120 billion to the BR in unpaid costs for carriage of goods. Along with budget constraints, the railway is also weighed down with various other problems which diminish the immense possibility of this sector.
It is also true that past governments and development policy-makers concentrated on developing road networks rather than developing the potential of the railway sector. The country's rail network has not been expanded since the British left the continent in 1947. The number of employees, train engines and coaches of the sector is also on the decline though the number of commuters continues to climb.
The railway now operates with rundown locomotives, most of which were procured about 40 years ago. The BR currently has 285 locomotives. But then, the transport cost of railway is also the cheapest among all other modes. The travel expense per kilometre by rail was Tk 0.38, less than half the travel cost per kilometre by bus at Tk 0.87. A journey by train is also comparatively safe.
The railway could play a very important role in the development of the country's economy by providing a cheap transport system. A total of 53.8 million commuters use the railway every year. The railway could be the best transport for the poor. It is time to establish multimode transportation and especially improve the network between different ports and railways. Coordination between the railway, road networks and waterways is urgently necessary to improve communication across the country.
arjayster@gmail.com
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