A smokescreen cloaks company dilly-dallying as commuters wonder why Dhaka metro rail is not operated full time despite the opening of all its stations now.
One obvious reason ostensibly is a state of confusion getting confounded among overlapping authorities over the staffing position as of today after a long time lag since the recruitment began years back, sources said.
The Dhaka metro-rail company has finally made ready entire 20-kilometre corridor of the first metro rail in the capital city, also in Bangladesh for that matter, by opening the last two stations last Sunday. But its capability for train operation is deemed scanty even a year after the partial launch of the people's much-desired transport that leapfrogs nagging traffic tailbacks on streets below.
Though the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) management managed partial operation of the Mass Rapid Transit Line 6 (MRT 6) with the manpower recruited in the first phase in 2019, it could not hire half the strength stipulated in the organogram recommended in 2017.
Sources have said DMTCL has been trying hard to cover the time it lost in the recruitment process but there is no approved organogram for the company's own functionality, and for operation and maintenance of the under-operation metro rail.
They said since inception in 2013, the company had faced many allegations, like non-cooperation with Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
Though the company is accountable to the DTCA for its being a regulatory authority under the RTHD, none of RTHD and DTCA knows about the information on manpower or organogram of the hidebound DMTCL as it was never shared, the sources said.
"We now see MRT 6 totally ready for operation. Its track is ready, stations are ready and trains are operated, even though partially. But why not the company can go for full operation when people's demand is now high?" an analyst asks.
According to official sources, DMTCL's procrastinating in recruitment confronted further setback due to the coronavirus pandemic situation as it halted the process of trainings abroad stipulated as mandatory for up-skilling from planning level to operation and maintenance level of the highly technical and new-of-its-kind mass-transit system in the country.
The manpower recruited later on was given homegrown training from MRT Training Centre formed a year ago. Some foreign trainers were provided in support of the consultants, they added.
However, the total number of recruited staff members of DMTCL and other MRTs would be over 700, including those outsourced and on deputation from government agencies like Bangladesh Railway and Roads and Highways Department.
The DMTCL website shows 275 staffers under the company but many of them carry out additional charges and work on deputation--in a kind of improvisation. No organogram was found on the website.
Asked why the company couldn't go for full operation, DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique repeatedly claimed that the company has "enough manpower to carry out the operation and maintenance of MRT 6 but the time has been taken for technical reasons".
"It is totally technical matter (why total operation cannot be started). We have enough people for the train operation," he told the FE writer at his office.
The MD, who joined the metro-rail company after retirement as RTHD Secretary in 2018, earlier also had said recruitment was done based on the available disciplines in the country although an organogram was recommended by consultants.
According to time-bound action plan, the company was supposed to complete the hiring by 2017 for making dedicated staff capable of planning, implementing, managing and operating highly technical system before the MRT-6 launching.
As Japan has been providing all kinds of technical and financial support to major MRTs, including the MRT-6 corridor, it set the timeframe for DMTCL to earn respective skill in the highly technical job in operating urban transport of such grade.
However, talking with different-level officials of DMTCL, DTCA and RTHD, this correspondent also found that an organogram of 1,350 was also proposed for the MRT 6 operation and maintenance of MRT before the first-phase partial operation began on December 29, 2022.
But none does know about fate of earlier and new organogram or any revised one approved for the DMTCL.
Some RTHD and DTCA officials said they had queried for the organogram from the DMTCL several times but yet to get any response.
Some DMTCL officials have claimed that recruitment has been carried out on the basis of an organogram approved by the company's board of directors, but they do not know whether it is of the consultant- recommended one or not.
Without clearing anything in this regard, RTHD Secretary AMB Aman Ullah Nuri, who is also chairman of the board, said the DMTCL recruitment was continuing as per organogram, claiming that within the skills the DMTCL has the ability to operate the MRT 6 confidently.
"We forced Japan to allow operation of MRT 6 early though the Japanese experts were not ready," he told the FE, in an indication of expediency centering one of the megaprojects in transport-infrastructure development in Bangladesh to catch up with modern-day fast mobility.
As per the DTCA, the organogram is supposed to be approved by the RTHD under the ministry of road transport and bridges.
"We have not received any organogram yet," said DTCA Executive Director Sabiha Parveen when asked for straight answer about any organogram approval from the Authority as a regulatory authority for the mass-transit system.
But sources also have said the DMTCL still skips many of its obligatory works for which it is accountable to the ministry concerned and DTCA by citing an example of submitting safety-and security-audit report on the MRT 6.
Project-insiders also say DMTCL, 99-percent owned by RTHD, also finds it hard to get experienced and desirable technical persons for its various sections, including for MRT 6, from the market through advertisements.
Also found is that retired or current officials from Bangladesh Railway and Roads and Highways Department are hired to take charges of various sections. A few were recruited who have some sort of foreign experience in MRT operation or else.
This company MD is a technical post to be recruited through an advertisement for getting a qualified person with experience of at least 15 years in railway operation or any transport operation. But this qualification has been revised to the qualification of retired secretary under the memorandum of article.
The current MD has been in the post since 2018 after appointment by the minister concerned, without any specified tenure of work. This is a grade-two post.
The DMTCL launched the first part of MRT6 from Uttara North to Agargaon for hours on December 29, 2022, two years after its plan of opening partially though the government pressed for opening it in 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of Independence of Bangladesh.
After the opening, much enthusiasm has been created among commuters to ride the fastest urban transport overhead the crammed city as it has given a comfortable journey saving at least two hours daily lost out to traffic jam, along with decent environment which is totally absent from any other mode of public transport.
"We now can come to Motijheel easily in the morning, but cannot go back home after office, which is frustrating," said Ahnaf Al Rafid, a private-company employee, giving vent to annoyance.
Like Rafid, many also express grievance for not continuing the operation full time.
In reply to such questions in a press conference, the MD declared his plan to operate the trains with all 16 stoppages from 7 am to 8pm by integrating with the Agargaon-Uttara part by March. Consultant sources said at least 1000 people would be required to operate and manage entire corridor with huge pressure of commuters.
According to the DMTCL, the number of commuters crosses 152,000 to 155,000 daily which was initially below 90,0000.
A Japanese consultant, on condition of anonymity, told the FE that the MRT in this way would not be allowed in his country or other countries, but hastened to add that they "have compromised engineering demand amid traffic demand in the case of the country".
Trying to cite example of Delhi Metro, he, however, said: "The country has well-trained people from its railway."
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