New Railway Act draft sent for cabinet nod

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) has drafted a new law to replace the Railway Act 1890 for making its services more technology-oriented and modern as well as increasing services from domestic to regional avenues.
The new act keeps provision of punishments, including imprisonment and fines ranging from Tk 500 to Tk 0.5 million, in various cases like availing train without ticket, theft, damage, throwing brick at train etc, officials said.
The draft act was sent to the cabinet for approval on August 31.
"Our target is to pass the bill before the current parliament is dissolved," said an official.
He said the BR has been operated in a difficult way with the Railway Act 1890, and 39 of its 165 sections have been repealed by this time.
The BR officials said the new law will obviously be helpful in overall rail operation and management.
In the present context, many provisions, systems, fines and punishments of the age-old act are obsolete to run around 3,000 km-long rail-routes.
The BR started initiatives to amend the act in 2017, which was delayed due to not finding any consultant to carry out the work.
The agency finally drafted the amended law and placed to the cabinet on October 13, 2022. But it was returned, as 90 per cent sections of the ancient law were proposed to be changed. According to the Legislative and Parliamentary Division, 30 per cent amendment of an act must be drafted as a new act.
The Ministry of Railways and the BR later worked for almost a year through forming different committees to draft a new act, named the Bangladesh Railway Act 2023.
According to the BR, 112 sections were proposed to be changed in the amendment due to having conflict with the present situation.
Besides, it has kept 30 new sections and 20 more definitions, adding new chapters on director general (DG), general manager, railway land development authority, etc.
An official said the post of DG was absent in the ancient act, though the BR has long been carrying out all administrative and operational activities through the DG office.
The draft act has tried to bring discipline into the pro-people transport system. It will help to improve the BR's efficiency level and services in the present context, he added.
The Railway Act 1890 was promulgated to operate train services throughout the entire Indian subcontinent under British Empire.
The act was modified in 1935, and India replaced the act with Indian Railway Act 1989. Pakistan inherited its authority from the Indian Independence Act 1947, and Bangladesh after its independence in 1971.

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