Railway workers' demo halts train services for four hours

Train services from Kamalapur Railway Station to some other parts of the country remained suspended for nearly four hours on Sunday due to a sit-in programme of the casual workers of Bangladesh Railway (BR).
The train service disruption caused immense suffering to the passengers, said the railway authorities.
The workers staged the sit-in on rail tracks at Malibagh level crossing at around 10:00 am on the day seeking regularisation of their jobs.
Passengers were seen waiting eagerly to get on their respective trains at Kamalapur station. They were utterly dismayed to find the train services suspended.
And due to the protest programme, Rangpur Express train and a commuter train from Tangail were also stuck at Malibagh in the morning.
"It is unbearable to wait for such a long time," Raihan Mandal, a passenger bound for Rangpur along with family members told the FE at Malibagh.
The railway authorities failed to persuade the demonstrating workers into leaving the rail tracks in Malibagh area to resume train services.
Later police came to the spot and dispersed the protesting workers by resorting to baton charge at around 2:00 pm.
Talking to the FE, the workers at Malibagh said they had been on the movement over the last few days for regularisation of their jobs.
And as part of the movement, they staged the sit-in at Malibagh level crossing.
Many of their fellows received injuries as police charged baton on them. Three of the protestors were taken away by police in the name of providing treatment.
"Police interfered in our logical movement and used force to remove us from our sit-in programme (at Malibagh).Many of our co-workers sustained injuries due to baton charge by police," a casual worker who identified himself as Anwar told the FE.
He said he and other casual workers have been working in Bangladesh Railway over the past 12 years.
They had been assured by the railway authorities that their jobs would be regularised just after three to four years of joining; but that did not happen accordingly.
The workers said they had earlier talked to the secretary and director general of Bangladesh Railway for regularisation of their jobs but in vain.
They now want to see the Prime Minister's intervention in this regard.
The railway authorities appointed around 7,500 casual workers who have been working for 12 to 14 years.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com