Taking railway out of its present morass

A separate railway ministry started its journey in the country in 2012. It led the people to hope that the railway sector would be overhauled. The railway is one of the oldest mass transport systems in the sub-continent. The Ministry of Railway is an important and prestigious one in India.
In Bangladesh, the scenario is different. After the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, all the subsequent governments, irrespective of party colour, showed apathy towards the railway authorities. The railway ministry was abolished. It was brought under the control of the Ministry of Communication, which was dominated by the pro-road transport people. They were successful in keeping their 'men' in the cabinet for protecting their interests.
As a result, though all other departments of the government had made progress at varying degrees, the railway department appeared to be moving backwards. There was continued shrinkage of railway lines, reduction in the number of trains, and closure of railway stations.
People felt optimistic that there would be a reversal of the situation after the opening of the Ministry of Railways, but it did not happen. The trains are always comfortable, cheap and safe for travel. Goods can be carried at a very affordable rate by goods trains.
It had been alleged that the road transport owners wanted to destroy the railway sector, and as mentioned earlier, all the successive communication ministry authorities had faithfully implemented the agenda of the road transport owners. If a list of dysfunctional government departments in the country is prepared, the railway department will occupy the top place. Dysfunctional governance is a serious problem for the country. Occurrence of railway accidents is frequent.
The engine skids off the track, or overshoots the line; locomotive masters operate trains in a leisurely manner and passengers stop trains where ever they wish by pulling chains. A few days back, this scribe made a journey by train from Dhaka to Chittagong availing a so-called high-profile train. It was late by about one and half hours. My friend who came to receive me said that I was lucky to reach so early.
During the travel, I found a number of rail gates unguarded and open.  A large number of commuters and vehicles were precariously standing on the two sides of the unguarded rail crossings.  Accidents could occur any time. Seeing a train running on time has now become a rare experience. Apparently to cover up its inefficiency and poor performance, Bangladesh Railway occasionally introduces the so-called inter-city trains.
There are also instances of putting off instructions from the higher authorities. The Prime Minister had publicly assured the people at Nilphamari as far back as 2012 that two express trains named Nilsagor and Rupsha would extend their journeys up to Chilahati from Nilphamari. That instruction of the Prime Minister has not yet been implemented.
The popular story is that this could not be materialised due to quarrels between the local MPs, the issue being who will cut the inauguration tape. For this trifling issue, neither the Prime Minister's directive was honoured, nor was the people's interest cared for. The importance of railway can be hardly overemphasised.
In this connection, it may be mentioned that traffic movement in Dhaka metropolis has long been painfully slow leading to serious transport congestions. The situation is apprehended to worsen further. The only solution lies in the introduction of a metro railway system, be it along overhead tracks or those underground. No other alternatives will work.
Addition of more buses will only contribute to worsen traffic jams. Suburbs around the capital will have to be connected by fast-moving surface trains operated by the railway department.  A separate authority will have to be set up for the metro rail. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith informed Parliament in his budget speech for the fiscal year 2011-2012 that the "next course" of action for the railway would be to convert the railway department into a corporate entity.
The booklet of the budget-speech for the fiscal 2014-2015 contains a long list of important ongoing projects; serial number 124 mentions about the issue of converting the railway department into a corporate entity. The list, it appears, was not prepared with required information about the projects. It does not state the latest position or status of the projects.  No specific step has been taken for conversion of the railway department as promised by the Finance Minister.
 Meanwhile, people have heard of a twenty-year mega project for the overall development of the railway sector. Moreover, it has been stated that the Bangladesh railway communication will be connected with the Trans Asian Railway network. But the base of Bangladesh Railway is weak, and any such load being contemplated by the government will pose a challenge to the railway department. The department lacks trained personnel. A large number of posts have been lying vacant. It is strange to see that the posts are being kept vacant, when the government is talking about the development of the railway. It is high time urgent steps were taken for creating a railway board with autonomy. This may not be a panacea, but it will at least fill the present lacunae besetting the railway department. A senior bureaucrat has reportedly been running the show in the railway department. Needless to say, one-man rule has always the chance of becoming egoistic and whimsical. Our bureaucracy follows the tradition of not being accountable to the public; and on occasions, the bureaucrats are reportedly shielded by political leaders. The situation might turn serious if a bureaucrat makes an "unholy alliance" with politicians. This is not possible in the case of a board, because it has to be transparent and accountable to some extent.
rezaulparvaz@live.com