The Finance Minister has given a vivid picture of the proposed development of the railway in his budget speech for fiscal 2015-2016. The government has adopted strategies to revitalise the railway system and taken initiatives to make full use of resources already invested in the railway. A 20-year Railway Master Plan has been formulated; Tk. 2 lakh 33 thousand 946 crore (2339.46 billion) will be spent for the implementation of 235 projects. Some of the important projects are: construction/reconstruction of Dohazari-Cox`s Bazar-Gundum, Kalukhali-Vatiapara-Gopalgong-Tungipara, Pachuria-Faridpur-Vanga, Ishwardi-Pabna-Dhalarchar and Khulna-Mongla new rail lines; Meherpur district will be brought within the rail network; rail service on the Padma Bridge will be launched; a rail track on the northern side of the Bangabandhu Bridge will be constructed; Construct the 3rd and 4th dual-gauge lines in the Dhaka-Tongi and dual-gauge double line in the Tongi-Joydevpur sections will be constructed; a parallel dual-gauge line along the existing meter-gauge line of Dhaka-Narayangonj section will be constructed. In addition, as part of expanding regional rail network, Akhaura-Agartola rail connectivity will be established.
This is a very laudable programme but the present condition of Bangladesh Railway is deplorable. It is the only sector which, since independence, has moved backward. Previously the railway ministry had a separate budget. This system was abolished and railway was brought under the Ministry of Communication. Meanwhile, railway track shrank and the number of railway stations decreased. There was an alarming fall in the number of passengers and quantity of cargo.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina revived the Ministry of Railways. Though separate budget has not been re-introduced, yet there is now separate allocation for the railway in the national budget. Moreover, a master plan has been prepared for the development of the railway.
It was expected that the new ministry would rejuvenate the railway and it would not only get back its past glory but will also march forward. Unfortunately, there is no such indication as yet. Mishaps in the railway take place almost routinely. A few weeks back a train made a journey of 27 KM without the engine driver. The engine made a suo moto journey. We do not know if this incident has made to the Guinness Book of World Record. Hundreds of rail gates remain open which occasionally cause accidents and loss of lives.
The railway department is in an acute shortage of manpower. Some years back a large number of experienced railway personnel left the department under the programme of golden handshake prescribed by the World Bank. From then on, no concerted move has been made to make up this loss. A few weeks back the railway department went to recruit a few hundred khalasis (lower-level railway engine workers) but the process could not be completed because of pressure from various groups. What a shame!
Bureaucracy in the subcontinent is notorious for corruption, inefficiency, sloth and anti-people psyche. That is why corporations, boards and other independent and autonomous bodies have been set up for running the affairs of the organisations which require dynamic outlook in administration. For example, two authorities have been working for maintaining navigation routes and river transport. A corporation has been working for running the affairs of the airways. A road transport corporation has been working for long. There was a railway board and an advisory body to assist the administrative machineries for giving proper advice. This board consisted of members drawn both from the government and the public sector.
It is essential that the present status of the railway department be recast totally. An assurance was given from the highest authority of the government that the railway department would be converted into a corporate one. Even in the budget speech for the present fiscal there was a specific mention that the railway would be converted into a corporate body. But the budget speech 2015-2016 is completely silent on this issue. It is, however, hoped that the issue would be discussed threadbare in parliament.
It is feared that the Master Plan for the development of the railway cannot be implemented properly by an organisation headed by a bureaucrat. The government should keep its promise made in parliament and turn the railway department into a board/authority/corporation.
rezaulparvaz@live.com
